Resurgence
by Kraven Ergeist
Summary: Post Season 3 - The strongest are those who can get back up with the bitter taste of defeat still fresh in their mouths. Ruby and her new team are trying to save as many as they can while they wait for Cinder's next move. But Cinder has a new weapon in store for the huntsmen in training. And this weapon wears a familiar face... :: JaunexPyrrha, eventual JaunexRuby
1. Chapter 1

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

The strongest are those who can get back up with the bitter taste of defeat still fresh in their mouths. Ruby and her new team are trying to save as many as they can while they wait for Cinder's next move. But Cinder has a new weapon in store for the huntsmen in training. And this weapon wears a familiar face...

Spoilers for Season 3. **Jaune x Pyrrha** , **Ren x Nora** , **Blake x Yang** , and **Jaune x Ruby** by the end (you've been warned).

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Chapter 1

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Everything was gone.

The village had been reduced to embers. Piles of smoldering ash lay where huts and hovels had once been. It had not been a very large village, but still the smoke from the destruction had risen to blacken the sky all the same. The fires had spread to the fields and grasslands surrounding the unfortunate farming village, and now the ash blanketed the hills and valleys, the colorless gray stretching out as far as the eye could see across the horizon of Mistral.

Lie Ren crouched down and pulled up a handful of ash, bringing it to his nostrils to survey its scent. There were still traces of fresh wood smoke, which confirmed his suspicions. He had seen attacks like these before – they were all too common where he and Nora were from. Had it been raiders or looters or pirates or any of the usual brigands, there would have been vultures circling overhead, or rats pillaging for carrion. Not after an attack like this, however. Anyone not fortunate enough to escape had been wiped out. Completely. There were no carrion eaters because there was no carrion left to eat.

That was how the Grimm worked. They devoured their prey. Utterly.

"This is so horrible…" A tired voice broke the ghastly silence.

Ren looked up and saw Nora leaning against her hammer, planted pommel first into the scorched earth as she surveyed their surroundings.

"This damage is recent," Ren reported, dispassionately, getting to his feet. "This attack happened less than a day ago. Probably during the night."

Ren expected Nora to say something else, but she simply clutched Magnild's handle a little more tightly, her lips pursed in a grim visage.

He drew in a breath, mentally preparing himself to say something to comfort the young woman, but everything he could think of in his head sounded hollow upon reflection, and he knew that as soon as he gave them voice, it would ring empty.

Fortunately, their friend and de-facto leader Ruby stepped in to relieve him of any such concern.

"This is the third Grimm attack this week," the young redhead spoke out as she approached them, a look of despair in her eyes.

Having just swept the area, nothing she had seen had given her any indication that there were any survivors to be found. With a sigh of resignation, she opened up her scroll to verify their previous findings. It was a vein effort – she had them committed to memory at this point.

The victory at Beacon had been a marginal one – the Grimm now roamed the countryside in such numbers they simply could not combat them all. Ever since the trail to hunt down Cinder had gone cold, every Huntress and huntsmen, regardless of their level of training, had been called upon to stave off the emerging threat of the Grimm. With the CCTS down, communications had been knocked back to the stone age. Carrier pigeons and couriers were quickly becoming the quickest means of communication. Still, the difficulty in responding quickly to emergencies had been almost insurmountable. Ruby and the others had not wanted to give up the search they had travelled so far to see through. But as luck would have it, Mistral had need of their aid just as much as Vale, and so the team of young huntsmen remained here, fighting however they could, and biding their time.

"Probably not the last one too," Ren nodded in agreement, looking around at the flaming timbers that had once been carts and wagons and other primitive means of transportation that had been fruitlessly employed to flee. "Not everyone can just pick up and move their lives away at a moment's notice."

"And the kingdoms are being flooded with refugees as it is," Nora pursed her lips. "Atlas, Mistral, Vacuo…there just aren't enough Huntsmen to protect them all."

Ruby put away her scroll and gave her teammate a hopeful smile. "Don't worry Nora! We're doing everything we can to keep them safe!"

Nora nodded appreciatively. "I know, Ruby…I just hate showing up after the damage has already been done."

"Yeah…" Ruby hung her head, echoing her sentiments.

This journey had been taking its toll on all of them. Some more than others.

"Hey…where's Jaune?" Ren said when it suddenly occurred to him that it had been a while since he'd seen his former team leader.

"Standing guard," Ruby absently kicked a pebble, knowing that it was there mission to push on but reluctant to do so.

"Again?" Nora asked, a tone of concern in her voice.

"Yeah…" Ruby sighed, nodding at Nora's unspoken implication. "I think it gives him time to think…"

"About her?" Nora gave voice to her fears.

Ruby nodded.

"He's been getting pretty distant lately," Ren observed. "He agreed to step down as our leader a little too quickly if you ask me."

Ruby wrinkled her nose. They'd already had this conversation several times before.

"Well…he feels responsible," she said bluntly, frustration in her voice. "I can't blame him – I'd feel responsible too if that happened to someone on my team. I mean…I feel bad enough letting Yang…get hurt…and letting Blake and Weiss drift apart like they did…"

Ruby felt tears welling up in her eyes, and the other two huntsmen stiffened in response. But Ruby quickly dried her eyes, putting on a brave face. She couldn't let her team see her getting so choked up. She had to be strong.

For Yang. For Penny. For Pyrrha.

"Come on," she said brusquely, brushing her hands on her combat skirt and taking a deep, cleansing breath. "We might just have better luck at the next village. No way to know unless we try, right?"

Nora and Ren both nodded, though it was clear that it took both of them an effort to keep their spirits up.

"Right," Nora chimed in. "I'll go get Jaune."

Ruby shook her head. "No, I'll get him. I know where he is. Meet me at the village entrance."

Ruby set off before the others could offer any protest. There had been no reason they couldn't all move as a group, of course. Except that Ren was right – Jaune was getting more distant lately, and Ruby wanted to speak with him in private. He somehow always seemed to keep rather upbeat on the surface, and that's exactly what bothered her. It may have been the better part of a year since it'd happened, but in that whole time, she hadn't seen him truly mourn the loss of his team mate, his partner. Not even once.

Ruby had a sinking feeling that this veneer of good cheer was merely a front. Ren had hinted at the true pain lingering beneath it all – that after the disaster at Beacon, he not only blamed himself for what happened to Pyrrha, but that blame had cast doubt on his own leadership ability. Ruby didn't mind taking the reigns, but not at the expense of her teammate's feeling of self worth. She was determined to help him come back from this, however she could. She hadn't given up on Team RWBY, but so long as she was in charge of Team RNJR, it was her job to ensure the well being of the huntsmen and Huntresses on it.

Whether they could admit that they needed it or not.


	2. Chapter 2

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

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Chapter 2

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Blake had seen a lot of strange and alarming things in her time at Vale. The fall of Beacon Academy, the emergence of a giant dragon Grimm, and the collapse of an entire society were chief among them. Streets that had once belonged to humans and Faunus now belonged to neither, and were instead populated by the marauding creatures of Grimm.

In a way it was poetic. For so long, humans and Faunus had refused to the hang as one, and so now hung separately.

She had survived how she'd always survived – by keeping to the shadows. From there, she could watch, and she could listen. The people of Vale had been driven from their city, but not everyone had fled. Hidden beneath the city, a small number of huntsmen still remained, lead by one of her old teachers, Glynda Goodwitch. A few courageous students remained with her. Whether they intended to fight back, provide reconnaissance to the other kingdoms, or otherwise interfere with the enemy's plans was uncertain to her, but until she could be sure of their intent – and their likelihood of success – Blake knew that it was in her best interests to remain hidden, at least for now.

She only hoped that they would forgive her if they ever made out of this alive.

She only hoped that she would forgive herself if they didn't.

Every time she ducked out of harm's way, every time she cowered and shied away from danger, every time she listened to her survival instinct to flee…every time she ran, she was proving Adam right. It was what she did. It was how she survived.

But at what cost? The blood and trust of her dearest friend? The kindship of her fellow teammates? Any hope she ever had at a normal life?

Of course, a normal life had never been in the cards for her. She may have deluded herself into believing it could have been. For a while, it had been nice to be a student, to read books and go to dances and have tea and just…be a normal girl. But that had all been stripped away the day that Beacon had fallen.

No, not stripped away. She had run away from it at the first sing of trouble. As soon as her past had started catching up to her, she had fled in fear. Instead of facing her demons, she had simply taken the quick and easy path, leaving her friends in the dust.

Just like she always did.

She cursed under her breath. She was wasting her time lingering here in the city. It provided reasonable cover, and her chances weren't the greatest outside the city alone and on foot, but it still beat ducking behind street corners and into back alleys every time a Beowolf or Boarbatusk plodded by, and that wasn't even getting into the larger creatures of Grimm that appeared in no textbook that she had ever seen, all seemingly drawn to the dragon, frozen like a statue looming over all of Vale. There was nothing for her to accomplish here in the city. So why stay?

Of course, it was her guilty conscience. She had abandoned her friends. She had abandoned her team. She dare not face them now. Perhaps maybe, just maybe, if there was some good she could accomplish here in the city, Blake just might be able to face her again. Of course, she could never be certain, and so she continued to evade the other huntsmen just as surely as the Grimm. And so she remained, as if in a state of limbo, unable to leave, unable to join those that would surely take all the help they could get. All she could do was linger, fending for herself, and running. Always running.

But as she lingered, she also watched.

And on this day, she saw something that she almost could not comprehend.

A bullhead airship made its way into town, which was a rare enough sight as it was anymore, making a beeline straight to Beacon tower. Blake could not hope to catch up to it on foot, but by scurrying across rooftops towards the academy, she was able to get close enough to catch a glimpse of what was dispersed from its hold.

To her astonishment, she saw a familiar figure – that girl who had worked for Roman, the one with the pink and brown hair. The one Yang had fought – and lost to. Blake hadn't seen her since that day, but if she was here now, it couldn't be good.

Then, what was even stranger, were the two Grimm that lumbered out of the Bullhead after the tiny figure. Two Ursa, by the look of it. Blake's hair stood on end as she held her breath, expecting them to charge after the lone passenger. But not only were they refraining from attacking the small girl, they appeared to be carrying some sort of box between them in their claws.

Blake could hardly believe what she was seeing. Was that girl actually _leading_ the Grimm? Controlling them, even? Using them as…beasts of burden, of all things?

Her Faunus eyes lent her exceptional eyesight, and she could see the two creatures clearly, following the small girl until they disappeared from view into the remains of Beacon tower, the Grimm dragon still clinging to the top like some kind of chrysalis.

Blake rubbed her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? It had been months since she'd been out here on her own, and aside from the occasional run-in with the Grimm, she had not interacted with anyone or anything since the disaster at Beacon.

Was this what going mad felt like?

She watched as the bullhead took off and flew away, and she kept her eyes fixated on the tower until dusk. But nothing more caught her attention, and soon, Blake had to return to her hideout for the night.

Maybe she had imagined it. As the days had become weeks and the weeks had become months, what was most taxing her, beyond hunger and survival, was the simple struggle of tedium. Still, if she hadn't been imagining things, and the girl with the pink and brown hair had returned, then there was definitely something going on at Beacon tower.


	3. Chapter 3

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

Ruby found Jaune right where she had left him, sword and shield in hand. Which was good…and bad. It was unlikely that he had patrolled much if at all during the rest of their investigation, and while the western border of the village upon which he stood _was_ the most likely direction of an attack, that didn't mitigate the possibility of an attack from any other direction. It seemed as though the fears she shared with Ren and Nora about their former leader had been right, but Ruby hated being right about this, and was determined to give Jaune every opportunity to bounce back.

"Hey Jaune," she announced her presence in her usual jovial manner, though it felt forced in light of her team's recent findings in the village. "All quiet on the western front?"

Jaune seemed startled by her presence, but quickly composed himself. It appeared as though he had been lost in his thoughts. Again.

"Y-Yeah…" Jaune chuckled, trying to deflect the uneasiness of the situation with humor. "Almost eerily so, actually. Can't hear any birds or bugs or anything. I almost wish we _did_ have some Grimm to fight. At least then, it wouldn't be so…dead silent…"

Ruby nodded. She echoed his sentiment, but she had worked with Jaune long enough to notice when he was flagging.

"You're thinking about _her_ again, aren't you?" she asked bluntly.

Jaune winced, sheathing his sword and shield. "You…really don't mince words, do you Ruby?"

Ruby shrugged, her expression flat. "I get that a lot. You wanna talk about it?"

Jaune sighed, clearly seeing where the conversation was going, and sat down on a nearby rock in resignation.

"I…don't see what there is to talk about," Jaune said, eyes on the horizon. "She's gone. That's it. We can either linger on it, or move on with our lives. She wouldn't want her memory bringing us down."

Ruby furrowed her brow, her fists clenching into little balls, and she leaned in towards him. "But her memory _is_ bringing you down, Jaune! Can't you _see_ that?"

Jaune flinched at that. It seemed like he knew all too well how he was behaving and just didn't want to admit it. He clenched his eyes as well as his fists, a pained look on his face.

"It's not…" he stammered, opening his fists to stare at his open palms. "It's not just about Pyrrha…it's that I _failed_ …"

Ruby shook her head, eyes narrowed in sadness, trying to understand.

"Jaune…" she breathed, shaking her head in disbelief. "There was _nothing_ you could have done! _I'm_ the one who couldn't make it in time to save her…"

Jaune shook his head in refusal. "But _I'm_ the one who let that…that… _witch_ get past me!"

Ruby pursed her lips. She had heard this story before, from his other two teammates. But she hadn't heard it from Jaune himself before.

"I was supposed to stand guard!" Jaune said, hand pressed his forehead. "Ozpin asked me to do _one_ thing, and I couldn't even do _that_ right!"

Ruby felt her heart break a little as she saw Jaune break down into tears, and she sat down next to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't know what was going on," Ruby said sympathetically. "How could you? You heard your teammate cry out in pain without _any_ clue what was happening to her! How could you have done _anything_ but go to her side? I wouldn't have done anything _different_ had I been in your place!"

"Ruby, I…I let my _feelings_ for her get her killed!" Jaune cried, his eyes swollen red. "I turned away for _one_ second, and that was all it took for that… _monster_ to claim all that power for herself! If I hadn't let that happen, Ozpin might still be here, and Pyrrha would have never had to face that _creature_ on her own! I might as well have signed her death warrant right then and there!"

"Jaune…" Ruby felt tears of her own bubbling up in empathy. "You can't think like that!"

"They _trusted_ me, Ruby!" he sobbed. "And I let them _both_ down! And _now_ …"

Jaune wiped his eyes, and for the first time, Ruby saw something akin to rage boiling behind those eyes.

"And now that…that _madwoman_ is out there with an _army_ of Grimm, and _no one_ powerful enough to stop her! And it's _all my fault!_ "

WHAP!

Jaune clutched the back of his head as Ruby rubbed her fist.

"Ow…" he muttered, completely derailed.

"It is _not_ your fault, Jaune!" Ruby shouted belligerently, feeling like she was channeling Weiss in that moment, but not letting the thought halt her tirade. "Cinder was probably _waiting_ for you to turn around because she _knew_ how much you cared about your friend! She took _advantage_ of you, Jaune! She took advantage of _all_ of us! Penny…Yang…even Torchwick…she _manipulated_ us all into doing what she wanted! And we each played right into her hands!"

Jaune was staring at Ruby, somewhat stunned, as he watched her tears of sympathy turn into something much, much more.

"If you're at fault, for what happened to Pyrrha…then…" Ruby sniffed back tears. "…Then _I_ am too!"

Jaune reached out a cautious hand, suddenly not wanting to upset the girl further. "Ruby…I…"

Ruby shook her head and threw her arms around the boy, somewhat unexpectedly

"Uh…" he stammered, now completely befuddled.

"You can't keep beating yourself up over this, Jaune," Ruby pleaded, hugging him tightly, burying her face into his collar. "You'll make yourself sick! And your team needs you!"

She raised her head to peer at him through tear-soaked eyes.

" _I_ need you!" she pleaded.

Jaune was caught so off guard that he actually found himself blushing a little at her phrasing, but quickly shrugged it off. Clearly she meant that as team leader, she needed every member of her team functional, including him. That's what made the most sense in that moment, anyway.

"But Ruby…" he said in a voice that sounded hollow and numb, unable to match her gaze. "How can I trust myself? How can I trust myself not to make a mistake like that again? The next flub-up I make could end up costing Nora's life…or Ren's…or _yours_ …"

Ruby shrugged sadly. "That's just a chance you'll have to take, Jaune. That's what it means to trust in your teammates. You have to trust that we'll be able to catch each other's mistakes. None of us are perfect either…but we trust each other, and depend on one another. That's what being a team is all about."

Jaune let out a defeated sigh. He knew Ruby was right and that he shouldn't be sulking about this so much. But the pain was still there, and it still felt so real, even after so many months. He knew that it would never really go away, and that he would simply have to learn to live with it. To integrate that pain into his life, and learn how to function with the hole in his heart that Pyrrha had left.

That was a lot to expect of anyone, and he honestly wasn't sure he could do it. Not and be a team leader at the same time, anyway.

But if Ruby was leading him, then maybe…maybe he could learn to live with his pain and at least be a good member of the team.

With a great sigh of discontent, he got to his feet.

"You're right, Ruby," he said in a defeated tone. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Ruby said somberly, standing as well. "You're allowed to be sad, Jaune. No one ever said you couldn't be. Just know that we're all here for you when you are. Okay?"

Jaune attempted a smile, and this time, actually seemed to manage one.

Ruby smiled in return. "Come on, Jaune. The others are waiting."

She turned to go, and Jaune followed closely behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

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Chapter 4

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Cinder prided herself as a creature of simple needs. She had spent her life surviving on what little she could scrounge for herself, and that had made her adept at making the most of very little. As such, she had little need for luxuries and generally disregarded such trifles as excessive and unnecessary.

Now she was sitting in what had once been the great tower of Beacon Academy, in the former headmaster's own chair no less (there was a certain delicious irony in that, she smiled), and gently twirling a glass between her fingertips. An aromatic red wine that had once belonged to Professor Port, and was older than she was, now idly circled the bottom of the glass. Smiling, she took a delicate sip of the pungent liquor, and her smile widened as the richness of the flavor filled her palette.

At times such as this, she admitted idly to herself, it was certainly well within her rights to indulge.

Her musings were interrupted as Roman's little pet came wandering up the stairs to what remained of the headmaster's (now considerably more open-aired) office, followed by a host of Grimm carrying a hefty crate.

Right on time, Cinder thought to herself, as she languidly lifted herself from Ozpin's chair. The office was not so much an office as it was a platform, its walls and ceiling completely destroyed. Most of the contents of the office had been lost in the attack, though the headmaster's chair and a small desk with various items of import sitting atop, including the bronze headdress worn by the late Fall Maiden candidate.

Such a foolishly brave girl she had been. Cinder had almost regretted ending her life. Now this small token was all that remained of her memory. With the power of the Fall Maiden now in her hands, however, Cinder could easily level what remained of Beacon, but to do so before the dragon awoke would not befit her master's plan. And so she moved with the cautious grace of a gentle giant, so as not to disturb their new home away from home.

"About time," Cinder muttered impatiently to the girl, before gesturing to center of the room. "Set it right over there."

Neo did not smile as the Grimm got to work, awkwardly shoving the box into position. Cinder had not seen her smile since Roman's disappearance.

No matter. So long as she obeyed.

"Good," Cinder commented brusquely as their task was completed. "You may go now. All of you."

If Neo had any protest to being ordered around, and along with Grimm no less, she did not indicate it. Her eyes did linger for just a second on Cinder's, before she turned and obediently followed the Grimm down the stairs.

Cinder frowned. The little brat had been useful, and Cinder still had need of her particular talents later on. She did not want to write her off, but she was beginning to display signs of discouragement and resentment. All were traits that Cinder would not allow amongst her ranks.

She had already needed to cast out one such underling. She wasn't keen on losing another.

Resolving to deal with the situation later, Cinder briefly tapped into the Fall Maiden's power, and with a flick of her wrist, the sides of the box each flew off in opposite directions in a gust of wind and falling to the floor with a series of clangs, revealing the box's contents to her expectant eyes.

Standing before her was a tall, ornate mirror, its frame of carved wood, etched with ancient symbols and runes, and a large crimson dust stone embedded at its top.

Cinder stepped up to the mirror and smiled at her reflection. Her eyes still glowed with the vibrant power of the Fall Maiden, and she never tired of seeing the proof of her victory bared before her like this. It was almost enough to stamp out the feelings of uneasiness brought on by that strange little girl who had somehow managed to tap into the same power to put the dragon back to sleep.

Almost. But not quite. For this was no ordinary mirror.

"I come before you now, Master," Cinder said in a husky voice, curtseying delicately like a lady of court. "I beg thee, grant me this audience."

At first, nothing happened. Then, as if by magic, the glass in the mirror began to appear cloudy, as though fogged from condensation. Then, as if stepping through the shadows, a figure appeared to her from within the glass, peering through the mirror like a window.

A figure of white and black, whose eyes bespoke of naught but the redness of blood.

"Cinder…" the figure spoke, her voice sounding from the other side of the glass, cutting straight to the bone. "I see you are putting my gifts to good use."

Her voice sounded like that of a human's, but Cinder knew all too well that she was speaking with anything but.

"I _do_ hope that you do not lose this one quite so easily," she added.

Cinder bit back a retort. She was not one to accept such naked accusations, but she knew better than to challenge her master's words.

"I shall not disappoint you, Master…" she nodded, simply.

This seemed to content the old witch, and she nodded.

"See that you do not," she said, sounding distracted. "The Shadowglass will ensure that my words reach you without delay. Now that their pitiful web of communication is but a memory, it shall not be long before we may move amongst them with impunity."

Cinder did not need clarification on who her master was referring to. To Salem, there was only one enemy in the entire world of Remnant.

"What of the dragon, my Master?" Cinder asked coyly, eying the coiled frame of the serpent surrounding the very tower upon which she stood.

The white skinned woman shook her head. "Patience…the Grimm are spreading throughout the land. Once enough of the people have succumbed to their fears, it shall awaken once more."

Cinder nodded, idly wondering how much time that would give her.

"Yes, my Master," she said without a hint of emotion.

"I shall have instructions for you shortly," the old witch said curtly, in a clear sign of dismissal. "I will contact you when the time is right. For now, maintain your hold on Beacon Academy. If anything of note comes up, you are to report it immediately."

Cinder bowed again, and the image of her master faded from view, and the Shadowglass appeared as nothing more than an ornate mirror once again.

Cinder straightened her position, and smiled. She had hoped that Salem would lend her the use of such an artifact as this. The Shadowglass had many uses, not the least of which was a level of communication unheard of by modern Remnant technology. But the artifact had one use in particular that Cinder had need of. And now that it was within her possession, she could finally set her own plans in motion.

Her eyes once again glowed with the power of the Fall Maiden, and she reached out towards the small desk at her side. With a gust of wind, the bronze headdress that had once belonged to that foolhardy huntress in training came tumbling off the desk with a _whoosh_ and flew into her hands.

With this artifact, Cinder thought smugly to herself, the Fall Maiden candidate may still yet prove to be of some use to her after all. Upon her death, Cinder had touched her aura. Without fully understanding the powers of the Fall Maiden at the time, however, she had done much more than that. In a way, she had touched the girl's very soul. And a potent soul it had been. In that instant, Cinder had seen a universe of possibility open up to her. The body may have been dying, but the essence had not yet ebbed. All she had required was something to tether it to. The temptation had been too great not to reach out and take it, and in doing so, Cinder had tapped into what may yet be her most powerful weapon ever.

A weapon that might yet lend her the power to get out from under the heel of that witch.

She reached out with the headdress in hand and placed the bronze circlet against the glass of the mirror. Her eyes glowed yellow as a similar yellow aura surrounded the ornament, and Cinder pressed a little harder. Rather than breaking the glass or tipping the mirror, however, the headdress quite suddenly slipped into the glass like it was little more than the surface of a pond.

Soon, the headdress was floating within the reflection of the airy office space, existing only behind the mirror now, a reflection that now held no originator. As Cinder's power flared, the bright red dust stone at the top of the Shadowglass began to glow, and soon the student's headdress rose to about head height.

An image began to resolve. Cinder could keenly recall the girl's face, and the body was soon to follow. A pale, colorless creature now stood, eyes closed, within the Shadowglass, bearing a striking resemblance to the student she had killed. But this was not the student.

Not yet.

The headdress then slowly descended upon the simulacrum's crown, adding a splash of vibrant color to a face that was once pallid and hair that bore a mere passing resemblance to the color red.

And then she opened her eyes, and light seemed to return to her.

The girl let out a startled gasp as she looked around, as if suddenly becoming acutely aware of her surroundings.

"Wh-what!?" she gasped out in shock.

Cinder smiled. It was the same voice she had heard on that fateful day. The magic had worked! The Fall Maiden's power was frightful indeed! To manipulate life to such a degree was almost unthinkable, but with this kind of power in her hands, how could anyone think to stand in her way?

The girl, looking pale and unhealthy but alive, placed her hands upon that glass that separated her from Cinder, suddenly finding herself quite trapped within the Shadowglass, a reflection with no originator.

"What is this!?" the Fall Maiden candidate demanded, panic in her voice.

Cinder's smile was palpable as she lifted a hand, glowing with the vibrant power of the Fall Maiden. It was time to put her plan into motion.

"This, my dear…" she said, placing her hand against the glass. "…Is destiny."

Power suddenly emanated from Cinder's hand, passing through the mirror into Pyrrha's chest, and she recoiled from the glass, clutching her arms around her body as she released a cry of pain as the yellow energy engulfed her.

" _AHHHHHHHHH!_ "


	5. Chapter 5

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

The next village Team RNJR came across was much like the last one. And the one after that as well. The pattern seemed to be holding true to kingdom come, until the team came to a ruined village that did not seem to bear the same telltale signs of a Grimm attack.

In all the previous villages, there had been no bodies. Not here. Here, the innocent lay strewn like paper dolls, their bodies crippled and torn. This had not been the work of Grimm.

"Who could have done this?" Ruby breathed in disbelief as she and her team walked amongst the carnage.

There were no claw marks to be found, no signs of wanton destruction. In fact, many of the huts and hovels still seemed perfectly intact, if utterly abandoned. In spite of this, there was not a soul to be seen.

"This village had a population of about fifteen hundred…" Ren commented, consulting his scroll.

He glanced around, wrinkling face into a grimace of remorse.

"Based on the...body count…" he said, turning pale. "I'd estimate that few villagers made it out alive."

Nora knelt down next to the forsaken forms of what appeared to be two parents and a little girl. They had given their lives to protect her, but all three had perished.

"They just…slaughtered them all…" Nora said, shaking her head in disbelief. "They didn't spare _anyone_ …"

Ren placed a comforting hand on Nora's shoulder while Ruby knelt beside her to inspect the bodies.

Ruby took a steadying breath as she felt her stomach turning at all the destruction. She knew she had to be pragmatic about this. She didn't have time to grieve. There was information to be gleamed here, even if it hurt to look at.

Ruby may not be a very experienced huntress, but she knew the work of weapons when she saw it.

"Whoever…" Ruby said, steeling herself. "Whoever did this was armed with some kind of bladed weapon. All the damage around the village shows the same striking pattern as these cuts…"

She looked down at the bodies of the parents and their child, their lives stripped from them.

 _Focus_ , Ruby told herself.

"So…" she reasoned with herself "It was either a well armed group with standard issue weaponry…or…"

Nora clenched her teeth, still kneeling, her eyes hidden behind her bangs, voice trembling. "Or a single killer…acting alone."

Ren nodded, squeezing Nora's shoulder. "The usual raiders and brigands in this area tend to carry an eclectic assortment of weapons. It's unlikely to be any kind of organized group out here. Haven would have heard about it."

Ruby wrinkled her nose, looking around at the carnage around her. None of the damage appeared to be the work of axes, glaives or knives. The cuts and stabs all appeared to be the work a medium sized short sword, and all from a consistent height.

This all pointed to one conclusion.

"You're telling me this was the work of _one_ killer?" Ruby breathed.

Ren and Nora had no answer for that. They knew they were working with incomplete data, and were grasping at straws. But their instincts were all telling them the same thing.

"Who are we dealing with here?" Ruby demanded in frustration. "A rogue huntsman? Grimm, I could understand! A band of thieves, sure. But a single killer, who could do all of _this_?"

Nora looked up at her team leader, eyes red from tears as her gaze became deadly.

"Could it be Cinder?" she asked, her tone cold.

Ren stiffened at the harshness in Nora's voice. That name had become a kind of taboo amongst the remnants of Team JNPR.

"No…" Ruby shook her head, looking around. "Cinder used a pair of curved sabers and a bow and arrow. The cutting pattern doesn't match, and there are no arrow wounds that I can see…"

Ren drew in a breath as he watched Nora. She was still shaking and still hadn't gotten to her feet yet. He had never seen her quite so distraught before.

"Ruby…?" he said quietly, eyes still on Nora. "Do you…think you could go check on Jaune? There's no telling if this killer might still be here…"

Ruby pulled out her scroll. "Why don't I just him give him a call and…?"

Ruby trailed off as she caught the look in Ren's eyes as he glanced between her and back down at Nora.

"Oh…" Ruby nodded, catching onto his intention. "Right, I uh…I'll go see if Jaune's alright…"

Ren nodded gratefully as Ruby ran off in the direction they came. He then knelt next to his partner and held onto both her shoulders as he looked at her.

"Nora…"

Nora shook her head, eyes still red. "We're too late…we're always just one step behind, Ren…"

"Nora, stop…" he said gently.

Nora clenched her eyes. "I mean, just _once_ I'd like to arrive in time to actually do some _good!_ But we're not saving _anyone_ out here, Ren! All we _ever_ seem to do is show up in time to bury the dead!"

"Nora, look at me!" Ren said, raising his voice, tightening his grip on her shoulders.

Nora flinched and stiffened in response to his words. She wasn't used to him taking a firm hand like, so she lifted her eyes to meet his soft, gentle gaze.

"Nora…" he said, calmly and soothingly. "Everything's going to be alright…"

Nora's eyes narrowed in despair. "Pyrrha's dead, Ren. Nothing's going to be 'alright' ever again…"

"Nora…" Ren shook his head, disparagingly. "We're doing everything we can. All we can do is hope that it's enough."

Nora shivered and threw her arms around the young man, pressing her tear-soaked eyes against his chest, sniffing in anguish.

"I…" she shuddered, clutching him tightly. "I just don't want to lose anyone else…"

She raised her eyes to look at his, and he returned her gaze with a smile. That same light-hearted smile that she loved so much.

"If anything ever happened to _you_ , Ren, I…" Nora quavered.

She flinched as she felt his hands on her back.

"We'll look after each other, Nora…" Ren smiled, nodding his head. "We always do."

She buried her head into his embrace once again.

Losing Pyrrha had been a wake up call. None of them were safe. Everything they had could be snatched up in a moment. But all that really meant was that they should savor these moments while they lasted. If Pyrrha's death had taught them anything at all, it was that it didn't always pay to wait for just the right moment.

Because you just never knew if it would ever come back again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

It had been a while since Yang had received what she would call a good night sleep. She kept seeing Blake, sometimes Weiss, and occasionally even Ruby, and chasing after their retreating form. But no matter how fast Yang ran, she could never seem to catch up to her, and she would wake up with tears in her eyes, and remember where she was, and what she had lost. Then she would go back to sleep and do it all over again.

Her father had tried encouraging her to get up and walk around, even if just to move around the house. Yang had tried once or twice to oblige him, but usually found herself right back in her bed. Her father hadn't pushed her any further after that point. Even after learning that Ruby had left with Jaune, Nora and Ren, as concerned as he had been, her father hadn't placed any expectations on her.

Part of her was grateful to him for staying out of her business, but another part wished that he would push her so she would have somewhere to direct her anger towards. Letting her off easy was like reaffirming her own fears. She was defeated. And now she was useless, and everyone knew it. Everyone was going easy on her because they didn't think she could take any more. And that just convinced her, despite everything she had grown up believing, that she honestly couldn't.

But then one night, Yang received a rude awakening when she opened her eyes to find herself dangling off the roof of her father's house.

"Wh-what!?" she gasped, flailing helplessly as she looked around frantically for something that made sense.

It was the middle of the night, and one of the last snowfalls of winter was flurrying gently down around her. It was brutally cold in her nightgown, and she was still off balance, having not spent much of her time on her feet since the accident.

Being held up by her one good arm was not doing anything to make the situation any less confusing.

"Who the-!?" she demanded, looking up to see who was holding her, and seeing the cloaked figure gripping her by the wrist.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, however, Yang realized she knew exactly who this person was. She finally stopped struggling, as a cold rage bubbled up in the pit of her stomach.

"What do _you_ want?" she demanded, looking away.

Raven Branwen appeared completely unamused by her daughter's disposition.

"Yang…" she said sternly. "It's time for you to go."

Yang furrowed her brow at that.

"Says who?" Yang looked up at the woman who used to be her mother, her feet dangling precariously over the snow covered grass around their house. "You? You _left_ , remember? You don't _get_ to boss me around after that."

Raven's unamused expression did not abate.

"I've been waiting patiently for you to get your act together," she said, disappointment evident in her voice. "But the world isn't as patient as I am. It's not going to wait for you."

Yang glared back at the woman who had to the gall to drag her out of bed like this in the dead of night, the bitter cold around her doing nothing to stamp out the fiery anger burning inside her. How she hadn't awoken before that point was a mystery; Raven must have carried her in her arms, just like she had when Yang was little. The memories only brought pain, and only served to fuel Yang's rage.

"I _gave_ this fight everything I had!" Yang practically spat, eyes turning red from anger. "It ate me up and spat me back out like I was nothing!"

She waved the stump of her arm around like a broken toy.

"And now Ruby…Blake…Weiss…" Yang grimaced, tears in her eyes. "They've all given up on me! They all _left!_ "

Yang's exuberant outcry caused her to wobble within Raven's grip, but the older woman did not relent.

"Everyone deals with pain in different ways, Yang," Raven said somberly, lowering her gaze, her face framed by snowfall. "Some of us choose to run…some choose to fight…"

She looked up, fixing her daughter with an accusatory scowl.

"…And some choose to hide in their room like a child!"

Yang inhaled sharply, and was about to lash out at her, but Raven chose that moment to release her grip, letting Yang tumble to the snowy ground.

"Whoa!" she gasped out, flailing before hitting the ground with an uncomfortable and unceremonious _thump_ , kicking up a cloud of snow where she fell.

Raven glared down at the girl from up on the rooftop, the snowfall encircling them both as they stared down one another.

"Right now, your sister is out there, risking her life in this fight," Raven said somberly. "It's time that you figured out how you're going to deal with your pain, Yang."

The woman turned her back on the child.

"The ones who left you aren't going to come back for you…" she said as she disappeared. "You have to be the one to go out and find them."

Yang gritted her teeth in anger, a feeling of loathing welling up inside of her, both for herself and for that woman who had the nerve to call her out after everything she's done.

"Who the hell do you think you are!?" she demanded angrily into the night as she got to her feet. "I didn't ask for your help! I didn't ask for any of this!"

There was no answer. Yang's breaths were coming out in grunts of rage.

"What, nothing else to say!?" she shouted, stomping back and forth, a crazed look in her eyes. "You think you're so tough!? Why don't you get down here and see!? I only need one arm to kick your ass!"

Silence was her only answer. She was probably already gone. Yang let out another string of curse words, calling her mother all manner of unpleasant names, before all semblance of language broke down into screaming as she started kicking and punching every tree she could find with her good arm, shaking them to their roots, until she was bleeding and gasping and simply exhausted, collapsing to the ground in a huff, her skin steaming in the cold night air.

She was just so sick of it all! Sick of feeling worthless, sick of feeling like a failure, sick of her friends for leaving her, sick of her father for pampering her. But most of all, she was sick of herself – how could she have been so arrogant? How foolish to think she could have made a difference, when the world so clearly cared so little?

She lay on her back, staring up at the sky, reaching up with her good arm, letting the snow cover her face. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her eyes had already faded back to pale lavender, though the tears still clung to her face.

The cold began to sting, and she sat up, resolving to go back inside and go to sleep for the next thousand years if she could. But just as she was getting to her feet, she noticed something on the ground.

A familiar yellow bangle. The right half of her Ember Celica. Raven must have found it in the wreckage of Beacon and left it here for Yang to find.

She picked up the golden gauntlet; what had once been a symbol of her power; a weapon that she could no longer wear. Even now, its sister lay dormant and unused on her bedside table.

And meanwhile, her own sister was off somewhere, putting herself in harm's way for this stupid war.

Yang gritted her teeth. She couldn't wear her full Ember Celica anymore as she was now. But that didn't mean she was out of the fight.

And even as she dashed back inside to gather things, all around the little house, the first signs of green were already peeking through the snow.

Spring was coming at last.


	7. Chapter 7

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

Guard duty was probably the worst time for Jaune. It left him alone with his thoughts. It let him stew in his misery and doubt. It let him replay the nightmare over and over again in his head.

Which is why he kept opting for the job again and again. Whatever horrors he inflicted on himself, they couldn't be worse than he deserved. If he was being completely honest, he felt that he deserved so much worse. He didn't deserve the trust of his friends, his teammates. He didn't deserve this wonderful life to live with all of its chances and opportunities that Pyrrha would never have anymore.

If he closed his eyes, he could still see her, perfectly clearly. Those emerald eyes, that vivid red hair, that striking poise. On the outside, she had been perfection embodied. But on the inside, where only he and his team knew her, she had been so much more than that. She had been an honest and caring soul, powerful but polite, confident but modest.

So many regrets. So many chances missed.

When he opened his eyes, however, the illusion did not seem to fade. In fact, it seemed to suddenly become much more clear. He blinked his eyes, and shook his head. His imagination must have been getting the better of him, he decided.

He looked again. And all he could do was stare, absolutely dumbfounded, at the image that greeted his eyes off in the distance.

It was her. She was unmistakable.

Jaune was so taken aback that he completely failed to notice Ruby as she came bounding up behind him, oblivious to his plight, as she offered a jaunty wave.

"Hey, slugger!" she called out, trying to raise the mood despite the devastation that surrounded them. "Everything alright out…here…?"

Ruby trailed off when Jaune did not so much as turn to look at her.

"Jaune?" she asked, seeing him standing as still as a statue, eyes plastered off in the distance.

Ruby followed the line of his gaze, and tensed as she realized that someone was out there, off in the distance.

Could Ren's cautioning words have actually been right?

"Who…?" Ruby breathed, her hand on her weapon as she tried to focus on the figure standing off near the horizon.

Whoever it was, they were tall and slender, and while there was too much dust in the air to make out the color of their hair, it was clearly some shade of red. The more she looked, the more the figure appeared female in shape. They also bore a very familiar sword and shield on their back.

Ruby's blood suddenly ran cold.

"Pyrrha…?" she breathed.

Without a word, Jaune was running.

"Wh— _Jaune!_ " Ruby gasped in alarm, reaching out to him. "Jaune wait!"

Jaune did not hesitate. He was running full tilt, like a man driven mad by desperation. Through the dust and tears, her image was blurred, but there was no doubt in his mind. It was _her!_ The more he looked at her, the more he was convinced! The same hair, the same stance, the same armor, the same weapons.

"Jaune, stop!" Ruby bolted after him, her semblance lending her speed. "This has to be some kind of trick!"

Jaune ignored her. With every fiber of his being, he urged his body forward. His sword and his shield were weighing him down, so he cast them both aside. Nothing else mattered. Nothing mattered but getting to Pyrrha.

Ruby saw his weapons fall, and she mentally cursed. Whoever planned this trap had done so perfectly. It had made Jaune completely reckless, and it was going to get him killed! Ruby was so _tired_ of having her emotions and her friends manipulated, of watching her and her friends' own needs and wants used against them in the worst possible way.

She had to stop this _now!_

" _Jaune!_ " she screamed and took off in a cloud of rose petals, barreling into the young man at full speed, knocking him into the ground.

"Rrrrgh!" Jaune grunted in frustration, struggling to reorient himself. " _No!_ Pyrrha!"

He scrambled to get to his feet, but Ruby was on him, arms around his waist, holding onto him from behind.

"Jaune, _stop!_ " she shouted, clutching him as tightly as she could. "It's trick! That _can't_ be Pyrrha! She's dead, Jaune! _Please_ , you have to _trust_ me!"

"No! Ruby! Let me _go!_ " Jaune pleaded, his eyes dilated to fine points as they flitted back to where his late partner had been standing. "Pyrrha! _Pyrrha!_ "

It was no good. The figure had already disappeared from view.

She was gone. He had lost her again.

" _Pyrrha!_ " Jaune bellowed in desperation as he finally tore free of Ruby's grip, stumbling to his feet, but did not press onward. " _PYRRHAAAAA!_ "

"Jaune…" Ruby gasped sadly, out of breath from exertion. "You have to stop…Pyrrha's gone."

"Rrrrrrrrrrgh!" Jaune tore at his hair and screamed in frustration. " _WHY!?_ "

Ruby flinched as Jaune turned his tear-filled gaze on her.

"Why did you _stop_ me!?" he demanded, his voice filled with rage and anguish. "I could have _reached_ her, Ruby! _WHY!?_ "

Ruby held her hands up defensively, a look of sadness on her face. "Jaune, I…I didn't have a choice. You were out of control! Whoever that was…"

"It was _Pyrrha!_ " Jaune shouted in disbelief. "You _saw_ her, didn't you!? It was _her!_ "

" _Whoever that was_ …" Ruby pressed on, fervently. "They could have killed you, easily!"

Jaune shook his head, turning away with a grunt of anger and frustration.

"Look at yourself, Jaune!" Ruby gestured to him with her hands. "You're a _mess!_ You don't even have your weapons on you! You were charging headlong into a trap!"

Jaune shuddered and seethed, but did not respond.

"Whoever this is, Jaune…" Ruby said, more softly this time. "Whoever this is, they _know_ how much we all cared about Pyrrha. They were _using_ that against you! They were _manipulating_ you, just like they always do! That's how they _win_ , Jaune!"

Jaune felt the tears rising anew as Ruby reached up to put her hands on his shoulders, turning him to face her.

"We have to be stronger than that…" Ruby said, tenderly. "That's what Pyrrha would want."

Jaune collapsed to his knees, and Ruby flinched as she felt his arms come around her as he pressed his eyes against her dress, letting out a sob of grief.

"I miss her, Ruby…" he cried, his defenses breaking down. "I miss her so much…"

Ruby felt something maternal stirring in her heart, and she gently ran her hands through his hair, lowering her head in shared grief.

"I know, Jaune…" she murmured, reassuringly. "I miss her too…"

A moment later, Nora and Ren came running, weapons drawn.

"What happened?" Nora called out, eyes open for danger. "We heard shouting!"

Ruby released her grip on Jaune's body and turned to face the rest of her team, leaving Jaune on his knees.

"We…" she muttered, indecisively. "Jaune and I saw something. It…it looked like Pyrrha."

Nora and Ren's eyes widened as they changed a glance.

"Pyrrha…?" Nora asked in a withering tone.

"It was just a glimpse…" Ruby admitted, uneasily. "There was definitely someone there. And she looked an awful lot like Pyrrha."

Ren looked back at the village they had just left, a troubled look on his face.

"A lone killer…" he breathed in a foreboding tone.

Nora's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Ren…you don't think…?"

Ruby set her jaw and gave Jaune one last reassuring touch on his shoulder as he climbed to his feet.

"All I know is that we have a new enemy…" she said with a furrowed brow. "And they're using Pyrrha's shape to get under our skin."

The remnants of Team JNPR each exchanged a glance. This mission had already taken its toll on each of them. But now it promised to take so much more.

"Come on…" Ruby said, turning with a flourish of her cape. "That _thing_ has a head start on us. We have to stop it before they reach the next village."

And so with heavy heads and even heavier hearts, the four young huntsmen set off once more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

Cinder sat back in Ozpin's chair, a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

"Well done, my pet…"

Kneeling, with legs splayed outward on the floor within the Shadowglass, Pyrrha Nikos lay weeping.

"Why?" the girl pleaded, staring at her hands as though they were drenched in blood. "So many innocent lives…so many dead…"

She looked up at her captor in anguish.

"What's it all _for!?_ " she demanded.

Cinder rose from the chair to step towards the enchanted mirror, smiling wickedly at the young girl trapped within.

"Why, to break their spirits, of course," Cinder purred, lifting a hand to summon a ball of flame, studying it idly. "People will always cling to hope in a time of crisis. If we are to win…then we must strip all hope from them."

Another sob racked Pyrrha's ghostly body, clenching her fists, feeling dirtier than anything in the world. Cinder was butchering people by the thousands…and now she was doing it using _her_ hands!

"Why can't you just let me _die_ …?" she pleaded, weakly.

Cinder ran a hand across the surface of the glass.

"My dear, sweet child…" she breathed tenderly. "You still have a part left to play…"

She leaned in close to the Shadowglass, causing Pyrrha to flinch away.

"We can't have you slipping away until you've finished, now can we?" she whispered.

Pyrrha stared up at the woman, a look of terror on her face.

"You're a monster…" she breathed, voice trembling.

The corners of Cinder's lips curved upward as she withdrew.

"Perhaps I am…" she allowed, turning towards the stairs. "If so…what does that make you, hmm?"

Pryrra's eyes dilated as she stared once again at her hands – hands which had, less than an hour ago, snuffed the life from every living soul in her path.

As Cinder disappeared, Pyrrha could only tuck her face to her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs, gripped in despair. She was trapped in this nether realm, neither truly alive nor truly dead. Her weapons had no effect on the Shadowglass, nor could she flee in any direction for very far before her movements were restricted, as if on some kind of tether. Here, she was completely at Cinder's mercy. It had been like something out of a nightmare. When commanded, her body had moved of its own volition, using every ounce of skill, speed and strength Pyrrha had spent years acquiring, and all for the purpose of slaughtering an entire village en masse. She had been unable to speak or move so much as a muscle as she did Cinder's bidding; she could only watch, a silent observer in her own body as it murdered in cold blood.

It just made no tactical sense! The villagers weren't a threat to Cinder or the Grimm, they weren't located in a strategically advantageous position, there was utterly no point in killing them all! It was all just senseless violence, as if for its own sake! As if Cinder had made her do it for no other purpose than to torture her! And then, as if by some cruel joke, after she had recalled Pyrrha to this domain within the Shadowglass, teleported by whatever magic was used to keep her here in the first place, Cinder had finally relinquished control, allowing Pyrrha to relive the horror of her actions.

And what was worse…she was sure she had seen Jaune in those final moments before she had been whisked away, running towards with with hope and desperation in his eyes. The torture her very presence must be inflicting on him…

"Miss Nikos…"

A voice came to her from the ether, and Pyrrha looked up, startled from her reverie.

"Who's there!?" Pyrrha jumped to her feet, shield and sword suddenly in hand. "Show yourself!"

She peered off in every direction; the world around her seemed to fade out of existence beyond the range of the Shadowglass. She could not seem to venture beyond it.

"Miss Nikos…" the voice sounded again, and soon, Pyrrha could see a familiar shape resolving itself just beyond the withering world within the Shadowglass.

"Professor Ozpin!" she cried out, lowering her weapons and ran up to him, before halting just as the edge of the little world disappeared beneath her feet, just out of reach of the old man.

"Miss Nikos…" he let out a saddened breath. "I've found you at last…"

Pyrrha felt tears rising anew from within her.

"Professor!" she sobbed. "I…I…I couldn't stop her! And now she's…and I've…"

Ozpin nodded. "I know, child. It's not your fault."

Pyrrha shook as grief wrapped her body. "She's made me do…terrible things…and now…!"

"I know, Miss Nikos," Ozpin breathed. "I am so sorry…I should never have brought you into this."

Pyrrha wiped her eyes, shaking her head in desperation. "Professor, you have to help me! _Please!_ I can't kill for her again!"

"I can't, Miss Nikos," Ozpin shook his head. "There's nothing I can do from here…"

Pyrrha felt terror grip her body once again. The brief glimpse of hope she had suddenly clung to was withering away.

"But there _is_ something you can do," Ozpin assured her. "Cinder has done the unimaginable by keeping you here, Miss Nikos. And while she spends her time trying to turn you into a weapon, you have the potential to become something far greater. But you must be the one to walk this path. I can only show you the way."

Pyrrha gave the old man a confused look. "What do you mean? What can _I_ do from here? I can't resist her control…"

Ozpin nodded. "Not now, you can't. One day, you may yet be able to. But it will take time."

He stared at her from behind his narrow spectacles. He had no cane, no weapon to defend himself in this place. He was coming to her as he truly was, a wise yet powerless old man.

"Cinder will no doubt call upon you many more times before you are ready to break free of her control," Ozpin warned. "You need to prepare yourself for what is to come. Block it out as best you can. We will not be able to save everyone…and many more will no doubt perish. But if we play our cards right, we may be able to strike back at an opportune moment…and in doing so, we will prevent Cinder from destroying everything in this world."

Pyrrha's eyes hung open in disbelief at what she was hearing. Ozpin wasn't here to save her. And if what he was saying was true, no one would be. Cinder would make her kill once again. And even if Ozpin's plan came to fruition, she would kill many times more before she was free.

"Can you do this for me, Miss Nikos?" Ozpin begged. "I know that I have no right to ask anything of you after everything I've put you through…but please. This could be the only hope that either of us have."

Pyrrha swallowed hard. She didn't know if she had the strength. Watching her world fall apart, only to be brought back to aid her killer in driving the nail into her own coffin…it was far too much for anyone to bear.

But she thought of her teammates. She thought of Jaune, Nora and Ren. They must be out there, fighting still. There was no way that they would give up, even knowing she was gone. They wouldn't have given up hope.

And neither could she.

"What must I do?" she asked.


	9. Chapter 9

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

With the state of emergency they were in, Atlas was recalling as many of its troops and militia as it could. Without the CCTS, they were effectively cut off from the rest of the world. Most huntsmen and huntresses from Atlas were recalled to defend the border, either by courier or carrier pigeon.

Not Weiss, however. Thanks to her father's influence, she had been secured a nice, safe position within the borders of the city, where she could assist with incoming refugees.

And she absolutely hated it.

Weiss rubbed her eyes as she began to wrap up for the day. At least her father allowed her to choose which among the limited disciplines available to her to choose from. Although she wanted to help as many people as possible, her father still insisted that she take a management position, whichever she chose. So here she was, supervising her own triage unit within the refugee encampment. It was a rather boring and arduous job that mostly consisted of clerical work and very little actually helping of incoming refugees. A part of her was relieved that her job didn't involve getting her hands dirty for the most part, but she still felt like little more than an accessory most of the time, a talking point to help propagate the Schnee Dust Company.

Every once in a while, her services were called upon to assist with patients directly, but her medical skills were limited, and her glyphs weren't suited for tasks such as this. She was learning a lot, at least - she was now fully versed in field medicine, and had learned quite a few creative uses for her glyphs in the field - time dilation to help slow down bleeding, gravity to stabilize gurneys and manage supplies, electricity as a makeshift defibrillator...

Oh, who was she kidding? This wasn't what she trained for, and her skills were being wasted here! She was a huntress, not some glorified EMT. Yes, she was doing good here in the Atlesian triage units, but there were injured student huntsmen coming home to Atlas in _droves_ , and many who simply weren't coming home at all!

She should be _out there_ , helping with the fight! There were yet untrained huntsmen being sent out there to _die!_ Had it been her out there instead of them, she could easily survive the hurdles they were being put through, and much more easily defend herself in a pinch! That was what she had trained for! And yet _she_ was somehow so much more important than they were that even when she would have done a better job, even when her presence out there could have saved _so_ many more lives than she could in the safety of the city, _she_ couldn't be spared for the task. All because her father said so.

It drove her absolutely mad!

Weiss calmed her breathing as she got back to work. All of her staff members had gone home for the day, so she was just closing everything down when she heard someone enter, the flaps of the canvas tent doors billowing open.

"Sorry, we just used up the last of our supplies for the day," she called out without looking, as she finished packing up the last few tools that she was responsible for, her voice falling easily into her practiced 'prim and proper' tone that usually set patients' minds at ease. "I believe the unit in the south-eastern quadrant still has some if you need..."

Weiss's voice tapered off, however, when she saw Yang standing just within the entrance.

"Hey Ice Queen," she said teasingly, a familiar smirk on her face. "You miss me?"

Weiss' jaw dropped.

"Yang!" she blurted, rushing over to her to throw her arms around her friend. "Oh my gosh, is it really you? Why didn't you...?"

Weiss stopped herself. She was about to say 'why didn't you call?' but of course that would have been impossible with the CCTS down. Still something she was getting used to.

"I..." Weiss blushed, trying to recover her thoughts. "I...wasn't expecting you here."

Yang returned the embrace as best as she could; her usual outfit - complete with one half of her Ember Celica - was accentuated by a half-cape which covered what was left of her right arm. She didn't want to attract too much attention just yet, and wounded huntsmen tended to draw peoples' eyes. She also didn't want to give away any weaknesses to a potential enemy unless she had no choice. It was a brave new world she was venturing into, and she knew that she would need help if she planned to last long out in it.

Her ensemble also included a travel bag with some various necessities, but overall, Yang traveled light.

"It's nice to see you again, Weiss," Yang smiled warmly, before adopting her trademark grin. "Or I guess you could say it's... _Weiss_ to see you?"

"Oh, knock it off!" Weiss growled, pulling away from her and clenching her fists accusingly. "Where in the world have you been!? I have been worried sick about you!"

Yang placed her hand on her chest. "Aww, you were worried about little old me?"

"Well, everyone really, but you especially!" Weiss grimaced. "You took the biggest hit of our entire team!"

Yang's expression fell. "I know. I was pretty laid up for a while. Had to take some time to figure some things out."

Weiss pulled out a pair of folding chairs for the two of them to sit.

"Have you heard from any of the others?" Weiss asked, curiously. "We don't get that much news from other Kingdoms anymore. I heard something about Ruby leaving with Jaune and the others to go to Haven, but the details were a little sparse."

Yang nodded, taking a seat. "That's pretty much what I know as far as Ruby goes. And I still haven't heard from Blake."

Weiss frowned, trying to find the words to console her teammate. "She's...probably just scared, just like we all are. Still, what a little idiot...I wish she would actually learn how to trust her friends for once..."

Yang smirked. It was good to be back with an old friend.

"What about you?" Yang asked. "I figured your dad would be keeping you on a pretty tight leash. I'd expect that maybe he'd let you go to company charity events and the like, but...a refugee camp?"

"Ugh, don't even get me started!" Weiss rolled her eyes. "I thought that I might be able to do some actual good here, but this place practically runs itself, thanks to all the Atlas tech. Mostly it involves a lot of pencil pushing and making sure each forms are signed in triplicate. I can't count how many times I've had to subvert company protocol just to get a patient the treatment they needed!"

Yang smiled. "Sounds to me like you're succeeding at the 'doing some actual good' part."

"But that's not even the point!" Weiss gritted her teeth. "I should be out there fighting, not in here, treating those that have already fought. I'm a huntress for goodness sake, even if my dad won't admit it!"

Yang nodded. "Feeling like you're not living up to your full potential?"

"Exactly!" Weiss nodded vehemently. "I could be doing _so_ much more if they'd just let me out there!"

Yang nodded. "I feel the same way, Weiss. Actually, that's why I'm here - I need a favor from you."

Weiss's eyebrow rose at that. "Really? What do you need?"

Yang reached into her knapsack and pulled out the other half of her Ember Celica, showing it to Weiss.

"I need to meet with General Ironwood," Yang smiled mischievously. "I need access to Atlas technology if I ever expect to get back in the fight."

Weiss's eyes widened. "Wait, the _General?_ Do you have any idea how busy he is right now? In case you haven't noticed, we're kind of in the middle of a war! I mean...I have _some_ pull, but you're talking about the man in charge of Atlas' entire defense force!"

Yang nodded somberly. "I know. But you're _Weiss Schnee_. Surely you can manage something."

Weiss got up out of her chair with an annoyed huff, and began to pace about the confines of the triage unit. The canvas tent was compact and modular, designed for up to six patients and three physicians, with gurneys and robotized equipment taking up the bulk of the space.

Yang waited patiently for Weiss to come to a decision, and finally the girl in white turned to face her with a confident smile on her face.

"I can probably get you in," she began. "But you'll have to do something for me in return."

Yang leaned her elbow on her knee from her position, still sitting as Weiss paced. "Okay, that's fair. What do you need me to do?"

Weiss stepped up to her former teammate, placing both hands on the armrests of her small metal chair, with an insistent look on her face.

"Get. Me. Out. Of. Here." Weiss pleaded, pronouncing each syllable. "I can't stand it here any longer! And clearly you're going somewhere to go stir up some trouble. You could probably use the help, anyway. So when you get what you need from the General and are ready to leave the city...please take me with you, Yang."

Yang's smile widened. It was nice to have her old teammate back.

"Can do, Weiss," she nodded. "Can do."


	10. Chapter 10

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

It had been weeks since Blake's last meal.

The city of Vale was all but abandoned. Packs of Grimm roamed the streets, hunting for any signs of life. The city had become a larger, more tightly packed version of Mountain Glen. The Grimm drove away the wildlife, leaving slim pickings for hunting, and the stores had been mostly cleared out by looters and other stragglers trying to survive, not to mention the resistance.

Blake was loath to try to steal from a group that ultimately existed for a good cause, but she also needed to survive out here. Had it been some well-organized militia unit, a few missing provisions might have gone unnoticed. But this was a mere handful of Huntsmen and Huntresses, and every scrap of food counted. Plus, while she adept at hiding from Grimm, Huntsmen and Huntresses were harder to fool. This group may be mostly students, but they were still well trained, and their presence in the city put them on hyper alert status. Blake didn't like her odds should she attempt to loot their larders, nor did she like the thought of getting on their bad side should she get caught.

So she was down to foraging through un-looted stores, which carried its own share of risks.

It had taken her days of careful looting, but finally Blake had lucked out, and managed to break into the backroom of a general goods store that hadn't been completely picked over. It was a risky move – there was no sneaky way to open a sliding metal shutter, and very often, it never even paid off, and Blake was left running from Grimm attracted to the noise with nothing to show for it. But desperate times called for desperate measures. And as luck would have it, this store had some food left over. It even had some canned goods, so she could be sure they were still safe to eat.

Blake quickly helped herself to armful of canned food (mostly tuna), when suddenly her ears twitched and her pupils dilated.

Something didn't smell right.

Dropping her provisions, she leaped into a defensive position, sword drawn, just in time to dodge the pair of bronze sickle blades that would have gutted her.

"What the…?" a surprised voice sounded, and Blake recognized the green hair and olive skin of one of Cinder's lackeys.

Emerald, if she recalled correctly. Though how the thief managed to sneak up on her was a mystery. Her hunger must be getting the better of her.

"How did you…?" the girl said, looking genuinely confused that she had missed her mark, when he eyes suddenly lit up. "Damn it…you're Faunus aren't you? Should have known…I'll have to mask my scent next time…"

Blake said nothing. Her eyes were darting back and forth, trying to figure out a way out. Emerald was blocking the way she had come in. Rookie mistake, letting the enemy get between her and the door, Blake chastised herself. There was always the front entrance, but that would take time to get through…

To Blake's surprise, however, Emerald stepped off to one side, keeping her weapons raised but leaving ample room for Blake walk past her, and gestured with a nod of her head towards the exit.

"Alright, beat it," she snorted derisively. "Unless you're looking for a fight."

Blake narrowed her eyes. What exactly was going on here?

"You're…letting me go?" she asked, cautiously, not taking her eyes off her opponent, nor taking a step in any direction.

"Sure, if that's how you want to think of it," Emerald said with an amused smirk. "Thanks for finding this place for me, but a girl's gotta eat. So leave the goods where you found 'em, and this doesn't have to get ugly."

Blake was stunned. She thought she was finished for sure!

"I don't understand…" Blake blinked in confusion. "Don't you work for Cinder?"

Emerald's expression darkened. "None of your damn business, freak! Now scram before I get pissed!"

Blake held her position, trying to put the pieces together in her head. If Emerald was hunting for food for herself…but was letting Blake off the hook…that could only mean that she _wasn't_ with Cinder anymore.

"We're…in the same boat here, aren't we?" she finally reasoned, giving the girl a curious look.

"Finally figured that out, did you?" Emerald said, raising her guns to point them at Blake. "Now if you're finished gawking like an idiot, I suggest you—"

She didn't get to finish her thought, as the roar of a Grimm out in the street reverberated throughout the entire shop, taking Emerald by surprise.

Blake had been doing this long enough to know that the Grimm wouldn't be far off, and leapt at the chance. Grabbing a handful of food – not nearly as much as she needed, but enough for a few days, at least – she shadow-stepped past Emerald and out into the street.

"H-Hey!" Emerald blurted, stumbling after her.

Blake ignored the other girl and instead focused on evading the trio of Ursi that were shambling towards the source of the commotion, as they both let out a ferocious roar as they spotted a moving target and barreled after her in a furious rush.

Blake bit her lip. She needed to get back up on the rooftops. Her climbing ability was hampered by her burden of foodstuffs. She needed some kind of ledge that she could leap to if she wanted to get a sure path. Otherwise, she'd be forced to choose between her food and her life.

She let out a curse, however, when she bounded down an alley that was _supposed_ to offer a narrow enough passage for her to slip by without letting the Ursi follow her, but found the passage to be collapsed, leaving her trapped in a dead end.

She turned on her heel, only to see the Ursi closing off her escape.

She gritted her teeth. No choice now. She dropped the handful of cans she was carrying and drew her Gambol Shroud, wrapping the tether around her wrist as she hurled the folded blade up towards the rooftops. The blade dug into the cement walls and found purchase, and Blake yanked on the tether to pull herself up the wall.

Her feet cleared the street just as the Ursi charged where she had been standing and plowed into the debris of the collapsed passage, missing her by a hair's breadth.

Blake's hair was standing on end as she pulled herself up the wall, running on an adrenaline fueled high until she reached the rooftops. As soon as she did, she put her hands on her knees, doubling over to catch her breath.

She cursed under her breath as she grimaced in disgust. Her stomach was growing in anticipation of finally getting a bite of food, but now there was none coming, and she was exhausted to boot. She had no way to power her scroll to check for sure, but she suspected that her aura was running particularly low at that moment. It was too risky to try to reclaim what little scraps she had dropped down below. She could always check back at the store after the Grimm had finally gone, but by then, it would likely be picked over, either by the resistance or by that green-haired thief.

Her ears pricked up, however, when the sound of gunfire caught her attention, and she realized she may not be out of the woods just yet.

Crouching low behind the ledge of the rooftop, she followed the sound of the gunfire until she dared a look back down into the street.

There she saw Emerald, several cans of food in one arm, one of her weapons in the other, firing at the three Ursi that had clearly given up on Blake's trail, and had the girl cornered in another dead-end alley.

Blake's first instinct was to run, like she always did. It wasn't Blake's fault that Emerald was in this situation, and really, it was her own fault for trying to pillage from someone who was simply trying to forage for herself. And after all, whether or not she still worked for Cinder, she was still at least partly responsible for the sorry state the city was in. And now she was reaping what she had sown.

Emerald nimbly lept clear of an Ursa as it snapped at her feet, but was cornered by the other two, growling savagely, and she backed up even further against the wall, unwilling to part with her provisions. She must have been even hungrier than Blake was.

Blake wrinkled her nose. Whether she realized it at the time or not was immaterial – the fact of the matter was that Emerald was receiving her comeuppance.

But something stopped Blake from running. It just didn't seem right. Never mind that she and Emerald were in the same boat now, never mind that it made her feel dirty leaving the other girl to such a sorry fate, never mind that helping her was the right thing to do…

But more than anything, Blake was sick of running. She was sick of proving Adam right, time and time again.

So she made her decision.

SHUNK!

Emerald let out a gasp and turned to see the bladed portion of the Gambol Shroud, embedded blade-first into the cement pavement behind her, its tether leading all the way up to the rooftops where Blake had been hiding.

"Grab on!" Blake called down to her.

Emerald's expression was unreadable, but she was quick to act, leaping to grab onto the proffered lifeline. As soon as she grasped it, Blake began to pull. Even as she did, the Ursi were lunging for the girl, who screamed and kicked away, an Ursa's claws leaving a sizeable gash across her bared calf.

That was all that they got, however, as Blake pulled the girl to safety. When she reached the ledge of the rooftop, Blake reached down to clasp her by the arm and with a mighty heave, dragged her over the ledge of the rooftop, both her sword and the girl's burden of provisions clattering to her side as the two of them collapsed onto their haunches, both gasping for breath.

For a while, neither of them moved as they simply sat there together, both recovering what could have easily been their last night on this world. Blake still had the tether of her sword wrapped around her wrist, but she made no movement to reach for the weapon itself. She didn't want to accidentally spur the other girl into another needless fight if she could avoid it; she simply didn't have the energy to spare.

"You're..." Blake said quietly, breaking the silence. "You're not with Cinder anymore...are you?"

It was posed as an observation, not as a question. Emerald didn't respond.

"Got rid of you as soon as she was done with you, huh?" Blake asked, pointedly. "That about cover it?"

Without speaking, the girl in green got to her feet and hurriedly collected the tin cans she had managed to carry – five in total – and made for the far edge of the rooftop, ignoring the gash on her leg.

Blake got to her feet as she watched her go.

"You're _welcome_ ," she called out, indignantly.

Emerald came to a halt.

"Don't get the wrong idea," she said without turning around. "This doesn't change anything. We are _not_ friends. You don't know a _thing_ about me. And you're an idiot for sticking your neck out like that. Out here, it's kill or be killed. You should know that by now."

Blake said nothing in response. She simply stood still, watching as Emerald stood with her back turned, before the girl finally gave up and disappeared over the far ledge.

Blake sat back on her haunches, feeling defeated. She was practically starving, and her body was shaking at the extortion of pulling not just herself but the other girl up to the roof.

Maybe Emerald was right. Maybe she was an idiot for sticking her neck out. She certainly felt like one.

 _Clunk!_

The sound of a metal clatter caused Blake to sit up with a start, ears prickling as she looked around, and found a single can of tuna sitting on the rooftop next to her where it had been thrown.

"There," the sound of Emerald's voice over the ledge called out. "That makes us even. Got it? Don't expect any more charity from me!"

Blake peered off the edge of the rooftop to see Emerald's retreating form as she bounded across the rooftops towards the other side of town. Blake then hurried over to the can of tuna, sniffing it briefly, before using the edge of her sword as a make-shift can opener, and wasted no time in greedily wolfing down the contents of the can.

It was the best thing she had ever tasted.

After she was done and her stomach was satiated, she sat back and looked up at the stars. All around her was desolation and destruction. It was unthinkable that anything good could possibly come from such a precarious predicament as her.

Yet amidst all the carnage and chaos, it was remarkable how much better a single good deed made her feel.


	11. Chapter 11

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 11

* * *

Team RNJR had finally caught up to the roaming pack of Grimm.

"Nora! Behind you!" Ruby shouted.

Nora turned in time to catch the two outstretched claws of an Ursa with the haft of her hammer as it charged her, holding the creature back with all the strength she could muster as it pressed its weight down upon her.

Her mouth curved into a smirk as she rotated Magnild's haft, pointing the business end downward, before squeezing the trigger. The resulting blast twisted the charging Grimm end over end, putting Nora on top of her target. Used the centrifugal force to kick off, she kept spinning in mid-air, before using the momentum to bring the head of her hammer back down on the Grimm's head, smashing it in.

It was the middle of the night, out in the wilderness of Mistral. In these largely tropical climes, it was mostly rolling hills that cycled between wet and dry seasons. In the early midst of spring, the area had yet to see much precipitation, so the landscape consisted largely of arid grasslands, which normally made for very peaceful nights.

Not tonight, however. The team had been camping out, and the Grimm had tried to ambush them during Ren's watch, but he had managed to wake his teammates in time to arm themselves. Now they had roughly two dozen Grimm to deal with, mostly Ursa and Beowolves of varying sizes, with a few Creeps sticking to the edges.

Ruby and the others formed a tight circle, as Ren took pot shots at various targets, while Jaune fended off those Grimm that ventured too close, with Ruby going back and forth between the two roles.

Something was off about this particular fight, however. The Grimm had them surrounded, but weren't charging in blindly like the Huntsmen were expecting. They were being tactful. Resourceful. Either the Grimm were getting smarter, or something was controlling them.

"Ren! Watch your flank!" Jaune shouted, as a pair of Beowolves rushed him. Jaune had managed to block one with his shield, but not the other, which made a beeline for his jade clad teammate.

Ren saw the oncoming threat and crouched and flipped over top of it as it ran, pirouetting and slicing down with both of his Storm Flower blades, vivisecting its spine, causing it to stumble awkwardly before collapsing.

The Grimm took the break in formation as a cue to charge, overwhelming Jaune's defenses, but Ruby leaped to his aid, whirling and slashing with Crescent Rose, a tumultuous blur of crimson and rose petals as dust rounds flew and Grimm hit the ground like broken dolls.

"Break!" Ruby commanded.

The three Huntsmen scattered, leaving the remaining Grimm clustered together, slashing and clawing at too many targets to account for.

"Nora!" Ruby cried, seeing the opportunity for an attack.

Out of nowhere, Nora flew in with Magnild held high, bringing her hammer down onto the group.

BOOM!

Nora's hammer set off a six-cylinder charge, blowing back every Grimm in all directions, leaving a crater where she landed, the rest of team RNJR joining up with her shortly afterward, gathering once again to face the surrounding pack.

Then, a single oversized Ursa Major stepped forward, snarling in challenge at the group of Huntsmen. The dozen or so other Grimm backed away, as if offering deference, but kept their prey surrounded, cutting off any change of escape.

Ruby bristled at the Grimm's savage roar and set her jaw. Could _this_ have been what was controlling the other Grimm? Not much was known about Grimm social hierarchies, but she knew from Professor Oobleck that the older a Grimm got, the smarter it got. And this Ursa looked ancient.

"Form up!" she commanded. "Jaune, shield wall! Nora, Ren, take the wings!"

Nora and Ren took position on either side of Ruby, while Jaune planted his shield into the dirt in front of Ruby and took a knee.

The Ursa let out a ferocious roar and loped into a run, its massive frame shaking as it charged, each footfall shaking the earth as it barreled towards the four young huntsmen.

Ruby swapped out her dust ammo for concussive rounds, and then planted her scythe blade down just behind Jaune's shield, pressing the blunt edge of the blade into the back of shield, bolstering it, the muzzle of her rifle just clearing the top.

"Ruby…" Jaune muttered nervously as the Beowolf approached.

"Steady, Jaune…" she said simply, taking aim with her rifle.

The Ursa let out a vicious snarl as it closed on them. Ren and Nora braced themselves for the attack.

"Ruby…" Jaune repeated insistently after Ruby still had not fired.

"Jaune, trust me!" Ruby cried, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder.

The Ursa Major was nearly upon, when Ruby finally shouted.

" _Now!_ "

The Ursa slammed all of its weight into Jaune's shield. Ruby let off a shot from her rifle that caught the Grimm squarely under the chin, disabling any hope it had of biting down on anything. At the same time, Jaune planted his shield into the beast's chest, keeping out of range of its massive flailing claws, managing to sink the blade of Corcea Mors into the Ursa's flank.

The beast let out an agonized roar, but the single shot and stab were not nearly enough to bring it down. The momentum of the enormous Grimm carried the four of them backwards, but the brunt of the force dispersed through Jaune's shield and the blade of Crescent Rose as it was dragged through the dirt. Jaune kept his sword embedded in the Grimm's ribs as Ruby let off shot after shot of concussive rounds right into the Ursa's face, even as their feet skidded back against the dirt.

Planting her shoulder into Jaune's back, Nora braced herself against the charge, while Ren emptied one of his clips into the charging Grimm, while keeping a steadying arm on Ruby's shoulder, and together, the formation held even as they were pushed back what must have been fifty feet.

Finally, the creature's momentum came to a halt, allowing the four huntsmen to regain their footing. The Ursa Major's exoskeleton looked cracked beyond recognition, and it had several red marks that were bleeding rose petals from Crescent Rose's brutal assault.

Nora then took her chance to leap up and plant both her feet on the haft of Ruby's scythe and take aim with her hammer, swinging it like a golf club.

"Fore!" she cried, smashing her hammer into the Ursa's head, ripping it off its shoulders and sending it clear over the rest of the pack. The other Grimm seemed perplexed as they watched their pack leader's head go sailing over their heads and then turned to regard the huntsmen with what seemed a rather curious gaze.

Nora hopped off of Crescent Rose and Jaune got unsteadily to his feet as the others readied their weapons for the next wave.

"Is that…" Jaune called out brazenly at the Grimm, out of breath. "Is that the best you got!?"

He honestly hadn't been expecting an answer. What he expected even less so was for the Grimm to drift apart, letting a single figure pass through to approach the group of Huntsmen.

A figure that each of them recognized.

"Is that…?" Nora gasped.

Ruby shook her head, disbelief on her face. "No…it can't be…"

Jaune lowered his weapons as his face fell in absolute horror.

"Pyrrha…"

Before them, a tall, lithe woman stood, her hair a burnt umber, her skin pallid gray. But it was definitely Pyrrha, there was no doubt in the Huntsmen's minds.

All color in her body seemed to be muted somehow. Even her armor, once a shimmering bronze and burgundy, were now flaccid grays and browns. But what was perhaps most disturbing were the eyes – the same vibrant green that had been in Pyrrha's irises, but what should have been milky white sclera was instead as black as night. She had the face of something unnatural, and this was enhanced by the complete and utter lack of emotion on her face as she approached, sword and shield in hand.

The Grimm remained absolutely still as she moved amongst them, as if somehow under a spell. Perhaps Ruby had been wrong about the Ursa – perhaps it had not been the elder Grimm that commanded here. Perhaps this abomination had been the one in command.

When none of her teammates moved – either too stunned or too afraid – Ruby set her teeth and defiantly stood before them all, holding her scythe out defensively towards the thing that used to be their friend.

"Pyrrha…" she said in a tremulous voice. "I don't want to hurt you…"

The Pyrrha creature responded by launching herself forward, faster than Ruby had time to react, slamming her shield into the girl's chest, knocking her back and sending her sprawling, tumbling end over end.

"Ruby!" Nora shouted in alarm.

"Pyrrha! No!" Jaune cried, not knowing who to rush to first.

The creature did not hesitate. No sooner had Ruby been dealt with then she lunged after Ren, who just barely managed to get his gun blades up in time to block the incoming strike from her sword.

Ren grunted in exertion, either only able or only willing to stay on the defensive as Pyrrha wore down his guard.

"Get away from him!" Nora shouted, leaping onto the Pyrrha-like creature from behind, dropping the haft of her hammer over her head and bringing it back up against her neck, gripping the weapon tightly on either side.

The creature responded almost immediately, driving both elbows back one after another, one into Nora's ribcage, the other into her chin with an audible _whack_ , sending her tumbling backwards in a daze, before the thing that pretended to Pyrrha and swung its sword, which Nora just barely managed to block, but still sent her tumbling backwards.

"Nora!" Ren shouted in alarm, delivering a sweeping kick under Pyrrha's legs.

As if she had eyes on the back of her head, the creature leaped out of the way of Ren's kick, pirouetting backwards, landing gracefully and bringing her weapons to bear once again.

All the while, Jaune was watching in staunch disbelief.

"This can't be happening…" he stuttered, on the verge of tears. "Pyrrha…"

"It's _not her_ , Jaune!" Ruby's voice sounded, as she rejoined the battle, appearing seemingly out of thin air in a shower of rose petals to strike at the Pyrrha creature, who back-flipped away from the attack before it could land, regaining her footing and assuming a defensive posture.

Ruby held Crescent Rose before her, assuming a defensive stance of her own.

"I _said_ that I didn't want to hurt you…" Ruby said fiercely, putting on a brave face as she stood in defense of her teammates. "But if I _have_ to…I _will!_ "

Pyrrha did not react in any visible fashion, other than to once again press into an attack, lunging at the three Huntsmen with zero hesitation, and fending them all off, seemingly with ease.

With every movement, Jaune could only recall his days training with Pyrrha, studying her movements, watching her carefully as she tutored him in all the forms of combat, footwork, shield placement, range-finding, even feinting maneuvers. No one had studied Pyrrha's movements quite as much as Jaune had.

His eyes were not deceiving him. This creature…this simulacrum, if that was even what it was…not only looked like Pyrrha, but it moved like her too! It fought like her. It had all of her moves, all of her strength, speed and skill. Unlike Pyrrha, though, this thing did not hold back.

"Jaune, we need you!" Nora cried out in panic, as Pyrrha knocked Magnild out of her hands. Ren and Ruby were both on the ground, their weapons embedded in the dirt at their sides.

As if snapped out of a reverie, Jaune put his shield in front of him and charged forward.

"Yeeeaaarrrghhh!" he screamed as she plowed headlong into the thing that looked like Pyrrha.

CLUNG!

He wasn't sure if he could fight something that looked this much like Pyrrha, and even less sure if he could _win_ against something that was as strong as Pyrrha. But his team was in trouble, and he knew that he had to at least try.

His shield had clashed with hers, as they had many a time in training. If he knew Pyrrha, he knew that the next attack was going to be coming from…

CLANG!

He raised his sword just in time to parry hers, a downward swing from the right, just like they had always practiced.

Next, she would swing downward from the left. Jaune raised his sword to parry once again.

CLANG!

Next, a jab from around the left edge of his shield. He would need move his shield to deflect.

CLUNG!

Which left his right side exposed, which would mean her next attack would be coming from…

CLANG!

It was like fighting a ghost from out of memory. Like clockwork, the two of them fell into the familiar steps, a dance of death that usually ended up with Jaune flat on his back within seven or eight moves. Pyrrha usually liked to switch it up after this point, and Jaune was rarely quick enough to compensate. It would be a gamble whether her next move would be a feint or whether she would follow through.

Erring on the side of caution, he lowered his shield to deflect what looked like a strike to his legs…

Which she then doubled around into a hilt bash square to the jaw.

 _Of course it was a feint_ , Jaune thought to himself as the pommel of Miló collided with his chin. He was rarely any good at detecting Pyrrha's feints.

He didn't remember her blows hitting quite so hard, however.

"Jaune!" Ruby cried out as he went flying back, the wind completely knocked out of him.

He lay flat on his back, his head swimming with bright colors as his senses rearranged themselves. He managed to look up in time to see Pyrrha standing over him, the tip of her sword inches from his face.

"Pyrrha…" Jaune croaked in a quavering voice, his eyes wet from tears. "P-Please…"

The creature taking Pyrrha's form did not seem to waver, but she did not follow through with the attack either. It simply stood there, facing down its prey, as if uncertain what to do with him.

Then something odd happened. The black in her eyes seemed to flicker back to white for just a moment as she blinked, and for half a second, Pyrrha's face twisted into a mask of pure horror.

"Jaune…" she whimpered in such a tiny voice, he couldn't be sure he heard correctly.

It lasted for but a fraction of a second, but just as quickly, the light left her eyes, and she was an abomination once again.

Jaune stared in disbelief at what he had seen. He was about to call out to her, but just at that moment, Pyrrha leaped away from Ruby's scythe as Crescent Rose swung through the space Pyrrha had been moments ago.

Jaune gasped as Ruby landed next to him, holding her scythe in front of him defensively. His eyes, however, were only on Pyrrha.

He watched as she landed, and instead of turning to face them, she instead turned away.

As she turned, a swirling mass of black and red seemed to split the air before her, and as she approached the cyclone of dark energy, her body seemed to disappeared within its depths.

"W-Wait!" Jaune cried out suddenly, reaching towards her as he suddenly realized what was happening.

It was too late, however, for as soon as she sank through the darkness, the swirling morass seemed to dissipate just as quickly as it had appeared.

As if their tether had been cut, the horde of Grimm all around the four Huntsmen suddenly rose and began to scatter, running off in every direction, leaderless and disorganized.

Ruby did not pursue them, nor did the others. Instead, she turned back to Jaune, reaching out to him to help him to his feet.

"Are you okay, Jaune?" she asked, concern in her voice.

Jaune had to think for a moment, as too many thoughts were flooding his head at once.

"That…" he shook his head in disbelief, seemingly unable to stand at the moment. "That was Pyrrha!"

Ruby frowned as she knelt down next to him, as Ren and Nora approached the two of them.

"No, Jaune…" Ruby chastised gently. "We talked about this. That wasn't Pyrrha."

"No, no, I mean…" Jaune shook his head even harder. "I know that wasn't Pyrrha, but…just for a moment…it _was_."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Jaune hung his head, rubbing his forehead in agitation. "I mean, one minute, it wasn't the real Pyrrha…and then the next, it really…really was _her!_ For a moment, those were _her_ eyes! She was looking _right at_ me…"

Ruby stared sadly down at the boy. It was starting to dawn on her just how much Pyrrha had meant to him.

"Jaune…" she said sympathetically.

"I know it doesn't make any sense…" Jaune slumped his shoulders in defeat. "But I think…I think the real Pyrrha is still…in there. Somewhere."

Nora and Ren exchanged worried looks.

"I don't believe this…" Nora frowned, pursing her lips. "What's _happened_ to her?"

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know…"

An uneasy silence settled over the group. They knew the Grimm were still out there, but no one felt inclined to move. Jaune and Ruby didn't even seem inclined to stand.

"I think…I may have found something…" Ren spoke up, holding up his scroll, sounding uncomfortable. "While we were fighting, I thought I'd try scanning her…maybe give us some idea of who… _what_ she was…and how to beat her…and I found something odd…"

The other three stood and watched as he pointed out the image on his scroll. It was a listing of the four members of Team JNPR.

"Facial recognition _did_ manage to confirm her identity as Pyrrha Nikos…" he said warily.

Jaune's eyes lit up. "You see? Even the _computer_ thinks its her!"

Nora scowled. "Well, we could all _see_ that it looked like Pyrrha!"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah…what about her aura?"

Ren frowned. "That's…the troubling thing. There wasn't any."

All three Huntsmen stared aghast.

"No aura?" Ruby confirmed.

Ren shook his head. "None that my scroll could scan, anyway…"

"No…" Jaune turned away, his whole body shaking. "That can't be right!"

Ren put a hand his former team leader's shoulder. "Jaune…"

"You _saw_ how she fought, you guys!" Jaune shouted, unable to believe that his friends couldn't see what he saw. "That wasn't just Pyrrha's face, that was Pyrrha's fighting style! Those were _her_ moves back there!"

"But what did we _not_ see, Jaune?" Ren asked pointedly.

Jaune looked up pensively, but couldn't fathom an answer. At his silence, Nora answered for him.

"Her semblance," she said, a sour note in her voice.

Ren nodded. "She may have Pyrrha's fighting style, but the way she was fighting was brutal and ruthless. She was fighting to kill back there. There's no way she wouldn't have used her polarity to give her an edge if she could have. But she didn't."

Ruby crossed her arms, mentally going over the fight once more.

"And those Grimm back there…" she said, suspiciously. "They all stayed back while she fought us. Like they were waiting for her command or something. I've never seen Grimm behave that way before. At first I thought they were following the Ursa Major, but the way they all dispersed after Pyrrha left, I…"

She gave the others a worried look.

"I think they were following _her!_ " she said, despair in her voice.

Jaune looked back and forth between his three teammates, each one returning a sad, sympathetic look. They each had some idea how terrible this must have been for him in particular to hear, and as little as they all enjoyed the discovery themselves, they hated having to make him hear the truth all the more.

"No…" Jaune shook his head over and over. "I won't believe that! You're telling me…"

Jaune hung his head, placing his hands on his scalp.

"You're telling me that Pyrrha's…some kind of _Grimm_ now?"

Ruby placed a hand on his shoulder. "We don't have all the facts, Jaune. We don't know _what's_ happened to her. All we know is that she's dangerous."

Jaune pulled away from her touch.

"Then why did she let me live!?" he demanded, eyes full of tears. "Why did she leave? She had us on the _ropes_ , you guys! She could have _finished_ us! So why didn't she!?"

Ruby withdrew her hand, looking somewhat hurt and confused.

"I…I don't know…" she admitted.

She exchanged a glance with the others, who looked equally puzzled.

Dawn was beginning to crest the horizon, and it was clear that none of them would be getting any more sleep for the night.

"We can try to figure this out later," Ruby proclaimed. "For now, let's get moving. There are still villages out there."

The team mobilized in response, falling into the same familiar pattern they had been in for the past few weeks now. As they moved onwards, no words were exchanged. What more could be said? Their friend hadn't simply been stolen from them, but was being used against them. Their enemy had a weapon that could strike them at their very hearts.

And there was no telling when their enemy would strike next.


	12. Chapter 12

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 12

* * *

As Pyrrha's shape resolved back into corporeal form – or at least, as corporeal as one could be trapped inside a mirror – her eyes once again regained their true hue. As they did, all strength seemed to drain from her, and she collapsed onto her knees like a puppet with its string clipped.

She did not need to look to know that Cinder was standing before the glass, observing her from Ozpin's ruined office, resting her elbow in one hand, her other hand stroking her chin curiously as she considered this new development.

"Interesting…" she commented idly, her voice like a malicious purr. "It seems there's some fight left in you after all…"

Pyrrha didn't respond. Couldn't. Her mind was reeling at what she'd almost done. She'd been inches away from killing again…but this time, it was someone she knew, someone she cherished.

Oh, Jaune…

Cinder placed a hand up against the Shadowglass, leaning in to peer at the trembling form of the young woman within.

"That boy…" she asked in a calm, deadly tone. "You care for him…don't you?"

Pyrrha felt an icy ball of fear form in the bit of her stomach and she cursed the name of every star in the sky. How could she have made such a fatal mistake? She had not only given away her strength with that little stunt, but her weakness as well.

She felt Cinder's gaze upon her like the heat of a blistering sun. Pyrrha refused to give her captor the satisfaction of a response. But try as the girl might to remain unflinching, the stiffness in Pyrrha's shoulders told Cinder all she needed to know.

The pleasure on Cinder's lips was palpable.

"Well then…" she breathed in voice that left no question as to her intention. "I suppose there's nothing left to discuss then, is there?"

Pyrrha closed her eyes tightly as she clenched her fists against her forehead. Stupid, stupid, stupid! The icy ball of fear in her stomach was slowly melting and bubbling its way up, and like a fool, her feelings had brought them to light! She so desperately didn't want to hear what was said next, but of course, she had no way to block Cinder out.

"I'll let you imagine what will happen to that boy should you disobey me again…" Cinder whispered, her every word a flaming barb in Pyrrha's skin. "I can promise you…your imagination won't even _begin_ to come close…"

Fire rose to the surface as the fear in the pit of her stomach was subsumed by loathing and rage which overflowed all at once, and suddenly Pyrrha was on her feet, slamming her fists into the Shadowglass, eyes burning with hatred.

" _YOU MONSTER!_ " she screamed at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her cheeks. " _I'LL KILL YOU!_ _I'LL KILL YOU!_ "

Cinder withdrew her hand from the glass, but otherwise only seemed amused by the demonstration.

"That's it…" she hummed, a self-contented smile on her face. "Let the fire burn with all the strength you have left in you…"

Cinder leaned in close again, making sure her eyes met with Pyrrha's as she fumed and seethed in frustration and despair.

"It'll only make it all the sweeter when I finally snuff it out," she purred sadistically.

Pyrrha slammed her fist into the glass one more time, unable to so much as cause it to shudder, letting out a grunt of anguish as she leaned against the impenetrable barrier between herself and her tormentor.

Cinder gave her hair a toss before turning to go, stepping gracefully down the stairs on the face side of the platform, leaving Pyrrha to her suffering.

Pyrrha rested her forehead against the glass and slid to the floor, dragging her arms along its smooth surface. She felt light and heavy all at once. What had once been a roiling bubble of fear and hatred inside her had been replaced by an emptiness, a numbness that wouldn't subside. She had failed. So terribly, utterly _failed_ that not only was her sacrifice during the attack on Beacon actively doing more harm than good now, but it was about to get her closest friend, her _partner_ , killed.

And just like that, it was like a fire had gone out inside of her. Pyrrha felt nothing at all. What was there left to feel? What was the point of feeling, when she knew it would only bring pain? In her mind, she knew that this was her own brain subconsciously defending against what it perceived as a threat, but it was so debilitating as to be maddening. She knew that she should be using this time to plan her next move. Now, more than ever, her time was crucial. She would not have many of these moments left with which to affect any sort of positive gain from her situation.

But she just felt so _defeated_ , that it hardly seemed worth the effort.

Sooner than she would have liked, Ozpin's voice sounded somewhere from behind.

"You tipped your hand, Miss Nikos," he observed forebodingly. "Now she will be on the lookout for your next move."

"I know…" she croaked, her throat raw. "I know that, Professor. I just…I need to be alone now, please…"

The old man frowned.

"We don't have the time-" he began.

"Just leave me alone!" Pyrrha cried out in anguish. "You've only ever made things worse! Everything went to _hell_ the day you brought me down to that vault!"

She didn't even believe what she was saying anymore. Even as the words left her lips, she knew she was wrong. She knew she was letting her fears and emotions get to her, but she didn't care. She had known there were risks, and she had taken the steps herself. She knew that she had no one to blame but herself for where she was. She just wanted… _needed_ someone else to lift that burden from her shoulders, even if for a little while. It was simply becoming too much to bear.

Ozpin seemed to sympathize, and simply waited, not treating the barb she had lobbed at him with any real concern.

"What was…" she breathed in and out, trying to steady herself. "What was I supposed to do…?"

In her mind's eyes, she could envision Ozpin adjusting his glasses.

"Sometimes, a single sacrifice simply isn't enough," he explained slowly. "Life always seems to find a way to demand more."

"Not Jaune!" Pyrrha wheeled around to face the old man, a look fierce devotion on her face.

Ozpin furrowed his brow. "Miss Nikos…"

" _Not Jaune!_ " she repeated, intractably. "I won't give him up, Professor! You can't _ask_ that of me!"

Ozpin shook his head sadly. "I'm not the one who's asking, Miss Nikos…and it won't be long before it stops being a request…"

Pyrrha lowered her eyes. She had no response for that, because deep down, she knew it to be true.

"If I may ask, though…" Ozpin ventured. "Is your bond with Mister Arc so strong that you would be willing to risk the fate of the world?"

Pyrrha looked up at him, pensively.

"You've known him for barely a year…" he went on. "How has he become so important to you?"

Pyrrha shook her head, lowering her eyes. The answer seemed so simple, yet it felt impossible to put into words. Never mind that he was her partner. Never mind that he was the only person she had ever met that even came close to understanding her. Never mind that she was pretty sure she had been in love with him before her entire life had been shattered…

But being here, in this place, where she was a slave to the whims of a madwoman in every possible way; to endure this kind of torment, all alone, with no chance of escape…it would have broken any sane human being. Had she not had some kind of hope, some kind of anchor…she would have lost her mind long ago.

Jaune was that anchor. Deep down, without even realizing, she had let a glimmer of hope linger in her heart. The hope that someday, somehow, she would be free of all this, and that when it happened…Jaune would be there, waiting for her. That they'd both finally have their happily ever after.

It was a foolish hope, she realized. She knew of course that the odds against that ever happening where astronomical. By all rights, she should be dead right now, and for all she knew, if she ever managed to break free Cinder's control over her, she would be.

But no matter how minuscule, no matter how infinitesimal the chances…that glimmer of hope remained. And that glimmer of hope was all that was keeping her from tipping over the edge into unfathomable darkness.


	13. Chapter 13

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 13

* * *

With the fall of the CCTS, communication with the other kingdoms was effectively cut off. But Atlas was nothing if not resourceful. Communication within the kingdom itself was still up and running however, and the Atlesian fleet had withdrawn to protect the border from invaders. The mechanized forces had been retired indefinitely until a software patch could be implemented to prevent further hacking attempts like the one incurred during their campaign at Vale. While the soldiers and citizens of Atlas had become accustomed the mechanized forces and the long distance communication provided by the CCTS, they were slowly adapting to life without these luxuries. It had not been so long ago that the people of Atlas had never had access to such luxuries. It was a transitional process.

The worst part was being cut off from the other kingdoms. The fall of the CCTS had resulted in a type of self-imposed isolationism within the kingdom. The last images that the people of Atlas had seen were of Atlesian Knights gunning down citizens of Vale, which left many fearing that they were at war once again.

General Ironwood knew all too well they were at war, he just wasn't sure who it was with.

"Sir, an update from our teams in Vacuo," an attendant said as they saluted.

James Ironwood was gazing down at a holographic map of Remnant that stretched the surface a wide translucent desk that filled most of the center of the dark command center at the top of Atlas Tower. Positioned at various points more or less evenly around the scattered continents were various images of ships, infantry units, strike teams, armored units and of course huntsmen. Next to each of the individual units was a date depicted in green, yellow or red, depending on how long ago the date was, and for many, a similarly colored arrow depicting their projected course. Many of the arrows got wider and wider the farther out they got, and units in the yellow or red arrows were stationed somewhere along its path to better predict possible deviations and extenuating circumstances.

The attendant plugged their scroll into a slot at the end of the desk, and most of the units stationed in Vacuo shifted slightly, some positions moving forward along their path, some seemingly in random directions. Some of the arrows depicting their charted path advanced forward or changed direction as courses were corrected. The dates next to each of the Vacuo units switched to green.

Without real-time data provided by the CCTS, Ironwood had wasted no time in implementing a comprehensive communication system that made the most use of their short range signaling capabilities. While Atlas didn't have the resources to spare from their defensive border, a series of airships traversing to and from various way-points were able to ferry tactical data, as well as general messages and occasional supplies. His engineers were even working on developing a system of aerial comm-buoys that could take the place of these airships, and at least set up a network of short-wave communication relays that Atlas would be able to capitalize on.

The airships had even been used to transport Atlas citizens home from other kingdoms, although with the current crisis, immigration procedures had become increasingly strained. So many citizens were simply scared and wanted to come home, but an influx of people coming into Atlas' borders would be the perfect cover for enemy infiltration. Vale had been infiltrated easily enough, and until a clear point of entry had been established, nothing could be permitted into Atlas without being subjected to rigorous scrutiny. That this happened at the same time as a vast influx of citizens had essentially stormed the gates of the kingdom did not make for a very pretty picture.

Ironwood wasn't concerned with the citizens at that very moment. He was much more fixated on the number of Grimm that were popping up just about everywhere. In almost every theater of combat, the Grimm were popping up in such unprecedented numbers that he was having to send reserve forces to reinforce almost every battlefield. With the loss of the mechanized Atlesian Knights, his manned infantry units simply weren't able to compensate, and his troops weren't specially trained to deal with Grimm in these numbers.

They needed more Huntsmen.

"Sir?" a voice interrupted his musings.

Ironwood looked up from the map to see Special Operative Winter Schnee standing at attention.

"What is it Winter…?" Ironwood said, standing up straight. As he did, however, he saw that Winter was not alone.

"Sir, I believe you've met my sister, Weiss," Winter gestured to the younger girl to her right.

Weiss curtseyed politely. "General."

Ironwood nodded. "Miss Schnee."

It appeared that nepotism was indeed alive and well in Atlas, even in these trying times.

Winter continued, gesturing to the other girl opposite her sister. "And this is…"

"Yang Xiao-Long," Ironwood crossed his arms, recognizing the girl with the golden hair. "Yes, I remember you."

"I'm flattered, General," Yang said with a smirk, resting her hand on her hip.

"How could I forget?" he said, waving his hand.

At the gesture, the holographic projection of the countryside disappeared, and the translucent desk sunk into the floor, where floor paneling slide into place to close over the device beneath their feet. The panels along the wall behind him systematically rose, revealing glass windows that let the light back into the room. The view provided them all with a stunning view of the kingdom, but even from here, the refugee camps and triage stations dotted the cityscape with pinpricks of blue and white.

"As I recall," the general continued, gazing out at the kingdom. "You were involved in the attack on Beacon…as well as an… _incident_ …during the Vytal festival."

Yang pursed her lips. "You could say that…"

"So then," he said, turning back to the two women as Winter stepped back to lean against the far wall. "I assume there's a reason you came to me. Let's hear it."

"Straight to business then?" Yang asked, shrugging her shoulders. "Well then, I'll get right to the point…I need a new arm."

Ironwood arched an eyebrow at that. The girl certainly was brazen, he had to give her that. His eyes flitted unconsciously to the half cape that draped over her right arm.

"There are over a dozen tech shops across Atlas that could fit you with a prosthetic," Ironwood observed. "Their business has been on quite the upward surge since the recent spike in Grimm activity."

"But none of those shops could give me military grade technology." Yang shook her head. "I need the _best_. And you guys are it."

The general frowned. "You think we don't have wounded soldiers and huntsmen of our own, waiting to get prosthetic limbs? We don't have the resources to slap our Atlas tech on anyone who just wanders in. This is the military, young lady, not a charity service."

Weiss flinched at the harshness of the general's words, but Yang just shrugged.

"Alright, you want something in return?" she asked nonchalantly, before jutting her thumb towards her chest. "How about the best damn Huntress from Beacon Academy, fighting under your command?"

A tiny gasp of amazement could be heard from where Winter was standing, but when everyone looked up at her, she simply cleared her throat.

"Sorry sir," she commented, idly. She'd honestly never heard someone talk this brashly towards general like this before, and certainly not someone as young as her little sister.

Ironwood paused to consider. They _did_ need more Huntsmen. She may have been a first year – and a brash one at that – but he had seen brash applicants before. Some of them had become the best Hunstmen he'd ever known. They were usually best suited for the front lines. And if she were armed with Atlas tech…

It'd be a significant investment, but one that just might pay off.

As the general pondered, Weiss gave Yang a concerned look, whispering quietly. "You're planning to throw in with Atlas over this? Yang, are you serious?"

Yang's expression was unreadable as she whispered back. "As serious as I've ever been, Weiss."

Weiss scowled indignantly. "But you're never serious!"

Yang smiled. "Am I?

Ironwood cleared his throat, getting the girls' attention.

"So let me see if I understand your proposition, Miss Xiao-Long," he said simply. "You want access to the most advanced technology the kingdom of Atlas has to offer…and in exchange, you'll enlist as a Huntress for the kingdom of Atlas?"

"You got it," Yang nodded. "One thing though…before I enlist, there's something I'll need to take care of first."

Ironwood let out a sigh. "Of course there is. What is it?"

"I need to find my sister, Ruby," Yang said simply. "Once I've found her and brought her to safety, then I'll be happy to enlist."

Ironwood scowled. "And how long is that going to take, Miss Xiao-Long? Weeks? Months?"

"I already know where she's going," Yang replied. "As for how long it takes me, that depends entirely on how good an arm you make for me."

The general rubbed his forehead. "You're not making a very good case for yourself, Miss Xiao-Long…"

Yang shrugged. "Look at it this way – no matter what, your technology will be going towards furthering Atlas' goals. It's tech that would have gone to one of your own soldiers or Huntsmen either way, so really, it just comes down to which of us is going to do more for you with this tech: me, or one of your own Huntsmen."

Yang held her good arm out to better display her prowess.

"And let's be honest…there's really no competition there."

The general crossed his arms. "You honestly think you're a match for the best and brightest that Atlas has to offer in the state you're in now?"

"Bring 'em on!" Yang jutted her chin out, her gaze fierce as a tiger. "I'll beat any student you throw at me, with or without my good arm!"

Weiss smirked in amusement.

"You certainly don't lack for confidence," Ironwood grunted in consideration. "Ordinarily, we'd run you through the standard gauntlet of Atlas Academy entrance examinations before we determine your proficiency…"

Yang clenched her fist. "I don't have time for that, General. This has to happen now."

The general raised a hand, as if to indicate that he wasn't finished.

"… _But_ …these are not ordinary times," he nodded. "In lieu of this, we could base our examination on your previous standing at Beacon, which I believe speaks for itself."

Yang's smile widened.

"However…one thing concerns me, Miss Xiao-Long…" he said, a grim expression on his face. "The incident at the Vytal tournament…"

Yang scowled. "How many times do I have to tell you? I was attacked first! I was defending myself!"

"And the more often you make that argument, the less credible is sounds," Ironwood retorted.

Weiss took that moment to speak up. "General Ironwood, we believe that Yang's opponent in that fight was working with the people who attacked Beacon."

The general gave her a surprised look. "Is that so?"

Weiss nodded. "Indeed. Given the circumstances, I don't think it's unreasonable to assume the possibility that foul play might have been involved in that match. I believe Yang's testimony is accurate."

Ironwood crossed his arms. It was still more of a gamble than he was comfortable making at this stage in the game when still so little information was known about the enemy.

"General, if I may?" Winter spoke up after Ironwood had fallen silent.

The general nodded to her, and Weiss' sister stepped forward.

"Miss Xiao-Long?" she asked brusquely. "Where is it that your sister is going, exactly?"

Yang looked up at the older Schnee sister. "Huh? Oh, she took a team to track down a lead at Haven Academy."

Winter nodded. "So, you'd be going to Mistral then?"

Yang nodded back, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah…?"

Winter stepped over to the general and put a hand on his shoulder, leaning in to speak quietly into his ear.

"Sir," she said in a hushed voice. "Our operatives in Mistral have recently gone dark. We could use an agent out there to reestablish a foothold."

Ironwood nodded. He knew all this, of course, but sending a fresh recruit on such a dangerous mission, not to mention someone who had no real loyalty to Atlas…

"Of course…" Winter added, as if reading his mind, and eyed her sister warily. "I have a feeling she won't be going alone…"

The general's eyes narrowed. What was Winter playing at here?

"I won't let you down, General," Yang spoke up, sensing the distress in the room. "You have my word."

"And Yang's true to her word, General," Weiss added. "I will vouch for her personally."

Yang gave Weiss an odd look, as if she wasn't expecting the girl to stick her neck out this much for her. "Weiss…"

Winter stepped back to her previous position, as Ironwood faced the other two girls, studying them both. One was a pedigree of Atlas nationality, the other seemed a rambunctious wild child from kingdoms beyond. But their loyalty to one another spoke volumes for their loyalty as a whole. This Schnee girl had stuck her neck out quite a bit to get her friend this far. If an heir to the Schnees put this much faith in this girl…

He took a step forward, facing down the golden-haired girl.

"Show me," he said simply.

Yang didn't need to ask what he was talking about. With a curt yank, she tugged off her half-cape, revealing the stump that ended just above where her elbow would be, now healed over after so many months in bed. She held her arm out to him, expectantly.

Ironwood inspected the injury, taking a deep, concerted breath. Every time he met a soldier or Huntsman wounded to this extent, he was brought back to that day, many years ago. There were three days he could distinctly recall that had changed his life forever. The first was the day he had joined the Atlesian military. The second was the day Ozpin had invited him to his inner circle. And the third was the day that had ended with him on an operating table, leaving half of himself on the field of battle.

"Very well, Miss Xiao-Long," he said, wearily. "I can see you're not going to be leaving this room without getting your way. I'll have my technicians see you to get you fitted."

Yang and Weiss both released a nervous sigh of relief.

"Thank you, General," Yang replied with a smile. "You won't regret this."

Ironwood fixed Yang with a grave look.

"I should warn you…" he said, forebodingly. "It's not…an entirely painless process."

Yang pursed her lips. "I've dealt with pain before, General."

Ironwood shook his head. "Not like this, you haven't."

Yang set her jaw. "I'm not afraid."

"I can see you aren't…" he said, before looking up at the Special Operative. "Winter, since you were so kind as to bring these two to me, I'm sure you won't object to escorting them down to the medical engineering lab?"

Winter saluted. "Of course, sir."

The general nodded his farewell. "Ladies."

Weiss and Yang both inclined their heads, following Winter out the door of the command center and onto the elevator.

As soon as the doors closed, Weiss practically deflated.

"Oh my gosh!" she exhaled loudly. "I didn't think he'd actually accept! This is _huge_ , Yang! Atlas prosthetics are no joke! You'll be twice as strong as you used to be with this!"

Yang nodded, steeling herself for the operation ahead of her. "Let's hope so."

"Still, joining up with Atlas?" she asked, concern in her voice. "Are you sure about that?"

"These are extreme circumstances, Weiss," Yang shrugged. "Besides, it's not like Vale has a Huntsman Academy anymore…"

"I suppose…" Weiss allowed.

Yang touched her shoulder, a warm smile on her face.

"And hey, thanks," she said softly. "Thanks for standing up for me back there. And for getting me in here in the first place."

Weiss let out haughty laugh. "Oh, don't be silly, Yang! What are friends for?"

Winter took that moment to clear her throat, and Weiss practically squeaked in response.

"Oh!" she said, turning on her heel to bow her head in appreciation. "I almost forgot! Thank you _so_ much for getting us in to see the General, Winter! I promise, I'll never forget about this!"

Winter fixed her sister with a stern stare. "Promise me something else instead…"

Weiss blinked. "O-Okay. Promise you what?"

Winter's mouth melted into a gentle smile. "That you'll be careful out there."

Weiss shrugged nonchalantly, waving her off. "Oh, don't worry, I…"

Her eyes widened as she realized just what her sister was implying.

"I mean, uh…" she stammered helplessly. "What are you talking about? Out where? I'm not…going…any…where…"

Winter shook her head as Weiss tapped the points of her fingers together, innocently.

"You were always a terrible liar, Weiss," she said, shaking her head. "Word of advice: pack lighter next time. Dad's more likely to notice if large portions of your wardrobe are spotted being carted out of the house."

As Weiss flailed helplessly in response, Winter fixed Yang with a concerned look.

"Take care of my sister, okay?" she asked simply.

Yang nodded. "I will. We'll be back before you know it."

"I'll hold you to that…" Winter said.


	14. Chapter 14

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 14

* * *

The situation in Vale was getting worse. It had been months since the resistance had heard any word from the Council, and that was assuming that they hadn't simply given up on them. The sad truth was that the resistance simply did not know what was happening outside their borders – whether the other kingdoms were preparing to mount a rescue or if they were at war with one another.

Either way, the Grimm had nearly complete control over the kingdom of Vale, and it was all the resistance could do to maintain what small foothold they could.

Glynda was not terribly optimistic about their odds. Of the teachers from Beacon who had remained, only Port, Oobleck and herself were certified Huntsmen. While their small contingent of fully qualified fighters could be counted on one hand, they had plenty of Huntsmen in training who had stepped up to offer assistance. After Vale had been evacuated, all students had been given an indefinite leave of absence. Those who hailed from other kingdoms were rushed home on the earliest transports that could be booked. Those who were native to Vale, however, had not had a lot of options.

Many that belonged to the outlying villages had headed back to their homes, either to seek protection or to provide it for their families. Many that lived within the walls of the kingdom were given refuge in the kingdom or Atlas under the auspices of General Ironwood. Glynda would have to remember to thank him personally for that.

A number of students, however, had decided to stay within the city. There were less than thirty in total, and there were more first-years than she was entirely comfortable with, but the older students had taken on much the responsibility to furthering the younger students' training. It was not an ideal situation, and many students' education would not thrive with this level of intensive on-the-job training, but without their numbers, even she had to admit that the resistance would have had no chance of keeping this small foothold within Vale.

The problem was that they were losing ground. More Grimm arrived every day, drawn by the statuesque Grimm dragon clinging to Beacon tower, and it was getting harder and harder for the resistance to keep their small stronghold within the city secure. They had taken up residence in an office building on the edge of town. It wasn't nearby any major streets or ports, nor was it particularly close to Beacon Academy. This meant that it did not see a lot of Grimm traffic, which was good. Keeping spirits up was important so as not to lure the Grimm directly to them, which would have been significantly difficult had the Grimm been stomping right past their windows every hour.

But this hideout was becoming harder and harder to keep hidden as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. And there was still the matter of keeping such a contingent of huntsmen supplied.

"The coast is clear," Glynda whispered, as the small detachment of students she had taken with her waited for her signal to advance. "Move up in an orderly fashion. And keep it quiet."

Leading the small group was Coco and the rest of Team CFVY, the only second year team to remain in full. Behind them was Team CRDL. It was late afternoon, getting into early evening. There was still some sunlight shining through the cool springtime haze. All were silent as they ducked out from behind the cover of the building they had been hiding behind as they hurried up to the next line of buildings, keeping pace with one another before all had crossed the street and made it to the other side undetected.

"Good," Glynda said simply, after taking up the rear. "We're not far from the docks now."

The two teams followed their instructor close behind as they made their way along the sidewalk, staying close to the walls of the buildings they passed, to where the next street crossed their path.

As soon as Glynda peered around the next corner, her eyes widened as she turned to the students, an urgent tone in her voice.

"Get down!" she hissed, and waved her crop.

As the two teams huddled up around her, Glynda worked her semblance, lifting the rubble around them to form a barrier around the small group, gently placing pieces together into a loose cocoon that covered them from all sides, including from above. From the outside, the small collection of rubble would seem little more than a pile of debris. From the inside, however, the two teams could hear the steady, rumbling footsteps of an approaching Grimm, and through the cracks in the debris, their gaze was met by the titanic form of a Goliath as it passed by.

Glynda kept her eyes fixed on the threat as it walked by, while tapping her index finger against her temple. It was a signal to the other students to drop into stealth mode – an advanced Huntsman technique that they had each needed to pick quite early in their training now that they were stranded in the field. In order not to attract the attention of nearby Grimm, a Huntsman had to suppress their negative emotions. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred, but most of all fear. The quickest way to do this was to focus all their attention on another emotion entirely.

Each of the students closed their eyes and did just that. It had been a difficult task to master, particularly for Cardin and Velvet. Suppressing her fears had been something that Velvet had struggled with since she was a little girl. For Cardin, however, the challenge came in stifling the anger that rose when he laid eyes on the Grimm.

"Is anyone else sick of slinking around like this?" he asked after the Goliath had disappeared from sight and Glynda had let their makeshift camouflage gently settle back to the asphalt.

"Nope," Coco muttered off-hand from behind her shades. "Just you."

Some of Cardin's teammates snickered at Coco's remark, but Cardin himself just wrinkled his nose.

"I'm serious," he said in annoyance as Glynda peered around the corner, looking for more Grimm. "My team and I joined up with this little resistance so we could give these Grimm some payback, not so we could sneak around like fugitives in our own city."

Coco sighed. "I don't like it any more than you do, freshman, but we've got an important job to do here. If we get involved in some big huge skirmish with the Grimm, we'll never be able to complete it."

Cardin threw up his hands in exasperation. "Then why not let my team and I provide a distraction on the other side of town or something? Anything beats skulking around like a bunch of cowards!"

"And what happens when your team gets overrun and we have to come bail you out?" Coco just shook her head. "Think, freshman! We don't have the numbers to pull off anything that elaborate. We need more Huntsmen."

Cardin grumbled but didn't have any kind of retort, so he just crossed his arms, looking the other way.

"Alright, let's go!" Glynda called, gesturing for them to move ahead.

The two team leaders followed her lead, but something caught Cardin's attention before he got very far.

"Hey Ears, what's the hold-up?" he called out to Velvet, whose attention was fixated on the building across from their position.

Coco stepped in before Cardin could approach however.

"You worry about your team, I'll worry about mine," she said curtly, stepping over to where she was standing.

"Ok, _sorry_ ," Cardin snorted derisively.

As Coco approached the young Faunus, she thought she caught a glimpse of a black figure darting out of view from the rooftops above.

"Was that…?" she asked her teammate warily.

"It looked like Blake," Velvet nodded uneasily.

Coco pursed her lips.

"A few of the others reported spotting her earlier this month," she said, crossing her arms. "Well, at least she's still alive."

"Shouldn't we go after her?" Velvet asked, hopefully.

"No, we still have to finish this job," Coco sighed in disappointment, adjusting her beret. "Besides, if she hasn't approached us yet, she must have her reasons."

Velvet pursed her lips, dissatisfied. She didn't like leaving her friend to wander around this city all alone.

"Keep trying to contact her on your scroll," Coco advised as the two of them fell into step behind Yasuhashi and Fox. "She'll join us when she's ready."

As Glynda lead the two teams the rest of the way to the docks, they eventually found their way to a small jetty leading off from the city's sewer systems. A dense fog had settled over the water as the evening air began to cool, but the fog still tapered off as it met the land. There didn't appear to be anyone waiting for them however, which caused some skepticism amongst the students.

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Velvet asked nervously.

"It is," Glynda said, consulting her scroll.

Cardin crossed his arms. "Is this guy even gonna show?"

"Positive," Glynda nodded. "He's never let me down before."

Before anyone else could voice their concerns, Fox pointed a finger out towards the dense fog bank, his keen ears picking up the sound of splashing water.

"There," he said calmly. "A boat."

Sure enough, moments later, a small fishing boat appeared from through the fog, paddled by a lone fisherman. He rowed his boat to the jetty, waving at the group of Huntsmen, a warm smile on his face.

"Hey," Coco smiled back in recognition. "It's the shopkeep!"

The old man simply nodded in affirmation as he turned his boat to sidle up against the dock, holding up a bow line.

Glynda's lips rose into a smile of her own as she caught the rope and tied the boat to the dock. "Like I said – he's never let me down before."

The kindly old shopkeep began to off-load his cargo. Crates filled to the brim with provisions, everything from rations to medical supplies, and even a crate of dust crystals.

"Everyone take a crate," Glynda instructed. "We need to get these back to base before the sun goes down."

The students rushed to follow as Glynda smiled down at the old shopkeep.

"Thank you, old man," she said warmly. "We are in your debt."

He simply shook his head. "This is my town too. You all are fighting to make it safe again. I just wish I could do more…"

"Well, this will certainly help," Glynda nodded.

She untied the bow line from the dock, tossing it back to him, before watching him paddle away.

"Bye mister shopkeep!" Velvet called out, waving happily.

"You see, freshman?" Coco laughed at Cardin as the old man made his way back out to sea. "We're all in this together. Even the old shopkeep is helping however he can. Not all fights can be won just by charging the enemy."

"Yeah, yeah," Cardin harrumphed.

Velvet giggled. Her leader always seemed to delight in getting under other people's skin.

"Alright, students," Glynda said, taking position at the head of the group, facing the direction they came. "Back to base. Let's move!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 15

* * *

Ruby sat on her knees, staring blankly ahead at the crimson form before her. Her team lay dead or dying around her, their weapons scattered and broken. The blood-red woman approached her, bow and arrow in hand, while overhead, the Grimm dragon circled around them, looking for prey to feast upon.

"Yang…" she breathed in disbelief as she gazed at the fallen bodies around her. "Weiss…Blake…Jaune…"

Her friends and companions were strewn across the wreckage of her ruined school, which had been her home for the past year. That home now lay in shambles, as Cinder and the Grimm had overtaken it, laying waste to it as if on a whim.

 _Get up…_ she thought to herself as the woman in red approached.

The dragon above let out a fearsome war cry that seemed to shake the world to its very core.

 _Get up…_ Ruby repeated to herself, though her legs refused to cooperate.

The woman was now standing over her, slowly taking aim with her bow. She would not miss at this range.

 _Get up!_ Ruby's mind echoed the thoughts as she urged her legs to work.

Then she felt her scroll vibrating in her pocket and she opened her eyes, sitting up to find herself laying in a sleeping bag, as Ren and Nora slept in sleeping bags of their own in a circle around a campfire, leaving one bedroll empty.

Just a dream, she thought. Now it was time for her watch.

Ruby got to her feet, hefting Crescent Rose into its holster from where it lay at her side, before wandering over to the top of the small hill under which they were camping for the night, where Jaune was stationed.

She found the young man practicing his kata, going through sword stances and moving back and forth between them, practicing his form and his footwork. Ruby didn't want to interrupt, so she stood and watched with her hands clasped before her as he glided through the movements. He had made some significant improvements since they were at Beacon, she noted, and he seemed to be taking his training much more seriously now. His sword skills hadn't gotten much sharper, but his shield arm seemed to have gotten much sturdier, which was why Ruby allowed his consistent requests for guard duty. It also made the two of them a good team, as Ruby herself excelled at offense, but usually had to dodge a lot to avoid being hit.

With Jaune around, she didn't have to worry about taking as many hits.

When sheathed his sword, Ruby thought the drill was complete, but then she saw him take a knee, and before long, he was glowing.

"Whoa…" she breathed, watching in fascination as body lit up like a light bulb.

Aura training, she realized. He was focusing on his aura. The light that emanated from Jaune's body was surprisingly bright, and Ruby could feel the warmth that radiated from it. It was almost as intense as the campfire at her back.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, forgetting herself for a moment. "That's really cool, Jaune!"

The light flickered off all of the sudden, and Jaune jerked around, stumbling clumsily to his feet to look at her, surprise in his eyes.

"Ruby!" he blurted.

Ruby covered her mouth with both hands. "Oops! I'm sorry, Jaune! I didn't mean to interrupt your training!"

Jaune sighed and brushed the dirt from his pants. "Heh…don't worry about it. I was just finishing up anyway…"

Ruby wandered over to him excitedly.

"So…" she looked at him curiously. "Was that your aura just now?"

Jaune shrugged sheepishly. "I think so…Pyrrha taught me how to tap into it on the day we met. I've been…trying to practice with it ever since."

Ruby clenched her fists into little balls. "That's really cool, Jaune."

"Yeah, I guess…" Jaune scratched his head. "I still don't know how to use my semblance though…or what it even does…"

Ruby's expression soured. "Don't worry, Jaune. You'll figure it out eventually."

"Yeah…" Jaune nodded, though the look on his face seemed unconvinced.

It was a subject that had been bugging him for some time now, and he was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen.

"Umm…weird question though…" he ventured, nervously. "But how did you figure out _your_ semblance, Ruby?"

Ruby shrugged helplessly. "I didn't really figure it out. It just sorta happened. One day when we were really young, Yang and I were chasing each other outdoors, just playing around, you know? And before I knew it, I was running super-fast all of the sudden. I didn't even know it was happening at first. I just knew that I wanted to beat Yang…"

Ruby let out a pitiful laugh.

"I know that's not very helpful…" she muttered. "But that's how it happened…"

Jaune gave her a surprised look.

"I…I'm sorry!" he blurted suddenly.

Ruby looked strangely at him. "Sorry? For what?"

Jaune was holding his hands up, looking like he had accidentally stumbled upon a pack of wolves.

"I…didn't mean to make you cry, Ruby…" he said, a pleading tone in his voice. "I just thought maybe it would help me get better, y'know?"

Ruby blinked in confusion, reaching up to touch her cheeks.

"I'm…crying…?" she asked, staring at her fingertips as they came away wet. "Huh…isn't that weird…?"

How long had she been bottling this in? She had spent so much time being a leader and keeping her emotions in check and worrying about her teammates' feelings that it was like she hadn't taken the time to properly process her own.

Jaune stepped closer to her, looking like he was walking on eggshells. "You must really miss your sister…"

Ruby wiped at her cheeks again, as if not believing what was happening to her.

"It's not like that…" she argued, wiping her eyes one after another. "Yang's really tough, you know? She's always been the strong one. She'll get over this injury of hers in no time! You'll see! She doesn't need her dumb baby sister worrying after her like this…"

Ruby's diatribe came to an abrupt halt when she felt Jaune's hand on her shoulder and she flinched, a tiny gasp escaping her lips.

"What are you talking about, Ruby?" he asked sympathetically as he squeezed her shoulder. "Of course Yang needs her little sister to worry about her. That's what little sisters are for. Mine do all the time. Drives me nuts, let me tell you…but at the end of the day, I'm always glad they do…"

Ruby watched Jaune's smiling face as his poke, and her lower lip began quivering. Tears began to spill out more and more as he went on, and before she knew it, she was bawling her eyes out and burying her face into Jaune's sleeve.

"Oh Jaune!" she cried. "I'm so worried about her! She's never been hurt this badly before! What if she never gets back up again? I should be back home taking care of her, not out here trying to be some stupid hero! What's she going to do without me? Oh, Yang…!"

Jaune was taken aback as Ruby threw her arms around him, pressing her face into his arm. It was a startling thing to see her break down like this; he was so used to her being the strong one that it was an odd thing to be reminded that underneath it all, she was still a fifteen-year-old girl who loved her family and just wanted them to be safe.

Her vice-like grip on his shoulders was starting to hurt, but he ignored it and reached out to rub her back with his free hand.

"Hey, it's okay…" he said in a kindly voice. "We're all out here trying to protect everyone, including Yang. And when we're done, the first thing we can do afterward is go home and see her. And I bet she'll already be on her feet, training hard, and it'll be like you never left. Won't that be nice?"

Ruby released her grip on his shoulders and nodded, still feeling worse for wear.

"Yeah…" she whimpered, wiping her eyes.

She knew it was her turn to take watch, but right at that moment, she honestly wasn't feeling up to it. She just wanted to curl up into a ball and go back to sleep.

"Jaune…" she said in a tremulous voice. "I know it's my turn to take watch, but…do you think you could…maybe…stay up and keep me company while I do?"

Jaune let out a prolonged sigh. It seemed his knightly duties were not yet done.

"Of course, Ruby," he said with a smile.

The two of them sat at the top of the hill next to one another, looking out over the little campsite with their two teammates resting below them, the campfire flickering in the shattered moonlight. Soon enough, Ruby was leaning her head against Jaune's shoulder and dozing lightly.

Jaune regarded the young huntress, wondering how one little girl could remain so strong after everything she'd been through. He was two years older than her, but she was already so far ahead of him. He knew he had a lot of catching up to do, not the least of which included figuring out his stupid semblance.

He just hoped that when his team really needed him, he'd be up for the challenge.

Despite himself, Jaune was struggling to keep his eyes open, and by the time Nora's scroll woke her up to take her shift, she found the two of them fast asleep, leaning against one another.

"D'aww…" she smirked to herself as she sat up to take her shift on watch duty.

She couldn't wait until Ren woke up for his shift so she could show him how cute they both looked.


	16. Chapter 16

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 16

* * *

Things were getting heated over in the triage unit run by one Weiss Schnee. An Atlas industrial vehicle was stationed just outside, its storage compartment halfway filled with containers. The sound of whirring servos and motors indicative of a heavy lifting mech could be heard from inside the triage unit, along with the increasingly irritated voice of the Schnee heir apparent.

"Stop…" Weiss's voice sounded in strained patience. "Turn around…"

An automated voice responded. " **Affirmative**."

"Over here…" the voice of Weiss Schnee continued, before releasing a groan of agitation. "Over _here!_ "

" **Affirmative** ," the mechanized voice replied.

"Thank you!" Weiss's voice was losing its cool edge. "Now pick this up…"

" **Executing** _…_ "

"No, not that…" Weiss sounded like she was losing patience as mech whirred helplessly in response. "No…no… _no_ … _yes! Finally..._ "

Relief.

"Now, move that over here…good, good…no wait! Ugh, you dropped something!"

" **Apologies, Miss Schnee…** _"_

Patience…patience…

"No, set it down. Set it _down_ , please!"

" **Affirmative…** "

Be patient, Weiss thought to herself. It's just a robot.

"Good, now pick it up again…now move it over…no, not there…no! Watch where you're going!"

" **Apologies, Miss Schnee…** _"_

Her patience was giving way to agitation…

"Do you realize how expensive this stuff – ugh, of course not! You're a robot! Look, just move it over…no… _no_ … _NO!_ "

" **Error…please re-confirm target…** "

Agitation boiling over…

"Ughhhhhhh, you stupid hunk of junk!" Weiss slammed her fist into the armor-plated chassis of the service mech as it waved its arms helplessly in the air.

" **Error…error…** "

"Boy, you sure have a way with machines, Schnee," a voice sounded.

Weiss paused her tirade. Where had she heard that voice before? She looked up from her task of off-loading medical supplies for her transfer, and was surprised to find Flynt Coal standing just within the draw-flap entrance of the triage unit.

"You?" Weiss blinked in surprise, blanking on the young man's name for a moment. "Flynt, right? What are you doing here?"

Flynt rolled his eyes, clasping his hands together in a parody of concern.

" _Oh, nice to see you, Flynt!_ " he said, imitating a girlish voice. " _So glad you made it back to Atlas in one piece!_ "

"Don't get cute," Weiss scowled. "Do you have any idea how many people I see passing through here on a regular basis?"

" **Error…** " the mech quipped.

"You shut up!" Weiss pointed an accusatory finger at the robot, before yanking down on the loader mech's manual shut-down switch.

"For what it's worth, you seem to be doing well for yourself," Flynt said, letting himself into the triage unit. "Not the first place I would have expected you, Schnee. Down here on the street, helping us common folk."

"What else can I do?" Weiss grunted non-committally, popping open the rear hatch of the loader mech's main chassis to take a look at the robotic innards. "In case you haven't noticed, Atlas is in the middle of a crisis."

Flynt watched her as she reached into the mech's chassis and began un-plugging and re-plugging in wires.

"My father would have me shaking hands with a bunch of high-priced stock-holders and assuring them that all their investments are being well taken care of…" Weiss droned, wiping her forehead, before going back to work. "If he had his way, I'd be helping precisely _zero_ people who actually need it. At least here, I can help _someone_ , at least."

A spark cracked inside the chassis, and Weiss recoiled, withdrawing her hand and shaking it in pain.

"Ow!" she winced, sucking on her finger.

Flynt had to smile at what a sight Weiss made. A rich heiress, down here among the common folk, working with her hands and trying to solve her own problems, even if she was failing spectacularly, and all for the good of the people of her kingdom. It would be comical if he didn't find it so inspiring.

"No offense, Schnee," he offered, matter-of-factly. "But this place doesn't seem like a good fit for you. What happened to being a Huntress? You were good at that."

Weiss slammed the loader mech's rear hatch shut.

"Ugh, can we _not_ have this conversation please?" she groaned in agitation. "Besides, I'm in the middle of packing it up as we speak, so I won't even _be_ here after today!"

She threw a suspicious look at the young man as he maintained his snarky smile.

"What are you even doing here, anyway?" she demanded.

Flynt tapped his finger to the bottom brim of his hat.

"I'm your replacement," he said with a smirk.

Weiss blinked in disbelief. "You are?"

Flynt crossed his arms. "Surprised? Apparently you made a real impression on the folks that worked here. Word got around that you were transferring out and they needed someone to fill in, so I signed up. Figured I could chip in too, y'know? And besides, I'm about to let _you_ show me up."

Weiss fixed the boy with a skeptical look. "Hmmm…are you quite sure you're qualified for this job? It takes a lot of hard work. All the forms have to be filed the right way, and you have to ensure that you have enough supplies to ration to each patient that needs it, and don't even get me started on all the Atlas tech in use here!"

Flynt's expression remained an infuriating smirk as he strode over to the mech, tapped on a few keys on the control panel on its front, and the loader bot reactivated, standing up straight.

" **System reset complete,** " the mech announced. " **How may I assist you, Mister Coal?** "

Weiss pursed her lips. "Okay, okay, you seem know your way around machines. There's still a lot of work involved in this job!"

"Schnee…" Flynt said, patting the robot's shoulder. "I got this. You just go do what you gotta do. Speaking of which…where is it exactly that you're transferring to?"

Weiss froze for just a second, before straightening her hair. "Oh, you know how it is…just got my reassignment notice today…they probably won't even tell me until the day of where they've got me now…"

Flynt look unconvinced. "Right…well, where-ever you're headed, Schnee, best of luck to you."

Weiss sighed, a grimm expression on her face.

"Thanks…" she said, deflated. "I have a feeling I'm going to need it…"

Flynt looked worried. "Hey, it's all good. Wherever you're headed, it can't be much harder than trying to learn all this new hardware…"

He tapped the Atlas mech, which adjusted its stance in response.

" **Apologies, Mister Flynt**."

Weiss chuckled. "I suppose you're right…"

Flynt's eyes lit up suddenly when he saw someone standing outside the triage unit.

"Speaking of new hardware…"

Weiss looked out towards where his eyes were pointed, and hew jaw nearly dropped.

Just outside the door, Yang Xiao-Long could be seen walking towards the station, her hair tussling in the breeze, wearing her favorite aviator glasses. Time seemed to slow down as Yang strode forward, and Weiss could swear she could hear an electric guitar playing somewhere, but that might have just been a passing car radio. Yang's half-cape was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a glistening golden mechanical arm extended from where her right elbow ended, her Ember Celica adorning both wrists once again. Her metal arm looked to be about the same size and shape of her other arm, but was lined with mechanical plating that suggested there was more to it than that. But the look of sheer confidence on Yang's face spoke volumes as to its power.

Flynt whistled in appreciation. Weiss, for her part, shoved right past him and ran to her former teammate, a look of pride on her face.

"Yang!" she shouted in delight as she hurried towards her. "That was fast! I'm almost done here, so whenever–"

Weiss was interrupted however when another familiar face popped up before her.

"Oh, hi there!" chimed an exuberant voice that could only match the playful expression on the face that Weiss saw. "Didn't know you'd be here too! Great to see ya!"

Weiss froze in her footsteps, wobbling precariously as she nearly ran into the interloper.

"Whoa, hey!" she blurted unsteadily. "You're here too?"

"Well, duh!" the catgirl exclaimed, sticking out her tongue. "Get with the program!"

"She followed me home," Yang removed her aviators and rolled her eyes, a dry tone in her voice. "This is _not_ the cat I was looking for."

"Aww, come on!" the girl began skating back and forth. "Don't be such a sour-puss!"

Flynt stepped outside the triage unit and out onto the street to join them.

"Neon," he chastised gently. "Play nice."

"Aww…" Neon pouted, roller-skating over to the Flynt. "I thought I was!"

Weiss finally managed to get a good look at Yang's new arm, and gave an appreciative hum as she admired it.

"Very nice…" she nodded approvingly. "Synthium alloy, triple-plated, and what look to be dust-enhanced pneumatic actuators. I can't wait to see what this can do."

Yang punched her metal fist into her fleshy one. "Me neither. You ready to go?"

Weiss nodded. "In a minute. Winter's diverted a airship for us to use. I just need to finish setting things up here for my replacement…"

She trailed off as she looked back at Flynt.

"So…" he smirked, crossing his arms. "Just got transferred, huh?"

Weiss winced. "Uhh…something like that."

"No big," Flynt waved her off. "You got more important places to be. Don't worry, I'll take care of things here. You go do what you gotta do, Schnee."

Weiss nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Flynt. I appreciate it."

Flynt and Neon waved as Weiss and Yang took off, making their way to the Atlas aircraft hangar.

"Where are they going, Flynt?" Neon asked, skating idly around him.

"With any luck?" he shrugged. "To save the world."


	17. Chapter 17

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 17

* * *

Blake had finally lucked out. After making her way through the residential district, she had eventually reached a wealthier part of town. She had been avoiding these homes earlier, as they tended to employ more rigorous security systems, most of which were still in place (although when their residents expected to return was anyone's guess). However, times were tough, and looting convenience stores just wasn't cutting it anymore.

Any security system tied to an alarm she tended to pass up. While she was generally a fair hand at disabling alarms, any slip-up would completely give away her position, and cause the Grimm to come sniffing, which would spoil her chances with any other possible houses in the area. Silent alarms were preferable, as they only alerted police forces, and they had all evacuated the city with the rest of the residents.

She had eventually come across a comfortably sized household that didn't employ any type of electronic countermeasures, relying instead on robust mechanical locking mechanisms. Those were usually enough to stop an ordinary burglar, but not a Huntress. Within minutes, Blake had sliced through the lock and made her way inside, and had found a treasure trove of non-perishables to choose from.

Whoever had lived here must have been something of a shut-in. Not only were there foodstuffs aplenty, but there was even a dust-powered backup generator in the basement and parcel of dust crystals to power it. Blake quickly got it running and set her scroll to charge on the generator, pocketing the remaining crystals. The dust could come in handy in a pinch, and though it had been some time since she had needed to use her scroll, it never hurt to be prepared.

As her scroll charged, she heated up some of the food in a cooking pot on a stove the kitchen, and quickly found the lavatory to clean up a bit. Life on the run was particularly unglamorous, so she had learned to take advantage of such amenities when they became available Returning to the kitchen, she took the food off the burner, pouring the canned stew into a bowl, and finding a spoon from a drawer, before setting her bowl at the table in the kitchen.

After her first bite of hot food in months, she released a prolonged sigh of contentment, before opening her eyes once again.

"You may as well show yourself," she said to the empty room.

Seemingly from out of nowhere, Emerald materialized across the room from her, weapons drawn.

"How'd you find me this time?" she demanded, looking perplexed. "I was masking my scent!"

"Lucky guess," Blake admitted, not getting up from her chair. "You've been following me for a while now."

"What can I say?" Emerald cocked her head to the side. "You're good at sniffing out places like this."

Blake sighed. "Look Emerald…you don't like me, and I'm not really sure if I like you either…but there's _really_ no point in us fighting right now. There's plenty of food here to go around."

Emerald gave the Faunus a suspicious look. "Don't try to butter me up…"

Blake took another spoonful of her food. "Suit yourself. You should know though, the beef stew is particularly good."

The smell of hot food was permeating the kitchen, and before Emerald could rebuff the other girl, a low grumble emanated from the girl's stomach in response to the savory aroma.

"Fine…" Emerald grumbled, red-faced as she made her way to pot to fix herself a bowl. "But I still don't like you."

The green haired girl filled a bowl with hot stew and sat across from Blake, taking a slow, careful spoonful, keeping an eye on Blake as she ate, before wincing at the heat of the food.

"You know, if you wait until it cools, it won't be so hot," Blake smirked, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up!" Emerald growled, before blowing at her food to cool it off. "Who asked you?"

"Sorry," Blake continued to smirk.

Despite herself, it was nice to have someone to talk to after spending so much time by herself, even if it was a former enemy. She was not normally so conversational, even with her own friends. But it had been a lonely couple of months.

"I told you before," Emerald barked obstinately. "We're _not_ friends. Don't act like we are."

Blake shrugged. "And like _I_ said, there's no point in us fighting right now. We're both just trying to survive, as far as I can see."

Emerald gave Blake a dirty look. "You don't know a damn thing about me or what I'm going through."

Blake shook her head. "You're right. I _don't_ know what you're going through. But from the look of things, you've been on the run for even more of your life than I have of mine."

"If you're trying to get my life story, you're wasting your time," Emerald said looking away.

"Alright…" Blake allowed, trying to think of another subject. "So…what happened to working with Cinder?"

Emerald slammed her hands down on the table, rattling the two bowls. "I _said_ I don't want to talk about it!"

Blake's eyes widened a little. Cinder had apparently been more important to Emerald than she realized. "So she _did_ cast you out then…"

Emerald's anger only grew. "Why don't you mind your damn business, you _freak!_ "

Blake rolled her eyes. "Oh, racial slurs. How original."

Emerald didn't say anything at that and simply went back to eating.

Blake took a few more bites, before trying to strike up conversation yet again.

"Well, you can at least take heart in knowing that you've succeeded," she said, sardonically.

Emerald raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Blake sighed and spooned at her food. "Well, apparently my friends and I being 'happy all the time' really bothered you for some reason, so…at least now you don't have to deal with _that_ anymore."

"You make me sound like a total asshole when you say it like that," Emerald rolled her eyes in annoyance, before pausing. "Wait…you _heard_ me say that? Back at the Vytal festival?"

"Faunus, remember?" Blake's ears twitched under her bow as a smug smile flitted across her face. "At the time, I thought that you were merely being disingenuous. It was only later that I learned that you were working with a bloodthirsty anarchist."

"It wasn't like that!" Emerald growled angrily. "Look, before I met Cinder, I had spent my _entire_ life on the streets. Cinder wanted me for my skills, and was willing to give me something I never had in return!"

Blake set down her spoon, looking somewhat surprised at the revelation.

"What was that?" she inquired. "A home? A family?"

"Something like that…" Emerald said despondently, before shaking her head. "Or so I thought. I was such an idiot, willing to jump at any chance offered to me. Turns out Cinder doesn't take kindly to questioning her methods. As soon as I so much as raised an eyebrow, I was out on my ass yet again. It was just dumb luck that I managed to make it out alive."

Emerald's expression hardened once again, fixing Blake with a stern gaze.

"So do yourself a favor, and don't make the same mistake I did," she warned. "You can't trust anyone to take care of you. People may act nice when it suits them or it gets them what they want, but in the end, you can only ever rely on yourself."

Emerald went back to eating.

Blake looked down at her soup bowl. "I used to be in the White Fang. Spent most of my life with them, actually. It was my home. My family. Until one day, I realized that the leader of the White Fang was turning into a monster."

Emerald looked up from her bowl, giving Blake a curious look.

"So I left," Blake explained simply. "I left them all behind. They had been my family for so long, and when I left them, I had nothing. I had to make it by myself after that. And I was always looking over my shoulder, always sleeping with one eye open. I could never be sure if something I did or said would make it back to…back to _him_ …"

She sighed and stirred her cooling bowl of soup.

"So I get it," Blake said bluntly. "I get what it is to not be able to trust anyone. But during my time at Beacon, I met people who were just…so willing to trust in me. Even as I was keeping secrets from them, they trusted me! I mean, it was honestly a little overwhelming how _ready_ they all were to open up to me, even when I was keeping so much from them."

She dropped her spoon in her bowl and put her face in her hands.

"And I _wanted_ to return the gesture…" Blake shuddered. "I was _genuinely_ opening up to them. I trusted them. I _really_ did. But then when my past suddenly came back to bite me, I just…I couldn't face them anymore. I _thought_ that I it was safe to trust again, but it in the end…in the end, it just felt like…"

"…Like you were unworthy…" Emerald finished for her, a somber look on her face.

Blake looked back up at Emerald. "Yeah…"

There was an odd moment when neither girl said anything as they stared at one another. Then the silence was broken by the far off sound of a ringtone.

Emerald flinched. "What's that?"

Blake stood up suddenly. "My scroll!"

Emerald watched, uncertain, as Blake ran downstairs to find her scroll, still charging by the generator, buzzing with an incoming alert.

She peered at the screen to see who was calling her.

"Velvet?" she mouthed in astonishment.

She was honestly at a loss for words. Why would anyone from Beacon still be calling her now, after so much time had passed? Surely they had given up on her by now! How could they _still_ be calling her? _Why_ would they still be calling her?

Blake stared dumbfounded at her scroll for moment longer as it rung, Velvet's smiling face on the screen, as Blake's thumb hovered over the accept button, unable to bring herself to do it.

"Well?" Emerald said, standing over her, arms crossed. "Are you gonna answer it?"

"Bwah!" Blake flinched, not expecting the girl to be hovering over her, and she accidentally pressed the green accept button.

"Uh, h-hello?" a familiar accented voice sounded through the scroll speaker. "Blake? Blake, is that you?"

Blake trembled as she lifted the scroll to her ear. "V-Velvet?"

There was an inhalation of pure relief audible on the other end of the line.

"Blake!" Velvet's voice cried on the other line. "It's really you! Oh my goodness, I'm _so_ glad you're alright!"

Blake nearly dropped her scroll as she spoke in a tremulous voice. "V…Velvet…I…"

"Where are you?" Velvet demanded over the scroll. "Are you safe? You're not hurt, are you?"

Blake couldn't believe what she was hearing. After months of keeping to herself and shutting everyone else out, Velvet was still worried about her. She wasn't even her teammate, and she was worried about her.

"Blake?" Velvet asked when she didn't hear a response. "Is everything alright?"

Blake looked up to where Emerald was standing, but she was already gone.

"Blake?" Velvet asked. "Are you there?

She let out a prolonged sigh. She felt a little lighter all of the sudden.

"Yeah…" she finally said in response. "I think I'm alright."


	18. Chapter 18

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 18

* * *

"Aw come on!" Nora declared exuberantly as team RNJR made their way across the arid Mistral landscape. "You guys looked so cute!"

The team had completed their circuit of the surrounding environs of Mistral. They had surveyed the extent of the destruction caused by the spread of Grimm, and while they had little to show for it, they had at least gathered data so that Haven could ascertain the status of their outlying reaches. In lieu of communication with Haven Academy, the teams dispatched were assigned to predetermined rendezvous points where they were to meet with courier teams from Haven - either a group of Huntsmen with speed or communication enhancing semblance, or one outfitted with some reliable mode of transportation.

The system put into place ensured several fallback procedures should any instructions be missed or lost. This was team RNJR's first assignment, however, so it was unclear if they would be receiving orders to continue on with another route, or to return to Haven for a different assignment.

Having so little to show for it, spirits were at an all-time low, but Nora was quick to try to raise morale.

"Nothing happened, Nora!" Ruby said with her hands on her hips. "Why are you making such a big deal of this?"

Nora elbowed Ren conspiratorially. "Come on, Ren. You saw them too. Tell me Jaune and Ruby didn't look absolutely adorable, all nestled together like that!"

Ren looked uneasily between the two. "I…don't feel that it's my place to comment…"

Ruby pursed her lips in agitation. "Nora…"

"I'm just saying, you two looked cute together!" Nora insisted, a catlike smirk on her face. "I mean, not… _together_ -together…but…"

"I get it, Nora!" Ruby shook her head, cheeks reddening. "You don't have to spell it out for me!"

Nora stuck out her tongue. "Sounds to me like maybe you do…"

Ruby hung her shoulders, feeling like she was completely incapable of reasoning with the other girl.

"Jaune, back me up here!" Ruby called out to the former leader of Team JNPR for help.

The blond haired boy didn't appear to be paying attention, and instead was focusing his gaze off to the western horizon.

"Jaune?" Ruby called out, stepping over to him to see what he was gazing at.

Ruby peered out towards the flat plains out to the west, squinting as the late afternoon sun was dipping within the sky.

Jaune pointed at something off in the distance. "See that trail, leading out just below the mountain range?"

Ruby followed his directions, and saw the tiny line of black specks dotting the deep orange and yellow hues of the far sweeping grassland.

"Grimm…" she muttered coldly.

Jaune nodded. "A lot of them from the looks of it. They seem to be going in the same direction as we are. They're not getting any farther away either."

Ruby's expression fell. "That's…the direction of the kingdom of Mistral!"

Jaune nodded, gritting his teeth. "We better pick up the pace. For all we know, Mistral's about to get hit."

Ruby gestured to the others, and they all began to move with a purpose towards the rendezvous point. She kept pace with Jaune while Nora and Ren took up the rear. Ruby had no doubt that Nora was still snickering at the two of them at that very moment. She tried to ignore the mental image of that; she and Jaune _were_ partners now after all. She was _allowed_ to spend time with her partner.

"So…" Ruby idly said to Jaune. "I'm sorry about last night."

Jaune looked oddly at her. "Sorry for what?"

Ruby looked away. "Falling asleep like that. Not very leader-like of me, not to mention dangerous. The whole point of staying up to keep watch is to, y'know…keep watch."

Jaune shook his head. "Nothing to apologize for. If anything, I should be apologizing to you. My team leader asked me to stay up to keep her company while she kept watch. And not only did I fail to wake her up after she had drifted off, but I also fell asleep myself. So…sorry about that."

Ruby laughed, shaking her head. "You had already put in a full night's watch, Jaune. It wasn't fair of me to expect a second one out of you. You're not super-human after all."

Jaune shook his head in dismay. "Sure wish I was sometimes…"

Ruby bit her lip. There she went again, making an idiot of herself.

"Hey, Jaune?" she asked, trying to keep the conversation going. "Can I ask you something?"

Jaune shrugged, looking over at her. "Sure, what is it?"

Ruby hesitated. There had been a lingering question at the back of her mind ever since they had joined as a team, and with the return of this mysterious Pyrrha figure in their lives, it had been nagging at her ever since.

"Did you…?" she asked, before shaking her head. "I mean…were you in love with Pyrrha?"

Jaune didn't seem to react at first. The two continued to tread lightly upon the parched soil underfoot, stepping through the occasional wisp of tall grass. Jaune remained silent as he thought, and at first, Ruby was unsure if he'd ever respond, when finally, he spoke.

"I felt…" he said, before changing his answer. "I feel a lot of things about Pyrrha. And it's not really easy to put it all into words. Guilt, mostly. Grief. Admiration. Sadness. Anger. Longing. Awe. Maybe even a bit of obsession…"

He shrugged and finally turned to fix Ruby with a sad smile.

"So, hell," he said, forcing a smile. "Maybe there's love in there too."

" _Was_ ," Ruby corrected, perhaps a little too sternly. "Pyrrha's dead, Jaune. The sooner you accept that, the easier it'll be for you to move on."

Jaune looked away. He knew Ruby meant well with her insistence. He knew it wasn't healthy to linger on Pyrrha's memory like this. He knew that Ruby was only worried about his well-being, as a friend. But her stubbornness was beginning to feel like a blunt instrument, and every reminder of Pyrrha's death was feeling like salt on the wound.

"So you keep reminding me," he said coldly. "But ever since this _other_ Pyrrha's been showing up…"

"That _thing_ isn't Pyrrha," she insisted. "You _have_ to believe that, Jaune. You'll drive yourself crazy otherwise."

Jaune had heard enough. He had told himself the same thing time and time again, and he was absolutely sick of hearing it.

"Well, maybe I _am_ crazy," Jaune replied, gritting his teeth as he stopped walking. "Maybe I _am_ a little obsessed. Maybe I _am_ in love with her, is that what you want me to say!?"

Ruby was taken aback. Behind them, Ren and Nora slowed to a stop to give the two of them more space. The volume of Jaune's voice more than made up for the distance.

"Jaune, I…" Ruby flinched as she stopped and stared back at him, looking hurt.

"Is that what this little mind game of yours is all about!?" Jaune demanded, getting angrier. "You think I'm so _hopelessly_ obsessed with Pyrrha's memory that I'll blindly follow this _other_ Pyrrha while she makes mincemeat out of the rest of you!? I mean, I wouldn't _blame_ you if you did! _I_ certainly wouldn't trust me in this situation!"

Ruby held up her hands defensively. "Jaune, I…I'm not playing mind games with you! I'm just _worried_!"

"Then what's this all about!?" Jaune was yelling now. "You ask me if I was _in love_ with her? What do you _think!?_ What do you _think_ it's doing to me to see her like this now!?"

"Jaune…" Ruby stammered, trying desperately to think of a way to stem the tide of his wrath.

"You want to know how I _feel!?_ " Jaune demanded angrily, tears in his eyes. "It's _tearing me apart!_ And now my own team leader has to worry about whether I'm going to be a _liability_ because of it!"

"Jaune!" Ruby shouted back, getting angry too. "That isn't what I'm worried about!"

"How would _you_ feel if this was happening to someone that _you_ loved?" Jaune was seething. "What if it was your _sister_ who died, and now some Grimm version of _her_ was following us around!? Would you like to be psycho-analyzed _then!?_ "

Ruby clenched her fists into tight little balls, her eyes growing wide in a mixture of frustration and disbelief.

"That's not…you just…I don't…" she stammered, slowly shaking her head, looking like she couldn't decide whether to attack him or cry.

She seemed to resolve to simply turn around and walk away, continuing in the direction of the rendezvous point.

Jaune remained where he had been standing, out of breath and weary as he watched her go. His expression fell as he slowly realized what he had just said, and regret overtook him all at once.

"Ruby, I…" he faltered, reaching out to her, but she ignored him.

Ren and Nora slowly made their way past him as he lingered.

"That…wasn't very nice, Jaune," Ren said, looking a little disappointed in his former leader.

"Yeah," Nora added soberly. "Ruby didn't deserve that."

Jaune nodded, hanging his head. "I know…I just…"

He looked up and saw that they were already moving onward. It seemed his entire team was giving him the cold shoulder now, he mused. He supposed it served him right.

Dejected and forlorn at the back of the line, Jaune followed his team onward into the night.


	19. Chapter 19

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 19

* * *

Pyrrha sat cross legged on the floor (or perhaps now it was the rooftop) of Beacon tower - or at least the reflection of the tower that existed here in the Shadowglass. Outside the mirror, she could glimpse a world beyond the ledge of the tower, including the snout of a sleeping dragon coiled around the tower. Here within this prison, where the floor – or the rooftop – of the tower ended, only a white nothingness existed beyond.

Except for an old man, who sat across from her, just off the ledge, seemingly floating out in empty space as the two figures sat facing one another across a threshold that neither could pass.

"Concentrate," Ozpin said slowly and gently. "Listen to my voice and focus."

Pyrrha had her eyes closed, her brow knit in meditation, her hands resting on her knees as she exercised her mind.

"You are more than this shell," Ozpin went on. "You are aura, the living energy of the planet. Life itself interplays with this aura, mixing and creating new life."

Pyrrha squeezed her knees as her eyes seemed to move rapidly back and forth, as if in REM sleep. Her aura began to glow around her body, once a magnetic black, now the same yellow as the Fall Maiden. Her very semblance had been stripped from her, altered, corrupted. It was now an unfamiliar thing, over which she had little control. But still it was hers to wield given enough practice. Like physical therapy to learn how to adapt to an injury of her very soul.

As Ozpin spoke, his own aura radiating a pale blue-green. His aura extended outward, stretching between them, hovering just at the edge of the threshold. It reached as far as it could, until it could stretch no further.

"When that life takes new form, it learns how best to survive" he went on. "Inevitably, this leads forms of life to confront others."

Shapes began to take form within his aura, like a story narrating itself with his thoughts. Animals plants, and human shapes began to swirl and dance together in a waltz of mystery and beauty.

"This can often lead to conflict, as one form snuffs out another," Ozpin explained.

The shapes in his aura began to fight one another, animal against animal, human against animal, human against human. It made no difference, as the numbers ultimately decreased universally.

"Alternatively, it can lead to a merging," he said. "Rather than quashing those weaker forms, a greater form may consume a smaller form to become stronger."

Predators began to hunt prey. Larger animals took down smaller ones. The human shapes began throwing spears at animals and sitting around a fire together as they ate.

"But when two forms are nearly equivalent in strength, the outcome becomes less clear…"

Two human figures became locked in a mortal duel with small bladed weapons, wrestling each other to the ground, neither able to best the other. As Ozpin continued his story, Pyrrha's yellow aura slowly but steadily began to stretch out to the barrier between them, a tendril of thought and feeling reaching out towards the void.

"Do the two forms snuff one another out?" Ozpin asked inquisitively.

The battle between the two illusory figures ended, as one limped to their feet seemingly victorious before collapsing to the ground, too gravely wounded to continue.

Pyrrha flinched as the tendril of her aura recoiled slightly.

"Or…" Ozpin offered delicately. "Perhaps the two forms may find common ground and unite as one, the two becoming stronger than either alone."

Two different figures appeared like wisps of smoke in Ozpin's aura, approaching one another and clasping hands, their lives conjoining as one.

Pyrrha's tension eased and the tendril of her aura approached Ozpin's once again, though she was still some distance from the threshold.

"This is the way of all life, Miss Nikos," Ozpin finished his tale. "Multiply this formula by an eternity, and you get the world you live in. Every living thing in this world is bound by this rule. Grimm may not possess an aura, but even they still follow the same basic pattern. Destroy. Consume. Survive."

Ozpin looked up and took in a breath as his aura withdrew from the threshold, receding back into his body.

"I must go now, Miss Nikos," he said apologetically.

Pyrrha's eyes flickered open as though waking from a dream, her own aura retreating back into her body.

"How close was I this time?" she asked, fearfully.

"Closer than you were before," Ozpin assured her. "But still not enough to break free I'm afraid. We are out of time for today, however."

"You're leaving?" she asked warily.

Ozpin nodded. "I'm afraid so. I shall return when I can, Miss Nikos."

A chill went down Pyrrha's spine. Ozpin had been tutoring her for days now, and his departure meant only one thing. Cinder was on her way back.

Pyrrha felt nauseous.

"I can't keep doing this, Professor!" Pyrrha shuddered, shaking her head. "I can't keep doing her dirty work for her! I need to get out of here!"

Ozpin waved a hand. "And you shall, Miss Nikos. One way or another, we'll get you out of there. Of that you can be certain. But you must be patient."

Pyrrha lowered her eyes. "I…I don't know how much longer I can keep this up…"

Ozpin shook his head, speaking in a hushed voice.

"This is your best shot, my dear," he assured quickly, knowing his time was running short. "If you resist her openly, she will merely continue to tighten her restraints, and you will have no hope of breaking free on your own. She will eventually pit you against another huntsmen or huntress, and one of you will lose the battle. She will keep doing this until you eventually fall. Your death in battle is the only way you will be set free if you try to fight back. And it will be at the cost of innumerable lives."

Ozpin shook his head.

"You must let her believe you defeated and catch her in a moment of complacency," he said. "The element of surprise is your best weapon. If you can manage this, Miss Nikos, it will mean your freedom with the minimal cost of life. I cannot guarantee that all will survive, but it will involve the lowest likely casualty count. Do you understand me?"

Pyrrha hung her head, eyes closed, but she knew Ozpin was right, and she nodded.

"I…I understand."

Ozpin nodded. "Good. I must go now. If I am discovered, it will be the end for both of us."

His image faded into nothingness. And Pyrrha tried not to flinch as a few minutes later, Cinder's image appeared on the other side of the Shadowglass.

"Ready to dance, my dear?" her voice was like honey and vinegar.

Pyrrha didn't respond or so much as turn to face her. Partially because she didn't want to give her the pleasure, but partly because she was doing everything she could do to steel herself against what was to come.

"Ready or not…" Cinder smiled, placing her hand against the Shadowglass, her eyes glowing a brilliant gold.

Pyrrha felt her body go rigid as the now familiar feeling of the Fall Maiden's power took hold of her. Behind her, a black and red portal tore itself open, a spiraling vortex that cut through space and time. Pyrrha felt her body go from rigid to limp as she her brain's motor control functions were cut off, overridden, and she was slowly lifted off the ground, dragged as if on a fishing line through water towards the portal.

There was a terrifying moment of blackness and sensory deprivation where Pyrrha felt nothing at all. Time seemed to lose all meaning when one was deprived of every sensation but their own mind. Being alone with her thoughts for mere seconds felt like hours as her body was sent through planes unknowable, until she was suddenly on her feet again.

Once again, Pyrrha was overwhelmed by a strangely alien feeling of being a prisoner in her own body. It was an almost dreamlike state, except she could still feel everything that was going on around her. She felt her body moving in familiar ways, muscle memory reciting practiced forms in eerily familiar steps. Her hands and feet moved of their own accord, her head and neck twisting to survey the landscape, gazing through her own eyes like peering through a window, only able to catch what she happened to be focusing on at the time.

She recognized the region from her childhood. Cinder kept sending her back to the same place. She must have been planning something around Mistral that required her abilities. Whatever it was, it involved a great deal of Grimm. When she had first been sent here, and Pyrrha had been made to walk amongst Grimm, she had felt a fleeting hope that the Grimm would destroy her. But the Grimm seemed to ignore her, and even give her space whenever she came too near. While she had no control over her body, and could not even control where her eyes were pointed, what glimpses she could gleam of her own body told her that outside the Shadowglass, her skin was a pale, lifeless pallor, her hair a desaturated burnt umber. This body she was in was not her own, but a replica.

Perhaps that was what Ozpin meant when he said that she was more than a shell. But if that was true, then why could she no longer feel her own aura when she was out here?

Pyrrha could see Grimm amassing around her in droves. She had never seen so many before. Hundreds, at least. More than had been used to storm the walls of Vale. Ursi and beowolves of all sizes, more than a few death stalkers and king taijutsus, hordes of boarbatusks, massive goliaths, scads of creeps, and griffons and nevermores circling overhead.

What did Cinder need so many Grimm for?

Then as her eyes scanned the periphery, she saw a familiar glint off in the distance, and her heart sank. She had seen this area of Mistral before. She knew in that moment where Cinder's next target lay, which kingdom would soon share Vale's fate should she succeed.

Pyrrha's hometown. The kingdom of Mistral itself.


	20. Chapter 20

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 20

* * *

Blake sat in uncomfortable silence as team CFVY wandered around the house she had stumbled upon, marveling at all of the commodities it offered. Though really it was just Coco and Velvet who were doing the marveling, as Fox and Yasuhashi were waiting by the windows and doors, keeping their eyes and ears open for any nearby threats. After Coco and Velvet had emptied the larder and cleared out any other useful tools they could find, Coco had spent the next half an hour looking through the closet in the master bedroom, checking out what sort of dresses and other clothes she could find (much to Velvet's chagrin).

The team had been on a scouting run in the area, and it had been easy enough to find the house after Blake had given them directions. It was awkward being around so many people all of the sudden after having spent so much time by herself, so she was somewhat thankful for Fox and Yasuhashi's relatively taciturn nature.

That all changed however once Velvet and Coco returned from their treasure hunt.

"Coco!" Velvet exclaimed. "You can't just go rummaging through other people unmentionables like that! This place isn't ours! We're only supposed to take what we _need!_ "

Coco rolled her eyes as the two young ladies strolled down to the kitchen table where Blake was sitting.

"Oh, there is _need_ alright, Velvet,'" she said, blithely. "For whoever it was that lived here to _seriously_ update their wardrobe. I mean seriously, rhinestone pumps, feather boas, and chiffon? When were these people born? Last century?"

To Blake, the situation felt pretty surreal. It was like people that she had seen only in dreams coming to life and acting out bizarre scenes around her. This hadn't been her world for so long, and now she was once again in the midst of students from Beacon Academy, and they were acting almost like nothing was out of the ordinary. She almost couldn't believe any of this was real.

To help ground herself, she flipped open her scroll and began thumbing through her backlog of missed calls and messages, mostly from her teammates.

"Real talk though, this place is a _gold mine!_ " Coco smiled. "Good find Blake."

"Yeah…" Blake shrugged as she continued looking through her scroll. A lot of Where-are-yous and Are-you-okays from Ruby, Weiss and Yang. Particularly Yang.

Velvet nodded. "Indeed. The resistance could really make use of some of this stuff."

Blake let out a sigh. So much for keeping the supplies to herself. Of course, she knew she'd be giving up her haul when she gave Velvet the address. Just like she knew the next question would be coming as soon as Velvet and her team arrived.

"Blake…" Velvet said gently. "The resistance could really use your help…"

Blake was sitting in one of the kitchen chairs, her arms and legs tucked inward in an uncomfortable fashion. Her eyes were still fixated on her scroll as she thumbed through messages, nervously trying not to panic from the two figures in the room who were now looking right at her.

"Yeah…" Blake said, noncommittally.

Her mind was an autopilot as she read through the messages on her scroll, not really registering their meaning, but seeing the implication behind each of them. As she progressed through the day following the attack.

 **Blake, are you alright?**

 **Blake are you okay?**

 **Where are you?**

 **Blake?**

Eventually the messages from Ruby and Weiss and Sun and everyone else began to dissipate. But the messages from Yang's scroll continued on for days afterward.

 **Blake, I'm worried about you!**

 **Just answer me please!**

 **I need to know you're alright!**

 **Blake?**

 **Blake?**

"Blake?" Velvet's voice broke her out of her spell.

"Hmm?" Blake looked up from her scroll.

"Blake, are you alright?" Velvet asked, standing over her, concern in her voice. "You weren't responding for a moment there…"

Blake got up out of her chair and wandered towards the other end of the kitchen.

"I'm fine…" she said weakly. "Please, I…I just need a minute…"

Blake walked out of the kitchen, and as Velvet moved to follow after her, Coco put a hand on her arm.

"Give her a moment, Velvet," she told her teammate. "All this attention is probably stressing her out right now…"

Velvet looked worried but remained where she was.

Blake wandered into the living area, collapsing onto a large brown couch that was arguably more comfortable than anything she'd slept on in months. She wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered, just concentrating on breathing.

She still wasn't ready, she realized. She wasn't ready the join up with the resistance. She wasn't ready to face her fellow students. Even if they didn't expect her to answer for abandoning her duty as a Huntress in training, the implication would always be there. And with it, the guilt and shame would remain.

She started thumbing through messages again, latching onto something, anything to keep her grounded, watching as Yang's picture scrolled past the side of each message, only to be replaced by another identical picture as Yang's next message appeared, and the next and the next.

 **Blake, please!**

 **Just tell me you're alright.**

 **Blake?**

 **Blake if you're reading this, we're getting on an airship to take us back home to Patch. We'll be out of call range. If you make it out of Beacon, know that's where I'll be.**

 **Blake…please be okay…**

Blake brushed a tear from her eye. She wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to face her past. She wasn't ready to face her friends. And she was nowhere near ready to face Yang. Not yet.

A few other messages scrolled by, news alerts and spam mostly, and so, so many missed calls. But then a personal message from an unrecognized number caught her eye. She has overlooked it earlier, but the message gave her a sinking feeling as she opened the message.

 **When you're finally ready to face me, I'll be waiting for you at Haven.**

Blake's blood ran cold. This could only have come from one man. She nearly dropped her scroll as she shuddered, and suddenly the house began to feel a lot colder than it was.

She definitely wasn't ready to face him again. When she closed her eyes, she could still recall the moment he had come back into her life with crystal clarity. It had been an impossible situation. Stay and fight and ultimately lose, or run and live in fear and shame. In the end...she had ultimately done both.

She finally worked up the courage to look down at her scroll once again, and saw that there was a follow-up message from the same unidentified number.

Her heart nearly stopped as she saw a snapshot showing a group of students all wearing Haven Academy uniforms boarding an airship that looked like it was evacuating people out of Vale. One figure stood out from among the crowd for their lack of conformity to the school uniform, and it was someone she recognized.

Sun Wukong.

 **And I won't be alone…**

The message was perfectly clear.

This time Blake _did_ drop her scroll. Adam had already hurt one of her friends, now he was going after another. Blake felt her body beginning to ache. This message was nearly five months old! For all she knew, Sun could already be dead, and Adam could have moved on to another target. Maybe Weiss. Or Ruby. Or he could have found Yang and finished the job.

Blake held her face in her hands. And she wept.

Why had she waited so long? Why had she blocked everyone out like this? She _knew_ her friends were in danger! She knew they had been in danger since the moment they had made her a part of their lives. Simply being around her was dangerous, it seemed. No matter what she did, whether it was to stick around or run away, she only ever seemed to make the situation worse!

"Blake?" Velvet's voiced crept in through the silence.

Blake peered at the other faunus through tear soaked eyes. She was kneeling on the plush carpeted floor in front of the couch where Blake sat.

"Blake, what's wrong?" Velvet asked sweetly. "You can tell me…"

Blake buried her face in her hands.

"Everything!" she blurted through tears. "Everything's wrong! I'm not supposed to be here! I don't where I'm supposed to be, but it's not here!"

"Blake, you're not making any sense," Velvet shook her head. "Just take a deep breath…"

Blake nodded and inhaled a lungful of air, keeping her eyes closed as she tried to recover her wits.

"I'm not…" she started, before shaking her head. "I'm like a poison. Everyone who gets close to me just ends up getting hurt…"

Velvet reached out and took Blake's hands in hers.

"Blake, we're Huntresses…" she said softly. "Getting hurt's part of the job description."

Blake shook her head. "I'm not a Huntress though. And neither is my team. Not yet. We're still not ready yet."

"I see…" Velvet nodded. "So how do you plan on getting ready then?"

Blake blinked, as if not comprehending. "What?"

"I said…" Velvet smiled sweetly. "How do you plan to get ready?"

Blake shook her head in frustration. "It's not that simple! I can't just-"

"But you _can_ , Blake!" Velvet interrupted her, squeezing her hands. "You're stronger than you think! Look at you! You survived out here on your own for months! And besides…"

Velvet stood up, keeping Blake's hands in hers.

"It's not about how strong you are _today_ …" she said, with a positive smile on her face. "It's about how strong you can become _tomorrow_. And as long as you don't give up…there's _no limit_ to how strong you can become tomorrow!"

Blake looked away. "But what if there _is_ no tomorrow?"

Velvet shrugged. "Well…you can worry about that tomorrow. The question is, Blake, what are you going to do _today?_ "

Blake said nothing for a while. Her whole life since leaving the White Fang had never made any sense. She didn't know who she was, where she belonged, or who she wanted to share it with. Every step she took seemed to be in the wrong direction.

But maybe…maybe as long as she kept going in _some_ direction, _any_ direction at all…maybe that would be enough. She just had to pick a direction and take it.

As long as she kept moving forward.

"Thanks Velvet…" Blake sighed, drying her eyes. "I think I know what I have to do now…"

Velvet's eyes lit up in joy. "Really!? Does that mean you'll join the resistance?"

Blake shook her head slowly.

"No…" she said regretfully. "It means I'm going to Haven."

Velvet blinked in confusion, her line of thought completely derailed.

"W-What?"

An hour later, Team CFVY had begrudgingly accompanied Blake to the slums of Vale as Blake tried to recall digits from memory as they made their way past numbered storage sheds.

"Blake, how in the world do you intend to get to Haven?" Velvet asked the other faunus. "All the airships have left the kingdom months ago, and there hasn't been one back since! Besides, the resistance really needs all the help that it can get!"

Blake didn't respond as Coco held up a hand.

"Give it a rest, Velvet," she sighed. "Blake's made her decision. We should respect that."

Blake finally found the storage shed she was looking for and sliced the lock open with her sword. The shed door slid up along its rollers, and all of team CFVY looked inside with a mixture of amazement, fascination and disbelief on their face.

"Nice…" Coco smiled approvingly.

"Is…is this some kind of a joke?" Velvet asked, dumbfounded.

Blake walked inside and grabbed the handlebars of Bumblebee, the sleek yellow motorcycle belonging to Yang Xiao-Long, slowly pulling it out onto the street.

"Yang showed me this a while ago," Blake explained, reaching under the floor mat and finding a spare key for the ignition. "I just hope she forgives me for borrowing her bike without asking."

"I doubt she'll be coming back to the city to collect it anytime soon," Coco smiled. "So…we'll just say you're delivering it to her."

"Well, after making a pit stop in Haven first," Blake admitted.

"Minor detail…" Coco shrugged. "One not-so-minor detail, though…what if you run out of fuel?"

Blake lifted the satchel she had been keeping under her arm. "I grabbed enough dust crystals to get me around the world twice over."

"So _that's_ where the fuel for the generator at the house went!" Coco smirked. "You clever little thief."

"But how are you going to get across the ocean?" Velvet asked concerned.

"I'll just have to hope the ports are still open," Blake admitted. "If I can board a ferry, I'll be home free. Mostly I'm just worried about staying safe on the roads leading away from Vale. There's a lot of Grimm out there."

Blake swung her leg over the bike and started the engine.

"Blake, please be careful!" Velvet pleaded. "I do wish you'd stay and fight with us!"

"I've got my own fight to win," Blake sighed. "But there _is_ another student hiding out in the city besides me. Maybe you can convince her."

Velvet nodded. "We'll certainly try! If you make it to Haven, let them know what the situation is here. And if you find any of your other teammates, do give them our best wishes!"

Blake nodded. "I will."

Coco held her fist out to Blake. "Stay safe out there."

Blake bumped her fist to hers and waved to Yasuhashi and Fox.

"You be safe too, guys," she smiled.

She then revved the engine and the bike roared loudly as she sped off down the street and took off into the night.


	21. Chapter 21

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 21

* * *

Twelve hours of waiting at the rendezvous point, and there was still no sign of life. Team RNJR had been camped at the predetermined location by a rock face, a position selected for being defensible and offered relative cover, and while there was no sign of any kind of struggle or conflict in the area, the team they were supposed to meet with could have been delayed at any point on their route. Scouting procedures in situations of zero communication were clearly defined at all Huntsman academies – in the event of a no-show, wait for twelve hours and then return to base for further instructions.

What worried everyone, however, was the potential implication of a no-show. While it was possible they had simply been delayed, a far darker fate was also probable, and the worst part was that without communication, there was no way of knowing for sure.

Jaune, Ren and Nora were sitting by the fire, casting shadows against the rock face, starlight gleaming overhead. Nora sat with her legs splayed out, feet bobbing back and forth, while Ren sat calmly on his knees, sipping a cup of tea. Jaune was sitting cross legged and idling poking at the flames with a stick. Ruby had taken guard duty this time around. She hadn't spoken to him directly since their last argument. Jaune supposed he couldn't blame her.

What probably bothered him the most however was the silent judgment coming from his other two teammates.

"Would you stop looking at me like that?" Jaune demanded after he could take it no longer.

Nora wrinkled her nose but otherwise appeared unamused. "Like what? Nobody's looking at you like anything Jaune."

"Yes you are!" he declared, pointing his finger at her. "You're looking at me just like that!"

Nora's expression had not changed. "How else am I supposed to look at you then?"

Jaune held his head in his hands. "Augh! Just forget it!"

"Whatever you say," Nora grumbled. "Mister _former_ team leader…"

Jaune gave her a dirty look. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Nora crossed her arms. "You used to be our team leader. And now you're not."

"Nora…" Ren shook his head, interrupting the two. "Jaune…what she's trying to tell you is that you seem to be falling behind."

Jaune gave Ren an odd look. "Falling behind?"

The other boy took another sip from his tea. "We've all had to grow up rather quickly after the fall of Beacon…but you seem to be clinging to the past."

"Clinging to the past?" Jaune asked bluntly. "How? By holding onto hope that Pyrrha might still be alive? Am I the _only_ one here who remembers that _thing_ we fought? How much it moved like Pyrrha?"

"Jaune…" Nora said, her tone becoming more sympathetic. "Even if…even _if_ Pyrrha's still in there, do you really think there's _any_ saving her at this point? Do you think she'd even _want_ to be saved? I mean, what if we can't reverse what's been done to her? Do you think Pyrrha would want to live the rest of her life as some…twisted thing like that?"

"Of course not!" Jaune shook his head back and forth. "But we don't _know_ if that's how it will be! We don't _know_ anything about what happened to her! And that's what's so frustrating! For all I know, you're _right_ , and the best thing we can do for her would be to end her life and let her rest in peace! But even _if_ we could beat her – which I'm not too terribly confident of, by the way – what if in doing so, we miss our _one_ chance to get her back!? We just don't know!"

Ren and Nora exchanged troubled looks. There was really nothing they could say to dissuade Jaune was from believing Pyrrha could be saved, it seemed. But at least they could try to mitigate what harm it might cause.

"Even if you're right Jaune," Ren pursed her lips. "Pyrrha's not with us anymore. But Ruby, Nora and I? We _are_ here. We're with you."

"This is your team now, Jaune," Nora nodded. "And we have to take care of each other first. We can't put anyone else before each other…no matter _how_ we feel about them."

Jaune placed a hand over his eyes, lowering his head. "So you're saying I shouldn't be putting you guys at risk just because I hope it might save Pyrrha?"

Nora leaned forward and gave him a piercing look.

"We're _saying_ you should go talk to Ruby," she said bluntly. "She's a part of your team now too."

Jaune sighed and got to his feet. "Okay, okay, I'll go talk to her…"

As Nora watched him go, Ren took another sip of his tea.

"You know Nora, you're quite a force to be reckoned with," he said.

Nora smirked at him playfully. "And don't you forget it!"

Jaune eventually found Ruby sitting off by herself away from the fire and and the rock face, staring at the night sky, her weapon in her lap. She looked rather peaceful, despite how long they'd all been out here and how much had happened around them while they'd been on this trip. This mission of theirs was still a long way from being finished, he knew, and that was assuming it would ever end. But in this one moment, Ruby looked completely serene, and Jaune was taken by the strangest sensation that if his young leader could remain calm and resolute before such a storm as lay before them, then it might just be possible that he could weather it too.

Of course, she also made for such a pristine picture that he found himself hesitant to disturb her. He was about to turn around, resolving to bother her another time, when he heard her voice call out to him.

"Hey Jaune," she said simply.

Jaune flinched a little at her voice. No backing out now, it seemed.

"Hey…" he said, sidling up next to her. "Mind if I sit here?"

Ruby shrugged noncommittally. "Sure…"

Jaune sat down uneasily next to her. She still had not looked at him. He supposed she still hadn't forgiven him for blowing up at her like he did. All he could do now was apologize.

"Look, I'm…" he said slowly. "I'm sorry about earlier…"

Ruby still wasn't looking at him. Jaune hung his head as he continued.

"Things are just so messed up right now," he explained. "But that doesn't mean that I have any right to take it out on you. So…I'm sorry. For being a basket case, for bringing your sister into it…for everything, really. So I'm sorry."

Ruby didn't say anything for a while, but Jaune couldn't think of anything else to say that wouldn't drag on unnecessarily, so he just waited for a response.

Finally he got one.

"We're teammates, Jaune," she said.

Jaune sighed and nodded. "I know…and I shouldn't have said something so hurtful to a teammate."

"No, I mean…" Ruby looked up at him. "I shouldn't have been so hard on you. You're my teammate, and as your teammate, I worry about you. But that doesn't make it my job to tell you how to think or how to feel…especially about someone so important to you."

Jaune managed a smile. "Maybe not…but you have _every_ right to be concerned that I might endanger the team because of it."

Ruby shrugged. "But I also need to face facts. We _don't_ know what happened to Pyrrha. We were also _barely_ a match for her. And she only ran off after facing down _you_ specifically, Jaune."

Jaune fidgeted uneasily. "I noticed that too…"

"The next time we face her, we might not get so lucky," Ruby said forebodingly. "Maybe you're right about her; maybe there's something of Pyrrha left in that creature we fought. If there is…then it's possible that her feelings for you might have saved us all…"

Jaune stiffened. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"I know it's…none of my business…" Ruby admitted, sounding embarrassed. "But…if there was anything between you two, Jaune…then it could be the key to stopping her next time. I don't know if we'll be able to save her…but we need to at least be able to save ourselves."

Jaune lowered his eyes. "You're right…I don't like it, but you're right."

Ruby offered a bitter smile. "You loved her…didn't you?"

Jaune nodded. "I think I did…"

"Then…if you'll allow me to offer you some advice…" Ruby stood up, facing him. "You need to show her that you honor her memory and what she stood for. The next time you see her, Jaune…fight her with everything you have. Show her that her legacy lives on in you."

Jaune gave Ruby a confused look. "I thought we were counting on her not wanting to hurt me or something…you think that'll work?"

Ruby smiled. "If she was any bit the fighter that I know she was, then your message will ring the loudest if you speak to her through your sword."

Jaune rested a hand on the pommel of his sword, looking down at it sheepishly.

"Yeah, but…there's also the part where I've _never_ landed a single blow on her in training…" he said nervously. "And that's when she was going easy on me. This Pyrrha isn't pulling any punches."

Ruby sighed and shook her head. "Then you'll just have to get better, Jaune…"

Jaune scratched his head. "You make it sound like it's so easy..."

"It won't be," Ruby assured him. "It'll be the hardest thing you ever do. But don't worry Jaune - I'll help you."

Jaune looked up. "You will?"

"Of course," Ruby shrugged like it was obvious. "We're partners now, Jaune. And partners help each other. I'll always have your back. No matter how many arguments we get into."

She reached a hand down to help him to his feet. Jaune took her hand and got up, blushing sheepishly as she smiled at him.

It was nice to have a partner again.

"Come on Jaune," Ruby gestured back to the camp with her head. "Let's get going."

As Ruby turned to go, Jaune followed after her, the first glimmers of dawn just barely becoming visible on the horizon.

As they reached the others, the each stood in response to their approach.

"It's been over twelve hours, guys," Ruby announced. "I don't think our rendezvous is coming. Time to pack it in."

Nora and Ren exchanged anxious looks.

"They could just be delayed…" Nora pointed out.

Ren shook his head. "Even if they are, if _we're_ delayed as a result, we're not helping anyone."

Ruby nodded. "Ren's right. We can't afford to wait any longer. Scouting procedure is pretty clear – we've waited the allotment of twelve hours, so now we report back to Haven."

Nora still looked troubled. "But what if they finally show up and we're not here…?"

Jaune stepped forward, approaching the rock face.

"Then we leave them a sign," he said, drawing his sword.

Thirteen sword strikes later, the crude lettering for _RNJR_ had been carved along the pale limestone rock face.

He turned to the other three and smiled.

"We're a team, after all," he said, sheathing his sword.

The other three smiled. The sun had begun to crest the horizon.

"Alright then," Ruby declared. "Team RNJR! Move out!"


	22. Chapter 22

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 22

* * *

Pyrrha had receded into the very deepest recesses of her own mind. It was the only place that she was safe from the horrors she was witnessing. She and the Grimm had already reduced every major outlying village to smoldering ash. Thanks to her actions, the kingdom of Mistral – her hometown – was now the only safe haven in the continent. This brought refugees flooding into the city in droves. However, very few of them had access to any significant level of technology. There were a few cars, trucks and other automobiles, but all the airships that had been used to ferry people into the city had been recalled. Off hand, she knew that Mistral would have kept sending out airships to collect more refugees if the city council thought they had the resources to spare. Which meant the kingdom of Mistral was already at its functional capacity, and any more incoming people would be fending for themselves as far as food, shelter, or any other basic human amenities went.

This was not the worst of it, however. The worst part was that while refugees were relatively safe in their cars and trucks, the vast majority that still had yet to cross into the city limits were in horse-drawn carts or simply on foot. And this made them easy pickings for her and the Grimm.

She was now picking off the people of Mistral even as they fled towards safe haven.

If she had full control over her reflexes, she would have vomited.

It was brutal, ruthless, senseless violence that served no other purpose than to incite fear. The more people she killed, the more people that fled in terror, the stronger and more plentiful the Grimm became. The more Grimm there were, the more people they would attack, the more they would flee in terror. And thus the cycle continued, only making the Grimm stronger. Which must have been exactly what Cinder wanted. It was almost artful in its cruelty, its ruthless brutality. It was a winning strategy that thrived on every horrible truth Pyrrha could imagine, and served only to bolster itself further, like a plague.

She knew that, if among the fleeing people there were those who would bring word of her to the Huntsmen who patrolled these lands, those Huntsmen would come after her eventually. They may even be Huntsmen who recognized her. They may even be her friends. That such recognition might sully her good name and her memory was the least of her concerns; she only feared what would happen once she was found. She was not sure which outcome of such a battle she feared most – the Huntsmen striking her down, or striking down the Huntsmen herself. At least if she fell here and now, she could no longer be made to hurt the innocent and be a pawn for Cinder's cruel plot. But were she to fall here and now…any hope she had of seeing Jaune and her friends again would evaporate just as quickly.

Pyrrha felt completely trapped, alone and helpless. Ozpin had been training her to strengthen the essence of her newly acquired aura, but she was terrified of what Cinder might do to Jaune should she try to fight back, try to stop her sword arm from swinging of its own accord, even for a moment. But how could such wholesale slaughter be worth even the life of the man she loved? Ozpin may have been right when he told her that she may have to sacrifice him. But if she did, what would she do then? What would she have left to fight for? She had already given her life so that he and the rest of her team and all of her friends could have a future together. But if those same friends were the price she must pay for victory over Cinder, then she didn't want it!

She wished she could turn back time, and go back to that moment in front of Beacon tower. Jaune had told her not to confront Cinder, but she had known she would have to. In that moment, if she could have done it all again, she would have taken the coward's way out. She would have fled with Jaune, and lived to fight another day. The Grimm dragon may still have been running rampant, and Ruby may never have tapped into her new powers, as Ozpin had described to her…but how could any fate be worse than the one she currently endured?

She had believed in that moment that she had been doing the right thing. She had believed that it had been her destiny to face her demise. She had done so willingly and proudly. She had fought her very best that day. Looking back at every move she had made in her fight with Cinder, she could not think of a single missed chance, not a single mistimed swing, not a foot out of place, not a single move she could have performed better. She had been at her absolute best in that moment. And it still hadn't been enough.

She had fought believing she would die that day. She had fought believing that with her death, she would have bought a brighter future for her friends, for her loved ones, for all of Remnant. Had she known just what fate had awaited her, however…she was not so certain that she would have remained so steadfast in her duel.

Her mind went in circles, replaying the events of that day. It was the only way she could detach herself from the blood accumulating on the blade of her sword, the bodies that littered the ground beneath her feet, the rancid stink of death in the air, and the screams…those endless, wailing screams…

Pyrrha was brought out of her self-imposed mental exile, however, when she felt her body suddenly recoil. The people Cinder had been forcing her to butcher had rarely fought back, and those that did were easily cut down. This was something else. This was an attack she actually had to dodge. This was a group of Huntsmen.

Pyrrha's heart sank in her chest. No! Not more Huntsmen! Who was it? Pyrrha didn't recognize their faces, but that made little difference. They looked young. They looked like students. She recognized the Haven Academy sigils on their outfits. These could have been her fellow classmates had she remained in Mistral to attend Haven.

 _No, no, no!_ she screamed internally.

If they had been fully trained Huntsmen, perhaps they could have beaten her together. But students who looked to be barely in their second year…these kids didn't stand a chance!

 _Run you fools!_ she mentally urged them to flee.

But her mouth made no movement as the four Huntsmen in training stood their ground. Two boys, two girls, and each of them looking uncertain. They had been trained to hunt Grimm, not fellow humans. They weren't sure what to even make of this opponent. That uncertainty combined with their lack of experience all but sealed their fate.

The two in the middle faced her head on, while the two on either side attempted to flank her. Pyrrha knew the move her body would make before it even made it. She felt her body charge one of the two head attackers, vaulting over him to get behind the two of them, taking away the advantage of their flankers. She swung her leg low, knocking the second one off her feet, before back flipping to dodge the first one's swing.

Every move she made was as top notch as that final fight she had with Cinder. Her puppeteered body was in peak physical form, and she moved with an agility and grace that she would have employed were she taking on an elite fighting force. Against a quartet of relative novices, it was almost absurd how easily she could predict their moves. Every ounce of skill she had worked tirelessly to acquire over her life, all being employed against her will to sickest of ends, as she watched helplessly as her body moved on its own to take them down.

Feint, jab, parry, dodge, and with a flourish, she was poised to strike down the leader of the team. He was over-extended, and had left his flank exposed, which she had exploited to the best of her ability. It was like watching a horror movie in slow motion, only she was the killer, and she already knew how each of them was going to die.

She could have stopped the blow. She could have reached out with her mind, implemented her will for however long she could, and held back the killing strike. But in that moment, she saw not the stranger who she was about to kill, but Jaune. Her own friend. Her own teammate. Her own partner. The only person left in this world who had any claim over her heart.

If she held back now, she could very well be dooming Jaune. She couldn't let that happen. She had already sacrificed so much for him. She would not let him die now.

It was the most selfish act she would ever commit. And she would do so again and again now, lest this first compromise be for nothing. This boy before her could have grown up to become a formidable Huntsman. He and his team could have gone on to do great things. In a moment, Pyrrha could visualize all the potential she was erasing with this one decision, all the promise for life she would be snuffing out. She had the power to stop this. And she was choosing to let it happen. All in the vein hope that one day, she might break free. All so that she might see Jaune again one last time.

Her sword struck true.

The rest of the team was in disarray after that. With their leader gone, the other Huntsmen were both distraught and directionless. One of them was now attacking blindly, fury in her eyes. One was trembling in fear, and looking like they were now afraid to attack her. Another had tears in their eyes, and looked completely paralyzed in grief.

It wasn't even a battle after that.

After she was finished, Pyrrha once again retreated back into the small corner of her mind. It seemed no matter what decision she made, there would be sacrifice. The question then came down to what she was willing to sacrifice. Her friends, her family, and her love…or her very humanity and honor as a Huntress? Which of these things was of more worth to her? Which of these things would be of more worth to the world? She had every faith in Jaune and her team, but even she was not so blind to realize that even if he became the greatest Huntsman who ever lived, no contribution he made to the world would surpass that of the number of other potential Huntsmen she might bring to an end before this was over.

Would it ever be worth it? Could it ever _possibly_ be worth it? How could one even compare the values of lives on such a scale? Reversing the question made it no easier – how could she possibly justify letting her own teammates die for the sake of sparing just one team of Huntsmen in training whom she had never met? It would _only_ be the one, for even if she had acted and let the team escape (and that was assuming they would even take the opportunity to flee and not simply continue to face her in vein), then after Cinder sent her forces after Jaune, she would simply send Pyrrha out to slaughter again, this time under even greater duress. She might even make Pyrrha swing the killing blow herself.

It was an untenable, unwinnable situation with no way out. And Pyrrha only wanted for it to end.

She became aware of a voice calling out to her, and she realized that she once again had control of her body. She was back in the Shadowglass; she must have been teleported back without even realizing it.

"Well done, my pet," Cinder was saying to her through the mirror. "It seems you've finally learned your place…"

Pyrrha was on her knees, unable to move or so much as think anymore, her body completely drained of all strength.

"… _Monster_ …" she breathed, unable to even lift her head.

Cinder only seemed amused by this.

"Call me what you will," she purred. "So long as you continue to obey…"

She left her on that note, and soon, Pyrrha was once again alone with her thoughts. Though she wasn't alone for long. Or perhaps it was long, and she simply had no way of gauging the time anymore. Either way, Ozpin's voice was with her again soon after that.

"Miss Nikos…" he said, looking down at her frail form. "…I am _so_ sorry…"

Pyrrha raised her head to look up at him, grief stricken and defeated. And all she could do was weep.


	23. Chapter 23

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 23

* * *

The small Atlesian airship had reached a cruising altitude. It was a lightweight craft, more a shuttle than a true airship, one designed for maybe ten passengers at the most, but it would serve Weiss and Yang's needs just fine. Anything larger would have drawn too much attention. Winter had booked the aircraft for discretionary activities in her name, so it wouldn't be missed any time soon. All the same, Winter had made Weiss swear to make sure it got back to Atlas before the week was up, or there would be hell to pay.

Weiss thumbed the control panel to the left of the control yokes, activating the autopilot. The control sticks went rigid in her hands, and she released her grip on them, before swiveling her chair to face Yang who was positioned just behind her in the co-pilot's chair.

"I never knew you knew how to fly one these things," Yang offered frankly.

Weiss smirked haughtily. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me."

Truth be told, most of her training came from simulations. Weiss' father had never let her fly more than a few miles, and that was mostly to get a handle on take-offs and landings. But those were details that Yang didn't need to know.

Yang reclined in her chair. "So what's our ETA to Mistral?"

"Three and a half hours, give or take twenty minutes depending on wind conditions over the ocean," Weiss said, keeping an eye on the proximity tracker.

She had set the proximeter to auto-alert, but it never hurt to be careful. The collapse of the CCTS meant that flight plans could no longer be shared with other kingdoms, which had made international air travel an absolute nightmare in the weeks following the fall of Vale. There had been numerous near-collisions, and several time-and-resource intensive re-routes that had been required to compensate for unsafe airways. Now commercial air travel had all but ground to a halt, and it was mostly military air travel these days. But even though the skies were more clear of air traffic than they had been in years, that still meant that any airship passing through had to keep a watchful eye out for other airships. It was a long shot, but crossing lanes could still result in airships sneaking up on each other with literally seconds of warning time before a collision.

"Well, might as well get some shut-eye while we wait," Yang announced, crossing her arms behind her head, her mechanical arm clenching her fleshy one.

"Actually Yang," Weiss said, putting a halt to her nap. "I was wondering if we could chat for bit."

Yang raised an eyebrow but sat back up and gave Weiss her attention.

"Sure, why not?" she said.

Weiss was glancing back and forth between her instruments and Yang.

"I just wanted to make absolutely sure that you were alright," Weiss said, sounding somewhat sympathetic. "You got pretty banged up after the battle at Beacon. And from what I heard from the few letters I managed to get from Ruby, you were holed up for a while afterward."

Yang let out a sigh. She could already tell she wasn't going to like where this conversation was going.

"Now, I know you like to put on a brave face, Yang," Weiss said sternly. "But I don't need a degree in psychology to tell when someone's hiding how they really feel."

Yang fixed Weiss with a peculiar look.

"You have a degree in psychology?" she asked wryly.

"I have several degrees in a variety of fields," Weiss said flatly. "Don't change the subject."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Come on, Weiss. I'm fine, really."

Weiss gave her an unconvinced look.

"Really!" Yang insisted, though her face told another story. "I am!"

Weiss continued giving her the silent treatment, offering only an icy gaze as Yang became increasingly uneasy.

Finally, she exhaled.

"Okay, look," Yang said dourly. "I'm gonna tell you something I haven't told anyone yet. I haven't even told Ruby, so…when we find her, let me be the one to tell her this…but anyway…"

Yang took a deep breath as Weiss watched her, contemplatively.

"My mom…left me when I was really little…" she began. "It's always sorta been my life's goal to find her, y'know? I wasn't, like, super bent on it or anything – not since I was really little, at least. But it's always sorta been lingering there in the back of my mind."

Weiss nodded, not saying anything as Yang told her tale.

"Anyway…the day we all went to Mountain Glen and tried to stop that train the White Fang was using to attack Vale…" Yang went on. "I _might_ have told a little fib about my fight against that girl with the pink hair. I told you all that I won that fight. The truth is…I actually lost…"

Weiss raised an eyebrow, but still said nothing. She was curious, but trusted Yang to explain herself.

"Like, not even kidding, I got _thrashed_ ," Yang said with a smirk. "This chick gave me a proper whooping. I probably would have bitten it right then and there…but someone saved me."

Weiss drew in a breath. The pieces were starting to line up.

"I didn't recognize her at first," Yang said, her tone lowering. "But I know now that it was my mom."

Weiss exhaled. "I take it that it wasn't the tearful reunion you had hoped it to be?"

"Not even close," Yang snorted. "She didn't even say anything at the time. I did mention it to my uncle Qrow – they were twin siblings, so he recognized her from my description. He told me that I shouldn't count on her to help me again."

Weiss nodded. "Ah, yes. I believe I've met this uncle of yours. Can't say I was terribly impressed."

"Yeah," Yang smirked. "He can be a bit of a dirty old man sometimes, but he's pretty cool once you get to know him. Anyway…"

Yang let out a deep sigh. Now for the hard part of the story.

"Fast forward to one or two weeks ago," she said. "I'm still feeling like total crap. Down for the count. Team's scattered. People are dying. World's going to hell. Generally _not_ feeling like getting up anytime soon…when who should show up out of the blue to knock some sense into me…?"

Weiss nodded, already knowing where this was going. "Your mom came back."

"Did she ever," Yang said with a laugh, crossing her arms in front of her. "Seventeen-year-old Huntress in training who already has a pretty impressive track record under her belt, and my mom _still_ has to come drag me out of bed when I'm feeling down in the dumps. What a joke, right?"

Weiss shrugged sympathetically. "Well, sometimes it helps to have a motherly touch in our lives now and then…"

Yang scratched her nose. "Actually, she…kinda threw me off a roof."

Weiss did a double take. " _What!?_ "

"Relax, it's okay," Yang held up her hands. "I landed in a snow drift, I wasn't hurt or anything…"

Yang clenched her metal hand into a fist.

"Actually…I think it was exactly what I needed," she said somberly. "I've always had a quick temper and a bit of a short fuse. It's gotten me through most of my life so far, so I never thought twice about how I acted. The problem with short fuses though is that they tend to burn out quickly. I think that's what happened to me for a while. I was burnt out."

Yang flexed her newly acquired prosthetic hand, articulating the digits, still acclimating to its heft and weight.

"My mom…gave me my spark back," she said, gazing into the palm of her golden hand. "Though this time, I think I'll go for the slow burn. I was down for the count, so I have to be the one to get back up. My team is scattered, so I have to be the one to go out and find them again. People are dying, so I have to be the one to save them. The world's going to hell, so I have to be the one to knock some sense into it."

She clenched her metallic hand into a fist, slamming into the palm of her other hand.

"As long as I keep moving forward…" she said simply. "There's no power in the world that can stop me."

Weiss nodded her head approvingly. Yang seemed to have grown up just a little.

"Although…" Yang allowed with a sheepish grin. "If we do manage to find Ruby or Blake, you might have to hold me back. I kinda want to beat some sense into them for being so reckless and stupid, wandering off like that they did, and I still don't know how strong this thing is…"

She shook her metal fist by way of demonstration.

"Don't wanna knock any teeth loose by accident."

Weiss chuckled. Then again, maybe Yang hadn't changed all that much.

She let Yang doze off after that, and kept an eye on the proximeter. Twice she adjusted course in order to give another passing airship a wide berth. They had been nowhere close to crossing lanes with them, but she also didn't want to risk any passing aircraft identifying them in case the Atlesian military or the Schnee Dust Company had any ships in the area.

Once they got close to Mistralian airspace, Weiss sent a ping to their hailing frequency. She pinged the comm for a couple of seconds to ensure a good signal – short wave communication was finicky at the best of times, and she didn't want any surprises.

It seemed however that it was going to be a day for surprises.

"Atlesian aircraft, we have you on our proximity scanners," came a terse voice on the short wave radio. "State your business immediately."

Weiss eyed the radio with a curious eye as Yang rubbed her eyes, having been woken by the voice.

"Flight Control," Weiss said cordially into the radio. "This is Weiss Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company, requesting permission to land at Mistral Airbase."

The response was almost immediate.

"Atlesian Aircraft, you are entering a designated no-fly zone," the voice said. "Reverse your heading immediately."

Weiss furrowed her brow. This wasn't how this normally worked. Then again, she had never actually landed an aircraft in Mistral before, so maybe they just had more stringent regulations. Still, she had not expected such opposition. They had not planned to be turned away at the gate. In fact, they literally could not afford it, Weiss noted as she glanced at their fuel level.

"Flight Control, this is Weiss Schnee," she repeated. "I'm operating a civilian vessel, and we have limited fuel reserves. Mistral is the only kingdom with suitable airway stations within our range at this time. If we turn back now, we'll be forced to make an emergency landing."

There was a pause on the other side of the radio. No doubt the owner of the voice was discussing the matter with a superior officer. Yang was watching in trepidation, and Weiss was getting a bad feeling about this whole arrangement.

Finally the voice returned.

"Atlesian Aircraft," they said, still refusing to use Weiss' name, despite her giving it twice. "We have dispatched two airships to escort you to Mistral Airbase. You will proceed to hanger fourteen, where you will land your aircraft and prepare to be boarded."

Alarm bells went off in Weiss' head.

"Boarded?" she demanded.

"You will be summarily escorted to Mistralian Port Authorities, where you will then submit to a full security sweep," the voice intoned tersely. "Is that understood?"

Weiss exchanged a nervous glance with Yang, who was looking more tense by the moment. But they didn't have many other options. Weiss had been truthful in her assessment of their fuel supply. This civilian shuttle didn't have the capacity to handle multiple trans-continental flights.

"I suppose don't have a choice then," Weiss acquiesced, taking note of the two airships that had already sidled up alongside their shuttle.

"Sheesh," Yang said begrudgingly, after Weiss closed the comm and took the control yokes in her hands. "That sounded downright hostile. I've been out of the loop for a while now, but are Atlas and Mistral still cool with each other?"

Weiss stared wide eyed at the console, her hands on the control yokes as she kept the airship flying down the designated flight lane.

"I…I don't know…" she said, as if in sudden realization of her own ignorance. "I… _thought_ we were…"

Yang crossed her arms. "Sounds like the world's going to hell even faster than I thought…"

The kingdom of Mistral became visible beneath them as they passed through the cloud bank. Weiss steered the craft towards an airway station with multiple airships resting on a concrete tarmac, each next to an individual loading ramp. Weiss easily spotted the terminal marked with the number fourteen and steered the airship towards it.

As Weiss set the craft down, she gave Yang a nervous look. "You, uh…may want to take off those gauntlets…"

Yang gave her an odd look. "Uh…why?"

Weiss set her Myrtlenaster on the console in front of her and placed her hands behind her head.

"In case it wasn't clear from that message earlier, we're about to be placed under arrest," she explained simply.

Yang's eyes flared. " _What!?_ "

"Try to stay calm," Weiss said, the picture of statuesque resilience. "Don't try to resist them and let me do the talking. Even if we _could_ fight our way out of this, we _need_ Mistral's cooperation if we're going to find Ruby. Fighting back at this stage will only hurt our negotiating position."

Yang fumed. She did not like this idea _at all_ , and would have greatly preferred punching her way out of the docking bay, guns blazing. She also wasn't used to letting Weiss call the shots, particularly when, from the onset, Yang had made it abundantly clear that this was _her_ show now. But she could clearly see that Weiss knew what she was doing (or at least, knew what ballpark they were in). So she finally acquiesced and begrudgingly removed her Ember Celica, placing them on the console before her and mirroring Weiss' position with her hands behind her head.

She wondered idly what they would make of her prosthetic limb.

Moments later, the doors _wooshed_ open, and several armed guards came rushing in, guns leveled at the two girls in the cockpit.

"Hands in the air!" came a shout from one of the guards.

"Relax," Weiss said calmly, putting on a reassuring tone. "Our weapons are on the console in front of us. It's just the two of us. My identification card is in my front left pocket. Hers is…"

Weiss looked at Yang for help.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Left breast pocket."

The guards quickly seized both of their weapons, but did not seem overly concerned with their identification as they were both handcuffed.

"I can assure you," Weiss said cordially, though putting up no resistance as she was removed from her chair, arms bound behind her. "This is entirely unnecessary. We're here on diplomatic terms. I'm representing the Schnee Dust Company, and my associate here works for the Atlesian military."

"The kingdom of Atlas is no longer recognized here!" a voice sounded through the helmet mic on the guard holding her arm.

A cold shiver went down Weiss' spine. Things were worse than she'd thought. Much worse.

"What?" she asked, as she saw Yang forcibly removed from the aircraft.

"As of right now," the guard holding her said, before leading her rather forcefully out the hatch. "You two are both prisoners of war."


	24. Chapter 24

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 24

* * *

The city streets of Mistral were far more crowded than anyone on Team RNJR could recall.

They had only spent a few weeks within the kingdom after the battle of Beacon, hunting for clues that might lead them back to Cinder. They had scoured the student and faculty records at Haven academy, and then the records at Sanctum academy for good measure. The four huntsmen must have poured over thousands of enrollment entries, going back for generations, trying to find some clue, a name, a familiar face, anything that might lead them to Cinder.

And all the while, the unease in the city around them had grown. Grimm had been stalking at their city gates, and the citizens had been growing restless with no word filtering from the outside, but for little snippets as refugees made it in. Such hearsay naturally became distorted, and soon rumor and gossip had almost completely suffused the kingdom.

As Team RNJR had continued their search, unease had turned into unrest. It was about this time that Professor Lionheart, headmaster of Haven academy, sent out a general call for aid to all huntsmen in the kingdom, regardless of training. Couriers and carrier pigeons went out for days upon days to reach them all, carrying the city's need for for their protection. The fully fledged huntsmen were almost universally devoted to patrolling the border of the kingdom and fending off those Grimm that grew daring enough to try to breach their walls. Protection of the kingdom's citizens was their number one priority.

This left the as-of-yet ungraduated students from Haven academy (as well as those visiting schools) to forge out into the wilderness to patrol the outlying villages. It was a significantly more dangerous task than guarding the walls, and one that resulted in significantly more casualties, them being largely untested students. But it was testament to the devotion Mistral saw to its citizens versus those in the outlying villages. That, or preferential treatment given to those within its walls, some said. Either way, the villages were offered only what could be spared. The walls of Mistral _must_ be held. That was the stance the city council had taken, and so almost every Huntsmen who could hold their own outside of a team was stationed on the wall.

Ruby and the others had signed up to participate in these scouting missions. Part of it was weariness at a fruitless hunt for answers, and part of it was a desire to contribute something substantial, having spent so many weeks turning up nothing of significance. That, and a desire to decrease the potential loss of other student Huntsmen by bolstering their odds.

That had been almost a month ago, however, and the streets of Mistral had not been _nearly_ so packed with refugees flooding the city streets back then. The team could barely cross the street without rubbing shoulders with a dozen other people, and they had to constantly watch where they put their feet to avoid stepping on someone. The state sponsored housing simply couldn't contain the surplus. Entire families were camping out on the streets and in parks. There were groups clustered just inside the city walls, waiting for admittance, and even larger clusters just beyond the wall, camped outside in droves. Many student Huntsmen teams had been stationed to keep guard around these camps, but if the Grimm ever attacked the city in force, those huddled camps would be utterly defenseless.

Shops and restaurants were also closing down inside the city left and right because the citizens of Mistral had stopped going out to eat and shop because of how crowded the streets had become, with people simply sitting on every corner. Other shops were closing simply because the city was running out of food and goods for them to sell. And while some of these shop owners found it in their hearts to spare what scraps they could to the needy refugees, many business owners were rendered destitute by the presence of so many vagrants, and saw fit to demean and sometimes flat-out attack them as a result, leading to riots and fighting in the streets. Body counts were becoming more and more common.

It was a desperate situation. And it was only getting worse as more people flooded their borders.

"Look at them all…" Nora commented in disbelief. "There's just…so many of them. So many lives just…uprooted and utterly ruined…and now they can't even feed themselves…"

Ruby, Jaune and Ren could only nod in grim acknowledgement. They had already passed out what few rations they had remaining from their trip, but the paltry trifle had not nearly satisfied the hungry masses around them.

"They're afraid," Ren said forebodingly. "All of these people are sad, lonely and afraid."

Jaune nodded. "Well, yeah, wouldn't you be in their situation?"

"Of course I would Jaune," Ren sighed patiently. "But you remember what Professor Port taught us about Grimm and feelings of negativity."

Jaune nodded, his expression going from sullen to downright destitute.

"Fear brings the Grimm…" he recited from memory.

"All these people," Ruby observed. "They're all starting to see just how hopeless the situation is, and the more and more people that show up, the more and more afraid they become. They see how scared everyone else is, and that in turn makes them more afraid. And with so many people feeling so afraid all together like this…"

Ruby bit her lip, looking around at the sheer number of terrified people around her.

"The attack on Vale completely overwhelmed us," she noted. "It was combined with the White Fang attack, and security was lax due to the Vytal Festival…but we were also being guarded by the most powerful air fleet in Remnant, and the Grimm still managed to overrun the city."

She gave each of her teammates a cautious look.

"There was enough fear brought on by the events of the Vytal tournament to bring _that_ many Grimm down on our heads…" she continued. "But the tournament only lasted a couple of days. This refugee crisis has been going on for _weeks_ , maybe _months!_ And as many people as there were at the festival, I'm pretty sure there are even _more_ people here in the city right now!"

Nora looked fearful. "What are you saying, Ruby?"

Ruby shook her head. "I'm saying that if there's another Grimm attack here like there was in Vale…it won't matter _how_ many trained Huntsmen are on that wall; the kingdom of Mistral won't stand a chance."

Jaune winced as he began to appreciate the scale of the problem they were dealing with.

"And we're only adding to the problem by worrying about it ourselves," he muttered anxiously. "Man, it's like the worst kind of self-fulfilling prophecy…"

"Let's just hope there's not another dragon living underground around here..." Nora muttered anxiously.

The team made their way towards Haven academy. It was slow going with all the foot traffic and families on the street begging for food. As Huntsmen, they were recognized and granted some leeway, such as when they had bypassed the crowds when they first entered the city, but the sheer mass of bodies made what should have been a twenty-minute commute drag on for what must have been hours.

It was impossible not to focus on all the homeless people that now lined the city streets. It was even more impossible not to hear them as they cried out for aid, for food, for water, for shelter, for protection from the terrors that had driven them into these walls in the first place.

Terrors that were sounding suspiciously like an old friend of theirs.

"Pyrrha's still out there," Jaune observed when the he heard the same rambling tale for the third time that day of a rogue Huntress with dark red hair wandering the wilds, attacking villagers seemingly at random.

"That means we're going to have to stop her eventually," Ruby sighed. "One way or another. Before another team tries."

Jaune held his tongue. He hated thinking in such callous terms, but he knew Ruby was right. Whether or not this Pyrrha could be saved, if she was still being used as a weapon by the enemy, she had to be dealt with somehow.

"Let's just get to Haven," Ruby said grimly, noticing Jaune's dampening mood. "Maybe they'll have something for…hmm?"

She trailed off when she felt her scroll vibrate inside her pocket, and she pulled it out to look at the message.

"Who is it?" Nora inquired curiously.

Ruby's face lit up when she read the name.

"It's Uncle Qrow!" she exclaimed, the first bit of good news she'd heard in a long time. "That must mean he's here in the city somewhere!"

"What's it say?" Jaune asked inquisitively.

"Hold on, hold on…" Ruby tapped the picture of Qrow's face with her thumb to open his text.

She read the message aloud.

"'Look up.'"

There was a second's hesitation, before all four heads simultaneously cocked back as they each began scanning the skies.

"Hey…" Ruby squinted, pointing to the sky. "There's an airship up there."

Everyone focused on where Ruby was pointing, and saw the slim shape of an aircraft slowly moving across the sky, heading towards the airway station. It looked relatively small, so it had escaped their notice until now.

"That's an Atlesian shuttle," Ren noticed, catching sight of the insignia on the side panel.

"Haven't seen one of those in a while," Nora observed idly.

"Yeah…" Jaune nodded in agreement. "Not since…"

Then Jaune and Ruby both turned to one another, speaking in unison as they both came to the same realization.

" _Weiss!_ "

Without even thinking, the two of them took off in the direction of Mistral Airbase.

"Hey, you guys!" Nora shouted as she and Ren found themselves pushing their way through crowds to keep up with the other two. "Wait up!"

Jaune and Ruby were also shoving their way through the crowds, but were being much less subtle about it.

"Excuse me!" Ruby squawked, nimbly stepping between people in the crowd. "Pardon me please! Coming through, sir! Sorry about that!"

Jaune was having a bit more difficulty, as he was a lot bulkier than Ruby and had a tendency to bump into people.

"Oops!" he blurted sheepishly as he pushed his way through the crowd. "Sorry! 'Scuse me! 'Scuse me! Sorry!"

The airship was already out of sight. There were just too many people between the Huntsmen and the airway station to make it there in any reasonable amount of time. They needed to get up to the rooftops, Ruby decided. But do that, they needed to get to somewhere they could climb.

"Jaune, this way!" she called out, shifting her course and making a bee-line (or as close to a bee-line as could be made in that crowd) to an alleyway.

Jaune turned to follow after her, bumping into someone and and promptly falling on his backside, causing several people to back away in concern. He quickly got up, dusted himself off, and used the added room provided by the parting crowd to follow after Ruby.

When they made it to the alley, Ruby was free to unsheathe her scythe without starting a panic.

"What are you doing?" Jaune asked dumbfounded, before he saw Ruby point the muzzle of her rifle point down, and launching herself up towards the rooftops with a concussive blast.

Jaune hung his shoulders in aggravation.

"Really?" he asked in stupefaction.

As if to answer his question, Ren and Nora finally made it to the alley and dashed past him. Nora unfolded her hammer, sat side-saddle on the handle, and sent herself skyward with a single blast, while Ren leaped back and forth off the walls until he too was on the rooftops.

"Oh, come on you guys!" Jaune shouted in despair. "You know I can't jump like that!"

Before he had so much as finished his thought, Ruby appeared next to him in a cloud of rose petals.

"Hang on," she said, grabbing him by the collar of his hoodie.

"Wait, what…?" Jaune blurted, before he and Ruby suddenly rocketed skywards with another blast of her sniper rifle, reducing Jaune to a screaming mess. "Yaaahhhh!"

Ruby landed on the rooftops, depositing her burden with an unceremonious _thump_ , leaving Jaune flat on his face.

"Th-thanks…" he muttered, slowly climbing to his feet, before covering his mouth to stop himself from losing his lunch. "Bluh…I think…"

He eventually managed to follow behind the other three as they leaped across rooftops towards Mistral Airbase. He came to a halt when he found his teammates standing at the edge of a roof, staring down to the street level just across from the airway station, a significant crowd of onlookers at their feet, waiting to see who got off the airship. He slowly caught his breath and stepped over to them.

"H-Hey guys…" he said, kneeling down by the ledge, trying to take a look at what they were staring at. "What's…?"

He froze when he saw not one but _two_ familiar faces come walking towards the road from the direction of the airship landing area across the tarmac, a host of guards on all sides.

"It _is_ Weiss…" Ruby breathed, tangible relief in her voice. "And she's with _YANG!_ Oh my gosh, she's alright! They're _both_ alright!"

"Yeah, but what's with all the guards?" Nora asked idly.

"Perhaps an escort?" Ren suggested. "Miss Schnee is rather high profile..."

Jaune watched the two figures move along with the crowd of what looked to be armed soldiers as a sizable crowd of spectators began to encroach on them. The larger crowd surrounded the smaller crowd, and there were bright flashes of light that suggested flash-bulbs going off. Paparazzi, Jaune realized. He supposed that Weiss _was_ a celebrity after all…

"They must be here on official business," Ruby thought out loud. "Look at that crowd though...a lot of people must be excited to see them. Must be something pretty important."

"Yeah, they're waving signs and everything," Nora observed.

"And look at Yang's arm!" Ruby exclaimed in excitement. "Is that…is that Atlas Tech!?"

"Looks pretty impressive," Ren nodded. "Shouldn't we get down there?"

"We'll never make it through that crowd," Nora wrinkled her nose. "I mean, we _could_ , but it would involve hurting a lot of people, and _someone_ won't let me use my hammer on civilians."

Nora gave Ren a pointed look.

"You're joking, right?" Jaune asked innocently, looking at Ren. "Tell me she's joking."

Ren's silence was not reassuring.

"Oh, let me give her a call!" Ruby thought out loud. "Maybe she'll see me if I wave to her!"

Jaune looked back at the crowd below. Something about this scene felt off to him. People were waving signs and shouting, almost like they were at a protest rally. And that was a _very_ large and well-armed escort for just two young Huntresses in training, particularly _these_ two, who Jaune knew quite well could easy over-power any number of pushy idolaters in the crowd. Mistral might just be being overly cautious, considerate, or both…but _what_ exactly did Mistral Port Authority think they needed protection from?

Unless…they weren't the ones being protected…

"She's not picking up," Ruby shrugged, putting her scroll away before practically skipping over to a fire-escape staircase on the side of the building. "Must be too loud! Let's take our chances with the crowd! Maybe we can catch up to them before they're ushered away!"

"Um…Ruby…?" Jaune breathed, a note of caution in his voice. "I don't think they're here on business…"

Ruby blinked in confusion back at him. "Huh? What are you talking about, Jaune?"

Ren's eyes narrowed at the scene below.

"Their hands…" he pointed out simply when he finally noticed. "Look at their hands."

"Hey!" Nora let out a gasp when she saw what Ren was looking at. "They're both in handcuffs!"

"Handcuffs?" Ruby asked, looking back down, dumbfounded. "That can't be right..."

"No, they definitely are!" Nora said, pointing. "See? Look!"

"This isn't a business trip!" Jaune's face fell along with the others. "Yang and Weiss are being arrested!"

Ruby's eyes flared at that. "What!? No, that's impossible! Weiss and Yang would never…"

Ruby looked down again now that they had come a little closer and saw that the guards closest to each Huntress was gripping them tightly by the shoulders and pushing them rather forcefully through the crowd.

"The crowd's not there to offer support," Jaune shook his head as the scene began to make more sense to him. "This is a public spectacle!"

"It…it can't be…" Ruby stammered, shaking her head. "Why aren't they fighting back?"

"Maybe they don't want anyone to get hurt?" Ren suggested.

When the two Huntresses and their escort finally got to the cars, Ruby saw the backseat door open, and watched as Yang got forcefully shoved into the backseat.

Ruby had seen enough. She took a step back, before leaping forward off the edge of the rooftop in a single bound, landing on the street in a graceful roll, rose petals streaming behind her as she tumbled to her feet and charged towards the car.

"Ruby!" Jaune shouted after her, hesitating for a moment as he debated the merits of jumping after her.

Ruby was beyond earshot.

"Hey!" she shouted as she ran. "Get your hands off my sister!"

After seeing Ren and Nora plummet off the edge after her, Jaune finally resolved to take the fire escape.

"Ruby, wait!" he called after her.

Ruby was running full tilt, practically shoving passerby's out of her way as she saw Weiss get similarly manhandled and shoved into the backseat of the sleek black government vehicle. All around her, she could see people shaking their fists and waving signs. None of this made any sense to Ruby, and she was tired of playing a pawn in someone else's game.

"Let them go, you jerks!" Ruby shouted, though her voice could be scarcely heard above din of the crowd.

Jaune watched helplessly from the middle of the fire escape as Ruby ran towards the two cars, the huge group of guards with guns, and the massive crowd of onlookers shouting and jeering at the two Huntresses in the back seat of the lead vehicle. There was no way Jaune could get down to the street in time without breaking his neck, and Ren and Nora were already right on Ruby's tail (though she was was easily outpacing them).

He was really going to have to figure out this jumping thing one of these days, he resolved as he huffed and puffed his way down the stairs.

Ruby shoved her way through shouting onlookers, taking no care about who she inconvenienced as she did, but was still making no progress as the cars began to pull away.

"Get _back_ here _,_ you stupid-!" she shouted, before her breath suddenly caught in her throat as she was practically snatched out of mid-air. "Ooof!"

She dangled precariously by her hood as someone in the crowd lifted her off the ground.

"Hey!" Ruby shouted, shaking her fists and feet. "Let me go!"

"Suit yourself," a familiar voice said.

Ruby's ears pricked up before she was dropped down onto the concrete with a soft _thump._ Ruby shook her head in disorientation, before looking up to see the frowning face of her uncle.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted as she leaped to her feet, the wayward forms of the masses coalescing around them.

He looked unchanged from when she had last seen him, though perhaps he looked a bit more bedraggled. Ruby also noticed he was carrying Ozpin's cane around for some reason.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby repeated, looking lost as she pointed off into the crowd. "They arrested Weiss and Yang! They just took them away!"

The old man nodded. "Yeah, I saw. Things are getting out of hand pretty darn quick around here…"

Ren and Nora finally pushed their way through the crowd towards the two of them, with Jaune following shortly after.

"Hey," Qrow nodded to the others, before looking back at Ruby and shoving his thumb towards the others. "This your new team?"

Ruby nodded, gesturing to her teammates and to her uncle. "Yeah. Guys, this is my uncle, Qrow. Uncle Qrow, this is Jaune, Ren and Nora."

Everyone awkwardly waved hi, before Ruby was suddenly back in Qrow's face.

"Uncle Qrow, why would they arrest Weiss and Yang!?" she demanded, a desperate look in her eyes.

Qrow held his hands up. "Slow down there, kid. You've been out of the city for a while. You haven't seen what's been going on lately."

Ruby looked around at the crowds surrounding them, although with the commotion over, the crowd was starting to dissipate.

"You mean the refugee crisis?" she asked, blithely. "I can certainly see _that!_ What does that have to do with Weiss and Yang?"

Qrow shook his head. "It's more than the refugees. It's the air of _fear_ in the air around here."

Ruby exchanged a look with her teammates, who all nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," Ruby confirmed. "We've noticed that too."

"Well," Qrow shrugged, looking off in the direction of the main gates, where the mass of refugees was camped on the far side of the wall. "We all know how fear can attract the Grimm…but you also have to consider what this fear is doing to all he people trapped inside the walls of the city."

Ruby blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Qrow withdrew his flask and took a sip.

"Remember what I told you, about the last bit of footage people saw of the Vytal Festival?" he asked gravely. "Atlas mechanized troops firing on innocent civilians?"

"But that was just a misunderstanding!" Ruby inhaled sharply, clenching her fists. "The Atlesian Knights were hacked by a computer virus!"

" _You_ know that," Qrow droned. "And _I_ know that. But you try explaining that to a couple million people…"

He waved his arm, encompassing the massive kingdom around that.

"A couple million people who suddenly don't have access to the CCTS anymore," Qrow reminded her, listing off factors on his fingers. "So now, not only can Atlas _not_ reach out to offer any kind of explanation, but Mistral and the other kingdoms can't even confer amongst themselves about what happened."

Ruby and the others were watching and listening, as their appraisal of the situation began to take an even more tumultuous dive.

"People saw something that _really_ scared them, which can't be readily explained without making some _wild assumptions_ ," he said. "And right when they've all got _nothing_ but questions, all the answers suddenly dry up with communications blackout. So in the absence of any concrete answers, what takes their place?"

Ruby shuddered as the pieces suddenly began to fit together. As she looked around, she was starting to make sense of some of the signs she was seeing. Signs that said things like 'DOWN WITH ATLAS' and 'REMEMBER VALE' and 'ARE WE NEXT?' were not uncommon.

"Wild assumptions…" she breathed in disbelief.

"Now you're getting it," Qrow nodded. "People are starting to ask some _dangerous_ questions around here now…like what if Atlas attacked the city of Vale in an unprovoked act of aggression? They were already basically occupying the city. It's not that wild a leap when you look at it objectively. They might even believe that Atlas was behind CCTS shutdown to try to cover it up."

Ruby shook her head in denial. "But General Ironwood would never do something like that!"

Qrow smirked at her. It was honestly endearing how readily she trusted the general after having, to his knowledge, precisely _one_ conversation with him.

"And how are the citizens of Mistral to know that?" he demanded. "Most of the people in this town have never even _seen_ the guy, much less know what he's like. As far as they know, Ironwood's just this vague shadowy figurehead. To the citizens of Mistral, Atlas is starting to look a lot like the evil empire right about now, and neither Atlas nor any of the other kingdoms are in any position to dispute that assertion. And with the Grimm barking at their door and no clear channels of communication for letting any real world facts or diplomacy enter the equation, all that fear and mistrust starts to simmer."

The other members of Ruby's team were exchanging nervous glances. They had each heard stories about this uncle Qrow from their leader. As they watched him describe the political machinations of the kingdom around them in such frank and disturbing manner, they were starting to wonder just what sort of person her really was.

"Fear and mistrust start to breed animosity and prejudice…" he went on. "And pretty soon, you start hearing open cries for action. After all, what's to stop Atlas from turning on Mistral now? How is Mistral to know that Atlas isn't planning an attack right this very minute? They're technologically superior, and Mistral has abundant resources that might look pretty attractive to a kingdom like Atlas."

Ruby fidgeted uncomfortably. "Are you…are you saying that Mistral sees Atlas as the enemy now?"

Qrow frowned gravely, taking another swig of his liquor. He so wished he did not have to lay such burdens on his niece's shoulders, but it was his duty now, as one of the few people in the world who knew the truth.

"I'm saying that, if it weren't for the communication blackout," Qrow frowned. "The two kingdoms would already be at war."

The Huntsmen in training exchange nervous glances at that. The situation was even worse then they could have imagined.

"But what does all this have to do with Weiss and Yang?" Ruby asked. "I mean…just because she's from Atlas…"

She had a feeling she already knew the answer, but she didn't want to admit it.

"Well, aside from showing up in an Atlesian military aircraft," Qrow rolled his eyes. "Weiss is a high profile Atlesian national, who may offer a great deal of political leverage if used as a bargaining chip. As for you sister…did you catch a gander of that new arm of hers? Pretty swanky Atlas Tech there. And Atlas isn't known for parting with their tech lightly. If I were a betting men - and let's be honest... _I am_ \- I'd wager that your sister threw her hat in with the Atlesian military."

Ruby bit her lip. Everything Qrow was saying was making more and more sense. And it was killing her.

"Yang…" she muttered.

Jaune set his jaw. "So what can we do about it?"

Qrow tried not to laugh. " _You_ keep doing what you've been doing - look for clues about our mystery woman, and while you're at it, take out as many Grimm and protect as many lives as you can."

"And Weiss and Yang?" Ruby demanded, stubbornly. "Are we supposed to just leave them in jail?"

Qrow gave her a wry smile. "Are you planning on breaking into the state prison and busting them out yourself?"

Ruby hesitated. "Well…"

"Consider your next move _very_ carefully, Ruby," Qrow frowned. "If you make yourselves into enemies of the state, I'm _not_ going to be able to bail you out this time. You and your team will be on your own."

Ruby stood still and stewed over the implications of what she wanted to do. On the one hand, she had to help her sister. But on the other, she couldn't afford to have an entire kingdom after her. They'd never be able to finish their mission then.

"Surely we haven't exhausted _every_ avenue for diplomacy," Ren asserted. "There must be due process _somewhere_ in all this."

"Yeah," Nora added. "Why don't we talk to Professor Lionheart? He's the headmaster of Haven! He owes us for all the missions we're been doing for his school. He should have some pull, right?"

Qrow shook his head. "Trust me when I tell you _that_ _man_ is all bark and no bite. Oz and I brought him in at the beginning, but to this day, he still thinks we're just trying to spook him with all this talk of heroes and legends. I wouldn't count on him to go to bat for his own mother, much less a couple of exchange students."

"What about the Mistral Port Authority?" Jaune asked, throwing out ideas. "They're the ones who've got our friends locked up. Couldn't we, I don't know…make some kind of appeal for their release?"

"Sure," Qrow allowed. "If you want to be bogged down with about eight months of red tape. Their system is rigged like a tangle-web. You'd have an easier time trying to get Glynda to lose that stick up her butt."

Despite herself, Ruby snickered at the joke. It was nice to have Qrow back, even if it was only for a little while.

"Look, I know you want to help your friends, but like it or not, this is the way it is," Qrow said, leveling with the young Huntsmen. "I'll see what I can do on my end, but for the time being, you might just have to let this go."

Ruby gave him a hurt look. "Can't we do _anything_?"

"Sorry, kid…" Qrow let out a deep sigh. "But short of Ironwood himself personally flying his airship over the kingdom and demanding their release, I don't see them getting out anytime soon."

Of all the moments for the air raid siren to begin to blare, that had to have been the least opportune time.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

The five of them all covered their ears from the sudden burst of sound as the people in the streets began to look around in fright for whatever the siren was foretelling.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted in alarm. "I thought you were _kidding!_ "

"I _was!_ " he shouted back.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

Everyone's eyes were glued to the sky, looking for any sign of an airship, gunboat or fighter craft, expecting an aerial bombardment. Instead of the pristine white aircraft of the Atlesian fleet, however, a far darker sight met the eyes of the millions of people huddled and hunkered down in fear of the worst.

Grimm. Nevermores and Griffons sufficient in number to nearly block out the sun.

Moments later, two massive explosions sounded almost simultaneously at the east and west gates, as explosive charges detonated in near unison, blowing the massive city gates wide open. All at once, Grimm began to pour into the city amidst the screams and shouts of the civilians.

"Oh no…" Ruby breathed, terror gripping her voice. "It's happening already!"

"It's going to be like Vale all over again," Nora cried, drawing her weapon.

People were running in terror all around them. Flying Grimm were diving after civilian targets, and everywhere there was screaming and panic.

Qrow gritted his teeth as he eyed the rising chaos around them. The rules were changing faster than he could subvert them. This was getting quite interesting indeed.

"Alright," he said with a huff, his eyes locked on the swarming masses of Grimm descending upon the kingdom of Mistral. "New plan: Ruby, take your team and go find your sister and Weiss. Break them out if you have to, and make sure they get their weapons. Once you do, get out of the city. The six of you will have a better shot if you all stick together."

Ruby stared at her uncle incredulously. "What about the city? I thought it was our job to protect it!"

Qrow smiled as he drew his sword, cranking the gears and extending it into its full scythe form, harsh angles reshaping into deadly curves of steel.

"You leave the city to me and my fellow Huntsmen," he said somberly, sliding Ozpin's cane into his empty sheath. "You kids still have a job to do. So you better stay alive long enough to get it done."

With that, the dusty old crow dashed off into the impending chaos.

Ruby turned back to her teammates, each of whom already had their weapons drawn. No matter what happened, they were Huntsmen. And they were ready for whatever came at them. As long as they were together.

"Alright everyone," she nodded, drawing Crescent Rose and extending it to scythe form, just as Qrow had. "Let's go!"


	25. Chapter 25

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 25

* * *

In an abandoned hotel building in the outskirts of Mistral, the White Fang plotted their next move.

The White Fang had adapted to the communications blackout much more quickly than the rest of the world. They had rarely ever relied on the CCTS to carry their information, and already had alternate channels in place. Some of these owed to the longstanding Faunus sense of community; most resident Faunus in a given kingdom, town or village would willingly pass messages along to other Faunus without any real need for explanation. These methods of communication had become underutilized as Faunus evolved but had never completely disappeared. Other methods relied on Faunus' natural abilities, such as their heightened senses and vocal range, scent markers, and a host of other traits.

These two methods were bolstered by a robust network of agents established by the White Fang over the course of many years and nestled out in the field, amongst human communities, and at numerous way stations between centralized locations, as well as swift couriers to ferry information to and from the various agents. Combined with a complex system of code words, pass phrases, and the ability to sniff out non-Faunus, the White Fang had been back to full operational readiness within days of the attack on Vale. Of course, having a heads-up had certainly helped, but even without one, they would not have been down for the count by a long shot.

Adam Taurus stared up at the large and detailed map of Remnant that had taken up most of the hotel room's wall. The White Fang was no stranger to digital equipment, but it always served to keep a paper backup in case the worst should occur, he believed. The curtains had been drawn closed, and all the furniture that would have otherwise distinguished the room as a hotel bedroom had been shoved into adjacent bedrooms to make room for data servers, observational equipment and monitors of all sorts. Now, for all intents and purposes, this was a war room.

Looking at all that they had accomplished, Adam sometimes fancied himself a general in an army, or a warlord out for blood. It was far too easy to romanticize what they were doing here. They were witnessing history in the making, a revolution that would change the world. All that he had dreamed was finally coming to pass. And loathe as he was to be working with that human woman, even he had to admit that they were making greater strides than they ever would have on their own.

The positions of each of the White Fang's operatives were tacked onto the paper map with sigils indicating their insignia, in addition to the known and suspected positions of the forces of Mistral, Vacuo and Atlas, their three symbols also prominently displayed where applicable. And positioned over Vale was the crest of Cinder Fall. That's where this had all began, he reflected.

The question remained, however, what would happen once she had gotten what she wanted? Would she write them off as expendable, or would she honor their agreement and provide all Faunus with a place in her new world order? History had taught him not to trust humans, particular those who held power over him. And he never entered into an agreement without some kind of contingency plan.

His ears pricked up as he heard the sound of one of his men outside the door, and he turned to see his first lieutenant enter the room, his chainsaw-sword slung over his back, and broad tattooed arms ending in clenched fists at his side.

"Sir," he said by way of greeting, his voice a low sonorous thrum behind his mask. "The Schnee girl has been spotted."

The corner of Adam's mouth rose just a little. "Ah…so that's who came all this way in an Atlas shuttle. Gutsy move, I'll give her that. How many guards does she have?"

"No guards," he said, a hint of disgust in his voice. "Just another student Huntress from Vale. The blonde one."

Adam's eyebrows rose visibly from behind his mask. "Really? That _is_ interesting…"

Adam considered this new development. He had already baited his trap for Blake as well as he could given the circumstances. But this opened up all new possibilities.

"They're both being held at the Port Authority building," the lieutenant held up a clenched fist in eagerness. "Give me the word, and I'll end them both. There'll be no witnesses."

Adam let out a breath.

"Much as I'd like to, we don't have the luxury of pursuing your personal vendettas right now," he held up his hand. "The Schnee girl is too high profile. The CCTS might be down, but word might still reach Atlas of her disappearance, and that wouldn't be beneficial."

"Beneficial for us?" the lieutenant questioned in a critical tone. "Or beneficial for the one holding your leash?"

"Watch it…" Adam warned, his voice taking on an even harsher tone. "You're valuable, but not irreplaceable."

"So are we all, to _that_ woman," the lieutenant replied. "You know it to be true. Why do you continue to follow her?"

"The relationship is mutually beneficial…for now…" Adam said simply, tension easing from his voice. "We are simply biding our time until it is no longer so."

"And once this… _relationship_ …dissolves…?" the lieutenant asked, disdainfully. "What then?"

Adam smiled. "Then…we see how our little friend likes the taste of her own medicine…"

The lieutenant grunted noncommittally, but seemed to accept the explanation.

"Until then, we wait for her signal to move," Adam sighed in resignation. "We don't want to tip our hand until then."

Adam exhaled as he heard the door to the hotel room open once again as another entered the room. He could smell the human before he even heard his obnoxious voice.

"Hey guys," the silver haired assassin waved nonchalantly as he casually strolled into the war room. "What's up?"

The lieutenant flatly ignored the human. The human woman had assigned the rotten scum to work with the White Fang, but the lieutenant was under no obligation to interact with him unless ordered to.

Adam simply crossed his arms, his nostrils flaring. "What do you want?"

Mercury shrugged. "Straight to business then? Alright…"

He pulled out his scroll with a flourish, flipping it open and scrolling through surveillance footage.

"You'll never guess…" he said in a smug voice that made Adam want to punch him. "…Who just showed up in Mistral this afternoon…"

As he held out his scroll for Adam and the lieutenant to peer into its glass screen, the room became eerily silent. Then, all the sudden, Adam snatched the scroll out of Mercury's hands.

"Hey!" Mercury flinched, withdrawing his hand. "Easy, easy…"

Adam ignored the human's bickering as he stared intently at the scroll. On the screen was a girl on a yellow motorcycle. The shot was taken at a distance from behind, so her face was not clearly visible. But the girl was wearing black and white, and had a very distinctive bow in her hair.

Finally, Adam spoke.

"Where and when was this taken?" he demanded curtly, holding up the scroll.

"Less than an hour ago," Mercury shrugged. "Just within the eastern gate of Mistral. She's in the city somewhere."

"You didn't track her movements?" Adam demanded in irritation.

"These legs were built for combat, not distance running," Mercury waved a hand. "That bike she's on is pretty fast. But I can think of a _few_ things that might draw her out."

"So can I…" Adam closed the scroll shut and threw it back to Mercury. "Lieutenant? We're moving out."

The lieutenant seemed amused by this. "What happened to _not_ having time for personal vendettas?"

"Are you complaining?" Adam snorted.

The lieutenant laughed as he turned and marched out the door. "Not at all…"

Adam turned to Mercury and nodded his head towards the door.

"You've done what you came here for," Adam grunted. "Now get out."

Mercury threw up his hands as he walked out. "No appreciation at all…"

When he finally had the room to himself once again, Adam stepped over to a small combination safe, punched in four digits, and opened it to reveal two small items.

One was a White Fang mask, cat-like in its design, feminine in shape. The other was a small ovoid hand mirror with an ornate carving along its wooden edges. The mirror had been something that Cinder had given to him a short time ago. How it worked, Adam had no idea. But he wasn't one to question things unless it benefited him.

He lifted the mirror to his face and stared at his reflection.

"It's me," he said brusquely. "We need to talk."

A moment passed, and then the mirror began to cloud. Before long, Cinder's face appeared, as if catching her reflection as she stood just behind him in the room with him.

"Adam," she smiled a pearly white grin, her voice and visage coming to him through the mirror. "What an unexpected surprise. I'm assuming this isn't a social call."

Adam's expression did not change. "I'm just informing you that the White Fang is moving ahead with the plan."

Cinder's face darkened. "That wasn't what we discussed, Adam. You were supposed to wait for my signal."

"The plan's changed," Adam bit back. "My men were growing restless, and we've got one too many high profile targets in the city now. We can't pass up an opportunity like this. We're moving ahead, with or without you."

"If I were you," Cinder said in a deadly voice. "I would recall your men right now."

"It's already done," Adam said defiantly. "I was just giving you a head's up."

Cinder's dour look did not fade. "Most disappointing Adam. I was expecting more from you."

"Spare me the lecture," Adam snapped. "You can grill me when we're done here. Now are you gonna send in the Grimm or not?"

Cinder pursed her lips and drew in a breath. It was a gamble that Adam knew he would win. The White Fang would suffer heavy losses without the Grimm. They would no longer be effective allies for Cinder's later plans, and she could not afford to lose them just yet. She would have to send her reinforcements, or her pawns would be sacrificed for nothing.

"Very well," she conceded. "You'll have the support of the Grimm. But in light of this folly, you should know that your next assignment after this shall be Vacuo."

Adam narrowed his brow. "I thought we were going after Atlas first."

"That _was_ the plan," Cinder admitted. "We were waiting for Atlas to send its ships to Mistral so that the bulk of the Atlesian fleet would go down with the kingdom in this attack. But since you decided to jump the gun, the Atlesian fleet remains at large, and now they're too strong for a direct assault. Therefore, we now go to Vacuo and try something else there."

"The White Fang has no quarrel with the people of Vacuo!" Adam growled. "But my men and I have a score to settle with Atlas! You can't keep us from giving them their just retribution!"

"And _you_ should have known better than to alter the plan without seeking my permission first," Cinder said in a honeyed voice. "This folly is of your own making, Adam. Months of planning are currently washing down the drain. I hope it was worth it."

Adam ground his teeth together, as he began to hear the faint sounds of air raid sirens off in the distance. He absolutely despised this woman.

"We _will_ be speaking about this later," Cinder said dismissively, her image fading from sight. "Enjoy your little revolution."

As Cinder disappeared, Adam threw the handheld mirror across the room, expecting it to shatter. Apparently it was made of something hardier than glass, because all he got for his furious outburst was a single, sonorous _thud_ as it bounced off the wall and onto the floor, leaving a sizeable dent.

He grunted and ignored the infernal device, and grabbed his sword from where it was leaning against the wall.

"No matter…" he muttered to himself as he made for the door. "It's time for you to come home…my _darling_ …"


	26. Chapter 26

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 26

* * *

The penitentiary holding cells in the basement level of the Mistral Port Authority building were cramped and cold. Rows of cells lined the poorly lit hallway, and no windows allowed for even a glimpse of the kingdom outside its walls.

Yang was sitting long-ways on one of the two cots provided on either wall, back leaning against the far wall, arms crossed and eyes closed in contemplation. In contrast, Weiss was on her feet and pacing back and forth in agitation.

"Well, this is certainly a fine mess we've gotten ourselves into…" she muttered, grumpily.

Yang opened one eye. "Don't blame me. I voted for punching our way out."

Weiss groaned. "We've been over this, Yang. Making an enemy out of the entire kingdom of Mistral won't help us find Ruby."

"Well, sitting in a holding cell sure isn't helping us find her either," Yang snorted. "It's been hours, why haven't we heard from anyone? Don't they have to read us our charges or something?"

"That's if this was a police arrest," Weiss shook her head idly as she stepped back and forth by the bars. "Prisoners of war, they can pretty much hold us indefinitely."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you have a degree in criminal law now too."

"I dabbled," Weiss admitted, not missing a stride. "Law was more Winter's thing, to be honest. But be that as it may, even if we manage to break out of here, there's still the matter of Mistral being _at war_ with Atlas! How long has _that_ been going on?"

Yang shrugged. "You've been living in Atlas longer than I have. Plus, you've got a _sister_ in the Atlesian military. You'd have a better idea than me."

Weiss held her chin as she paced, getting more hurried as she went on.

"It must have been a recent development," Weiss determined, thoughtfully. "There's no way that Atlas could keep something like this under wraps from its citizens, and there's no way…well…I'd _hate_ to imagine Winter keeping something like this from me. Unless Atlas itself isn't even aware that it's happened."

"Not much of a war if your enemy doesn't know they're supposed to be fighting you," Yang cracked a smile.

"Which is why we have to rely on diplomacy!" Weiss insisted, her pacing increasing. "If we can speak with someone on Mistral's council, or get a message out to the Atlesian military or my father, maybe we could put a stop to this war before it starts!"

"You really think the word of two student Huntresses will make a difference?" Yang asked pointedly. "Besides, we don't exactly have the CCTS anymore, and our caretakers aren't being particularly talkative right now."

Weiss was about to reply with some comment about how _of course_ she knew about the CCTS, when the entire building shuddered, as if from an earthquake.

"What was that?" Weiss asked aloud, ceasing her pacing.

"Sounds like a battle going on outside," Yang said, turning her head around as the rumbling in the building actually caused dust began to flurry down from the ceiling. "Are you _sure_ the fighting between Mistral and Atlas hasn't started yet?"

"Not anywhere near Atlas at least," she recounted. "And from what brief glimpse we got of Mistral on the way here, the kingdom didn't look like anything I would call 'war-torn'…though there _were_ a lot of people shouting as we were oh-so kindly escorted off the airship…"

"Well, I guess Mistral is sure as hell convinced that it's at war with Atlas," Yang muttered, wrinkling her nose. "I dunno, Weiss…diplomacy is looking less and less promising…"

Weiss crossed her arms as another shudder rocked the cell, sprinkling them with dust from the ceiling, the ceiling lamps flickering in the hallway, swinging on their cords from the vibration.

"I'm starting to agree with you…" Weiss admitted, biting her thumb. "Still…to think it could have come to this…a simple misunderstanding and communication barrier leading to all-out war? It's only been a few months since the attack on Vale…"

Yang swung her legs off the cot and got to her feet. "People get pissed off and scared enough, they're likely to attack their own shadows. All that's left is to give them an enemy to fight, and they'll gladly go to war for you."

Weiss nodded. "Someone's been pulling the strings here."

"Big time," Yang gritted her teeth, cracking her knuckles, before winding up for a punch with her mechanical arm.

There was a whirring of actuators as the Atlas Tech powered up to bolster for an impact, as Yang's metal fist connected with the steel barred door. The impact left a significant dent in the frame as the door itself went flying off its hinges, banging against the far wall, and tumbling to the ground.

Weiss calmly strode out the now opened cell entrance, looking down at the crumbling concrete left in the wake of the door.

"You really don't do subtle, do you?" Weiss asked sardonically.

Yang rotated her shoulder, stretching it and flexing it. It felt good to cut loose again.

"Not even in my vocabulary," she smirked.

"I guess all that's left to do now is hope can find our weapons before any guards start hassling us," Weiss sighed, resigned to her fate. "Alright then...let's go be fugitives."

When they got upstairs however, they emerged into an active war zone, stepping out to see open sky as every floor above them had been toppled and reduced to rubble. The sun was already low on the horizon, but the destruction around them was creating too much smoke and dust to even see the sky. And the sound of screaming citizens could be heard all around them.

"Damn!" Yang exclaimed in astonishment. "Atlas did all _this?_ "

Weiss spotted the dark wings of a Nevermore through the smoke and dust, and as her eyes darted around, she began to see more of them. All around them, buildings and vehicles were burning, and the occasional beowolf or boarbatusk could be seen roaming the streets.

"Not Atlas!" Weiss realized, wide-eyed. "It's the Grimm!"

Yang's face darkened as she saw what Weiss saw – Nevermores and Griffons sweeping across the sky, some with _people_ in their talons! Suddenly the screams around them took on a much darker inclination as the two Huntresses in training looked at one another.

"We need our weapons," Weiss declared.

"We need our weapons," Yang agreed with a nod.

Both girls began searching through the rubble for the evidence locker, where their weapons would have been stored. Weiss sent pieces of concrete floating away with her glyphs, while Yang lifted and dug with her bare hands, using the servos in her mechanical arm to toss the bigger hunks of concrete out of her path.

Finally, Weiss caught a glimpse of Myrtlenaster and Ember Celica scattered amongst piles of guns, dust and other contraband.

"Over here!" she called out to Yang.

Yang looked over to Weiss and made her way over to the other girl, but just as she did, she saw a massive ursa that came charging towards them from just beyond the rubble.

"Weiss, look out!" Yang said, stepping between her teammate and the marauding Grimm, raising her mechanical arm to block the oncoming attack.

Before the ursa even reached them, however, a giant white sword seemed to appear from out of nowhere, slamming down into the ursa, slaying it in a single blow.

BOOM!

Yang flinched as the sword cut through both the Grimm and most of the rubble beneath it, holding her mechanical arm in front of her face to block the ensuing debris that went flying past her. As she looked again, she saw the massive white sword was attached to an equally massive white arm wearing what appeared to be knight's armor, disappearing at the shoulder into one of Weiss' white glyphs.

She turned around to see Weiss, right arm stretched out to her side, projecting a similar glyph out before her hand.

Yang smiled in approval. "You've been practicing."

"Naturally," Weiss said as she waved her hand, and the sword, the arm, and her glyphs each dissipated into nothing. "I can bring out the sword arm on command now. Still working on getting the rest of it out."

Yang found her weapons in the rubble and slipped them onto her arms. "The sword's really the important part."

"Perhaps," Weiss admitted, retrieving her rapier and began checking the dust cartridges. "But I won't be settling for anything less than a complete summon."

Yang activated her gauntlets to make sure they still worked. Everything seemed to be in working order.

"Let it never be said that you ever do things halfway," Yang smiled back.

Weiss wasn't listening, however. Instead she was continuing to rummage through the debris, before withdrawing a metal suitcase which opened to reveal an array of colorful dust cartridges.

"Hey Yang," she called out, curiously. "Your gauntlets still use forty-five millimeter shells, right?"

"Yeah?" she called back.

Weiss smirked. "Well then…here you go."

She offered the metal suitcase to Yang, who opened it to reveal Weiss' findings, her eyes widening in awe.

"This is some serious ammunition," Yang whistled, picking up one of the brightly color cartridge belts to inspect it. "You could just about one-shot an alpha with one of these. You can't get these anywhere but the black market."

"I would assume that is precisely where these came from," Weiss said gravely. "These would appear to have been made by an outsourced company that my father later disavowed for 'unscrupulous business practices.' Now I can see why. And while normally, I wouldn't condone their usage, we are in something of an emergency. So I say have at it, Yang."

Yang smirked and began loading the high caliber rounds into her gauntlets. "Don't mind if I do…"

Weiss froze for a moment and held her finger up.

"Wait!" she hissed, looking around. "Do you hear something?"

Yang pricked up her ears, but couldn't discern anything over the din of the chaos around them.

"What is it?" she asked, dropping into a defensive stance.

Weiss closed her eyes as she listened, before opening them again.

"That's my ringtone!" she blurted, before running in the direction of the sound.

Yang followed afterward – of course, she thought – their scrolls had been confiscated upon their incarceration. As they approached the source of the sound, Yang could discern the familiar track of one of Weiss' album releases, and cracked a smile.

"Would be just like you to set your ringtone to one of your own songs," she cracked.

"Oh, shut up and help me dig!" Weiss scowled.

After another moment of lifting rubble, Weiss eventually found a green metal cabinet that looked like it had been attached to a wall at some point in its life, but now lay flat on its back. She pried the doors open, and found several scrolls, as well as a number of other electrical components.

She quickly found her and Yang's devices, tossing Yang's to her, before flipping her own open to see who had been calling.

"Who'd be trying to reach us around _here_ , anyway?" Yang wondered out loud.

"I don't know, I…" Weiss thumbed through her recent alerts, before her mouth and eyes both hung open. "Ruby!"

The hairs on the back of Yang's neck stood on end.

"What?" she demanded. "Ruby!"

Weiss hurriedly opened Ruby's message in excitement. "Yang, it's Ruby! She's here in Mistral! Look!"

Yang leaned in to read the message on Weiss' scroll over her shoulder.

 **If you get this, we're coming to find you. Please hold on until we get there!**

Yang thumbed through her scroll and found a similar message addressed to her.

"She must have seen us when we were herded off the shuttle…" Yang observed, a somber note in her voice.

Weiss tried dialing Ruby back, but was met with dismay. "No reception. The Grimm must have taken the reception towers. We're flying blind here."

Yang pocketed her scroll and punched her metal fist into her hand.

"Well then…I guess we better get started…"


	27. Chapter 27

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 27

* * *

Blake had never seen so many Grimm before.

She had arrived in Mistral scant hours ago, and had been looking for a place to store Yang's bike when the air raid sirens had started going off. Before she could even manage to get a bite to eat after a long day of travel, the creatures of Grimm had begun to swarm around her, forcing her to keeping moving. The kingdom had an entire legion of Huntsmen at the ready, but the number of Grimm far outstripped the number of Huntsmen there were. And while the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Mistral had all gathered to defend the city in a coordinated and unified fashion, so too had the Grimm come in such a force that the Huntsmen's numbers could scarcely keep up.

The citizens of the kingdom were being systematically evacuated, loading onto airships as fast as they could. The Mistral Port Authority was attempting to keep the flow of passengers organized, and the Huntsmen were doing all they could to keep the Grimm away from the citizens as they embarked, but there were so many nevermores and griffons in the sky, and they were haranguing the airships as they took off. The Huntsmen only had so many long range means of defense.

And the only Huntsmen remaining to guard the refugees that had yet to make it through customs were the students that had been assigned to their perimeter, who were all but completely overwhelmed. The refugees outside the city had started to scatter, making them easy fodder to be picked off by roving Grimm on the outskirts of the kingdom.

Blake had managed to skirt the majority of the Grimm, but the streets were becoming increasingly impassible with debris and wrecked vehicles, cutting off entire portions of the road, forcing Blake to slow down her advance. This made her a target for the Grimm, as more and more of them flooded the remaining city streets.

She slowed her bike to a halt, facing down the trio of beowolves that blocked her path. She had just evaded an even larger pack at her back, preventing her from turning around. The three Grimm let out a roar as they began to charge. Blake revved the engine on Bumblebee and accelerated forward, drawing her sword as she began to swerve back and forth as she approached them, skidding under their swiping claws.

SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!

Her Gambol Shroud cut through Grimm flesh and drove past each of her targets, swinging her sword and destroying all three beowolves.

It was a short lived victory, as the walls of one of the buildings around her suddenly collapsed as an entire horde of goliaths charged through, veering towards her aggressively.

Blake gunned the engine, her front wheel popping off the pavement briefly as she accelerated to pull away from the stampeding goliaths. Her hair stood on end as she sped down the debris-littered streets, the sky overhead parched with dust and smoke. She wasn't even sure she'd be a match for _one_ of these things, and there were at least five of them on her tail.

She felt her heart leap into her throat, however, when she saw her path ahead blocked by a collapsed building. She looked left and right, but saw no side streets or alleys that she could escape through, and she was fast running out of road ahead of her as she sped away from her pursuers. Glancing at the rear-view mirror, she could see the goliaths were still hot on her tail, trumpeting aggressively through their long trunks.

Blake veered left, and the goliaths mirrored her movements, the left-most Grimm charging up onto the sidewalk, scraping its flank against the buildings as it charged, preventing her from trying to squeeze past them. She veered right, and the same thing happened. These Grimm were smarter than they looked, and Blake was running out of time.

She veered left again, only this time turned even more sharply, driving straight towards the wall, gunning the engine once again, the exhaust from her tailpipe releasing a gout of flame.

She had to time this just right…

Blake closed her eyes as she concentrated on her semblance. And then she and her bike boosted upwards, landing wheels first on the wall, leaving an after-image behind that slammed into the wall before dispersing. Her tires clung to the wall, and as she hit the throttle, she had just enough momentum to drive up the wall, barely clearing the swinging tusks of the goliaths as they charged beneath her and slammed into the rubble at the end oft he street, collapsing in a massive pile of thrashing fury.

Blake felt herself losing momentum as she drove up the wall, and closed her eyes and shadow-stepped again, her bike boosting off of the after-image. She was already seeing stars from the exertion – usually when she shadow-stepped, she was only bringing her clothes and her weapon, but the bike was at least three hundred pounds of steel. Each time she jumped with it, it took a huge chunk of her aura with it.

She was almost at the top of the wall when she felt her tires beginning to skid again. She gritted her teeth – she wasn't sure she could shadow-step this massive bike a third time, but she had to try! She held her breath and closed her eyes, and with a great effort, she boosted herself and the bike off of a third after-image, clearing the top of the wall, and landing with a great _thud_ on the roof of the building.

Blake was gasping for breath, and her head was pounding. She was almost completely drained, and needed time to recover. She climbed off of Bumblebee and collapsed onto her back, squinting at the terrifying sky above. If any one of those griffons or nevermores spotted her and decided to attack, she'd be easy pickings right then, but Blake was too tired to even care, and for the moment, they seemed distracted by more fearful prey.

She wouldn't last long on her own like this. She needed to find an ally in this mess. Fishing her scroll out of her pocket, she quickly found Sun's contact info and tried to call him.

"Please be alive…" she whispered desperately to herself. "Please be alive…"

When the blank 'No Service' icon appeared, Blake nearly fell to despair.

"Damnit!" she cursed, tears welling up in her eyes.

What was she even _doing_ here!? It hadn't been an easy trip from Vale, and while she'd been able to outrun most of the Grimm out in the field, they had still dogged her at every turn. It had taken her nearly a week to get to Mistral, but she had been motivated by a desperate need to stop Adam from killing more of her friends!

It had been a terrifying, hopeless endeavor – for all she knew, Sun was already dead. All because she couldn't get there in time! And now that she had finally arrived, the entire kingdom was overrun with Grimm, and now she was running for her life! And she was no closer to finding her friends than she had been in while on the run in Vale!

A loud _pop_ drew her attention, and her eyes flicked over to the long trail of light that arched through the sky.

A flare gun, she realized, sitting up to peer down towards where the trail of fire had come from.

Someone was calling for help. Maybe a friend, maybe a complete stranger; it didn't matter. Blake needed to do _something_. And despite her misgivings, she was still a huntress. Maybe not fully trained one, but a Huntress nonetheless. And this entire Kingdom was filled with people fleeing from the Grimm. It was her job to protect them.

She made her decision.

Climbing to her feet and sitting on top of Bumblebee once again, she revved the engine and spun her wheels on the rooftop until she was pointed in the direction of a slightly shorter rooftop. She sped forward, bursting right through the concrete ledge, catching some airtime before landing with a hard _thud_ on the landing below her. She veered off in the direction of another rooftop that she could reach without further damaging Yang's bike, and drove off the roof to that one, and then repeated the process until she was close enough to street level to make the jump.

WHAM!

Sparks flew as the motorcycle's undercarriage scraped the pavement as she landed, the bike's shock absorbers taking most of the impact, but the force of the landing still felt like a kick in the chest.

Blake grunted in discomfort, but shrugged it off as she reoriented herself, spotting the trail of the flare gun in the sky and turning down the street that pointed her in the direction closest to it and sped off.

After skirting the claws of a dozen ursi, slicing through hordes of marauding creeps, and dodging the diving attacks of at least five griffons, Blake eventually found a small group of Huntsmen holding their ground in the middle of a large intersection in the center of town, cutting through swathes of Grimm like they were made for tissue paper.

More specifically, _Huntresses_. Two of them. One wearing a white dress, and the other wearing a yellow jacket.

Blake's heart was in her throat. How!? How had they made it all the way out _here?_ _Why_ were they all the way out here? There were too many questions for Blake to ponder about her former teammates presence here, but her hair stood on end when the motorcycle's engine backfire suddenly seemed to alert the other two Huntresses before she could flee.

Weiss and Yang were staring at her in something akin to disbelief, the bodies of numerous Grimm dissipating around them. Whoever it was that had sent out the signal flare, the two Huntresses seemed to have the situation well under control.

"Blake?" Weiss gasped in stupefaction. "Is that…is that _you!?_ "

Yang was staring at her, her expression unreadable, her eyes hidden behind her hair.

Blake slowly stepped off of the bike, standing and staring back at them both some distance away.

"Weiss…" she breathed quietly, lowering her eyes. "Yang…"

Yang took a step towards her. And another. Her eyes were still hidden behind her hair. Blake noticed the golden gleam of a mechanical arm extending from just above Yang's elbow and winced. She knew she was in for it. She had some explaining to do, and Yang wasn't type to wait until the danger had passed to get to it.

"Yang, I…" Blake stammered when she felt the cold steel of a mechanical hand grip her by the collar and lift her off her feet.

Blake's eyes widened as she grabbed a hold of Yang's mechanical arm, instinctively trying to pull free, but the other girl's grip was like iron.

" _Hurgh!_ " Blake gasped as she struggled, feebly.

" _YOU!_ " Yang shouted at her, eyes glowing red. "Where the _hell_ have you been, Blake!?"

Weiss rushed over to the two of them, concern in her eyes. "Whoa, whoa, hold on there, Yang! Take it easy!"

Yang was clearly in _no_ mood to be taking it easy as she carried Blake back against the building behind her, shoving her into the brick wall, knocking the wind out of her.

"How could you just _leave_ us like that!?" Yang demanded, tears in your eyes. "Do you have _any_ idea how worried we all were!? How worried _I_ was!?"

Blake stopped struggling as she saw the pain in her eyes. "Yang…"

" _You scared me half to death_ , Blake!" Yang screamed at her, slamming her good fist into the wall by her head, cracking the bricks and causing the other girl to flinch. "And now you just show up out of the blue like this!?"

Yang was crying now, slowly setting the girl back down on her feet as she loosened her grip on her collar. Blake was staring back at her, her guilt compounding by the second as she watched her friend in tears.

"Don't ever _do_ this to me again, Blake…" she sobbed, releasing her grip as she simply stood there, arms at her sides, staring at her former teammate, her eyes fading back to a light shade of lavender. "Don't you _ever_ do this again…"

Blake felt her own tears come and she threw arms around Yang's shoulders, squeezing her tightly, sobbing into her golden hair as her own guilt and frustration came tumbling out all at once.

" _I'm sorry!_ " she wailed, shaking as waves of grief shook through. "I'm sorry, Yang! I'm _so_ sorry!"

Yang didn't move, blinking her eyes, not expecting such an open display from the other girl.

"I'm sorry I left you, Yang!" she cried. "I was just too _scared!_ I couldn't stand the thought of you getting hurt again! I should have never let that happen, and I…I just couldn't…"

Weiss was standing behind the two of them, watching with a sorrowful look in her eyes. "Blake…"

"You think _this_ is enough to keep me down, Blake!?" Yang demanded angrily, holding up her mechanical arm. "You think I _blame_ you for _this!?_ "

"But it was my fault!" Blake shouted, tears welling up in her eyes. "You got hurt because of me, Yang!"

"It was my decision!" Yang shot back, eyes regaining their reddish hue. "I got hurt because I was trying to protect my friend, and I would do it again! Each and every time!"

"And that's why I left!" Blake shouted. "To keep you from getting hurt again! I won't put you in harm's way like that again, Yang! I'm not worth it!"

BAM!

The wall shook as Yang's mechanical fist slammed into the brick wall to the right of Blake's face, cracking every brick behind her in a ten-foot radius along the wall.

Blake tensed, her eyes widening, her pupils dilated to fine points. "Y-Yang…?"

"Don't you _ever_ say that again!" Yang growled furiously. "Don't you _ever_ say that you're not worth it, Blake!"

Blake stared back at her aghast as Yang grabbed her by the shoulders.

"You are worth _so_ much more than that, Blake!" Yang shuddered, eyes glowing red. "You are worth _everything!_ "

Blake blinked in astonishment, shaking her head as if she couldn't understand what Yang was saying.

"I won't stand for _anyone_ bad mouthing you, Blake!" Yang declared. "Even you! So don't tell me that you're not worth saving! I would give almost _anything_ to save you!"

Blake started to respond, but now it was Yang's turn to pull the other into a fierce embrace, nearly crushing her in her arms.

"I'm not letting you go again until you _get it_ , Blake," she said, pressing her hands into her back. "You're my partner. And whether you like it or not…I'm with you."

Yang released her grip and took her face between her hands, framing her eyes between her good hand and her golden one as she gazed into them, her eyes once again a pale lilac.

"For better or for worse," she added, resting her forehead against hers.

Blake was too stunned for words. She hadn't been expecting Yang to ever forgive her. She expected for Yang to beat her within an inch of her life and tell her she never wanted to see her again. In way, that would have been easier to endure. But this?

This was a level of care, devotion and trust that she hadn't felt for so much of her life. Ever since she'd met Adam, and believed that they could have a future together. But then that future had slipped away, she had honestly blamed herself for letting herself believe in such a foolishly idealistic notion. She had never let herself trust since then, and anytime she had caught herself trusting someone again, she had ran.

Just like she always did.

But somewhere along the line, she had stopped running. She knew that Adam would only take more from her if she kept running. She would have to face her demons if it meant stopping him. That meant facing Adam. And facing Yang.

She was not sure which of these two tasks was more difficult. But it was clear to her whom among them she could still trust.

"You said it, Yang!" Weiss chimed in, after the two of them hadn't said a word for a while. "Where do you get off acting that you're not as important as we are, Blake?"

Blake deflated, letting out a shudder of relief, her forehead still resting against Yang's as Weiss lectured her.

"We're a team!" Weiss shook her finger sternly. "And that means that we are _equals!_ You don't get to run off and decide that we're better off without you or something! We're in this together!"

Blake laughed, tears in her eyes as they flitted back to Yang's pale lavender ones. She was smiling back at her, her own relief overpowering her anger, and before Blake knew it, she was hugging her outright.

"Oh, Blake…" Yang sighed, gratefully as she embraced her. "I'm so glad you're alright…"

Blake nodded as she returned the embrace. "I'm glad you are too, Yang…"

She parted with her and threw an embarrassed smile towards the third Huntress in their group.

"You too, Weiss," she said.

"Likewise," Weiss smiled, shaking her head dismissively. "There was hardly any danger at all on _my_ end of things. But what about you? Where have you _been_ all this time?"

"Vale," Blake said. "I stayed behind in Vale. The kingdom's been completely taken over by the Grimm. There's a small group of students hiding out with an even smaller group of teachers, but they're not nearly enough to retake the city."

"We'll figure something out," Yang nodded reassuringly. "We just need to find Ruby, and our team will be back together."

"Indeed," Weiss confirmed. "Yang originally fired that flare earlier to try to signal to Ruby. We know she's in the city, but it's certainly fortuitous that you were too. I'm assuming that's how you found us, Blake?"

"Yeah…" Blake said. "Also, you two should know…I received a threatening message from my…from the leader of the White Fang. Attached was a picture of Sun. That's…actually why I originally came here. I…I think he's in danger."

Weiss nodded. "We saw him and his team the last time we were in Mistral. That was weeks ago though. And all the reception towers are down, so we can't reach him."

Yang punched her mechanical fist into her good one. "Just one more person for us to save then. If he's out there, we'll find him."

Blake sighed, gratefully.

"I just hope he's alive," she said, glancing down at Yang's prosthetic arm. "I can't afford to let this man hurt any more of my friends. I'm still just so sorry that he got to _you_ …"

"Don't be!" Yang flexed her arm to show off her knew golden toy. "Now I've got all this awesome new Atlas Tech attached to me! It's gonna make kicking butt even easier than before!"

Yang glanced back at where Blake had parked Bumblebee and wrinkled her nose.

"By the way," she said dubiously. "Is that _my_ bike you came riding in on?"

"Yeah…" Blake slumped her shoulders, a guilty expression on her face. "I'm sorry for borrowing it without asking."

"No, no," Yang smiled. "You saved me the trouble of going back to Vale to get it. Besides, if it helped you get back to us, it's been more than worth the mileage."

Blake let out another relieved laugh. "How do you do it, Yang? How do you stay so positive all the time?"

"I don't," Yang shook her head solemnly. "I was a bit of a mess for a while there...but I'm better now."

Blake shook her head, looking at her as if mystified.

"But how?" she asked, perplexed.

"I have an awesome teammate," Yang winked. "Keeps me steady."

Blake shook her head. "A teammate who keeps running away at the first sign of trouble…"

Yang shook her head and put her hands on Blake's shoulders.

"We can work on that, Blake," she said simply. "And if worse comes to worse…I'll just come chasing after you the next time you do."

Blake shook her head. "But why?"

"I told you already," Yang said stubbornly. "You're my partner, Blake. And we're in this together."

She gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

"For better or for worse."

Blake let out another sigh of relief. Little by little, she realized, she was starting to believe it.

"Thank you…" she breathed in gratitude. "Thank you, Yang."


	28. Chapter 28

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 28

* * *

Team RNJR moved and fought like a well-oiled machine.

"Nora! Flank right!" Ruby ordered. "Ren, lay down some cover fire! Jaune, on me! We're moving right up the middle!"

They had spotted the signal flare some time ago, and Ruby recognized Yang's trademark golden tracer round. The flare had renewed the group's hope in reaching their lost companions, and they were in fine form as they moved along the city streets, neutralizing threats as they came with impunity.

"Open fire!" Ruby commanded to Nora as she and Ren fell back. "Jaune, give her some cover!

It hadn't taken the team that long to close in on the location they were seeking. This last group of Grimm were numerous, but nothing they hadn't handled before. Ruby used her team as effectively as any leader could.

"Form up!" Ruby commanded, as four ursa surrounded them. "Watch each others' back and don't let them break through!"

Jaune caught a claw strike on his shield, which he retorted with a swing of his sword. Ruby and Nora both let loose with their ranged weapons, forcing their respective ursa into blocking with paws over their faces. Ren fired his guns, provoking his target into charging at him.

Ren and Jaune exchanged a glance, nodding, and ducked over one another, letting Ren's target charge straight into Jaune's, letting both topple into a tangle of limbs. Then they both charged the two ursa that Nora and Ruby had kept pinned down, attacking them while they were distracted.

Ruby and Nora, for their part, both turned on the two prone targets Jaune and Ren had left for them, and swung hammer and scythe into them both, ending them. By the time they turned to the remaining two Grimm, Jaune and Ren had both angled their backs towards the two girls, which both gleefully fired upon.

The ursi both toppled over from the impact to their flank, leaving them easy pickings for the two boys, who finished them off with a flurry of swings.

All four of them exchanged a smile as they sheathed their weapons.

"Nice job, guys," Ruby nodded. "Let's keep going!"

Before they could so much as take a step, however, a loud booming voice caught their attention from on high.

" _HUNTSMEN!_ "

They all looked up; the voice had come from the top of one of the buildings they were fighting besides. When they looked, they saw what appeared to be a member of the White Fang, wearing a long black coat and the traditional red and white mask of the terrorist organization, had red spiky hair and seemed to be carrying a long thin sword at his hip.

Ruby stepped forward to speak for the group.

"You're White Fang," she called out to the stranger on the roof. "Aren't you?"

The man on the roof seemed amused by this.

"Your powers of perception exceed all expectations," he smirked mockingly. "But I also know who you are…"

He pointed his sheathed sword at Ruby.

"You're the leader of Blake's Huntress team at Beacon," he said with a scoff, as if he found the notion laughable. "Aren't you?"

Ruby's teammates exchanged a nervous glance. How would a member of the White Fang know all of that?

Ruby gritted her teeth, not acknowledging her other teammates at all. She had put the pieces together and realized that this was Blake's mentor, the one she had mentioned whenever she spoke of her time in the White Fang. She couldn't remember if Blake had mentioned his name, but he was giving her a very bad vibe, and Ruby was not planning on taking any chances.

"And if I am?" she asked, placing her hand on Crescent Rose's handle.

The man from the White Fang shrugged.

"Well, I was hoping to finish what I started with her blonde friend…" he said menacingly. "But I suppose you'll do for now…"

Ruby's blood ran cold, drawing her gun in a swift motion and taking aim.

"It was you!" Ruby shouted, putting as much venom in her tiny little voice as she could. "You're the one who hurt Yang!"

"Oh…I seem to have touched a nerve…" The man smiled wickedly. "This is going to be more fun than anticipated…"

He seemed to move along a straight line directly towards Ruby, moving as efficiently as imaginable, as if he hadn't needed to build up speed or anything to suddenly be leaping towards her so fast, he didn't even arc through the air.

Ruby kept her aim true and got a shot in before he was halfway to her, but he drew his sword and met the impact of the blast, and seemed to nullify it.

No, not nullify, Ruby realized. He absorbed it! Ranged weapons were not going to work against this guy!

Realizing that, she extended her scythe just in time to meet his oncoming attack, deflecting his sword swing with the blade of Crescent Rose. The impact of the strike, however, was still strong enough to send her flying, toppling back end over end.

"Ruby!" all three of her team members cried out in unison, and all together, they formed a barricade between the White Fang and their leader, with Jaune's shield at its center.

Adam snorted derisively. "Please…"

Ren began to open fire as Nora took aim with her grenade launcher. From behind, Ruby was slowly recovering, and had time to utter a feeble "No, wait!" before Nora fired off a pink grenade.

Adam smirked as he easily evaded Ren's gunfire, before swiftly drawing his sword to cut through Nora's grenade, slicing it in two. The two halves flew into a building behind him, detonating and releasing a shockwave of shrapnel that forced the rest of team RNJR to stagger.

The distraction was all that Adam needed. Within a blink of an eye, he was in Nora's face, slamming the hilt of his sword into her chin, knocking her senseless.

"Nora!" Ren shouted, and drew his guns on the man.

But Adam was too quick, and got within Ren's defenses in less time than it took for him to get more than a few rounds off. Ren felt the air leave his chest as Adam's sword hilt slammed into his gut, and his eyes widened as he fell to his knees.

"Ren!" Jaune gasped, charging towards the White Fang, shield first.

Adam easily side-stepped Jaune's charge, and smirk, slammed the hilt of his sword into the base of Jaune's skull, sending him sprawling flat on his face.

"Jaune!" Ruby gasped out loud. "Nora! Ren!"

Adam shook his head at the pitiful display. It had taken him less than fifteen seconds to dispatch the entire team. This was the team of Huntsmen that Cinder was so fixated on?

"Pitiful," he guffawed. "I could wipe the lot of you out in an instant."

Ruby's eyes widened as she realized that she was about to lose her entire team unless she acted.

 _Think, Ruby, think!_ she commanded herself internally.

Her mouth moved without even realizing.

"Don't bother!" she called out to him, putting on a brave face as she held up her weapon in a defensive position. "I'm the one you want!"

Adam turned to face the fifteen-year-old girl, a bemused smile on his face. The girl certainly didn't lack for courage, he had to give her that much.

"Yes, you are," he allowed, before making a rapid dash towards her.

Ruby managed to swing her scythe precisely once before he closed on her, and before she knew it, Crescent Rose was sailing over her head, and lay embedded in the cement road behind her.

She suddenly felt an strong arm close around her right arm and neck, holding her in place, not quite choking her, but making it difficult to resist as she was lifted bodily off her feet.

"Hurk!" she grunted in protest as she tried to squirm away. "Rrrnnng! Get off me!"

"Don't worry," he assured her as she flailed helplessly in his arms. "I won't kill you just yet. When Blake learns about this, she'll come running. And when she does…"

Ruby felt a chilling breathe on her ear as he whispered to her.

"… _Then_ I'll kill you."

Ruby shuddered, a mixture of fear and anger welling up inside her. But she stifled both of them as she managed to glance around the battlefield to take stock of her teammates to make sure that they were alright. Only then could she worry about herself.

As Adam turned with the girl in his grip, she could make out little snippets of the destruction around her, and the figures that lay strew across it. There! She spotted Nora, laying on her back, moving around lopsidedly in disorientation. And there! Ren was on his side, clutching his stomach in pain, but clearly alive.

That just left…

"You let her go!" came a familiar voice.

Ruby's face fell as she realized what was happening.

Adam scoffed. Before him, the blond Huntsman in training stood once again with his shield up and his sword at the ready, a fierce look of determination on his face.

"You must seriously have a death wish, kid," Adam snorted derisively.

"No!" Ruby squeaked through Adam's choke-hold on her. "Jaune! Don't!"

Jaune met Ruby's gaze and saw her fearful expression. She was shaking her head, mouthing the words, telling him to flee. When he smiled and tilted his head at her, however, Ruby blinked in a moment of hesitation. He was trying to tell her something. What was it?

Then Jaune retracted his shield back into its sheath, and holstered it on his belt. Then, taking his sword with both hands, he held it in front of himself in a challenging posture.

Adam chortled, seeing the challenge for what it was and drew his own sword with one hand, his other still wrapped around Ruby.

"Heh…" he scoffed, arrogantly. "Your funeral, kid…"

Ruby stiffened as she realized what Jaune was trying to do. It was a risky move, but if she timed it right, they might both get out of this.

Jaune raised Corcea Mors to shoulder height and charged forward, brandishing his weapon offensively. Adam responded by turning his hip, putting his own sword arm forward. He wasn't even using iaido, but he knew he wouldn't need it to best this wet-behind-the-ears brat.

When their swords met, Jaune's went flying, landing tip first in the asphalt, not too far from Crescent Rose. However, Jaune himself, as well as Ruby, were suddenly twenty feet away from the swordsman, collapsed amidst a cloud of rose petals.

"What?" Adam blurted in confusion.

Jaune and Ruby were kneeling on the sidewalk, catching their breath from the near death experience.

"Good save, Ruby," Jaune gasped, his heart racing.

"Jaune, that was _way_ too risky!" Ruby berated. "What if I hadn't been fast enough?"

"You were though," Jaune nodded, smiling. "I knew you would be."

"Jaune…" Ruby shook her head in disbelief.

Adam stared at the two of them, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Hmmm…" he mused, putting the pieces together. "A speed semblance, huh? That'll make things interesting…"

He drew their attention by sheathing his sword again with a loud, menacing _hiss_.

"Let's see just who's faster then, shall we?" he asked confidently.

Ruby and Jaune both tensed as they reached for weapons that were no longer there. When they spotted where Crocea Mors and Crescent Rose had landed, they were at least thirty feet from them, with the White Fang swordsman well within intercept range, even with Ruby's speed.

"Go ahead…" Adam laughed haughtily as he saw where they were both looking. "Try it…"

Ruby and Jaune exchanged a glance. Ren and Nora were both still down for the count. Those weapons represented their only chance of making it out of this.

They ran.

Adam leaped after them, his speed easily outstripping the two of them as he suddenly placed himself between the two Huntsmen and their weapons.

" _NO!_ " Jaune shouted as he expanded and raised his scabbard, unfolding it back into a shield.

"Jaune!" Ruby gasped in terror as he shoved her behind him to take the full brunt of Adam's attack.

There was a teeth-rattling impact and Jaune felt the air leave his chest, as if an enormous weight were suddenly weighing on him. He felt his body tingling, like every limb were suddenly on fire. He felt light headed and dizzy, weak and weary, his consciousness teetering on the brink of failure.

He glanced at Ruby and saw her hands covering her mouth.

"Jaune…" she breathed in disbelief.

He looked behind him, and saw the White Fang swordsman, his sword in the air, following the path of a lethal iado strike.

"Ruby…" Jaune muttered, confusion in his voice.

Why did he feel so numb?

Then there was a sudden sound that resembled breaking glass.

CRASH!

The abrupt sound captured both Huntsmen's attention as Adam's sword suddenly shattered in a million pieces.

The swordsman stared down at the remains of his weapon in stunned stupefaction.

" _W-What!?_ " he growled in disbelief. " _Impossible!_ "

Jaune was still confused, but Ruby caught his attention.

"Jaune…" she breathed, her voice still catching in her throat. "Your shield!"

Jaune finally looked at his shield arm, only to find the age-old family heirloom was _glowing_ a vibrant white golden hue, a shimmering brilliance, as if the entire weapon were made of pure light!

"W-What?" Jaune gasped, equally befuddled. "What is this!?"

Ruby gazed at the shield in amazement as it glowed.

"Jaune!" she asked, inquisitively. "Your shield doesn't use dust, does it?"

Jaune shook his head, eyes still locked on his glowing shield. "N-No…"

Ruby shook her head. "Then the only other explanation is…"

Jaune flinched when Ruby grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Jaune!" she shouted excitedly. "I think this is your semblance!"

Jaune's jaw hung slack in incredulity, gazing down at his shield with newfound respect. Whatever he had done to the weapon, it had become strong enough to resist the White Fang's sword.

"Don't think this is over!" the White Fang swordsman called out to them, pointing the barrel of his gun-scabbard at the two Huntsmen.

Jaune turned but suddenly fell to his knees, completely drained. The glow of his shield slowly faded, and the weapon simply gleamed white metal once more. As Jaune collapsed, however, Ruby stood before him. Crescent Rose lay somewhere behind the two of them, but she wouldn't leave Jaune to face this killer alone.

Luckily, she didn't have to, as Adam suddenly recoiled to dodge what appeared to be a rocket propelled grenade that impacted the spot where he had been standing.

BOOM!

Adam skidded back, hand on the asphalt, gun-scabbard in hand as he looked up to see where the attack had come from.

" _Hey, asshole!_ " came a loud and clear voice from atop one of the buildings overhead. " _Remember me!?_ "

All eyes looked overhead to see Yang Xiao-Long, standing tall and triumphant overlooking the battlefield, mechanical arm at the ready. Rather than a shining golden fist, however, her hand seemed to have retracted inward to be replaced by a cannon. Her entire forearm had expanded outward with her modified Ember Celica to reveal a myriad of other retractable weapons, including a heavy machine gun, a targeting scope and a mounted RPG grenade launcher.

Beside her stood Blake Belladonna and Weiss Schnee. Blake had Gambol Shroud in gun form, and Weiss already had a glyph prepared in front of her. Both had their weapons trained on Adam.

"Yang!" Ruby called out to her. "Weiss! Blake! You're here!"

"Ruby, get clear!" Yang commanded, no nonsense as she primed another RPG.

As Ruby carried Jaune away by the shoulder, Adam faced town the blonde Huntress as she launched another rocket propelled grenade at him.

He took aim with his scabbard rifle and blasted the grenade out of the air, hailing down a shower of sparks and shrapnel. He didn't have time to counter-attack, however, as a white glyph suddenly appeared beneath him, launching him into the air.

"Blake!" Weiss called out as she landed on the city street, waving her Myrtlenaster like a conductor's baton, preparing her next attack.

Adam tried to re-orient himself in mid-air to take aim at the Huntress attacking him, but was forced to swing his scabbard defensively to deflect a hail of gunfire from Blake's repeating pistol.

"Blake…" Adam hissed through gritted teeth in mid-air as he watched her relentless attack.

Blake met his gaze, a look of bitter contempt on her face.

That was all Adam got to see, however, when Weiss' second wave struck. A series of piercing arrows of white light soaring through the air, angling towards him like homing missiles. He managed to deflect the first two, but the third and the forth clipped and sent him sprawling, landing in an awkward heap on the ground.

"Yeah, Weiss!" Ruby cheered in excitement.

"Yang, now!" Blake called out when she saw him fall.

On cue, Yang landed on the ruined city street, hair glowing and eyes ablaze in red flame. Her golden right arm was a whirring cacophony of overpowered weaponry. Three barrels revolved on rotating prongs around the main gun on her arm, the machinegun, grenade launcher and targeting scope spinning in an ever tightening circle as her main gun began to charge, a glowing mote of dust and her own aura condensing to a singular point at the business end of her cannon as she took aim.

Adam had just enough time to try to scramble to his feet before Yang unloaded a concussive pulse blast that hit him dead center in the chest.

 _FWOOSH!_

A blue beam of energy came blasted out of Yang's arm cannon and into her target. Adam went tumbling backwards, toppling end over end until he slammed roughly into a building wall opposite where Yang had been standing. He let out a grunt of pain, slowly climbing to his feet. His hair and his clothes were scorched, and there was a hole in the front of his coat, a blistering patch of charred skin visible underneath. And as he raised his head to stare back at the girl, teeth barred in rage, a solid crack ran down the side of his mask, revealing a single, flaming red eye.

" _You_ …" he spat out a mouth of blood, quaking in fury as he clutched his wounded chest. "You'll _pay_ for this…"

Yang jutted out her chin at the White Fang.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that…" she glared.

As she spoke, Adam could see the other Huntsmen slowly encircling him. Jaune and Ruby had recovered their weapons, and Ren and Nora were once again on their feet. Weiss already had another glyph primed and Yang's smoking arm-cannon already had its heavy machinegun pointed at him.

And there was Blake, as defiant as ever, her sword at the ready.

Adam grunted in annoyance. It was now seven on one, and while they were student Huntsmen, many of whom were injured, he too had suffered injuries. His aura was very nearly depleted. And he had lost his primary weapon.

He knew when he was beaten.

"This isn't over…" he growled in anger, before using the last of his aura to make one giant dashing leap straight upwards, scaling the wall behind him in a matter of seconds.

"Hey!" Ruby shouted, pointing her gun at him. "Don't think we're just going to let you get away!"

As Adam reached the ledge, he withdrew a small metal cylinder from his inner jacket pocket. It almost looked like some sort of whistle.

"You may have won this battle, Huntsmen…" he spat down at the students below. "But you've lost this war…"

He brought the whistle to his lips, blowing into it to release a high pitched sonorous tone.

 _FWEEEEEE!_

The Huntsmen each winced at the disquieting sound that it made, but were frozen in fear by what the whistle seemed to have called.

FWUMP! FWUMP! FWUMP!

The sound of heavy wings beating the air filled their ears as through the smoke and dust overhead descended the terrifying shape of a great red nevermore, the largest any of them had ever seen. Its wingspan was easily a hundred feet wide, and its body was laced with bright red streaks, as if the glowing markings on its skull had somehow infected the rest of its body.

And clasped between its talons was the body of a Huntsman lying lifeless in the monster's grip.

"What the heck…?" Ruby gasped as the Huntsmen each assumed a defensive stance.

The Nevermore landed atop the rooftop where Adam stood, and now the team could see standing atop the nevermore was a tall, lithe figure, glad in bronze armor, her hair a flaming red.

"Pyrrha…" Jaune gasped in disbelief.

Everyone around him could see it too. She was actually _riding_ that thing!

"I'll be seeing you soon…my darling," Adam called down to the team, locking eyes with Blake as he climbed onto the nevermore's talons.

Pyrrha raised her sword into the air, and the giant bird let out an ear-splitting screech as it took off once again.

 _TSEEEEER!_

The nevermore seemed to struggle with the added weight of its newest passenger, and dropped the victim it had been carrying off in its talons to gain altitude. As Adam and Pyrrha drifted away on the back of the great red nevermore, the lifeless body it had been carrying tumbled haphazardly to the ground.

WHUMP!

The team recoiled from the impact, and then went over to inspect the body for any signs of life. The crippled form was a middle aged man with bronze skin and a mane of golden yellow hair stretching almost all the way down his back, wearing a fur-lined coat.

Ruby, Jaune, Nora and Ren each tensed in revulsion as they recognized who it was. They had just been speaking with him weeks ago.

"Professor Lionheart," Ruby muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "No…"

Weiss stepped over to the body and reached down to close the man's eyes.

"Then Haven has fallen," Weiss breathed in deference.

"Weiss…" Ruby muttered in bittersweet joy as she looked at each of her old friends from team RWBY. "Blake…Yang…I'm so glad you're all back…"

Yang reached out and tousled her hair, her mechanical arm having reverted back to a simple golden fist. "Can't keep me out of the fight forever now…but what the hell was _Pyrrha_ doing here?"

"Yeah!" Blake added. "She looked...different, somehow."

"And she was riding on the back a _Grimm!_ " Weiss shook her head. "Is she…on their side now?"

Ruby shook her head."Honestly, we don't know. We've had a few run-ins with her before this, and each time we walk away with more questions. I think the enemy is copying her appearance for some kind of…psychological warfare. Jaune thinks the real Pyrrha's still in there, somewhere…"

She gave her former teammates a hopeless shrug.

"But truthfully…we just don't know."

Yang put her hands on her hips. "Well, at least you're all okay. We can figure the rest out later."

Ruby smiled at her sister, before turning her attention to Blake.

"Blake…" she said, sadly. "That man…was he…?"

"His name is Adam Taurus," Blake said, without hesitation. "He's with the White Fang. He's dangerous. I honestly…I honestly can't believe you managed to hold out against him for so long…"

Ruby smiled, gesturing to Jaune, who still lay mostly collapsed against her arm.

"We almost didn't," she admitted. "But Jaune pulled a hat trick at the end there that _really_ turned the tide…"

Yang put her hands on her hips.

"Well, how 'bout that?" she smiled.

Ruby nodded, before giving the rest of team RNJR a reassuring nod.

"You guys okay?" she asked, kindly.

Nora was supporting Ren's arm over her shoulder.

"Never better, Ruby," she smirked.

Ren gave a reassuring wave, before slumping back against her.

Ruby smiled back at them, before turning her attention to Jaune, who was leaning against her for support.

"How about you, Jaune?" she asked. "You hanging in there?"

Jaune groaned in pain. "Ugh…I think I hurt my _everything_ …"

"Here…" Weiss fished a stimulant package out of her supply bag. "It would seem you are suffering from a bad case of aura depletion…this should give you quick boost, but don't push it…"

Weiss placed the hypodermic injection tool against his neck, before squeezing the plunger, emptying the stimulant into Jaune's system.

Jaune shuddered and shook his head, his body reacting to the stimulant as he slowly regaining his composure. "Th-Thanks Weiss…"

"Don't mention it," Weiss smiled. "But what are we going to do now?"

"Mistral is lost," Ruby said, looking at the other six Huntsmen in training. "We have to get out of here. Now."

"Wait," Blake called out. "What about Sun? We still haven't found him yet!"

"Team SSSN wasn't scheduled to come back to Mistral a few more days," Ruby shook her head. "I made a point of keeping track of his team's plans while we were out in the field, cause of the communications blackout. We had few enough friends in Mistral as it was. Anyway, I don't think he was even in the city when all this happened. I just hope they have a safe place to fall back to."

Blake sighed in relief, while Yang shrugged.

"I'm more worried _us_ not having a safe place to fall back to," she said.

Weiss' eyes lit up. "The shuttle that brought us here from Atlas! It'll fit us all. And it should have been locked down at the Mistral Airbase, so that the Mistral Port Authority wouldn't have been able to launch it. As long as it hasn't been destroyed in this attack…"

Yang nodded. "It's still our best bet. Let me go pick up my bike and I'll meet you there."

Ruby gave her sister a curious look as the team began to mobilize. "You brought your _bike_ with you to Mistral?"

Yang threw Blake a knowing smile. "It's a long story…"


	29. Chapter 29

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 29

* * *

Pyrrha collapsed to her knees, shaking her head in disarray. It was too much. It was just too much. The kingdom she had grown up in, the city she had known throughout her entire childhood…

It was all gone. The city had been in flames. The fleeing people. The screams…

She wondered if her mother had managed to get out of the kingdom. She wondered if _anyone_ had managed to get out of the kingdom! There was no way for her to count how many lives she'd taken! On the back of the great red nevermore, she had personally torn airships out of the sky by the _dozens_ , leaving their passengers to tumble to their deaths!

So many lives stripped away so _carelessly_ …

And they were all on _her_ hands…

She wasn't even aware of when Cinder brought her back to the Shadowglass. When her knees had hit the stone floor around her, she had simply fallen. She had no energy left to even process the world around her. If Cinder had any taunting words for her, she didn't even register them. Pyrrha would not have cared if the entire world had come to an end right then and there. She was simply at the end or her rope.

She had no idea how much time had passed before she finally managed to muster the strength to raise her head, but when she looked up and saw Professor Ozpin looking down at her, she simply shook her head.

"I can't do it…" she gasped. She didn't even have the energy for tears. "I can't do it anymore, Professor…"

She held her face in her hands, shaking her head as she quivered in terror.

The chaos. The mayhem. The fires. The destruction. The screams. So many screams. All those Huntsmen, all those citizens, all those men, women and children…

No one had been spared.

"Whatever you're planning, you better do it fast," she uttered in a tremulous breath. "I don't…I don't think that my mind can handle another battle…not like that…"

When Ozpin still didn't reply, Pyrrha looked up.

"Professor?" she asked, seeing him standing before her.

Something was wrong. Now that she was looking at him, she suddenly noticed the professor wasn't hovering beyond the border of the little world within Shadowglass like he usually was. He was…he was looking at her from _behind_ the Shadowglass itself! He was standing in the _real_ world office, looking down at her, with cane in hand.

"Professor, what's going on here?" she asked, suspiciously. "Did you manage to escape the Shadowglass?"

Ozpin remained silent as he stared back at her, keeping ominously still.

Pyrrha narrowed her brow.

This was bad.

"Who are you?" she demanded coldly.

The professor smiled, and his features began to shimmer and distort, before transforming into a diminutive young woman with pink and brown hair and a Victorian dress, the cane transforming into a small, floral parasol.

"So…" came a familiar voice, and Pyrrha shuddered in realization as Cinder stepped up the stairwell onto the dais that used to be Ozpin's office. "Ozpin's still alive, is he? I suspected he might have tried to contact you…"

Pyrrha put on a brave face as she looked up at her captor. "I wouldn't know…I haven't seen him since you murdered the Fall Maiden…"

"You think you can keep secrets from me, girl?" Cinder smiled in amusement as the other girl stepped back to allow the other woman to stand before the mirror. "I know you've been talking to _someone_ while I've been away…and you were unsurprised when you saw him today, so it was _clearly_ him you saw. So let's try this again…"

Pyrrha felt as if there was a hand around her throat, and she was suddenly gasping for breath. When she looked at Cinder, she saw the power of the Fall Maiden coursing from her eyes. On her hand was a white glove with a strange sigil inscribed on it. With it, she was clutching her fingers into a menacing claw that seemed to tighten as the pressure around her throat tightened.

"Go on…kill me…" Pyrrha gasped through her constricting trachea. "It would…be a mercy…"

Cinder released her grip and smiled.

"Indeed, you're right…" she shook her head. "I will require another target, won't I? Tell me…which of your former teammates should I destroy first? The girl with the hammer? The boy with the raven hair? Or the boy with the puppy-dog eyes?"

Pyrrha shook her head, still too disoriented to think or care. She had been torn apart at her very soul, but had somehow been left to linger. Cinder had already done her worst by forcing Pyrrha to endure.

And with that endurance came a kind of clarity.

In spite of Cinder's threats, Pyrrha's lips were curving into a smile. Pyrrha wasn't sure why she was smiling. Whether that smile was caused by actual confidence or a complete loss of sanity, she couldn't say.

"I don't think that you can make good on that threat anymore…" she breathed slowly.

Cinder's eyes darkened. "Oh? Is that so?"

Pyrrha lifted her eyes to meet her gaze.

"I think…" she whispered in a tremulous voice. "…That you're _afraid_ of them…"

Cinder snorted in disbelief. "Me? Afraid of those children? I could wipe them out without so much as a hair shifting out of place."

Pyrrha's smile widened.

"Then why are you so fixated on them?" she asked bluntly. "Why do you keep sending me after them? If they're so inconsequential…then why do they matter so much to you?"

Cinder let out a sigh. "My dear, you mistake _my_ concerns for that of fate. My only concern with your friends is that they just _happened_ to be the ones who were in my way at the time. They are nothing special, in an of themselves. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Pyrrha frowned and narrowed her eyes. "I asked you once before…if you believed in destiny…"

Cinder's gaze darkened. "And I already gave you that answer, girl…"

Pyrrha stood on her two feet.

"Then you already know that I'm right," she said. "Those _children_ you're talking about? They weren't just randomly selected by fate. They were _destined_ for this role that they're in. They were _destined_ to oppose you. And they are _destined_ to win."

Pyrrha leaned her hands against the mirror, staring right into Cinder's eyes.

"Believe in _that_."

Cinder gritted her teeth. Her prisoner was becoming far too presumptuous for her own good.

"I make my own destiny…" Cinder said simply.

And then she plunged her gloved hand into the Shadowglass, passing through it like the surface of a pool, her fingers clamping around Pyrrha's throat.

Pyrrha let out a gasp of terror as she felt the other woman clutching her neck like a vice, and then she felt a sudden stinging sensation biting into her skin where Cinder's hand met the flesh of her neck, as she felt the darkness overtake her.

"And right now, the scales of destiny look like they need a little more encouragement…"

The encroaching darkness was overwhelming! Suddenly, Pyrrha was blind! And soon after, there was nothing but silence! One by one, her senses were completely cut off, until she was completely enshadowed.

Cinder turned away from the writhing form before her, waving her hand dismissively as she walked towards the stairs.

"How I'd love to see the look on Ozpin's face when he sees you now…" she muttered cruelly, although she knew the girl was already lost within the darkness.

As she stepped down the stairwell, Neo lingered behind her, frowning down at the prisoner's pitiful form as she convulsed in pain. Her eyes widened as she saw what was happening to her. She watched as Pyrrha's circlet faded to an opaque white, taking on the appearance of bone. The headdress began to twist and morph, extending downward to cover her eyes, forming into a sinister looking mask. Red lines began to erupt along the surface, and two black pools split open where her eyes should be, until it had become the twisted visage of a Grimm mask.

Neo's mouth fell open in revulsion at the sight.

"Neo," Cinder's voice called out to her.

The girl flinched and quickly heeded her master's call, following her down the stairs and cast one last glance back at Pyrrha's twisted form.

What fate awaited the tortured girl, she could only wonder.


	30. Chapter 30

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 30

* * *

It was crowded aboard the Atlesian shuttle craft. It was a small airship, design to seat a crew of four and a cargo area that could seat an additional six. The hold, however, was occupied by Yang's bike, which left the seven occupants crowded into the main cabin, almost half of whom were sitting or standing on the floor.

Weiss was at the helm, being the only member of the team certified to fly the airship, with Ruby at her side as they flew away from the flaming remains of the kingdom of Mistral.

"So where are we going exactly?" Weiss asked simply.

Ruby had a defeated look on her face as she lifted her eyes to meet Weiss' gaze.

"You're asking me?" she sounded befuddled.

Weiss shrugged. "You're still our team leader as far as I'm concerned. And I don't see anyone else stepping up to the plate."

Ruby looked around at the other Huntsmen in the airship. Nora was in a seat behind them, with Ren sitting on the floor at her side, his head resting in her lap. Blake was in the last remaining seat across from them, staring out the window at the rising ashes still visible from Mistral. Yang was standing behind Blake's seat, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed in contemplation. And Jaune was sitting on the floor across from Yang, resting his back against the wall.

It had been a rough few weeks, and nobody looked like they were in any condition to be moving. But one by one, they each turned their eyes to meet Ruby's as she gazed back at them.

They were each looking to her for guidance.

Ruby set her jaw.

"I'm still worried about Sun and his team," she said somberly, glancing back at Blake with a smile. "If we have enough fuel, we should probably go looking for them before we cross the ocean."

Weiss frowned. "And what do we do when we find them, exactly? Just give them a lift? We're filled to capacity as it is."

Ruby furrowed her brow. "We ought to be able to pack in a _few_ more people at least."

Weiss shook her head. "It's not a matter of squeezing bodies into the ship, it's a matter of lift capacity. This thing only outputs a few thousand pounds of thrust. It's struggling to take off as it is. If we take on four more passengers, we're not going to be able to get this bird off the ground, even _if_ we leave Yang's bike."

"And team SSSN isn't the only one out there," Yang added. "If we find more student Huntsmen before Sun and his team, what are we going to do? Pass them up? No, to conduct a rescue operation of this scale, we're gonna need some air support."

She met eyes with Weiss, and they both nodded, their minds already on the same wavelength.

"We need the Atlesian Fleet," Weiss concluded.

Blake wrinkled her nose. "But wasn't Mistral technically _at war_ with Atlas? They're not going to want to part with their airships once they learn about that, if they haven't gotten word of it already. Besides…"

Blake wrapped her arms around her body, looking sullen.

"There's someone else who needs the fleet far more than we do…" she said, before looking up at Ruby. "Professor Goodwitch has organized a resistance within the kingdom of Vale. Velvet and her team is fighting along with them. They're maintaining a foothold, but they need our support. They won't last long without it."

"I'm so glad they're okay at least!" Ruby's eyes lit up at the mention of Velvet. "You're right. Vale needs our help too."

"The whole argument's academic at this point anyway," Weiss frowned, biting her thumbnail. "Once Atlas learns that the entire kingdom of Mistral has fallen, they're not going to want to send their ships _anywhere_. And that's not even getting into how they're react to the news of a rogue Huntsmen on Pyrrha's caliber. They'll play it close to the vest, and recall as many ships as they feel is necessary to guard their borders. They won't take any chances that the same thing might happen to Atlas."

"What about Vacuo?" Jaune asked. "If Mistral doesn't trust Atlas, then that leaves Vacuo as the only real refuge for them, now with Vale gone. That's probably where their airships are going."

Ruby nodded. "I think you're right, Jaune. And if a bunch of airships full of terrified refugees start flooding Vacuo's borders, they're going to bring all that fear and misery along with them. Fear of the Grimm…and a mistrust of Atlas."

Nora and Ren looked at each other in trepidation.

"You don't think the people of Vacuo will turn against Atlas, do you?" Nor asked in concern.

"Either way, there's still a communications blackout," Ren frowned. "With no word coming in from outside, all those refugees are going to make Vacuo into a wellspring of negativity, just like with Mistral. It won't be long before the Grimm are poised to attack that city next."

Weiss shook her head. "So either we go to Vacuo, and try to convince millions of people that an alliance with Atlas is the only way to stop the Grimm…"

Yang scratched her head, clenching her eyes shut in irritation. "Or we head back to Atlas, and try to convince General Ironwood to send an emissary to Vacuo before it's too late. And pray that they'll be willing to rescue the remaining Huntsmen stranded in the Mistralian countryside, as well as send aid to the resistance in Vale."

Ruby and Weiss exchanged a glance. Neither option sounded particularly optimistic.

"At least we know people in Atlas," Weiss offered, helpfully. "Maybe the General will be willing to talk to us. And it's got to be easier to convince one man than to convince an entire kingdom."

Ruby frowned. She wished Qrow were here. He'd know what to do.

"Any chance your father might help us out?" she asked Weiss, nervously.

"Unlikely," Weiss crossed her arms. "He's probably more concerned about how his company's assets will fair during this crisis rather than in doing anything to actually avert it."

"And Atlas isn't going to be doing me any more favors until I start earning my keep," Yang shrugged helplessly, gesturing to her arm. "They've already shelled out enough for me as it is."

"And I doubt they'll look favorably on a Faunus, given the White Fang's involvement," Blake shook her head.

Ren and Nora exchanged a helpless glance.

"Well, we're just a couple of kids from a backwater village," Nora frowned. "No way Atlas is going to stick its necks out for us anytime soon."

"Maybe…" Jaune offered, hesitantly climbing to his feet. "Maybe there's something I could do…"

Everyone turned to look at Jaune, curiously.

Jaune blushed under the scrutiny.

"W-Well…" he said, cautiously. "I am descended from a long line of heroes. Maybe the name Arc will be worth something within the borders of Atlas."

Yang crossed her arms. "No offense, short stuff, but unless you've got the chops to back that up, they're not likely to put much stock in that name."

Jaune hung his head. "Yeah…you're probably right…"

Ruby stood up from her seat.

"But Jaune _can_ back it up!" she declared, fists clenched insistently. "His semblance was strong enough to resist that White Fang guy!"

"Adam," Blake gently corrected.

"Adam!" Ruby amended herself. "His sword was smashed into pieces after Jaune blocked it with his shield!"

Ren and Nora looked upon their leader with new found admiration. Blake and Weiss looked at him quizzically. Yang, for her part, just looked suspicious.

"Wait, really?" she asked, befuddled. "That sword cut through my aura like it wasn't even there! You're telling me _you_ blocked that thing!?"

Jaune blushed heavily under Yang's intense gaze. "Uhh…I guess so…"

Yang placed her hands on her hips, unconvinced. "Show me."

"W-Well, I can't do it on command yet!" Jaune winced. "It just sorta happened last time, and there's no way I'm gonna be able to do it now that everyone's watching!"

Weiss rolled her eyes, her hands on the flight controls. "Hmph…my hero."

Ruby tried to put the tense emotions in the cabin out of her mind, focusing instead on helping her friend as she stepped over to him.

"Jaune, we can work on your semblance," she assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Now that you know what it is, it's just a matter of practicing."

Jaune looked up at Ruby's hopeful gaze. It was nice to be reminded what it was like for someone to believe in him, he thought to himself.

"I'll help you," Ruby smiled, sweetly.

Jaune nodded. "Thanks Ruby…"

Yang shrugged, looking away. "This is all really nice and all, but it still doesn't help us in the meantime."

"Indeed," Weiss nodded. "I'm going to need a heading at some point. I can't keep flying in circles like this."

Ruby nodded and went back to her seat next to Weiss.

"It sounds like Atlas is still our best bet," she sat down. "Any objections?"

The other members of the two teams exchanged glances, before each offered looks of indifference.

Ruby sighed. It would be an uphill battle to keep up morale after such an ordeal as they'd all been through. Hopefully, they were up for a bit more.

"Alright then," she said. "Weiss, set a course for Atlas."


	31. Chapter 31

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 31

* * *

The destruction of Mistral had far reaching effects. Nearly half of the refugees that had fled to the kingdom had been left to wander the countryside in small, clustered groups. The few Huntsmen that remained had stayed to help them, but it was mostly students from Haven. Word had not yet spread of their headmaster's demise, but many still clung to the belief that it was their duty to see as many innocents protected from the Grimm as was possible, regardless of who expected them to do so, or whether there was a place for them to go back to.

Such was the way of a Huntsman.

Fortunately, they were not entirely alone out there. There were still some fully fledged Huntsmen that remained ever watchful, gathering the divided pockets of refugees and steering them into collective groups. The largest of these groups had retaken one of the villages from which many of them had been driven a matter of days ago. The Huntsmen had gotten to work immediately, rebuilding, foraging for supplies and setting up defenses. Huts and hovels were restored to minimum functionality to provide shelter. Emergency rations and supplies were dispersed amongst the survivors. A crude watchtower was erected and barricades positioned at all sides, while those refugees that were able to hold a spear or a blade stood guard, while the sick, infirm, elderly and the young were nestled at its center.

It was a rudimentary and temporary settlement, but it was better than wandering aimlessly. And more refugees showed up every day. While this brought more mouths to feed, it also brought more workers and defenders too. Huntsmen lead teams of hunters and gatherers to search for food and supplies, and while both were scarce out in the wilds, they were not completely picked over. And while the Grimm hounded them day and night, the Huntsmen were able to fend off the worst assaults.

Incoming refugees would come bringing stories of one particular Huntsmen who had steered them towards this sanctuary. None knew his name, but all described him the same – tall, scruffy, and carrying a huge sword that sometimes changed into a scythe. A man who seemed to disappear as soon as he had appeared. All who spoke of him were nonetheless grateful, as they had all been saved from certain demise.

Qrow watched the burgeoning settlement from afar, as fires burned throughout the village to light the night skyline, his sword holstered at his back, and Ozpin's can in his hand. Standing atop a hillside overlooking the encampment, he reached into his pocket to fish out his canteen out of habit, but stopped just before bringing it to his lips, recalling with irritation that it was empty. Withdrawal had not been fun.

He let out a groan as he heard the fluttering of wings.

"Nice of you to drop by," he said to the darkness.

From the shadows, a tiny black bird seemed to dissolve into darkness, before taking the shape of a woman with raven hair, her cloak a deep crimson red, her sword of a caliber on its own. She wore a fearsome mask of white and red, which she slowly removed to reveal vibrant red eyes.

Qrow eyed his sister warily as she paused to look over the tiny encampment, and he offered a helpless shrug.

"Are you here to tell me I'm wasting my time?" he asked, pointedly.

Raven did not meet his gaze, but kept hers firmly focused on the village as she crossed her arms.

"While you put out the smallest of fires, I'm busy trying to quench the greatest of them all," she said staunchly.

Qrow gave her a confounded look. "And how exactly are you managing with that? In case you haven't noticed, our enemy's movements are going pretty unimpeded out there."

Raven frowned. "Mine isn't the method that will save the most lives, Qrow. But it _is_ the one that will win."

"You don't know that," Qrow argued. "Your kids are out there, fighting _our_ war. Yang's still as tough as you are. And Ruby's becoming more like her mother every day."

Raven shook her head. "And _that's_ why I need to do things my way. I'm giving them the best chance they've got."

"They _need_ their mother, Raven," Qrow frowned.

"They _need_ to grow up," she replied somberly. "The time for coddling has long past. You're growing soft in your old age."

"And you're turning into a bitter old hag," Qrow shot back.

"I'm not the one carrying around his old teacher's weapon like some kind of safety blanket," she said, gesturing to Ozpin's cane in Qrow's hand. "Do you even know how to use that thing?"

"Not really," Qrow admitted, looking down at his cane. "Just couldn't bring myself to part with it, is all."

Raven shook her head in disdain.

"Your sentimentality is going to get you killed one day, brother," she wrinkled her nose judgmentally. "I only hope it doesn't doom the rest of us as well."

Qrow gritted his teeth. He _really_ needed a drink.

"You could stand to lighten up, Raven," he spat. "The world's not as bitter as you are. Some people need a helping hand."

"It's the law of nature, Qrow," Raven sighed, turning away. "The weak perish, the strong survive."

"Is that why you pushed Yang out of the nest?" Qrow asked sardonically. "Because she wasn't strong enough on her own?"

"She's stronger than either of us," Raven waved him off. "She just had to be shown the way."

"And how is that any different from what I've been doing?" Qrow demanded, waving his hand out towards the village. "Showing people the way."

"The way to where, exactly?" Raven asked.

"Wherever we can go," Qrow replied. "Wherever it takes."

Raven shook her head in disbelief. She and her brother had always disagreed about this, and they likely always would.

"If you want to help," she said, sighing in resignation. "Know that the White Fang is headed to Vacuo. Maybe you can slow them down before they can do any more damage."

Qrow nodded his head. It was as close to a peace offering as he was likely to get.

"Thank you, Raven," he said cordially. "Maybe I'll do that. But I've got some stuff to wrap up around here first."

She closed her eyes, releasing a breath. "You know, sooner or later, you're going to have to realize that not all can be saved."

"Not all," Qrow admitted. "But I can try to save as many as I can."

"A fool's errand," Raven frowned. "You've seen the Grimm's newest recruit? The Fall Maiden candidate?"

"She has a name," Qrow growled. "It's Pyrrha Nikos."

"And just like that, you lend the enemy even greater power over you," Raven shook her head. "The less you think of her as human, the stronger you'll be when you inevitably face her, Qrow. You were always the weaker of the two of us."

"Maybe strength isn't everything," Qrow scowled. "Maybe some of us aren't willing to set aside our humanity to win."

"That's what separates us, Qrow," Raven said, returning her mask to her face. "I'm willing to become whatever it takes to defeat my enemy."

She turned away from him, and drew her sword.

"And that's why I will win."

With a slash, she ripped open a hole in the fabric of space, stepping into the swirling vortex of black and red.

Qrow watched her depart, and before he could say another word, she was gone. He took one last look at the village, before setting his jaw, turning his face to the sky.

"But what's the point of winning…" he asked to no one, "If by winning, we lose what we're fighting for?"

Of course, there was no answer. And within moments, he too was gone. All that remained was a black bird, sailing across the wind.

It was not long before the crow came across yet another group of student Huntsmen, fighting off a horde of Grimm, a pair of refugees, a man and a woman swaddled in rags, huddled fearfully between the four of them.

They were a peculiar looking bunch, Qrow observed. The leader appeared to be a boy with blond hair and fought with a red bo staff. Also on the team was a boy with blue hair who fought with a trident, another with red hair who fought with a sword and pistol, and a fourth with green hair, whose massive great sword was almost as big as he was.

The student Huntsmen, for that was what they were, appeared to be doing an adequate job of warding off the attacking Grimm, while keeping the civilians out of harm's way. Though it was clear that none of them were able to give it their all whilst the refugees were in their protection.

Qrow leaped into action. Transforming in midair, he brought his sword down on an ursa that was giving the blond boy some trouble.

SLICE!

"Whoa!" the student Huntsman exclaimed, as the ursa was bisected before him, leaving a grizzly looking Huntsmen in its place.

"You're not far from a settlement," Qrow wasted no time in pointing off to the distance as the Huntsmen and refugees each looked at him in surprise. "About a click southwest of here. Get the civilians to safety…"

The student Huntsmen watched in amazement as Qrow twisted the handle of his sword, expanding it into a long, deadly scythe.

"I'll deal with this…" he said gruffly, facing down no less than a dozen Grimm, who were each growling aggressively at the group.

"You got it!" the leader said as he ushered his team and their charges in the direction he had pointed, making a hasty retreat.

With the kids and the civilians safely behind him, Qrow faced down what appeared to be an entire horde of beowolves, as well as a couple of ursa thrown in for good measure.

Not the toughest fight he'd ever faced, but a tough fight nonetheless.

"Come on then!" he grunted.

As the Grimm all began to charge him, he brought his scythe to bear and leaped headlong into the fray.


	32. Chapter 32

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 32

* * *

"So what should we call ourselves now?"

Ruby's eyes had been glazing over as she spaced out while gazing out the cockpit window of the airship at the clouds passing by down below. The sun was hanging low in the sky, casting a the horizon in a brilliant twilight hue.

"Huh?" she asked out loud, looking to Weiss for clarification.

"Our team name," she said. "We're not just team RWBY anymore. And I know you guys were team RNJR for a while there, but now the two teams have come together in a way. Shouldn't we have a new team name?"

Ruby rubbed her eyes, groggily. "I don't think it's necessary for a seven-man team to have a team name like team RWBY did. That's really more for students anyway…and both Huntsmen academies we've ever been a part of are gone now, so…"

Weiss sighed. "Look, I'm just trying to stay awake here. The pilot doesn't get the luxury of a nap like the rest of you."

Ruby glanced back at the rest of her team, who were indeed mostly asleep.

"Look, we're only a few miles away from Atlas," Weiss pleaded. "Can you just humor me?"

Ruby smiled and nodded. "Alright, Weiss…"

She pulled out her scroll and began typing letters on the translucent surface.

"Let's see…" she muttered, idly. "We've got R, W, B, Y, J, N, and another R…"

Weiss smirked. "Ruby Junior?"

Ruby shook her head. "That's silly."

Weiss nodded. "Right, right…umm…well, you're still our leader, so it'll have to begin with R…so…"

Ruby began reorganizing letters on her scroll, tapping them and moving them with her finger to rearrange them.

"Hmmm…Team Rebound? No…" Ruby thought out loud as she configured letters to try to squeeze meaning out of them. "Team Rejoin? Hmmm…no…"

"How about Team Rejuvenate?" Weiss asked.

Ruby pursed her lips, and re-scrambled letters to come up with a close approximation.

"RRJWBNY?" Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Reju…beny? Kind of a stretch, Weiss."

"These are all kind of a stretch, Ruby," Weiss argued. "Just pick one. It's your team, after all."

Before Ruby could reply, however, the entire airship rocked dramatically, throwing everyone against their safety harnesses, and everyone not in a safety harness against the ceiling of the shuttle, before tumbling back down to the floor in a heap.

" _Hugh!_ " Ruby let out a violent gasp as the air was knocked out of her, while everyone around her was rudely and forcibly awakened. "UGh…what happened!?"

There was a terrifying screech of ripping metal as the airship swung erratically in the sky, those Huntsmen inside who were trying to stand being sent toppling over in response. Ren landed awkwardly onto Nora, while Jaune slammed into Yang.

"Ren!" Nora cried, wrapping her arms around him to stabilize him. "Are you alright?"

" _Mmmph!_ " Ren flailed awkward as his face became smothered against Nora's chest.

Yang was managing to hang onto the bulkhead with her mechanical hand, and was quick enough to wrap her other arm around Jaune's shoulders as he stumbled into her, holding him in place.

"Hang on there, buddy," she reassured him as he clutched his mouth, his stomach protesting the turbulence. "I gotcha! Just hold on, and…please try not to barf on me!"

"What's happening!?" Blake shouted in alarm, clutching her chair for stability.

"The controls aren't responding!" Weiss confirmed, tugging at the control yokes in vein as the airship spun and wobbled in odd circles. "It's almost as if…"

Then she looked up, and her eyes widened.

"Ruby…" she stammered in alarm. "Something _big_ has latched onto the ship!"

Ruby followed her gaze, and saw the beak of the great red nevermore hanging over the cockpit window!

Its mouth opened, releasing a high pitched screech.

 _TSEEEEER!_

"It's a Grimm!" Ruby shouted in alarm. "We're under attack! Weiss! Does this ship have any weapons?"

"It's a shuttle craft!" Weiss growled in frustration, still trying to wrestle with the controls. "We're lucky enough that it has landing gear!"

"Then I'm going up!" Ruby declared, unbuckling her safety harness.

"Ruby, wait!" Weiss called out.

The ship rocked again, throwing Ruby to the floor. The giant Grimm was almost twice the size of their small airship, and was easily wrestling it out of the sky, its claws digging into the metal hull, twisting and rending it like newspaper.

"Ren!" Nora blushed as Ren's face was once again introduced to her chest. "This isn't the time or the place for this!"

"I'm not doing this on purpose!" he pleaded helplessly in a muffled voice.

"Ruby, I can't control the ship!" Weiss shouted in protest, trying to regain control. "You go out there, you'll get thrown off the edge in a heartbeat!"

"Then I'll need your help, Weiss!" Ruby stumbled to her feet. "Use your glyphs!"

 _TSEEEEER!_

The nevermore's scream was so deafening, the cockpits' occupants had to cover their ears.

Weiss hesitated for a moment, before switching the airship over to hover mode, for all the good it would do.

"We're still at cruising altitude!" Weiss cried as she unstrapped herself from her seat. "You won't be much air out there!"

"Well, we won't be at that altitude for much longer at this rate," Ruby grabbed her weapon.

There was another rocking as the nevermore began biting at their hull, sending both girls as well as every passenger in the cockpit sprawling.

" _Blurgh!_ " Jaune's stomach finally gave in, although he had mercifully managed to find a barf bag first.

"Whelp," Yang grimaced in disgust as she held him steady. "There he goes…"

 _TSEEEEER!_

"Yang, can you manage things down here?" Ruby cried as she and Weiss made their way to the ladder at the aft of the cockpit leading up to the top hatch.

"I feel like I'd be much more help up there with you!" Yang objected as she carefully eased Jaune into one of the cabin seats and strapped him in.

"Not enough room up there!" Ruby reasoned as she climbed up the ladder and grasped the handle on the topside hatch. "Weiss can only grab one of us if we fall!"

"Then it should be me instead of you!" Yang shouted, bracing herself as the ship began to tilt at an odd angle. "It'll be close quarters, Ruby! You know that's my specialty!"

"I'm pretty sure Pyrrha's up there too!" Ruby retorted. "I'm not going to ask you to fight her!"

"That's ridiculous!" Yang gave her sister an incredulous look. "You know I'm up to the challenge!"

"It's my decision, Yang!" Ruby added, a determined look in her eye. "I have to do this myself."

Yang hesitated as Ruby stared her down. It seemed that Ruby still felt somewhat responsible for what happened to Pyrrha, but if she was trying to seek some sort of redemption in this, then she was going about it all wrong. Still, Ruby must have known that, Yang reasoned. She would just have to trust her.

"Okay, fine!" Yang finally agreed, before pulling Ren off of a still blushing Nora, helping him into the remaining seat. "Just be careful up there!"

Ruby nodded, before bracing herself as another attack from the nevermore rocked their airship, sending sparks flying as she and Weiss clung to the ladder for dear life.

Once the ship stopped stopped shaking, Ruby opened the hatch, releasing a torrent of wind into the cabin, buffeting everyone inside. The sight of crimson black feathers was visible through the hatch overhead.

"Follow me up!" Ruby shouted over the deafening roar of the wind as it tousled her hair. "Get a line of sight on me, but don't engage the Grimm _or_ Pyrrha unless you have to! I don't want you making a target out of yourself!"

"Ruby, are you sure about this!?" Weiss asked, holding her hair back through the gusts of wind.

"Not really!" Ruby admitted, before climbing out onto the dorsal surface of the airship.

She was not standing before the Grimm so much as she was standing underneath it. The sky was obscured by deep red feathers, and on either side of the aircraft, two massive talons were digging into the ship's stunted wings. Both maneuvering thrusters on either side were destroyed, clawed to shreds by the nevermore. What little thrust the airship could produce was easily overpowered by the hundred-foot wingspan of the enormous flapping wings overhead.

The ship was effectively dead in the water, and the great red nevermore was slowly carrying the airship _away_ from Atlas – she could even see the tallest towers of Atlas in the distance if she looked closely enough. The sun was turning a bright golden orange as it began to set, and the thin air was tearing at her dress as Ruby braced herself against the cold.

The situation almost reminded her of the time she and Weiss rode the nevermore through the Emerald Forest.

While she had the element of surprise on her side, Ruby drew Crescent Rose, extended the blade out until it stretched to war-scythe length, and swung it as hard as she could at the nevermore's left talon.

SHNK!

The bird screeched in anguish, though no visible damage could be seen.

 _TSEEEEER!_

The ship rocked under her feet, and Ruby tumbled to her knees, but collapsed her scythe into its gun form to take a shot at the bird's underbelly, unloading most of her clip in the process.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Ruby's attacks only seemed to aggravate the great creature as it released the grip from one of its talons to take a long, lashing swipe at her. As it released its talon, the airship listed to one side. Fortunately, while the nevermore was large and durable, it was by no means fast, and Ruby easily skidded underneath the claw, dashing towards the nose of the airship, where she could get a good look at the Grimm's face.

"Hey!" she cried out, trying to get its attention. "Bird brain!"

The nevermore looked down at the noise Ruby was making, and she could finally see the bird's rider.

Clad in a nightmarish skeletal mockery of her bronze plate-mail, Pyrrha gazed down at Ruby from her perch atop the nevermore's neck, a pale white Grimm mask now adorning her face, her hair darkened a russet red.

Ruby's face fell when she saw what Pyrrha had become.

"Pyrrha…" she whimpered in despair. "What have they _done_ to you?"

The Grimm charade that was Pyrrha only lifted her sword into the air, which the great red nevermore seemed to take as a sign to attack. The enormous bird lunged at Ruby with its beak, snapping and biting down where Ruby was standing.

Ruby dodged left and then right, nimbly avoiding the Grimm's deadly hooked beak, before bracing herself as the bird swiped at her with its claw once again, shifting its weight and the weight of the airship. Ruby managed to avoid the claw, but could not avoid the razor-sharp beak that came sailing her way afterward.

Ruby raised the haft of her scythe to defend, but the nevermore's attack hit with such force that she tumbled off the bow of the airship.

"Ahhhh!" she let out a cry of alarm.

Ruby flailed and thrashed in mid-air, trying to right herself. The sunset drifting below the cloud line was spinning around indistinguishable in her line of view. She had a matter of milliseconds to orient herself in order to fire off a shot from Crescent Rose that could propel her back onto the ship, but that would first require that she figure out which way was _down_ first.

Fortunately, Weiss solved that problem for her.

"Ruby!" Weiss called out to her partner, casting a white glyph just below Ruby's position, holding her steady in mid-air.

Ruby felt the familiar embrace of Weiss' aura around her, and smiled as she pointed her rifle downward, planting her feet on the haft of her blade, before launching herself back up over the top of the airship with a blast.

When she landed, however, the Nevermore had turned its attention to the white haired girl at the aft of the ship, who was raising her sword in defense.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ruby said, propelling herself up onto the nevermore's back with another blast, landing on the great crimson bird, launching an attack against the Grimm's rider herself.

This turned out to be a mistake, as Pyrrha deflected Ruby's attack with a single sword strike, and sent her toppling back off the Grimm with another, letting her hit the top deck of the airship with a dull _thud_ as she landed on her back next to Weiss.

The nevermore let out a cry of triumph as it came down upon Ruby with its beak.

 _TSEEEEER!_

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted in fear, casting a last-minute glyph as the Grimm's beak clamped down on the haft of Crescent Rose.

The glyph appeared below Ruby's back, which managed to bolster her strength and stamina, and stopped the bird from snapping her weapon in two or simply crushing her into a paste against the deck of the aircraft. As it was, it was a strain for Ruby to maintain her hold on her weapon as the great bird wrestled with it, and the air was so thin up here that Ruby found herself gasping for breath already.

" _Hrrrrrrrng!_ " Ruby grunted with an effort, her fingers going white from the force of her grip.

The nevermore twisted its head this way and that, its four eyes glaring back down at her in a fearsome gaze, as its rider simply watched as her mount toyed with its prey.

" _Hnnnnnnnnng!_ " Ruby gritted her teeth, and could actually _feel_ her aura draining from the duress.

 _TSEEEEER!_

The great red nevermore let out another deafening screech, its wings flapping in an effort to overpower its prey, shaking the entire aircraft which was still grasped firmly within its talons.

The sudden shudder threw Weiss off her feet, dispelling the glyph beneath Ruby, and the young Huntreess suddenly felt her strength beginning to give way against the insurmountable strength of the Grimm, the tip of its beak inches from her face.

Ruby felt tears of frustration and rage as she glared back at the nevermore, and caught a white flash suddenly reflect across its beady black eyes as she let out a scream of rage.

" _Get…OFF ME!_ " Ruby cried out in anger.

To both Huntresses surprise, the nevermore did exactly that. The bird recoiled, releasing its grip on Ruby's scythe, and flapped its wings wildly as Pyrrha struggled to remain stable upon her suddenly uncontrollable mount.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted in alarm. "Look out!"

 _TSEEEEER!_

The great red nevermore let out another hateful cry, before suddenly releasing its talons entirely, separating from the airship, and flapping its wings roughly, buffeting their tiny aircraft with its downdraft.

The sudden upheaval nearly lifted both girls off of the airship, but a quick glyph from Weiss brought them both safely back down to land beside one another, the ship teetering precariously in mid-air.

"What's it doing?" Ruby asked as she climbed to her feet, still taking deep breaths to get enough air into her lungs, perplexed as she watched the nevermore in confusion.

The Grimm seemed downright panicked! Pyrrha was very nearly launched from its back as the nevermore suddenly twisted around to get some distance from the airship. Twice Pyrrha seemed to urge the bird back around, but each time, the nevermore screeched in protest as it turned over in mid-air to flee from the airship.

"It's…it's almost like…it's _afraid_ of us now, or something…" Weiss observed in astonishment, struggling to modulate her own breathing.

When she turned to look at Ruby, she almost mirrored the nevermore.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted in alarm. "Ruby, your eyes!"

Ruby blinked, looking back at Weiss, confused by her concern.

"What about my eyes?" she asked, utterly confused.

"They're…" Weiss exclaimed, completely awestruck. "They're _glowing!_ "

"They're _what?_ " Ruby asked as she lifted her hand to her cheeks, trying to see if she could feel anything different.

The nevermore had turned tail completely now, and was simply flying away from the ship where it hung in the sky. Before long, the Grimm and its rider were out of sight, and soon after, it was just the two girls, sitting atop the crippled aircraft.

"Ruby are you alright?" Weiss asked in concern. "They don't…they don't hurt, do they?"

"Does _what_ hurt?" Ruby asked, somewhat befuddled. She was beginning to feel light-headed from the thin air.

"Your eyes, you dunce!" Weiss shouted. "They look like…wait…"

Ruby blinked in confusion. "Wait? Wait, what?"

"They've stopped!" Weiss leaned in close to examine Ruby's face. "They're back to normal now!"

Ruby wasn't sure what to make of all this. "Ummm…"

Weiss shook her head. "Ruby, I've never seen your eyes look like that before! But whatever happened, it seems to have scared the Grimm away!"

Ruby finally managed to put the pieces together in her adrenaline fueled and oxygen deprived state. What was it her uncle had told her? About silver-eyed warriors being able to strike down a Grimm with just a glance?

"Silver eyes…" she muttered quietly to herself, panting for breath.

"What?" Weiss asked, the wind making it impossible to hear anything below a shout.

Ruby shook her head. "Nothing! We can worry about it later! Let's just get below deck and see if this thing can still get us to Atlas!"

Weiss nodded suspiciously, but acquiesced and followed her leader back into the ship.

Below deck, the rest of the team looked a little worse for wear. Jaune and Ren were both passed out in their seats, pale faced from all the turbulence. Blake and Nora were both seated in the remaining chairs, looking more than a little frazzled for a variety of reasons.

It was Yang who greeted the two Huntresses as they climbed down the ladder, sealing the hatch behind them.

"We saw that nevermore take off like a bat out of hell," she commented inquisitively. "You must have given it a real thrashing."

Ruby shook her head as she and Weiss hurried past her to the front of the cockpit.

"We'll explain the rest of the details later," Ruby said. "Right now, we need to get to Atlas before any more Grimm show up."

Yang nodded. "Amen to that. I didn't even think nevermores could fly this high. I mean, don't they need to breathe?"

"Evidently not," Ruby shrugged, sucking in lungfuls of sweet, sweet oxygen. "Also, Pyrrha was there, like I expected. She looked even worse than before. Almost like she was part-Grimm."

Yang frowned, resting her hands on her hips. "That's gonna break lover-boy's heart even more."

Ruby shook her head in despair. "I don't even know what to say to him about all this…"

While the two sisters were conversing, Weiss had been inspecting the damage readings from the ship's instruments, and trying to see what was still working.

"Okay, we've still got primary power," she explained after pushing a series of buttons on the dashboard to toggle her readout. "But we're down to about 20% thrust capacity. We're barely staying afloat. We _might_ be able to drift our way back to Atlas, but unless someone wants to get out and push…"

A beeping green indicator light began flashing on the console, interrupting Weiss' diagnosis, which she leaned in to press, bringing up a static-ridden image of an Atlas soldier's visage.

"Shuttle P-279, we have you on our scanners," the officer's voice sounded, audio choppy and broken through the damaged comm system. "Please confirm your status."

Weiss immediately thumbed the radio control.

"Flight Control, this is Weiss Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company," she announced clearly and calmly. "Our ship has sustained serious damage, and we require a tow back to the Atlas Airbase. If you could send out a tug-boat to come and get us, your services would be greatly appreciated."

"Understood ma'am," the officer responded curtly, though his voice was still distorted by static. "Tugboat's on its way now. Uh…I have that shuttle issued out to _Winter_ Schnee of Atlas Special Forces, ma'am."

Weiss nodded politely. "I'm currently borrowing this vessel from my sister."

The officer seemed unsure of what to make of that. "Uh, alright ma'am. Just so you know, the General's probably going to have some questions for you about that."

Weiss glanced back at her fellow teammates. Jaune and Ren were slowly coming back around, Black and Yang seemed genuinely concerned, and Ruby met her gaze with a worried look in her eyes.

Weiss simply smiled.

"That won't be a problem," she nodded. "We have some questions for him as well…"


	33. Chapter 33

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 33

* * *

Neo watched attentively as Cinder set down the small but ornate hand mirror onto the long table in what used to be the student dining area. The mirror, she knew of course, was so much more than a mere accessory. With these artifacts, Cinder had been able to keep tabs on a number of her agents flung to the farthest reaches of Remnant from the comfort of their newly acquired base of operations in the ruins of Beacon Academy. While Cinder had been making a point of making herself at home in all the Huntsmen's former accommodations out of spite, this was the location she tended to favor when receiving visitors. Both walls and most of the ceiling had been blown out in the attack, and the dim overcast sky overhead could be seen from where the two ladies stood, as a gentle breeze whipped at their clothes.

While Cinder's face was expressionless, Neo could feel the anger swelling within her through her aura. She had the presence of mind to take a cautious step back, before Cinder placed a single hand beneath the edge of the table.

With a single motion, Cinder flipped the massive piece of furniture into the air with a grunt of displeasure, causing it to spin wildly, sending the hand-mirror flying off into a corner of the room. There was a bright orange burn mark where she had laid her hand on the table, which quickly spread to the entire wooden frame, and before the table even hit the floor, it had disintegrated into a million pieces.

Neo flinched at the outburst, but otherwise manage to keep her cool.

"Oooh," came a male voice from just beyond the entrance of the dining hall. "Somebody doesn't look happy…"

Cinder threw a withering look at Mercury as he strolled casually into the ruined dining hall, picking up the discarded hand-mirror and returning it to her with a twirl in his hand.

"You dropped something…" he offered.

Cinder snatched the tiny Shadowglass out of the young man's hand and fixed him with a scowl.

"Mercury," she chewed on his name like it was an expletive. "So nice of you to join us. Do you know who I was speaking to just now?"

Mercury shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I haven't the foggiest idea, ma'am."

Cinder bared her teeth just the tiniest bit as she held up the handheld Shadowglass.

" _That_ was our benefactor…" she said, patiently. " _I_ just had to explain to her _why_ our plans had been set back _an entire month_ due to the White Fang's premature actions in Mistral."

Mercury's deadpan expression did not change. "That's what you get for trusting in a bunch of revolutionaries, I guess."

Cinder did not look amused. Neo was looking between the two of them like she was waiting for a fight to break out at any moment.

"Mercury…" she continued. "Could you kindly explain something for me please?"

He gave her curious look. "And what's that?"

Cinder shook her head sadly as she laid a hand across Mercury's shoulder.

"Please tell me…" she asked sweetly. "Why oh why, dear Mercury, did you feel the need to share your findings of that Faunus girl with our friend in the White Fang? You're a _smart_ boy…you _must_ have known how he would react once he learned about his long lost friend."

Mercury did not seem phased by her intimidating presence. It was unclear whether or not it was merely a brave face, or if he actually felt as cocky as he let on.

"Just following orders, ma'am," Mercury said innocently. "You told me to provide him with whatever he needed. And he seemed pretty fixated on that girl of his. Seemed unfair to keep something like that a secret."

"That wasn't your decision to make, Mercury," Cinder's voice was like honey as she continued to stroke his shoulder. "You should have contacted me first."

"With what?" Mercury asked. "That White Fang nut job had the only means of communication."

"Don't give me that excuse," Cinder clicked her tongue in disappointment. "There are a million ways you could have procured the mirror from his possession. You were either too lazy, or too stupid to do so. Either way, thanks to your incompetence, we may lose Atlas."

Mercury held his hands up guiltily. "Sorry, ma'am. Won't happen again."

"It better not, Mercury…" she said pointedly, her hand lifting up to stroke his cheek.

Before he could react, she had seized him by the hair on the back of his head. All at once, she was ablaze in a golden aura, her eyes alight with power. The strength in her grip was monstrous, and Mercury was abruptly brought to his knees as his head was yanked backwards with a painful yank. Suddenly he didn't appear so cocky anymore, as he reached up to grab hold of her arm, trying futilely to free himself.

"One more mistake like that…" Cinder looked down at him with open hostility. "…And it will be your last."

She let him struggle for a few moments longer while she continued to look down at him, with Neo watching the scene unfold with trepidation.

"Is that understood?" Cinder purred as Mercury continued to writhe within her grip.

Mercury quickly nodded, wincing in pain from her grip on the back of his head. "Y-Yes ma'am!"

"Good…" Cinder breathed as she released him, her aura fading back down to nothingness.

Mercury fell to his knees, clutching the back of his head in relief, gasping for breath.

"Now then…" Cinder continued as he looked up at her. "I have a new assignment for you…"

Mercury slowly got back to his feet, fixing her with an uneasy expression as she held out the small hand-sized Shadowglass for the room's occupants to see.

Through the mirror, a scene unfolded. A lone woman, clad in the armor like that of a Huntress, colored in green and scarlet, who wielded a staff with a single red jewel embellished atop. The woman was surrounded by all manner of Grimm, easily numbering in the dozens, and yet she seemed none too concerned.

Within moments, she rose into the air, surrounded by a whirlwind of power. Lighting thundered around her and rain began to pour down, and the droplets of water in the air becoming her very weapons as they began to whirl around in a tempest of destruction. Every Grimm within sight was caught up in the small hurricane that was forming, as they were lifted off the ground and shredded into ribbons by the maelstrom of magical power.

Mercury wrinkled his nose, casting a brief glance towards Neo, who seemed unimpressed by the demonstration.

"We're going after another one?" Mercury asked.

Cinder nodded slowly. "She's been sighted in the Mistralian countryside, helping as many poor unfortunate souls as she can. Start your search near the remains of the Kingdom, and find the largest pocket of survivors from the attack. That is where she will most likely be."

She fixed Mercury with a look that bespoke no argument.

"You are to find her," she instructed carefully, handing him the small Shadowglass. "You are to _contact_ me when you do. And then you will track while you await my arrival. And then…we shall acquire her."

Mercury took the hand-mirror, looking at it uncertainly. "Stealth's not exactly my forte, you know."

Cinder smiled. "That's why you're _both_ going."

Neo blinked in surprise, before giving Mercury an awkward glance.

Mercury just sighed. "Great…"

Cinder waved them off dismissively.

"You have your orders," she said bluntly. "Be off with you both…"

Exchanging another sideways glance at one another, Neo and Mercury both stepped out of the dining hall.

After they departed, Cinder let out a sigh as she ventured back upstairs to the remains of Ozpin's office. It was a length trek without the use of the elevator, but it was one that gave her ample time to ponder the scenario that had been presented to her. Not only had she been forced to reorganized her game plan due to the impulsive nature of the White Fang, but it had taken her far too long to draw out another of the Guardians. It was no surprise that they would appear in the face of calamity, but that they could remain so secluded until such time was a feat in and of itself.

She arrived to the find the Shadowglass, and her now far more taciturn centurion bound within. The young woman stood, clad in iron and bone, still and upright, standing at attention like a stone golem. Perched overhead, gazing down at them forebodingly was the great red nevermore, its wings tucked in as it loomed, silent and stark.

"And how are you faring, my pet?" Cinder asked coyly.

Pyrrha remained as silent as the dead, her bone-white armor and Grimm mask invoking a far more expressive visage than she was now even capable of making.

Cinder sighed in disappointment. It was far less entertaining to keep the former student Huntress in this form. While her consciousness still lingered just below the surface, it would be stifled and concealed, as though she were locked in an eternal slumber. She had about as much to offer a conversation as any other Grimm did as she was now.

Cinder glanced up at the nevermore, a special breed of Grimm that had been developed for a special purpose. It was intelligent enough to ride and follow orders, of course, but far more important was its ability to keep watch.

And it hadn't made so much as a peep since it had returned from its latest foray.

"Where are you hiding, Ozpin?" Cinder mouthed out loud. "You have to show your face sometime…"

It had been sometime since she had twisted her prisoner into a creature of Grimm, but still Ozpin refused to show himself. It was entirely possible, Cinder realized, that the old man could sense what had been done to Pyrrha from whatever hermitage in which he now dwelled. It made no matter - he was powerless to affect the outcome anymore. Just as the prisoner herself was now powerless to resist her.

One variable remained, however. One that was proving to be more and more difficult to contain.

"Show me what you see…" Cinder commanded to the Shadowglass.

Pyrrha's shape disappeared from view, as the glass once again reflected Cinder's face back at her. Above her, the nevermore's four red eyes began to glow a dim red hue as it connected to the Shadowglass. Then the mirror became clouded once more, and Cinder was presented with a scene not unlike the one that had played out before her during Vale's final days. Through the eyes of the great red nevermore, she could see the lone warrior as she defended her friends atop the diminutive airship, a scene that had transpired scant hours ago. A tiny young Huntress, no more than a child, whose eyes suddenly shone with the brilliance of the moon, reducing the mighty Grimm into a squabbling beast. It was a power not unlike the Fall Maiden's power in its appearance, but also unique in its own way.

Who this girl was, Cinder hadn't a clue. She had access to her school records, but aside from her name and her parentage, nothing of importance was contained therein. Her uncle Qrow was already on her wanted list for a variety of reasons. She had considered going after the girl's father, but if the girl's power was anything like the Maidens, she had a suspicion that this would be a waste of effort. She had pressed her Master for answers, but she had not been forthcoming. This, more than anything, is what concerned Cinder. She was a creature of meticulous control, and this…silver-eyed Huntress…represented a variable that should could neither predict nor contend with. And if Salem could not - or would not - give Cinder the answers she sought, then there was only one other who could.

"Ozpin…" she murmured, stroking her fingers across the silver-eyed girl's reflection. "What secrets have you been hiding from me…?"


	34. Chapter 34

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 34

* * *

General Ironwood had grown so accustomed to the fast paced flow of wartime etiquette that he scarcely bothered to even look at the people he was talking to anymore.

"Yes, come in," he said absently at the sound of the knock at his office door.

His mind was fixated on the items on the computer screen in front of him. His agents positioned in Vacuo were sending him troubling reports of White Fang activity. And some had stopped reporting in entirely. To make matters worse, none of his envoys to the other two kingdoms were reporting back. Technically, Atlas had agents all over Remnant, but with the communications blackout, they could not send back reports in a timely fashion. Meanwhile, Atlas had 'officially' been sending out diplomatic parties to both Mistral and Vacuo. But many of his airships were reporting a massive number of airborn Grimm making air passage more difficult by the day. And these sightings of an enormous red nevermore were even more troubling. He was not one to believe that his envoys had been targeted by the other kingdoms when such predators loomed in the sky, but their presence was making it difficult to muster any kind of diplomatic mission that wouldn't also look like an attack force, which might very well spark a war between kingdoms, which is something that Remnant simply could not afford right now.

When the general did not look up, Winter Schnee cleared her throat.

"You summoned me, sir?" she asked politely.

Ironwood finally looked up from his computer, and saw over half a dozen figures standing just inside his door.

"Winter…" he acknowledged with a nod, looking at the other Huntsmen who now populated his office. "Yes I did…though I see you've extended my invitation to your sister – _again_ …"

He nodded politely to Weiss, who nodded back.

"…As well as her _entire_ graduating class, it would seem," he said, eying the other Huntsmen in the room.

Ruby, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Nora and Ren each offered an array of gestures by way of greeting, ranging from awkward to brazen to conservative to nonsensical.

"I made an educated guess," Winter explained. "I determined the purpose of this meeting, and I thought that these Huntsmen might offer some perspective on the matter. The seven of them were on the ground in Mistral not a day ago."

That got the general's attention as he pressed a button on his desk to lower the screen of his computer, rending his workspace flat and seamless, and steepled his fingers where he sat.

"I'm listening…" he said, attentively.

Winter turned to her sister and motioned her forward. "Go ahead, Weiss. Tell the general what you told me."

Weiss nodded, took a step forward, and clasped her hands behind her back.

"General," she kept her head held high, though her voice was laden with remorse. "The kingdom of Mistral has fallen."

Ironwood's eyes narrowed. "That can't be…we've only just now begun to receive word of the attacks…"

"The attack happened less than a day ago," Weiss explained. "The Grimm took the kingdom by storm. The kingdom was waylaid with refugees from neighboring villages, and the Grimm's numbers were far too immense to repel. The city was overwhelmed, sir. I can also confirm that…"

Weiss took a steadying breath.

"…I can also confirm that headmaster Lionheart of Haven Academy is dead."

Ironwood's eyes widened, his jaw hanging open. "Thaddeus…"

Ruby looked up, a pitying look in her eyes. "You knew him, General?"

Ironwood closed his eyes for a brief moment, before shaking his head. "It doesn't matter now. Please continue with your report, Miss Schnee."

Weiss nodded. "I don't know the status of the Mistral city council, but a number of evacuating airships made it out of the city. It's possible that one or more members of the council made it out with them."

"Then why haven't we been seeing them?" The general stood up abruptly, stepping around the desk. "We have not seen so much as a single emissary from either kingdom! If Mistral was in distress, why haven't they called to Atlas for aid!? Why aren't they sending evacuees to our city!? We're the closest kingdom by leagues!"

Yang and Weiss exchanged a troubling look.

"Because…" Weiss said, trepidation in her voice. "As of the moment Yang and I touched down within their borders…Mistral has been at war with the kingdom of Atlas."

A dark shadow fell over the general's face.

"What?" he demanded. "How is this possible?"

Winter answered on Weiss' behalf.

"The footage, General," she explained, placing her scroll onto his desk, and calling up a translucent screen to display the leaked recordings of the attack on Vale. "The Atlesian Knights were last seen opening fire on the citizens of Vale. I warned you this would cast a negative image on us."

Ironwood shook his head as he reviewed the video. He had seen it all before, but the true depth of their impact was starting to take shape in his mind.

"Yes, but surely…" he tried rationalizing. "Surely the Mistralian Council wouldn't be so hasty as to declare _war_ …not without sending an envoy to ascertain the truth first!"

"The Grimm have been dominating the skies," Yang offered. "It's likely that any envoys sent – to or from the kingdom – would have been destroyed before they made landfall. Even _we_ were set upon before we could reach Atlas, and _we_ were in a small shuttle craft, easy to miss. The Grimm could have _easily_ spotted and swarmed an emissary convoy."

"And when none of their emissaries made it back," Weiss finished. "Mistral would have assumed the worst."

Ironwood massaged the bridge of his nose. "So the evacuating ships from Mistral…"

"Will all have likely set course for Vacuo," Yang said sullenly. "Any with insufficient fuel who sought to seek asylum with Atlas would have likely been brought down by the Grimm."

"Sir, this is a setup," Weiss interjected. "Whoever's controlling the Grimm is deliberately setting them upon key points of the map in order to sabotage any chance of the kingdoms reaching any kind of accord with one another. They're trying to divide us and get us fighting amongst ourselves!"

"And they're succeeding," Yang added morbidly.

Ironwood crossed his arms, lowering his eyes in contemplation.

"I agree…but unfortunately, we don't have adequate means of countering this tactic…" he said, before looking up. "Winter?"

The elder Schnee snapped her heels together. "Sir!"

"I want engineering to step up production on those comm buoys," he said curtly. "We're making them priority one. We need _some_ level of communication, or the enemy is going to continue to isolate the kingdoms and besiege them one at a time until none remain."

Winter saluted and turned on her heels to exit the office.

The general turned to the young Huntsmen in the room.

"Our next step will be send a well-armed and defensible emissary to Vacuo, one that can't simply be picked off by a swarm of Grimm," he explained. "We need to do this before the citizens of Mistral can spread any misinformation about Atlas to the Vacuan council."

This didn't seem to sit well with the young Huntsmen.

"And how will Vacuo react when it sees the full might of Atlas arriving in force at its front door like it did with Vale?" Yang demanded.

Ironwood crossed his arms. "It's not the ideal move, but we've run out of alternatives. The headmistress of Shade Academy is a friend of mine. She won't let the council go to war so easily."

"Are you willing to bet the future of Remnant on that chance?" Yang put her hands on her hips.

"You have a better suggestion?" the general asked, dubiously.

"I might," Ruby volunteered. "When we were working for Professor Lionheart, we were sent out to the surrounding villages to help with the evacuation of the people in the Mistralian countryside. It's…more than likely that the same thing is happening in Vacuo. They would _really_ benefit from the help of the Atlesian fleet. You could help the Vacuan refugees and ferry them to the walls of the kingdom. That way, when you arrive, everyone will see you as the good guys."

Yang wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulders. "That's not a bad plan, Ruby."

Ruby smiled cheekily.

"One problem," Ironwood said. "The Vacuan countryside isn't exactly _small_. It spans for league upon league of untilled desert land, with few resources or outposts to resupply. My ships would be spread far too thin to cover all that ground in any reasonable fashion, not without risking an attack by the Grimm. If they've been taking out our emissaries, then there's no reason to think they'd give our relief vessels any further quarter."

" _We_ made it through," Ruby shrugged. "Why not man your relief vessels with Huntsmen defenders? It's their job to take on creatures of Grimm."

The general massaged his forehead. "We _need_ our Huntsmen to defend our own borders! With the collapse of our mechanized troops, Atlesian Huntsmen represent our _only_ defense against the Grimm! I won't endanger the lives of _my_ citizens, even if means helping the citizens of Vacuo. I'm sorry young lady, but that's simply not going to happen."

Ruby shook her head. "General, we _need_ to stand together. The kingdom of Atlas _needs_ an alliance with Vacuo, or both kingdoms are going to share in the fate of Vale and Mistral before them."

"I know it's a risk, General," Weiss commented. "But Atlas isn't exactly in the best diplomatic position right now. We need to be the ones to extend the olive branch _first_ before we can expect any support from Vacuo."

"And that's not everything…" Blake spoke up.

Everyone turned to look at her. She had been keeping silent up until this point, probably out of a desire not to draw attention to herself as a Faunus. This must have been important.

"There are still refugees in the Mistralian countryside that never made it to the evacuation aircraft," she said quietly. "They're probably scattered like mice by now. Perhaps a handful of Huntsmen are with them, but they're still on their own out there. Right now, we could be their only hope of survival."

Ironwood let out a sigh. "So you want me to divert even _more_ of my airships?"

"There's also a resistance of student Huntsmen forming in the ruins of Vale," Blake shook her head, lifted eyes head to meet the general's gaze. "Professor Goodwitch is leading them."

Ironwood's eyes softened. "Glynda…"

Blake nodded. "The last time I saw them was over a week ago. I don't know how much longer they can hold out."

The general rubbed his eyes. What he was about to say was clearly bringing him great pain.

"Glynda's one of the greatest Huntresses I've ever known," he said somberly. "If anyone can hold out in this situation, she can."

Blake narrowed her eyes. "And the Mistralian refugees? Are you simply going to write them off?"

Ironwood set his jaw. "I'm sorry young lady, but securing an alliance with Vacuo is our top priority. We cannot fight a war on two fronts. The resistance and the refugees will simply have to hold on for as long as they can. Once we've re-established lines of communication with Vacuo, then we can coordinate our efforts to send rescue teams to Mistral _and_ to Vale. That's the best I can do, I'm afraid."

Yang jutted her thumb back at herself. "Well, then let us help you with that."

The general clasped his hands behind his back. "Does that mean you're ready to formalize your enlistment, Miss Xiao-Long?"

She nodded. "I am. And I'm prepared to sweeten the deal."

"Oh?" Ironwood raised an eyebrow.

Ruby stepped forward, clasping her hands before waist. "We've discussed it amongst ourselves, and we've decided that we should _all_ enlist with Atlas. We were helping Professor Lionheart before, but…"

She lowered her eyes.

"But we can't help him anymore," she muttered. "Atlas and Vacuo are the only kingdoms left standing right now. So…"

Ruby set her jaw, giving him a determined look.

"So as long as Atlas' goals are to ally with Vacuo and provide aid to the people of Vale and Mistral…then we're with you, General!"

All seven Huntsmen and Huntresses straightened their back and stood at attention.

"We're _all_ with you," she nodded.

Ironwood took in a breath. "Seven student Huntsmen and Huntresses against the forces of the Grimm."

An amused smiled crossed his face.

"The enemy doesn't a chance," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Damn straight," Yang slammed her mechanical fist into her hand. "You'd be surprised what we could accomplish together."

The general let out a breath.

"I must make one stipulation, however," he said, a twinge of regret in his voice. "I cannot accept the enlistment of Weiss Schnee."

Weiss' eyes flew open as the entire team stiffened in disbelief.

"What!?" she demanded.

"My hands are tied in this regard," Ironwood shrugged helplessly. "The Schnee Dust company is Atlas' primary dust supplier. Tensions with the company were stretched high enough when Winter enlisted. I fear that if his youngest daughter were to enlist as well, President Schnee would not take too kindly to it. I cannot afford to make an enemy of the president, not now."

As the young Huntsmen each exchanged troubled glances, Weiss gritted her teeth, before turning on her heel to march straight out the door.

"We'll just see about that!" she huffed.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out. "Where are you going!?"

"To go talk to my father," she said simply without pausing. "It's time that I settled things with him…"


	35. Chapter 35

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 35

* * *

The small village outside the kingdom of Mistral, which had been dubbed Havensfall by its inhabitants, was receiving incoming refugees by the day. The Huntsmen and Huntresses who organized and guided the small but bustling encampment were attacking the job of organizing everything in the village with courage and with zeal, and were actually managing to keep spirits up in spite of the catastrophe that had befallen its occupants.

Courage and zeal alone, however, did not feed empty bellies. Food was becoming more and more scarce as the Grimm overran the surrounding countryside. Animals of all kinds fled in fear, or were killed and devoured in their entirety, leaving less and less game for the village hunters to catch. The Grimm had also had a withering effect on much of the surrounding vegetation, leaving little to forage in the way of food or medicinal herbs.

Resources were growing scarce. The rations that had been brought along from Mistral were bolstering the village's needs, but only barely. It would not be more than a few weeks before they had completely run out of food.

Then one day, one last surviving Huntress had arrived – at least, everyone had assumed she was a Huntress – which was a rarity in and of itself. Skilled Huntsmen were highly in demand, as most of those that guarded Havensfall were inexperienced students from Haven academy. This one wielded a bejeweled staff, and gave her name as Vera, but none of the Huntsmen knew anything about her, or had ever seen her before.

On that day, the fields in and around Havensfall came into full blossom almost overnight. Fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, and a host of medicinal plants and trees. A full crop was harvested at the end of the first day, and by the second day, the crops were entirely replenished and ready to be harvested once more.

It was heralded as a miracle by the villagers, and had the Huntsmen stumped as to how they could have turned up such an unprecedented bounty, given the dire straits they were in. Many of the villagers believed that this new Huntress had brought good fortune with her, but Vera had insisted that she was merely passing through, and had stopped at the village to help protect against the Grimm.

Not everyone was convinced.

"Man, I have _never_ eaten so well in my life!" Sun exclaimed as he hopped up to the top of the watch-tower to join his teammates.

It was a simple wooden platform on top of simple wooden struts suspended about forty feet in the air or so at the center of the village, a thatched roof over top to provide shelter from rain. Many of the student Huntsmen teams took turns on the tower, keeping their eyes out in all four directions.

"You'd never guess we were in the middle of a crisis!" Sun grinned as he deposited an armful of apples onto the floor of the watchtower, before holding one out to his partner. "Apple?"

Neptune held his hands up at the proffered fruit. "I had plenty to eat, thanks. Still, doesn't this sudden influx of food strike anyone as a little…odd?"

He looked to Sage and Scarlet who both simply shrugged.

"I'm hardly one to look a gift horse in the mouth," Scarlet offered helplessly.

Sage remained silent with his arms crossed, keeping his eyes on the horizon.

"Crops don't just grow like this, guys!" Neptune pointed out. "Especially not in parched soil that's infested with Grimm! And _no_ known species of plant has _ever_ been known to bear fruit again and again each day after harvest!"

"Neptune, relax!" Sun assured him with a pat on the back. "Even if all the crops suddenly wither and die tomorrow, we've already stored enough food to feed everyone here for at least a month, two easily!"

"There's got to be some sort of catch though!" Neptune held his arms out in bafflement. "What if the plants are mutated? Or toxic? What if we all turn into plant people by eating them or something!?"

Scarlet and Sage exchanged an odd glance, before shaking their heads.

"If they were bad for us, we would have started showing signs of illness by now," Sun reasoned, patting his friend on the back. "Besides, this all started happening after that Huntress lady showed up. Who knows? Maybe she's got a semblance that lets plants grow extra fast or something."

Neptune crossed his arms, raising his eyebrow dubiously. "That sounds mighty close to rationalization there, buddy."

Sun threw his arms up. "Okay, I give up. Nothing I say to you is gonna satisfy that skeptical numbskull head of yours, man. All I know is that we've got a lot of people to take care of, and we need a lot of food in order to do that, and we just so happened to come across a whole butt-load of food…"

Neptune raised an eyebrow.

"…Right when we really needed it…" Sun continued "…With…no visible cause or explanation…"

Neptune pursed his lips, expectantly.

Sun let out a sigh. "Okay, you're right, when I say it like that, it really _does_ sound suspicious. Wow, my brain just pulled a total one-eighty there. Is this what it feels like to be _you_ all the time?"

Neptune shook his head. "I doubt it, but you're getting there."

Sun leaned against the wooden railing, his other teammates having long since tuned them both out.

"Still, there's really no point in worrying about it if there's nothing we can do about it," he said dismissively. "I mean what else are we supposed to do? Not eat?"

"Guys," Sage interrupted before Neptune could reply. "Hate to break up your little epistemological debate, but we've got incoming."

The two young men looked up from their bickering and looked out upon the open field surrounding the village of Havensfall. Beyond the line of crops that were growing more plentiful by the day stood three rows of barricades erected by the Huntsmen to deter attacking Grimm. And beyond the barricades lay the setting sun off in the distance, and as Sun and Neptune peered off into the distant plains, shielding their eyes from the orangered light, they could see a cloud of dust being kicked up, signaling the approach of a large group of running creatures.

This only meant one thing to the boys.

Scarlet grabbed the rope of a large, brass bell that had been salvages from the remains of a clock-tower that had come down when the village was first attack, which now served as an alarm bell for the entire encampment.

"Incoming Grimm!" the redhead shouted, his voice carrying across the entire village as he rang the bell loudly over and over again. "Western approach! Incoming Grimm from the western approach!"

The other three team members sprang into action, sliding down the ladder into the center of the village and rushing towards the western gate. Already, people were scurrying to their safe houses, as other Huntsmen and Huntresses grabbed their weapons and began to hurry towards the gate as well. Scarlet remained on the watchtower, ringing the bell for a full minute, while patrols remained at the other three gates in order to sound the alarm in the event of a pincer attack, while the bulk of the Huntsmen, mostly students, some thirty in total, made their way out to meet the marauding Grimm.

Sun, Sage and Neptune were at the head of the charge, being the first responders, weapons at the ready. Their aim was to meet the Grimm as far from the village as possible while the rest of the Huntsmen divided into two groups, one to join the fighting far afield, the rest to form a defensive line to catch any Grimm that managed to slip past the offensive, and to bolster their numbers if need be.

Sun didn't catch sight of Vera amongst the offensive charge. She must have taken to the rear guard, or even remained as a spotter at one of the gates. Something inside of him told him that this was probably for the best. If she really was responsible for all this wild growth, there no point in risking such a valuable asset on what otherwise appeared to be a typical skirmish, he reasoned.

He made a mental note to find her and speak with her after this, as the horde of Grimm came into view.

It appeared to be a fairly large group, roughly forty strong, but mostly composed of creeps and smaller ursi and beowolves. No flying types either. But now that they were in closer proximity, Sun noticed one little detail that would likely complicate matters.

There was a man and a woman running ahead of the charging line of Grimm, their hands clasped as the man seemed to be leading the woman, who appeared to be flagging from exhaustion. They were dressed in raggedy cloaks, and the Grimm were almost upon as they fled.

Sun cursed under his breath as he looked to his two other teammates, who seemed to have noticed the civilians as well.

"Neptune, give me some covering fire!" Sun shouted. "Sage, get behind the civilians as soon as you can! I'm going in!"

Sun clasped his hands together, sending out two golden aura clones into the fray, each one leaping towards one of the civilians. Clasping hold of them, the two clones leaped back in the direction of the approaching Huntsmen team, easily clearing over them, landing to the ground and disappearing, the two civilians tumbling to the ground, but out of harm's way.

Sun opened his eyes just in time to see a beowolf leaping towards him. He tried to get his staff up in time, but was saved as a massive broadsword cleaved the flying Grimm in twain.

Sun ducked under the airborne hunks of disintegrating Grimm as they sailed over his head, before returning to a defensive stance, giving Sage a cheeky smile.

"Nice save!" he commented.

Sage nodded, and the two of them stood side by side, while Neptune stepped in from behind, shooting down incoming Grimm until they were almost upon them, and he transfigured his gun into its guandao form, and the three of them met the oncoming horde, the civilians at their back slowly crawling to their feet and the Huntsmen still catching up.

Sun met the first Grimm that came upon him with the end of his bo staff jammed into its face from behind his back like a cue stick. The impact sent the ursa tumbling backwards into the beowolf behind it, making them easy pickings for Sage's sword. Meanwhile, Neptune was making short work of two creeps that were making their way up from either side.

"On your left!" Neptune cried, taking out the Grimm on the right flank.

Sage slammed his sword down on the creep that was making its way towards them.

BOOM!

"That got it," Neptune commented.

As the Grimm began to swarm them, Sun split his bo staff, letting them form into gun-chaku form for close quarters combat.

"Fall back!" he called out as the Grimm began to come at them from all sides, his guns firing wildly. "Don't let them get behind us! Protect the civilians!"

Sun tensed as he surveyed the situation. The two refugees still hadn't gotten their wits about them, from the look of things. Sage's sword and Neptune's guandao weren't suited for tight formations, which is what was bound to happen if they were rushed again. As long as they kept the Grimm at a distance, they could hold this formation, but if they were flanked, Sun would have the only viable weapon.

It was too bad they'd left Scarlet behind, he though idly.

Just a few moments later, however, the rest of the Huntsmen arrived. The rush of charging fighters came upon like a storm of gunfire and thrown weapons, rendering the nearest Grimm into a black mist.

After that it wasn't even a battle. In a torrent of whirling blades and death, the Grimm were destroyed in a matter of minutes, a few Huntsmen even taking the time to escort the refugees out of harm's way.

Before long, the battle was over.

"Whew!" Sun sighed as the three of them recovered their breath, the cheers of victorious Huntsmen erupting around them. "That was a little closer than I thought it would be!"

"Next time, I stay behind to ring the bell," Neptune volunteered.

"Oh, so what, you'd rather get the easy job while the rest of us go off and risk our butts?" Sun retorted, comically.

"Oh, let me think about that…" Neptune pondered sarcastically. "Um…how about _yes!?_ "

Sun smirked and clapped him on the back.

"Better luck next time then," he joked as they turned to head back to Havensfall. "Scarlet's always been a little quicker on the draw than you."

Neptune crossed his arms, grumbling incoherently.

"Come on, you two," Sage placed his hands over their shoulders consolingly. "Let's get back to the village before it gets dark out."

Sun just laughed, but as he and his team began walking, his eyes were drawn to something off in the crowd.

He saw Vera, her green and rosy armor gleaming in the setting sun, her pale saffron hair sunny and wistful even in the dusky haze. She was speaking with the two travelers that they had just rescued, and were walking slowly in the direction towards the village along with the rest of the Huntsmen.

Something was nagging at Sun in the pit of his stomach, and he broke away from his two teammates as he quickened his pace.

"Hey, I'm going to go on ahead, guys," he called back to them. "Catch up with you later."

Sun left his two friends pondering while he slowly approached the trio he had spotted earlier, walking just close enough to hear what they were saying.

"Seriously, we can't thank you enough, ma'am!" the man was saying, still sounding like he was out of breath. "We heard there was a safe haven out here, and we thought we could make it on foot, but those Grimm started chasing us the moment we broke cover! We barely escaped with our lives!"

Vera had a sympathetic and congenial smile on her face, the kind of smile designed to sooth and comfort any ache.

"Rest easy now, both of you," she said, sweetly. Her voice was like honeydew nectar. "You're safe now."

The two travelers hadn't removed their cloaks yet, so Sun still couldn't see what they looked like. He would have to get closer, he realized, and began to make his way around them to give them a wide berth while slowly getting a vantage point while keeping pace with them, just within earshot, but far enough away not to draw attention.

"My name is Grey," the man continued. "This is my sister, Poly. We're from a village south of the kingdom. The village was attacked more than three weeks ago. We were camped outside of the kingdom, waiting to get in when the Grimm attacked the city! That's when everyone started running! We fled as fast as we could, but we didn't have anywhere to go!"

The man's voice was panicked and contrite, Sun noted. Almost too much so.

"I'm Vera," the woman replied. "You and your sister are both welcome at Havensfall, Mister Grey. There's plenty of room for you both."

Sun stepped up his pace to try to overtake them. He was at least twenty feet away, and there was ambient chatter all around them from the other Huntsmen as they made their way back to the village. He could just barely catch a glimpse under the travelers' hoods.

"Is everything alright, dear?" Vera asked, peering at the girl's face under her hood. "You're safe from the Grimm now. Everything's going to be fine."

Sun inhaled sharply when he finally saw their faces. He didn't quite recognize the girl's face; she had black hair and black eyes and a cherubic set to her jaw. But the man's face, while smudged with dirt and grime, was still familiar to him. Sun had definitely seen him before…but where?

"I'm afraid you'll have to excuse my sister," the man said softly. "She hasn't said a word since the attack. I think she's had trouble dealing with all the trauma."

Then it hit him! He was one of the participants during the Vytal festival! The one Yang had fought and injured! Mercury, if he recalled correctly. Sun hadn't quite gotten the complete story about the incident at the tournament. He didn't want to assume anything about his friend Yang, but while he supposed enough time had gone by for a broken leg to heal, why would Mercury be here now, under a false name? He had been a student Huntsman, hadn't he? He should be helping with the crisis, not cowering amongst the villagers.

Why try to hide it?

"Oh, you poor dear," Vera said sympathetically. "I'll take you to see the village healer as soon as we get there. I'm sure everything will be fine. You'll see."

Sun was about to approach the group to ask them some questions, but he hesitated, thinking over his suspicions.

Come to think of it, Mercury _had_ been from Haven according to the official record, so it made sense for him to be in the Mistral area. He probably could have even originally come from one of the surrounding villages. And as traumatic as the events at Beacon had been following the tournament, Sun supposed he could understand someone wanting to get away from all that, even going so far as to leave the kingdom and return to their home village, and even change their identity in order to stay off the radar. It may have been a cowardly or self-serving thing to do, but it could hardly be labelled as suspicious behavior.

Sun shook his head as he slowed his pace and let the group move away from him. Neptune was rubbing off on him too much these days, he thought. He was getting more paranoid by the day, jumping at things that weren't even there. Though he supposed that could have just been because of everything they'd all been through. Still, it wasn't a good idea to jump to outlandish conclusions.

"Did anyone else from your village make it out?" Vera asked, her voice beginning to slip into the background as Sun veered away from them.

"Our eldest sister," Mercury said, sounding as earnest as ever. "We got separated, but I'm sure she's still out there. With any luck, she'll be arriving any day now."

"Well," Vera smiled wistfully. "I certainly hope she does."


	36. Chapter 36

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 36

* * *

The many, many attendants, pages, doormen, guards and other help staff at the Schnee Dust Company headquarters knew the members of the Schnee household on sight.

They all knew President Schnee, of course. His signature was on all their paychecks, and as was expected of a multi-billion lien conglomerate like the SDC, the buck truly did stop right at his desk. His word was law in the SDC, and none dared to speak up about the manner in which he did business, but all knew exactly how shady his dealings were.

The staff knew Winter Schnee as well, as she had passed through on a number of official meetings with her father on behalf of the Atlesian Military. She had already made quite a name for herself as a Special Operative, as well as having well-earned the moniker of "Ice Queen." Many in the company dared whisper as to how stunning she was, though few would ever admit to it in broad daylight.

At that moment, however, the member of the family who was making the most severe impression by far was the youngest sibling, one Weiss Schnee, who was marching clear past every single security guard, doorman and attendee in the building without so much as a sideways glance. There was a determined set to her jaw, and she strode with confidence and pride as only a Schnee could. Her destination was the president's office, and there was not a single member of the staff brave enough to try to deter her.

Whispers had been going round of course, and she would have to have been deaf not to hear them. She had been missing for some time, and rumors had been going around that she had been kidnapped for ransom or perhaps even killed by some radical group in order to set an example of some sort. The fear of what reprisal may arise from someone who was strong willed enough to come back from any such attempt without so much as a hair out of place was partly what deterred anyone from stopping her or asking her to wait until her father was ready to see her.

Weiss was determined. She would see her father _now_ , and there was nothing that would be stopping her.

"I understand, Director."

William Eisenhardt Schnee, president of the Schnee Dust Company, was speaking to a holographic projection of an elderly man in a white lab coat, white hair and a white beard. The president was standing at the center of a well-lit office, with a ceiling that stretched over twenty feet high with tall, wide floor-to-ceiling windows lining the entirety of the back wall overlooking the city. Everything in the room appeared to be either be made of glass or brushed stainless steel. Even his desk, upon which the holographic display of various readouts, reports and visual references were visible, was made of sheer glass.

The Atlesian Citadel, the shining skyscraper that was the beating heart of Atlas' military and Huntsman academy, was visible across town, the only structure in the city that stood higher than the SDC tower. Airships dotted the sky, and the bustle of the city below could be seen even from this height through the expansive window.

The man himself stood tall and regal in a suit of purest white, a blue collared shirt underneath, and a red handkerchief adorning his left breast pocket. His white hair was matched only by his white mustache. Silver buttons lined his tailored suit, a silver ring adorned his finger, and a simple polished steel cane rested against the desk at his side.

"Just get it done as soon as you can," the president of the SDC said clearly to the projection of the elderly man. "I…"

President Schnee turned as his office doors suddenly slid open, and Weiss marched through, followed by a secretary with platinum blonde hair in a white business suit stumbling hastily after her. The secretary looking frightful of the president's scorn and completely powerless to stop the young woman from entering.

"Uhh…Miss Weiss Schnee to see you, sir…" the secretary offered helplessly.

William took one look at his daughter, who stood with her fists clenched at her side, and her rapier at her hip, before he turned to his holo-call.

"I'm going to have to call you back, Director," he said bluntly, thumbing a red button on his desk, terminating the transmission, the hologram disappearing.

"Father…" Weiss mouthed the words like they were an unfamiliar term. "We need to talk."

"Clearly…" her father said, before turning to the agitated secretary, standing just within the door. "Opal, would you give us the room? And put a hold on _all_ of my calls until I say otherwise."

The secretary looked relieved and nodded her head. "Sir."

She practically fled through the open door, sealing it behind her.

President Schnee took a slow, cleansing breath, before clearing his throat.

"Well then…" he said, his expression unreadable. "The last I saw of you, you were still adding an overabundance of nobility to one of the civilian triage units. The next thing I heard was that you had terminated your assignment there, and had not been seen by anyone since. I also happened to learn that your _sister_ had requisitioned an Atlas shuttle for her personal use, a shuttle which also has not been seen since your disappearance."

He clasped his hands behind his back, turning away to look out the window.

"I've got shareholders breathing down my neck with this Grimm crisis on the rise, as well as the Atlesian military stepping up production of Atlas Tech in response, and the demand for dust in this kingdom has _never_ been higher," he intoned, matter of factly. "Tensions are at an all-time high, and this company _cannot_ afford another financial misstep, much less the PR crisis that would result from unfettered family matters going public."

He turned to stare at his youngest daughter, the veins in his forehead beginning to show.

"In the midst of all this," he growled, "The last thing in the world that _I_ need is to be worried _sick_ that my youngest daughter might, for all I know, have been kidnapped by the White Fang and locked up in some disease-riddled hole in the middle of Heaven knows where!"

Weiss did not flinch as he slammed the palms of his hands upon his desk.

"So tell me, my dear," he said with scarcely restrained impatience. "Would you _deign_ to explain to me where exactly you've _been_ for the last few days?"

Weiss offered her father an incredulous look, placing her hand over her heart.

"Where have I _been?_ " she demanded incredulously, repeating his words. " _I've_ been in a Mistralian prison cell! Did you _know_ that the kingdom of Mistral was _at war_ with Atlas!? _I_ certainly didn't! I doubt anyone in the entire city knows!"

William narrowed his eyes. "I am in no mood for jokes, young lady. You would be wise not to test my patience right now."

"It's no joke, father," Weiss replied, hands on her hips. "But that's not even why I'm here. I'm here because the kingdom of Mistral has been utterly decimated! It was besieged by the creatures of Grimm, and now lies in _ruin!_ "

Weiss' father straightened his back, his eyes widening. "My word…you're quite serious, aren't you?"

"I'm afraid so," Weiss shook her head. "This crisis affects far more than your stockholders' portfolios, father. The entire world of Remnant is at risk! If something isn't done, then I fear Vacuo or even Atlas itself may share in the fate of our neighboring kingdoms."

"The entire kingdom of Mistral?" William shook his head in disbelief. "How could this be? None of the supply ships I ever sent that way have ever returned."

"It's the Grimm, father!" Weiss exclaimed. "They wiped out the city, and they're attacking any large airships that get within range! They pose an _incalculable_ threat to humanity! And if the Schnee Dust Company does not do its part in this conflict, then our very kingdom may well fall!"

William wasn't even listening anymore. He had turned to stare out the rear window, placing a hand against the glass as he stared down at the city.

His city.

"Another kingdom lost…" he muttered to himself, his eyes glassing over, as if in a foggy haze. "I never thought I'd see the day…"

He shook his head, focusing his attention back on his daughter, clarity returning to him.

"And you're telling me that _you_ , my _youngest daughter_ , were right in the middle of a Grimm invasion that leveled an entire kingdom?" he demanded.

"I'm a _Huntress!_ " Weiss clenched her fists. "It's my _job_ to protect people from the creatures of Grimm! And if Atlas had been there in _force_ , we may well have saved Mistral! If we had been _at all_ prepared during the Vytal festival, we may well have saved Vale as well! But instead, we've all become divided and we squabble amongst ourselves like children! And while we do, the Grimm pick off the kingdoms like roaches!"

President Schnee clenched his hand into a fist, eyes closing, remorse visible on his face.

"How could I have let this happen…?" he asked, as if to no one.

Weiss shook her head in dismay. "Father, can't you understand? We have to _do_ something! We _both_ do!"

William opened his eyes, fixing his daughter with an irrefutable gaze.

"Oh, I understand clearly, my child," he said brusquely. "I understand that I've given you _far_ too much liberty with your actions."

Weiss' face fell. "What?"

"Moving about on your own like this?" her father said, disapproval in his voice. "Stumbling blithely into the middle of dangerous battlefields? Facing down monsters in such number? It simply will not do, young lady."

"I told you, father!" Weiss placed her hand on her chest. "I'm a _Huntress!_ "

The president shook his head. "Weiss, be _reasonable_. You were _never_ going to be a Huntress."

Weiss' eyes widened in confusion. "What!?"

"Weiss, you were always so strong willed," he said, taking a breath. "So much like your sister. But this dream you had of being a Huntress…it was never more than a dream."

"What are you talking about!?" Weiss demanded, brow narrowing in anger. "Of _course_ I'm going to become a Huntress! I'm already _well_ on my way!"

"I am sure you believed that when all this began," he reasoned. "You may even believe that now. But sooner or later, you're going to have to grow out of this phase, young lady, and realize just where it is you truly belong."

Weiss inhaled sharply. " _Excuse me!?_ "

"My dear," the president sighed. "I only allowed you to go to Beacon so that you'd have a chance to see a bit of the world, acquire some new experiences, and bring whatever training you received back home with you to Atlas so that you could apply those skills _here_. But I _never_ intended to allow _my_ youngest daughter to risk life and limb on the field of battle, and certainly not against the creatures of Grimm. I was more lenient with your sister, but you are still but a child. I am drawing the line _here._ "

Weiss' eyes flared in outrage.

"You…never intended to… _allow me!?_ " she demanded incredulously, repeating her father's words with increasing disbelief.

"I am sure this must all seem quite unfair to you right now, my dear," her father held up his hand. "But I assure you, this is only for your own good. We are in the midst of a crisis, my child, and we must look after our own, first and foremost. As such, you will not go anywhere without an armed escort from now on."

Weiss was stunned. She was absolutely speechless.

"I…I don't…" she shook her head, eyes widening in revulsion. "You simply _cannot_ be serious!"

William sighed and pressed a blue button on his desk, his office door sliding open with a shrill _beep_. Weiss turned her head to see a dozen armed guards march into the spacious office, standing at attention on either side of her.

"I assure you, my child," her father said, gravity in his voice. "I am _quite_ serious."

Weiss turned back to stare at him, jaw set tightly in growing anger, but was otherwise silent.

William ignored the unruly expression his daughter was making, and waved his arm forward.

"Guards," he commanded softly. "Please escort my daughter back to the residence. And do be discrete about it. She will be remaining there for the foreseeable future until this all blows past."

The armed escort turned to face Weiss, the two nearest her placing a hand on each of her arms.

Weiss didn't even turn to look at them. With a flick of her wrist, a series of glyphs appeared beneath all twelve of them, sending them flying up to slam roughly into the high ceiling, before tumbling back to floor in a disorganized heap.

Weiss let a small twinge of satisfaction wash over her at the astonished look in her father's eyes at her outburst.

"You think this is all going to simply _blow past!?_ " Weiss demanded in outrage. "We are dealing with the single greatest threat the world of Remnant has ever seen, and your plan is to hunker down and let it _blow past!?_ "

She stamped her heel into the hard glass floor, the guards each moaning in pain behind where she stood.

"Father, there will no longer _be_ a Schnee Dust Company when this is finished, _or_ even a Schnee family, if we do not attack his problem head-on!" she exclaimed resolutely. "And I am _not_ your little girl anymore! I am a _Huntress,_ father! And I will _not_ be locked away in my room while you continue to sit here and do _nothing_ to stop this!"

William's eyes were growing darker by the moment as Weiss spoke out, but he still remained silent as she did.

"If you won't help me, father, then I'll join up with my sister and enlist with Atlas Special Forces instead!" she cried, tears in her eyes. "If you insist on hiding away like _coward_ , then so be it! But _I_ intend to fight this war, father! I am going to _keep moving forward!_ And there is _nothing_ you can do to stop me!"

President Schnee remained still and silent for a long while, before he slowly stepped behind his desk to retrieve his cane.

"Guards…leave us," he commanded simply.

One by one, the armed escort slowly got to their feet, collected themselves, limping and staggering out the door dejectedly, before it sealed itself behind them.

A cold chill began to fill the air inside the office.

"Very well then, Weiss…" William said slowly, pressing a yellow button on his desk, retracting the entire structure into the floor, where it sealed without so much as a seam where it disappeared. "You leave me no choice…"

Weiss tensed as she saw her father withdraw the head from his cane, revealing a long, thin stiletto blade.

"I'll make you a deal, child," he said calmly, though Weiss could see scarcely contained emotion swirling behind those eyes. "You claim that you _truly_ wish to be a Huntress? Fight monsters? Save the world? Well, here's your chance to prove it…"

Her father held out the blade of his stiletto towards her.

"Prove to me that you are capable of handling yourself out there," he said, as all around him, furniture began to retract into the floor and walls, leaving the entire office devoid of obstacles; a stark steel floor, brushed white glass walls, and a transparent window behind him were all that remained. "Prove to me that you are capable of defending your principles like a _true_ Schnee…do this, and you shall have my leave to go on whatever damn fool idealistic crusade you intend to go on."

William held his blade up to his face in a fencer's salute.

"But if you fail…" he said ominously. "You shall never disobey me again. You shall live under my protection, and you shall obey my rules to the letter. Are my terms clear to you, Weiss?"

Weiss swallowed as she slowly drew her rapier. This would be it, she realized. This would decide everything. This would be her final confrontation with her father.

"This charade is a waste of time for the _both_ of us, father," Weiss said clearly, adopting her own fencer's salute, before assuming a ready position. "But if you will not see reason…then I accept."

William inhaled, and then flipped a thumb switch on his stiletto blade. As he did, crystal clear dust crystals began to grow all along the length of the blade. They started small at first, coating the steel with a thin sheet of ice, and then the crystals began to grow in length, extending off the edge of the blade like the branches of an evergreen tree, the entire length of the blade more than doubling in length as crystal grew upon crystal, until he was wielding a massive great sword made almost entirely of dust.

"Then defend yourself, my child," he said, forebodingly. "I shall not hold back."

Weiss was the first to leap forward, Myrtlenaster flying like a dart, striking at her father's defenses, forcing him to parry her blade. His massive dust blade moved surprisingly quick for its size, the dust crystals chipping and re-growing at an accelerated rate. Weiss leaped all around him, lithe and agile, using her speed to her fullest advantage as she struck with the speed and precision of a cobra.

Then he swung the massive dust blade, and when she blocked, she was thrown back almost to the wall, her heels skidding along the pristine steel floor, her sword completely covered with a thick coat of ice, hanging awkwardly in her hand.

"Sloppy," William chastised indignantly, staring down his nose at his daughter.

Weiss gritted her teeth, firing off a round of fire from the chamber in her weapon, shattering the ice that encased her sword. She then cast a yellow glyph around her feet, hastening her speed, before lunging forward like a bullet.

As she attacked, her sword easily got past his sword defense, but was deflected by a defensive glyph which appeared in an instant and repelled her attack like she was attacking a mountain face. She lunged with her sword again and again, easily out-maneuvering his immense dust blade, but each hit she landed simply bounced off of a defensive glyph which seemed to appear faster than she could attack.

Weiss leaped back, assuming a defensive stance and setting her jaw. Her father's glyphs were formidable. She would need to wear down his aura if she was to break through them, and a battle of attrition like that did not suit her at all. She needed to outthink him.

"Giving up already?" he demanded, before changing his stance to a more aggressive one. "Is _this_ the extent of your convictions, young lady?"

Weiss waved her sword, casting a glyph beneath her father's feet, but before it could lift him into the air, he cast his own glyph on top of hers, countering its effect.

She smiled. So it was to be a battle of glyphs then? Thus was a fight she could win.

Weiss thumbed the switch on Myrtlenaster's hilt, toggling it to blue. She then waved her sword again, casting four glyphs on each wall in the office, sending a shower of icicles towards her father from every direction.

"Ice?" William demanded in amusement. "You must be joking!"

He plunged the tip of his dust blade into the floor, casting a blue glyph of his own. Before the icicles could reach him, they began to slow their speed as they collected and swirled around him. With a swing of his sword, the icicles flew out in all directions, embedding themselves into the far wall as Weiss cartwheeled over and somersaulted under his attack.

She smiled, and cast her blue glyphs again, showering her father with ice once more. Again, he riposted by turning her attack upon her, which she dodged and then cast her ice yet again.

"When will you learn, my dear?" President Schnee demanded. "That isn't going to work!"

Weiss sent her blades of ice at him once more, and again, he swung his sword to send them flying back at her.

But this time, he had become much slower in doing so.

It was working, she realized! Each time he parried her ice attack, the more of her ice crystals clung to his sword. Her father's strength was formidable, but even he had his limits. And as his dust blade became larger and larger from all the ice forming upon his sword, it was becoming heavier and heavier and more difficult for him to wield.

Now all she had to do was overcome his glyphs.

When he was forced to rest the tip of his sword against the floor, her father appeared to gleam her intentions, but it was too late.

"Two can play at that game, father!" Weiss called as she lunged.

She did not need a time glyph to grant her speed anymore, as her father's sword arm was no longer fast enough to counter her as heavy as it was. Instead, she cast another glyph upon her sword. A counter-glyph, as it were. And when her sword was resisted by her father's defensive glyphs, her own counter-glyph reacted and shattered her father's defensive barrier, leaving him exposed to attack.

Her sword struck true, and her father recoiled from the impact, dropping to one knee.

"Very clever, my child," he smiled, a hint of pride creeping into his voice as he got to his feet. "You've managed to counter both my sword and my glyphs…"

With a mighty heave, he raised his sword and slammed it into the floor, shattering the crystals that clung to it, leaving nothing more than a stiletto in his hands.

"But you have yet to taste my true power," he warned, his sword once again covering itself with dust crystals, forming a blade of razor sharp ice across his weapon. "For there are none more skilled than I in the use of _dust_ in all of Remnant!"

Weiss took up a defensive stance as he began to whirl his blade wildly, sending pieces of his dust blade flying off like massive bullets, embedding themselves into the wall. Weiss had to flip and roll out of the way to dodge the incoming missiles, but when the crystals hit home, they began to grow and expand, freezing any surface they came into contact with.

Soon, nearly the entire office was coated with ice, and Weiss was running out of room to flee. Then one lucky crystal found the hem of her dress, and she stumbled as the dust crystal pinned her to the floor, her dress freezing in place.

Her father pressed the attack, leaping forward to swing with his sword.

"Not good enough!" he declared, bringing his sword down towards her.

Weiss gritted her teeth as she loaded a red dust cartridge into Myrtlenaster's chamber, before blocking his sword with a red blade of flame, deflected it in a shower of sparks and fire.

As William recoiled from the explosive defense, Weiss cast glyph after glyph around herself, ten in all, layering them around herself like a stack of dinner plates, before sending them shooting outwards in all directions. With a burst of heat, she had freed herself, and melted away most of the ice coating the office around them.

Without missing a beat, she then loaded a second cartridge, before casting a final red glyph in front of her sword, launching a series of red tinged dust bolts, each one nimbly maneuvering through the air to zero in on her father's location.

Her father was easily able to deflect each bolt with his blade, but each shot that impacted against his blade destroyed a chunk of dust crystals that made up its body. With each strike, his sword became less and less, until finally he was left with nothing more than his stiletto once more.

Weiss came flying in with her sword, and William counter-attacked with his now far nimbler weapon. He was faster than he had been before, but now Weiss had the reach advantage on him, and she managed to keep out of range of his stiletto while picking away at his defensive aura. As the dust began to regrow upon his sword once again, his sword began to get heavier before it was able to exceed her reach, and his attacks slowed enough for her to manage a strike to his sword, knocking it aside to land a solid blow upon him, his aura absorbing the strike and draining all the more for it as he recoiled again.

He let out a gasp as he felt his aura growing dangerously low, and he smiled.

"Impressive…" he said with a smile. "Your command over dust would make any Schnee proud…"

Weiss smirked at that, but did not respond. She knew her father was not finished, and she would not give into to complacency just yet.

William nodded gravely. "One last test…"

With the last of his aura, her father cast a summoning glyph, bringing an enormous white ursa major onto the battlefield.

Weiss gasped in astonishment. The summoned creature was gigantic! Its bulk filled nearly half the room, and one swing of its arms looked like it could probably flip an Atlesian Paladin on its head!

Had her father truly defeated such a creature?

The summoned ursa let out a ferocious roar as it charged her, swinging its massive claws, which Weiss was forced to roll under, getting behind it. It was slow and imprecise for all its strength, but it would still be incredibly durable, and she had doubts that summoning just a single sword-arm could defeat this creature.

"There is no shame in backing out, Weiss," her father offered gently from behind her. "I know you have yet to master summoning. But you have fought well. You've done all anyone could ask of you. But now it's time to give up this foolish errand and come home. Please…"

Despite his confident words, the old man was utterly spent and was no longer a threat to her, his aura depleted. Only the summoned ursa major remained as it lumbered around to face her, letting out another ferocious roar.

"I'm…" Weiss breathed, her own aura running low as well. "I'm not _nearly_ finished yet!"

She charged the white ursa major, sword raised. This would take every last drop she had left!

Closing her eyes, she focused on the knight in shining armor from her nightmares. There were nights where she still woke up in a cold sweat from memories of that battle. It had been one of the most difficult fights of her life. She had been woefully unprepared that day, and paid dearly for her lack of foresight. To this day, she bore a scar from the encounter.

Sometimes, she would look at her face in the mirror and not know who she was looking at anymore. Was she Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the SDC? Weiss Schnee, the Huntress? Weiss Schnee, the scared, foolish little girl who thought she could change the world? Sometimes, all she could see was the childish ideal, forever marred by the one painful scar. It would never leave her, never let her forget, forever lingering, forever reminding her that she was all alone. That there was no one who would come to help her, and she had only herself to rely upon. That when it came right down to it, she really was the loneliest of all.

The gargantuan ursa swung a massive claw, which Weiss caught with the edge of her sword, recoiling back with a flip as she sailed across the room, landing with grace and regaining her footing. The mighty beast then roared, cold fire in its eyes, rearing up on its hind legs, before lunging forward to charge at her.

Weiss stood resolute, staring down the summoned creature, the symbol of her father's might, defiance in her eyes.

It made no matter. She was Weiss Schnee. She was the one who would save her family's legacy. She was the one who would save the Schnee Dust Company. And she was the one who would save the world. She would do so because her honor as a Schnee demanded that she do it. She would do so because it was the right thing to do. She would do so because she had the help of her friends. She would do so because that was what a Huntress did.

She lifted her sword, a massive glyph appearing behind her, and she saw a familiar sword arm emerge from the glyph to raise high into the air to block the oncoming Grimm. She stepped forward, pressing her defense into an attack, and a massive white greave stepped out of the glyph to impact the floor alongside her heel. She pushed forward again, and a pristine gauntleted fist came flying out of the glyph to slam into the creature's face, knocking it backwards.

And as Weiss whirled into an all-out assault with her sword, the white knight emerged fully formed from the massive glyph, its armor glowing pristine and flawless as it mirrored her attack, striking at her father's summon with the ferocity of a hailstorm, sending the creature flying into the far wall.

Weiss lunged, and the knight lunged with her. And as their two swords sunk deep into the massive ursa major, the creature let out an agonized roar of defeat. With a shower of white, the beast dissolved into nothingness, leaving Weiss and her silent guardian standing tall.

William Eisenhardt Schnee stood aghast, his eyes and his jaw hanging open in awe.

" _Incredible_ …" he breathed in disbelief. "You've already progressed this far?"

Weiss was breathing heavily, struggling to maintain the summon, but maintain it she did as she held her sword out towards her father.

"I have…" she gasped as her summon mirrored her movements. "Now…will you grant me your blessing, father? Or must I prove myself yet again?"

The old man held up his hand in defeat.

"I yield, Weiss," he stammered, his voice hitching tremulously. "I yield…"

Weiss let out breath of relief, the knight at her side dissipated into thin air. She sheathed her sword.

"So…" she breathed, not wanting to give her father a chance to go back on his deal. "I have your leave, then?"

William waved his hand, before gesturing to the floor, which signaled the mechanism to raise his desk back out to its original position.

"I am man of my word," he said in resignation. "If this is to be your destiny, my dear child…well, you've proven that I am not at all capable of stopping you."

Weiss grimaced as a wave of guilt rose over her. As much as she longed to be free of her father, a part of her heart still went out to him. After all, in the end, he was nothing more than a concerned parent trying to protect their child.

She shook her head. This was no time for second thoughts.

"I will be enlisting with Atlas Special Forces," she declared, standing up straight. "They have the resources that I need, and I intend to take full advantage of everything they have to offer."

She fixed her father with a pointed stare.

"I need your guarantee that this decision will not affect the dust trade between this company and the state," she said, bluntly. "I need to know that you will not impede the flow of dust to the military in an attempt to hamstring them for some foolhardy desire to keep me from fighting."

William shook his head. "Nonsense, my dear. I am not so foolish as to think that such an act would keep you safe. If anything, cutting off the supply of dust to your future employer would only endanger you and your sister. No, my child, I intend _increase_ the amount of dust this company supplies to the state, as much as I am able. It is the least I can do for you, and for your sister, who are both counting on those resources out in the field."

Weiss' expression softened. Perhaps her father was not so unreasonable after all.

She ran over to her father and threw her arms around his chest, causing him to let out a sudden grunt of surprise as his tired old body ached under the affectionate squeeze.

"Thank you, father!" she cried, embracing him tightly. "Thank you for understanding."

She felt her father caressing her hair.

"I'm sorry, my dear," he said remorsefully. "I'm sorry, but I _do not_ understand. I have _never_ understood. It is doubtful that I ever will…"

He took her by the shoulders and held her at arms length.

"But I do not _need_ understanding in order to _see_ what is right in front of my face," he said softly. "And I can see clearly now that you, like your sister, are determined to live your life according to your own path."

He stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"It is clear to me now that any attempt on my part to inhibit you in this would be a fruitless endeavor," he shook his head. "And would only serve to further drive a wedge between us. That is not what I wish."

Weiss reached up to take her father's hand in hers, pressing it to her cheek. She was surprised by how warm it was.

"I only ask…" he said wearily. "I only ask that you be _careful_ , my dear Weiss. That is all I can ask. Can you grant your foolish old father this request?"

Weiss smiled back up at him, a tear trickling down her cheek. She had honestly never thought that this day would ever come.

"Of course, father…" she said, her voice lilting.

William drew his daughter into another crushing embrace, before finally releasing her, opening the office door with a gesture.

"Now, be sure to contact me if you need anything," he said as she turned to go. "By any means necessary."

Weiss nodded as she stepped towards the door. "I will."

Weiss did not look back as she crossed the threshold out of her father's office. She did not look back as the befuddled secretary watched her leave, a look of utter confusion on her face. She did not look back as she strode down the hall, amidst the gawking eyes of onlookers as she passed, curious and jabbering as always.

It was only when she reached the elevator, and was confronted by a reflection of herself in the mirrored walls of the small, isolated chamber as it descended, that she could truly pause for a moment to realize just who it was that was staring back at her now.

She saw Weiss Schnee. The Huntress. The Heiress. The foolish girl who thought she could change the world.

She saw all of these things. And she saw so much more.

And she was just getting started.


	37. Chapter 37

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 37

* * *

It had been a long day, and Blake was restless. She was not at home at all in these pristine city streets. Everything in Atlas was either slate gray or brushed steel, and all so impeccably clean, it was almost unnerving. There was a disturbing _lack_ of smells around her, and instead, her senses were flooded with the aroma of chemical cleaners and perfumes, with a vague background scent of engine grease.

As she walked the city streets, Blake was getting a real sense that appearances meant more here than that had in Vale. She hadn't gotten to see Mistral when it wasn't in flames, but this was a city built on prestige, etiquette and nobility. Oh, it had its slums to be sure – most of the triage units were stationed in the poorest parts of town, which is where Blake was spending most of her outing – but even in those areas, those people who were native to Atlas gave off an air of pride and sophistication, as if deep down, the poorest Atlesian citizen felt like they were leagues ahead of even a comfortably situated immigrant or refugee.

It was all very strange to Blake, and while she did see a good deal of Faunus, they were not well integrated with the rest of the citizens, and tended to group together into isolated communes. Yet even when she went to visit one of these communes, Blake did not feel welcomed. Everything was just a bite above some arbitrary standard that no one could ever really point to. An elusive atmosphere of artificial accentuated quality permeated the very air, as it was cycled and recycled through a complex filtration system to eliminate pathogens and dampen the odor of toxic fumes generated by all the industrial plants. The entire kingdom felt staunch, dry and flavorless, and so did its people.

Of course, that could have been because everyone was just scared, and had doubled down on their base values as a result. Either way, Blake felt like an outcast, and the kingdom of Atlas was making no attempt to alleviate this feeling in her.

Finally, she gave up trying to mingle with the citizens and leaped up to the rooftops of the slums, electing to observe the people around her from afar, where she felt more secure. She supposed she would always be cold and aloof when it came to interacting with others, particularly strangers, Blake admitted to herself. But it was still difficult not to feel bad about it, as if she were somehow failing to live up to some unspoken social contract that she had never signed but everyone assumed she had.

Then she spotted some familiar figures sitting at one of the outdoor dining areas below, and she crouched down at the edge of a nearby rooftop to investigate. Below her, Ren and Nora sat across from one another at a plastic table, one of only seven available place settings, at what appeared to be a hole-in-the-wall type restaurant. The smells wafting from the small eatery made Blake's stomach curl in on itself, as it reeked of fried oils and boiling fat. It was a sickeningly sweet aroma, one that she was not particularly fond of. And from the looks of her classmates below, it was not one that Ren cared for either, but Nora seemed to be in hog heaven as she scraped a wad of fried noodles from a bowl with a pair of chopsticks, while Ren watched in helpless wonder.

Blake caught herself smiling as she watched the two of them. They seemed such opposites; such a stark contrast between one another. One loud and boisterous, the other withdrawn and refined. One a health food nut, the other with a stomach like a garbage disposal. It was honestly astonishing to Blake how well the two of them got along, though she supposed it may have had more to do with their upbringing.

She was well out of earshot from the pair down below, but from Nora's gestures and body language, she could imagine what she was saying. And with Ren's resigned smile, and patient refusal to eat anything offered to him, his eyes overlooking the other bowls that passed by him in disgust, she could just imagine the thoughts going through his head at that moment.

Blake flinched when an abrupt clanging noise caught her attention, and she looked around to see what appeared to be an odd looking grappling hook of some kind clinging to one of the chimney pipes lining the rooftop she was occupying, its tether leading back down the far wall, bobbing with the telltale sign of someone climbing to the rooftop.

Blake got to her feet abruptly, thinking it was some kind of attacker or authority figure come to chase her down. But she relaxed when she saw Yang clamoring up the side of the roof. She suddenly realized that what she had _thought_ was a grappling hook was actually Yang's mechanical hand, attached to the rest of her arm with a tow cable. One of the many new toys in her arsenal, it seemed.

"Hey Blake!" she smiled cheerfully, releasing her hand from the chimney and retracting it back into her arm, bringing it back to normal – or at least, as normal as it ever got nowadays. "What's up?"

Blake calmed her breathing, her hair still standing on edge from the sudden surprise.

"Not much," she said, dismissively, looking back down at Ren and Nora. "Just people watching, I guess."

Yang nodded, stepping over to her and peered down at the young couple sitting below them. Nora seemed to have acquired a cup of bubble tea, and was insisting that Ren try some. Ren was politely declining.

"Sounds like fun," Yang nodded approvingly. "I've been busy mucking about town, trying to get my bearings and see as much of the city before we ship out. Ironwood says we're going to deploy in another day or so."

Blake nodded and sat back down on the edge of the roof, not having anything to add to the conversation. "Hmm…"

Yang's smile did not abate. "Also, check it out…"

She pointed down to the street off to one side, and as Blake followed her line of sight, she saw a familiar looking motorcycle.

"The general's men fixed her up for me!" Yang exclaimed excitedly. "Good as new! Plus they installed a bunch of kick-ass new tools and weapons! It's now equipped with a digital tracking system, all-terrain treads, a harpoon and tow cable, an upgraded nitro boost, a pair of _machine guns_ that deploy out through the nose, and a _little surprise_ stored in the rear pod…"

Yang leaned in close to Blake to whisper conspiratorially.

"Spoiler alert," she said in a playful manner. "It's a missile launcher."

Blake had to smile at that. "You can never have too many missile launchers, can you?"

"I know, right?" Yang grinned to herself.

When Blake said nothing, Yang sat next to her, smiling congenially.

"Sure are a lot of people down there," she commented idly as the bustle of people passing down below them.

"Yeah…" Blake muttered.

Ren appeared to be asking for the check while Nora seemed inclined to order seconds.

"So…" Yang said, pursing her lips.

Blake sighed. "Sorry, sorry. I'm brooding again, aren't I?"

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, you are. But that's not a bad thing. I mean, normally I'm fine just sitting together in comfortable silence…"

Blake rose an eyebrow. "I'm sensing a 'but' coming next…"

Yang let out a breath, choosing her words carefully, tilting her head as she tiptoed over her words. "But…I was…hoping we could maybe…talk?"

Blake felt her stomach clenching. "One of _those_ kind of talks?"

Yang scratched her head. "Maybe? I dunno…I just…kinda wanted to ask you something…"

Blake drew her knees to her chest, sitting sideways along the ledge of the rooftop, looking forlorn as her eyes focused on the couple down below. "Okay. I…suppose I owe you that much at least…"

Yang let her legs dangle over the ledge as she began.

"Blake…" she said somberly. "What _happened_ to you?"

The Faunus girl rolled her eyes. "Going to have to be a little more specific, Yang…"

The blonde shook her head. "I mean…I know you've had a pretty messed up childhood. And there's this _guy_ …Adam, right? And he was your… _friend?_ "

Blake didn't say anything. Clearly the subject was making her uncomfortable.

"Mentor…?" Yang offered, trying to pick the right term.

Blake offered the weakest of shrugs, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else.

Yang bit her lip as she carefully tried not to step on a verbal landmine.

"…Boyfriend?"

Blake got to her feet and began pacing the rooftop, massaging her forehead as she did.

"Look, it was complicated…" she explained as Yang watched her pace, looking curious but helpless. "The White Fang was my _life_. We were supposed to change the world together, and bring freedom to the Faunus! He took me under his wing, so to speak. I looked up to him. I believed in him. And he taught me everything I know. I wouldn't be the person I am today if not for him! I even thought that maybe, when it was all over, the two of us could have carved out a life for ourselves somewhere…spend the rest of our days together…"

Yang crossed her arms, watching Blake as she sorted out her feelings as they came.

"But for Adam, it was _never_ going to be over," Blake sighed. "There was always some new target to go after. Every little victory never seemed to satisfy. It was at a point where, as long as there were _any_ humans around who were doing better off than the Faunus, he seemed to resent them for it."

Blake stilled her pacing as she came to a memory that weighed on her most heavily of all.

"Then one day, on a mission…" she said soberly "I realized that he had gone too far. He was ready to murder countless innocent lives just to complete his mission. These were human beings that may well have never so much as even _met_ another Faunus in their entire life. But it didn't matter to him. They were human – and that meant that they were disposable to him."

Blake shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"So I did the only thing I could do…" she said, sounding more ashamed than relieved. "I ran away…"

Yang got to her feet, giving her partner a comforting smile.

"You keep ragging on yourself for running away all the time, Blake," she shook her head. "But even _I_ know that sometimes, running is the only option."

Blake frowned. "For me, it seems like it's _always_ the only option."

Yang shrugged. "Eh, that's just because life dealt you a shitty hand, and you've had more running to do than usual. Look, you said yourself, running was the only thing you _could_ have done in that situation, right? I mean, it's not like you were strong enough to fight him back then, were you?"

Blake looked uncertain. "Well…no…"

Yang smiled. "And back at Beacon, when I first fought him…I mean, I went flying in like an idiot, and I paid a price for it. But what did _you_ do after I did?"

Blake didn't like thinking back to that day, and made an uncomfortable face.

"Umm…" she muttered. "I, uh…"

"You grabbed me and you _ran away_ ," Yang said simply, nodded contently. "He could have easily finished me off right then and there, but you had the good sense to get the heck out of there! I'm still alive today because of that decision, Blake."

Blake blinked in confusion. She hadn't really thought of it that way before.

"Oh…" she said.

Yang placed a hand on her shoulder.

"So don't give yourself such a hard time for running away," Yang squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "All it means is that you're smart enough to know when it's too dangerous to fight."

Blake tried to smile at Yang's comforting gesture, but the expression was strained.

"But I feel like I'm never going to get stronger if I just keep running," she sighed helplessly.

"You won't just keep running," Yang said firmly. "One day, you'll be strong enough to face him. It probably won't be today, and it probably won't be tomorrow. But one of these days, you'll be strong enough to fight back. The mark of a _true_ Huntress is knowing when that day is."

Yang gave her a companionable pat on the back, which may have hit harder than intended and caused Blake to let out a grunt of surprise.

"And until then…" Yang smirked, jutting her thumb at herself. "You've got me. I kicked his ass last time, and I'll kick his ass for you next time too. If there's ever anything too tough for you to handle, Blake, I'm more than happy to handle it for you."

Blake shuddered. "But Yang…I don't want you to get hurt again…"

The blonde girl sighed. "Look…I know I'm not invincible…"

She held up her mechanical arm by way of demonstration.

"Case in point: Exhibit A," Yang droned, sardonically. "But that's why I need _you_ , Blake. I need you there to keep me grounded. I need that overdeveloped sense of caution you have. If I'm ever about to leap headlong into the deep end, I need you there to stop me and tell me when to reign it in."

She placed her hands on Blake's shoulders.

"You're my partner," she said simply. "I trust you. And I'll listen to anything you have to say. If you see me biting off more than I can chew, just tell me."

Blake felt a weak smile creep its way onto her lips.

"I don't…think I ever properly thanked you for jumping in to save me like that," she said, tremulously. "I mean…it was a foolish thing to do…"

She caught herself blushing, and began tugging at her hair.

"But also…it was really sweet of you, too…"

Yang smirked and winked. "Hey, we're partners Blake. That's what partners do. And if I had to do it all over again, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"Yang…" Blake sighed.

Blake felt a tear trickle down her cheek. They seemed such opposites; such a stark contrast between one another. One loud and boisterous, the other withdrawn and refined. One ablaze in fire, the other secluded within the shadows. It was honestly astonishing to Blake how well the two of them got along.

And for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why.

"Anyway…" Yang stretched her arms up over her head. "All this depressing talk is making me hungry. What do we say we go for a ride? I think I passed a seafood joint on my way here."

Blake let out a tiny laugh as she raised an eyebrow.

"Seafood, huh?" she asked coyly. "This feels like a bribe, somehow."

Yang shrugged innocently. "For the pleasure of your company? I'd say a little seafood dinner is worth that much. It'd be out in public though – you'd have to sit at a table like everyone else."

"Hah-hah," Blake snorted derisively. "I can sit around people just fine, thank you. I just prefer not to."

Yang clasped her hands in an exaggerated expression of gratitude. "Aw, you're even willing to step out of your comfort zone for me? That's so sweet of you, Blake!"

Blake crossed her arms, turning away, a soft pout on her lips. "Hmph…maybe I _don't_ want to go for a ride with you."

Yang shrugged coyly as she walked the ledge of the rooftop. "Oh well, then. I guess no seafood dinner for you after all."

Blake hurried after her, her bow flattening as her ears pressed down against her head. "Oh, quit teasing me, will you!?"

Yang laughed as she grabbed onto the chimney with her mechanical arm, uncoupled it from her arm and used the tow cable to rappel her way down the rooftop to the street level where her bike was parked.

"Come on, slow poke!" she called up to Blake, retracting her arm. "Time's a-wasting!"

Blake shook her head as she climbed down to where Yang was standing. Ren and Nora seemed to have wandered off somewhere, though she would have had a hard time spotting either of them in this crowd, she thought idly.

When she made it down, Yang shoved her yellow helmet into Blake's hands.

"First things first, though," Yang said with a wink. "Let's stop by the bike shop and get you a helmet. Maybe one with kitty ears?"

Blake awkwardly slipped the yellow bike helmet over her head. It fit her, but it _did_ press her ears down uncomfortably. That had definitely been one of the more unpleasant things about her experience driving this bike cross country.

"As long as it doesn't give me away as a Faunus," she nodded, smiling appreciatively. "Just drive safe until we get there."

"Relax, it's not far," Yang nodded, before swinging her leg over Bumblebee's seat. "Hop on."

Blake slid onto the motorcycle behind her partner, wrapping her arms around her waist. Despite herself, she couldn't help leaning against her back, pressing her body against Yang's.

It felt…nice.

"I'm ready…" she said.

Yang revved the engine, and the two of them drove off into the city together.


	38. Chapter 38

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 38

* * *

Jaune remained poised as he stared down the solid steel practice dummy, which stared back at him with its featureless, emotionless lack of a face. He then struck with his sword, nicking the dummy across the neck, before bringing the edge of his blade back around to strike at the dummy's chest, and back around again to draw the point of his sword across the abdomen, all in the space of about a second.

He held his position after completing the strike, taking in a deep steadying breath, before returning to a ready position.

His sword strikes were getting quicker, but as a result, they weren't hitting as hard. The polished steel dummy resonated and sent vibrations through his weapon with every strike, exaggerating the impact he felt in his arm upon every swing, allowing him to better gauge the force of his attacks. The burnished steel was also asymmetrically coated with a fine grit that sharpened his blade with every strike, honing both his sword and his sword skill as he attacked.

But he was still not performing as well as he'd hoped.

"Hey Jaune," came a familiar jaunty voice as Ruby meandered into the training room.

The entire floor was coated in a thick, coarse and slightly springy material akin to the kind of rubber one would find at a playground. Across the far wall were a line of mirrors, allowing trainees to monitor their form, and also doubled as viewing screens for training tutorials, communication alerts, and general use. The shorter side walls were a series of lockers and compartments for storing training equipment, from wooden weapons, pads, practice dummies and hovering drones for target practice.

Jaune looked up from his training to give Ruby a friendly smile.

"Hey Ruby," he said with a wave, catching his breath. "Just getting some practice in before we ship out."

Ruby nodded, clasping her hands behind her back, her weapon holstered beneath her cape.

"Have you managed to bring out your semblance again at all?" she asked curiously.

Jaune hung his head. "Not yet…"

"Hmm…" Ruby pursed her lips. "Maybe…I could help you?"

Jaune scratched the back of his head. "You sure? It wouldn't be too much of a bother?"

Ruby grinned. "Not at all! Besides…"

She held a finger up, closing her eyes.

"As your team leader," she said, sounding like she was quoting someone – probably Weiss, Jaune thought, "It's still my job to make sure you're functioning at optimal capacity!"

Jaune smirked. "Can't argue with that logic. But how are you planning to help me? The only time my semblance came out, I was fending off a member of the White Fang. And I don't really want to invite him back for a rematch."

Ruby held her chin between her fingers.

"Hmmmm…" she said, before smiling sweetly. "Well, if it's a defensive semblance, I could always attack you myself."

Jaune cringed, both at the disturbingly genuine nature of her smile while making such an offer, and at the knowledge that, despite her tiny stature and adorable features, Ruby could easily lay him flat.

"Well…" he stammered, uneasily. "I suppose that could work, as long you agree to hold back…"

Ruby's smile widened as she almost gleefully drew Crescent Rose and extended it to its full scythe form.

"Alright!" she gleamed, a little too eagerly. "Let's do it!"

Jaune held his shield up, still rather hesitant at her enthusiasm.

"Okay…" he said cautiously. "Just…please _do_ hold back, alright?"

Ruby nodded deliberately. "You got it, Jaune. Ready?"

Jaune braced himself against his shield. "Umm…ready."

Ruby reared back, her scythe at the ready.

"Three…two…one…" she counted down, before leaping towards him. "Semblance time, go!"

Her scythe struck his shield and sent him flying backwards, tumbling roughly end over end, letting out a grunt of pain with each unceremonious flop.

"Oof!" he exclaimed. "Ow! Ugh! Nnng…"

He finally came to a halt on the other side of the room, laying on his back, his sword and shield in his arms, splayed out to either side.

Ruby clasped her hands over her mouth, before running over to him.

"Oh my gosh!" she blurted, eyes widen with panic. "Jaune! Are you okay!?"

Jaune grunted in discomfort as she helped him sit up.

"Ungh…" he groaned, his head spinning. "Not really…I thought you said you were holding back."

"I was!" Ruby exclaimed insistently. "I was barely using half my strength!"

Jaune rubbed his forehead, trying to reorient himself.

"Nnng…" he exhaled. "I don't get it, Ruby…how come you're so much stronger than me?"

"I don't know…" Ruby muttered helplessly. "I just…am, I guess…"

"Actually…" a voice interrupted them both. "There is a reason for that…"

Jaune and Ruby looked up and saw Weiss gracefully stride her way into the training room.

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly. "Did you talk to your father?"

The Schnee heiress nodded graciously. "I have. We've…reached an understanding."

"Oh, Weiss, that's so wonderful!" Ruby beamed with joy.

"Quite…" the white haired girl replied. "Now, I understand that you and Jaune are trying to see about bringing out his semblance?"

"Yeah…" Ruby rubbed her head as Jaune hung his shoulders, bashfully. "We're not having much luck, I'm afraid."

Weiss withdrew her scroll.

"Well…" she smiled coyly. "I might have stumbled across something that might help…"

Ruby and Jaune watched in confusion as Weiss approached the far wall with the long floor-to-ceiling mirror spanning its width.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked curiously, as he and Ruby followed, watching closely as Weiss stepped up to the mirrored screen.

Weiss tapped her scroll to screen, and an array of images began to appear on the display. Most of them fairly old, damaged or incomplete, many in black and white. The images were accompanied by field reports, dossiers and many redacted government documents.

"I did a bit of research," Weiss explained simply, standing in front of the screen like a school teacher. "Jaune, this is your great-great-grandfather, Jonas Arc, correct?"

Weiss was pointing to an ink and parchment illustration of a distinguished looking man in a spectacular set of armor, a familiar sword and shield in his hands.

Jaune nodded quickly.

"Yeah, that's him," he confirmed, scratching his head shyly. "He's in, like, twelve different history books. I should know, I've…seen them all."

Weiss nodded, not really doubting her own investigation, but glad that Jaune confirmed her findings nonetheless.

"This man is the veteran of over a hundred combat missions during the Great War," Weiss said with gravity in her voice. "He once held a fortification for ten days with just a single platoon while awaiting reinforcements. I've had to study more than a few of his combat maneuvers during class."

Weiss gestured towards the illustration of Jaune's forefather.

"This man is a _legend_."

Jaune looked more and more embarrassed by the moment.

"You're not…telling me anything I don't already know…" he looked away, uncomfortably. "More than a few tales of his exploits have crossed my family dinner table."

Weiss put her hands on her hips. "Do you want my help or not?"

Jaune held his hands up. "Sorry, sorry…just…"

"What?" Weiss demanded, impatiently.

"Why…" Jaune stammered uncomfortably. "Why are you helping me, Weiss? I mean…I thought you didn't even like me…"

Weiss gave him a look of annoyance.

"Just because I don't want to _date_ you doesn't mean I don't like you!" she huffed, crossing her arms. "Besides, we're teammates now. Whether I like you or not is immaterial. As your teammate, it's my job to make sure you're functioning at optimal capacity."

Ruby attempted to stifle a giggle, and failed miserably at the task.

"And what's so funny!?" Weiss demanded indignantly.

"Nothing, nothing…" Ruby waved her off.

Weiss straightened her collar.

"Anyway…" she continued her diatribe. "Jonas Arc was said to posses _incredible_ strength with the sword and shield. It was said that attacking him was like trying to topple a mountain, and his sword was said to strike with the force of a charging warhorse."

Weiss gestured to some scanned hand-written pages on the screen that looked like they had been scribed using quill and ink.

"Embellishment and hyperbole, I thought," Weiss said, casting the images and depictions of Jonas Arc to one said. "Then I read up on his eldest son…"

Ruby looked curiously at the new figure that graced the screen. If Weiss has not said anything, she would not have guessed that this was a different person at all.

"Great-Grandfather Gaius," Jaune nodded, almost automatically.

"All depictions show him wielding the same sword and shield," Weiss nodded, pointing to a number of documents and illustrations portraying the man's exploits. "And reports all seem to agree that he, too, was built like a rock and was nearly impossible to overpower."

Ruby watched in a mixture of fascination and confusion. "Okay…umm, where are you going with this, Weiss?"

"I'm getting there," Weiss assured her, moving the documents detailing Gaius Arc to another corner of the screen. "When I read this, I thought that two similar cases didn't necessarily imply a pattern, but then I came across this next one…"

Another figure appeared, this one in a black and white photograph rather than an inked drawing. His hair was fair, he wore a mustache, and his armor looked more modern. But still he carried Corcea Mors with him.

"That's my grandfather, Julius Arc," Jaune nodded in recognition.

"Reports from this era start getting much more reliable," Weiss nodded back, as several documents that looked to have been typed on a typewriter rather than by hand appeared. "Not much was known about semblance in those days, however it was said that his armor and shield were nigh impenetrable, resistant to both musket fire and bayonet alike."

Jaune still looked somewhat uncomfortable. "Do we really need to go over my entire family history like this?"

Weiss held up her hand. "Just be patient, I've only got one more to go…"

Jaune hid his face as a color photograph appeared, looking like an older version of Jaune with a full beard.

"Captain Jacques Arc, decorated war hero in the Vale army – distinguished honors, joint service commendations and innumerable silver stars…" Weiss read off a list of the elder Arc's awards. "Like his forebears, he carried Jonas' sword and shield into battle with him, and reports claim that he was possessed of a powerful semblance, known as Indominance."

Ruby was watching with scarcely contained fascination. "Whoa…cool…"

Weiss fixed Jaune with a piercing look.

"Jaune, you described your semblance as causing your shield to glow and managing to deflect a sword with enough force to shatter the blade, correct?" she asked slowly.

Jaune nodded back, uncertain of where this was going. "Yes?"

Weiss smirked and gestured with her scroll towards the screen.

"Well…" she said, expanding a video file to play across the mirrored wall. "Take a look at _this_ …"

A static-riddled video began to play of a green night-vision recording of what otherwise appeared to be an ordinary field. The muffled sound of gunfire could be heard in the background, and before long, a row of Faunus warriors, armed with various melee weapons of all shapes and sizes charged in from one direction.

A lone figure armed with sword and shield appeared at the opposite end of the field, and met the charging stampede of Faunus head on. He repelled the first attack with his shield, a blinding flash of light sending the attacking Faunus flying backward. He struck with his sword, and another flash of light appeared as his sword cut through his first target. With each parry of his shield, another flash of light appeared, repelling the hapless attacker back with incredible force, and with each sword strike, a similar flash of light, and he managed to cut down each foe he came across.

"That's it!" Ruby pointed excitedly as she saw the semblance in action. "That's what your shield did, Jaune! Only yours did it for longer…"

Jaune was still transfixed by the scene unfolding before him. He had never witnessed his father in action before, much less demonstrating such brutality. He had always _known,_ intellectually, that his father had fought and killed in the Faunus Wars, but to actually _see_ it in action…

"Dad…?" Jaune whispered in disbelief. "I-I've…I've never _seen_ this before…"

"That's because it's military intelligence," Weiss said, holding up a security card. "I was only able to access it because of my sister's security clearance."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Weiss, you _stole_ your sister's security card?"

"Ah-buh-buh-buh!" Weiss held up her finger. " _Borrowed!_ I _borrowed_ her security card. And what she doesn't know won't hurt her. Now pay attention to this last part…"

The sheer numbers of the Faunus warriors finally managed to overwhelm Captain Arc in the video, as soon he was surrounded, his attackers closing in on all sides.

"Dad…" Jaune whispered nervously, even though he knew his father was still alive and well.

Then with sudden burst of aura from Jaune's father, the night vision camera went almost completely white for a few seconds. When it finally managed to refocus on the battlefield, Jacques Arc was striding across a field littered with fallen foes, before disappearing off camera.

"Whoa…" Ruby breathed in excitement. "That is _so_ cool…"

The video ended, and Weiss closed the screen.

"Jaune…" she whispered soberly. "I believe that you may have a hereditary semblance, just like I do."

Jaune and Ruby exchanged a nervous glance.

"If we're right about this," Weiss explained, "Then your semblance is Indominance, just like your father."

Jaune stared down at his hands, as if seeing them for the first time. "Indominance?"

"In layman's terms," Weiss held up a finger "It's basically the ability to become an immovable object for a short period of time. This ability seems capable of extending to your shield, your sword, your armor, or even your whole body."

Weiss crossed her arms, sounding like she was proud of her findings.

"For a brief moment, your shield or armor will be impenetrable, your sword unblockable, your body a living fortress rooted in place to the ground," she continued. "Your father seemed capable of tapping into this power several times in a single battle, but he only used it for an instant at a time. It stands to reason, then, that the longer the duration that you use this ability, or the greater the area if covers, the more of your aura will be drained in the process."

Weiss smirked as she put her hands on her hips.

"Luckily, that's something that you seem to have in abundance, at least."

Ruby's eyes were like saucers throughout Weiss' description, getting more and more pumped by the moment.

"Wow!" she grinned, smiling widely at Jaune. "Jaune, this is amazing! We know what your semblance is now! And it's _awesome!_ Aren't you excited!?"

Jaune just looked confused, staring back at Weiss.

"I…I don't understand…" he shook his head in disbelief. "How can my semblance be Indominance?"

Weiss shrugged. "Well, we don't know a lot about the genetic theory behind inherited semblance, but…"

"No, no," Jaune held up his hands. "I mean…I thought a semblance was supposed to be like a manifestation of your soul, or…like an aspect of your personality or something. That's what Pyrrha told me, anyway…right?"

Weiss and Ruby exchanged a glance.

"Well, yes," Weiss said, not understanding.

Jaune held his hands out, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But, I mean…have you even _met_ me!?" he asked, flabbergasted. "I'm a _pushover!_ I'm like the _least_ indomitable person you'll ever meet! There's no way my semblance could be _Indominance!_ "

Ruby frowned. "Jaune…"

Jaune gestured towards the screen at his ancestry. "Look at them all! My father, his father before him, they were _all_ such…such _strong-willed_ individuals with…with _nerves of steel_ and…and _fire in their hearts!_ They were _bastions_ of courage and valor, and…and _always_ stood up for what was right!"

Jaune's arms drooped down at his sides.

"I don't _have_ that, you guys," he said, shame in his voice as it lilted. "I don't have what _they had_. I've _never_ had it. I don't think I ever _will_ …"

Weiss waved her hand towards the screen that still displayed Jaune's legacy like a museum piece.

"You don't think your father and your grandfather and all those ancestors who came before you didn't have moments of weakness of their own?" she asked, simply. "History tells us stories of heroism because that's what we like to hear. We don't hear the parts where our heroes cried over the deaths of their loves one or failed to save their friends. Over time, they become these immortalized beings, and its easy to forget that they were only ever human, just like us."

"Yeah," Ruby nodded, placing a hand on Jaune's shoulders. "And besides Jaune, even after all those times you've been pushed down, have you ever _not_ gotten back up? Have you ever just given up and stayed down? I don't think you have, because if you had, you wouldn't _be_ here right now."

She gestured over to the practice dummy that was still standing statuesque in the center of the room.

"Look at yourself," Ruby squeezed his shoulder. "You're about to go up against impossible odds, and where are you right now? Down here training, trying to get stronger. Almost everyone else is recuperating and trying to distract themselves from the battle to come, but you? The battle ahead's all you can think about."

She leaned in closer as he let out a sigh.

"Pyrrha's still out there," she said, somberly. "And even after I told you time and time to give up on her, you still refused. You _still_ haven't given up on her! And I think I know why, now. It's because you _don't_ give up, Jaune. You _never_ give up. You just keep moving forward."

She gave his shoulder a companionable punch, causing him to wobble unexpectedly.

"Just like you always do," she smiled.

Weiss nodded. "She's right, y'know? Never in my life have I met someone as _stubborn_ as you are."

Jaune lowered his eyes, his breathing coming out a little easier.

"Thanks guys…" he sighed.

"Don't mention it," Weiss crossed her arms. "Now then…if you _ever_ hope to tap into this semblance of yours, you're going to have to learn how to actively use your aura."

Jaune and Ruby both blinked at that.

"What?" he asked.

"Your aura's been almost completely passive up until now," Weiss explained. "It's a legitimate strategy if all you want to do is focus on defense, but to tap into your semblance, you-"

"Wait," Jaune held up a hand in disbelief. "I thought Pyrrha unlocked my aura at the beginning of the school year."

"Well, if she did, you certainly haven't been making much use of it," Weiss commented snidely, holding out her scroll. "I've never seen your aura go down when you attack or move, only when you take a hit."

Jaune looked completely lost. "I…didn't think it was supposed to."

"You big dunce," Weiss chastised. "Aura can enhance _any_ of our abilities, not just defense. You can use your aura to boost your strength, your speed, your agility, just about _any_ action, really. That's how Ruby was able to send you flying across the room when I came in. She was using her aura to boost her attack power."

Ruby scratched her head curiously. "I was?"

"You were," Weiss rolled her eyes. "Even if you didn't realize it. For some people, it's more innate than others. But for other people, it doesn't come as naturally, and has to be taught. It's not difficult – I didn't get it right away at first either. But once I got the hang of it, it became as natural to me as breathing."

Jaune gave her a hopeless look. "Well…how am I supposed to learn then?"

"Well, now that we know that you weren't even _aware_ of the problem, it shouldn't be difficulty for Ruby and I to teach you," Weiss supplied. "And once you do, full command over your semblance shouldn't be far behind."

Jaune's eyes began to light up. "You…you'd do that? For me?"

Weiss crossed her arms. "Of course! We're teammates, aren't we?"

Ruby grinned widely, clenching her fists into tight little balls.

"Oh, Weiss! You're the best!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her. "I could have never helped Jaune without your help!"

Weiss just nodded, eyes closed in pride as Ruby clutched her arms around her.

"Just wait till I _really_ get going," she said smugly, before holding out her hand expectantly to Jaune. "Now for my last trick…sword please."

"Huh?" Jaune asked, confused.

"Huh?" Ruby repeated, sliding down Weiss' body, landing on the floor with an unceremonious "Mmph!"

Weiss ignored her.

"Let me see your sword," she elaborated patiently.

"Uh…alright, I guess…" Jaune said as he hesitantly offered Crocea Mors to Weiss, hilt first.

Weiss took the sword in her hands as Ruby and Jaune watched her attentively as she inspected its pommel.

"Hmmm…" she intoned, before her eyes widened in delight. "Hah! I was _right!_ "

"Huh?" Ruby asked, childishly.

"What are you talking about, Weiss?" Jaune added.

Weiss smirked haughtily at the young man.

"You don't even know how to use this, do you?"

Now Jaune looked completely perplexed. "What? Of course I know how to use it! What's there to understand about _swish-swish-stab_? It's a sword, not an fighter ship."

Weiss' haughty expression did not abate.

"And what if I told you that you've been using it _wrong_ all this time?"

With that, she twisted the end of the sword's pommel and unscrewed the cap off of the end of its grip.

"Hey!" Jaune cried out in protest. "Don't _break_ it!"

"Relax," Weiss assured him, staring into the newly revealed chamber within the length of the sword's grip. "This is your great-great-grandfather's sword, right?"

"Yeah, it's a family heirloom," Jaune said uneasily as he held his hands up in protest, as if trying to retrieve the weapon from her fiddling. "A very… _old_ …and _valuable_ …family heirloom!"

Weiss smiled back at him, before stepping over to the screen and placing her hand on one of the buttons, as a green call button appeared on the screen.

"Prometheus, this is Special Operative Schnee," she said simply. "I'm in the south-east training room on deck E. I need four-hundred milligrams of point-eight grit incendiary powder and a type three ignition switch delivered to us immediately."

A sonic pitch bar appeared on screen by way of response.

"Yes Miss Schnee," a mechanized voice intoned.

Jaune and Ruby were looking more confused by the moment. Weiss, for her part, seemed to delight in their confusion.

"Your grandfather, Julius Arc, was said to be a skilled munitions expert in addition to being an adept sword fighter," she explained, gesturing to one of Jaune's relatives on the screen. "However, none of his portraits show him carrying anything other than his grandfather's sword and shield. So what has he been using munitions with, I wonder? When I dug further, I found that it was around this era that dust weaponry started rising in prominence all across Remnant. Some soldiers even modified their existing melee weapons to incorporate dust use because of the advantage it provided."

Weiss waved her hand dismissively.

"Dust weapons were primitive by today's standards," she continued. "Soldiers would carry powdered dust into the field with them, and pour it into their weapons with a paper funnel. If the dust got wet, it was useless, and it was only good for one shot before it had to be reloaded."

The doors open, and a mechanized humanoid service unit stepped in to the training room, carrying a steel briefcase in its hands. Its body was designed to appear to be wearing a metallic three-piece suit. It even had what appeared to be a metallic mustache on its face.

Ruby stared at the mech and pointed in excitement. "You have a _robot butler!?_ "

"You mean you don't?" Weiss raised an eyebrow teasingly at her partner, before accepting the delivery from the service mech. "Thank you, Prometheus. You may leave now."

The robot butler took a mechanical bow.

"As you command, Winter Schnee."

Ruby's mouth hung open at the sound of the elder sibling's name as the robot strode out the door.

"You mean to tell me your stole your sister's security card _and_ her robot butler!?" Ruby demanded.

"Look, this was important, okay?" Weiss griped. "I didn't have time to wait for Atlas to grant me the necessary clearance. Besides, Winter told me I could make full use of Atlas resources."

Weiss recomposed herself as she tapped a switch by the wall besides the door, causing a workbench to emerge seamlessly from the wall. She stepped over to it, and placed the briefcase down on top of it, opening it to reveal a tube of red dust, a small, circular piece of metal with some wires sticking out of it, as well as some hand tools.

She placed Jaune's sword onto the bench as well, and began to work.

"Now, the blasting cap in this thing has long since deteriorated," Weiss explained as she fitted the new ignition switch into the hollow grip of Crocea Mors with a pair of tweezers. "But it should work just fine with the modern equivalent…"

Jaune and Ruby watched in fascination as Weiss carefully poured a small portion of the red dust into the handle of Jaune's sword, before screwing the pommel back on.

"We'll start with ten percent of the total capacity, just to stay on the safe side," Weiss explained, before offering the sword back to Jaune.

Jaune accepted the sword with trepidation as he stared at the handle as one does when they know that something now contains an explosive material.

"Go ahead," Weiss gestured to steel dummy in the room. "Strike the practice dummy with the pommel of your sword."

Ruby watched with scarcely contained excitement as Jaune stepped over to the steel dummy and raised his shield before raising his sword up to bash the dummy in the head with the pommel of his sword.

"Hyah!" he shouted as he struck.

The pommel of his sword struck steel, and there was a sudden burst of red flame.

BOOM!

The room shuddered as the dummy went flying back, slamming roughly against the far wall.

"Whoa-ho-ho-ho!" Jaune gasped in excitement, his face blackened with soot as he staggered back from the force of the impact.

"Wow!" Ruby shouted, jumping over to him to grasp his arm with excitement. "That was _awesome_ , Jaune!"

Weiss stepped over to him, waving her hand to clear the air of dust and soot.

"Crude, but effective," she commented. "I bet you didn't realize you were carrying around a dust weapon, did you Jaune?"

Jaune gazed down at his sword with astonishment. "No…I didn't…"

"Thought not," Weiss blew on her nails. "I still got it. I bet you didn't even realize your shield was on a swivel, did you?"

Jaune stared back at Weiss in confusion, but by now, he had learned that she knew what she was talking about.

"Okay, I'll bite," he asked, still sounding somewhat exhilarated from the earlier explosion. "What are you talking about _this_ time?"

Weiss gestured to his shield in his off hand.

"Well, your shield can switch back and forth between being a sheath, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jaune said, contracting his shield into its sheath form, and then back to a shield by way of demonstration. "Why?"

Weiss stepped over to him. "Well, once it's in shield form, it doesn't _stop_ being a sheath, does it?"

Jaune turned his shield to stare at the slot at the top edge of the heater. He experimentally slid his sword into the slot, and it seemed to glide into place just as sure as it did when it was retracted.

"Huh…" he mused, staring at his sword and shield combination as it was strapped to his wrist. "I guess not."

"Well, there's also a swivel…" Weiss stepped up to his shield and turned it around to inspect the back where it attached to Jaune's arm. "Right here."

Jaune held his shield out, staring at the point where his wrist was strapped in, and noticed a circular joint between the arm strap and the shield itself.

"Ok…" Jaune raised an eyebrow. "So how does it work?"

Weiss fiddled with the strap for a minute, before she eventually found a locking mechanism, flipping it. She then tugged at the shield until it began to revolve around the axis on the edge of the strap.

"Like this…" Weiss explained, rotating the shield so that the sharp pointed base of the heater now lined up with his fist. "You can orient it this way, to give your shield bashes an even meaner edge…"

Jaune watched awkwardly as she rotated it back the other way, until the hilt of his sheathed sword was now pointed in the direction of his fist.

"Or like this, in order to use the dust in your sword to enhance your punches," Weiss nodded in approval. "When used like this, you've essentially got a burst weapon on your fist on par with one of Yang's gauntlets. Probably even stronger, if you use the entire dust chamber."

Jaune was staring down at his weapon like it was a foreign thing to him as he experimentally punched the air to see how the pommel of his sword would strike an imaginary foe. He'd never imagined a simple sword and shield could be used in such a complex and unusual way.

"You see, Jaune?" Ruby said, clasping him by the shoulder. "You had everything you needed all along. You just needed someone to show you the way."

Jaune smiled bashfully. "This is all just so much to take in…"

"Take your time," Ruby assured him sincerely. "Weiss and I will help you however we can."

"If you want," Weiss added. "Atlas could even re-engineer that firing mechanism to use modern dust cartridges. It might help focus the blast forward so you don't get as much backlash, and it would also let you use at least a dozen rounds before having to reload. How about it?"

Jaune was still staring at his sword in amazement, before he suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"You mean… _modify_ my great-great-grandfather's sword?" he asked, as if the idea sounded like sacrilege.

"Just a little," Weiss allowed. "The blade won't be affected at all. I understand wanting to preserve the integrity of your family heirloom, but your own grandfather has already modified the sword to be a dust weapon when he used it forty years ago. I'd say you'd be doing your family proud by taking what was left to you and improving upon it."

Ruby gave him a comforting pat on the back. "It's your decision, Jaune. Weiss and I will back you, however you decide."

"It may take about a day though," Weiss cautioned. "And we'll be shipping out to Vacuo soon. I wouldn't dilly-dally on this decision."

Jaune stared at his weapon again with trepidation. Here he thought he had already reached his limit, when in fact he hadn't even been using his full potential at all. He had so much ground to cover, and now that he knew the untapped potential of his semblance, knew of the untapped potential of his aura, _and_ the untapped potential of his weapon, he suddenly realized how much time he had been wasting up until that point.

He clenched his fist.

"You're right," he said. "We don't have a lot of time."

He turned to Weiss and nodded brusquely.

"Have your engineers get to work on this as soon as they can, Weiss," he asked, retracting his shield to its sheath form, detaching it from his arm, and offering Crocea Mors to her, hilt first, sheath and all. "I trust that you can make the necessary arrangements?"

Weiss accepted the sword with a self-satisfied smile. "I thought you'd never ask…"

He nodded and smiled. "Thanks Weiss. I could have never gotten to this point without you."

"I know," Weiss smirked, before adopting a more sincere expression. "And you're welcome."

With Jaune's sword in hand, she collected the metal briefcase of dust and turned to leave the training room.

Jaune turned back to Ruby and nodded.

"Ruby," he asked. "While she works on that, I need your help learning how to control my aura. Can you do that for me?"

"I don't know much about aura," Ruby saluted. "But I'll do my best!"

Jaune smiled. "Thanks. We don't have a lot of time, so let's get started."

"I like this new 'take charge' attitude of yours, Jaune," she grinned, giving him a playful wink.

Jaune suddenly blushed, sheepishly. "Am I hamming it up too much?"

Ruby smiled, patting him on the back. "You're fine, Jaune. Now let's do this! By the time we're done, you'll be the best Huntsman ever!"

Jaune let out a breath. It was finally happening. He was finally moving. After years of stagnation and embarrassment, he finally had a clear path towards becoming the hero he always wanted to be. With this, maybe he'd finally make a difference. With this, maybe he'd finally be fighting on par with his peers. With this, maybe he could finally face down Pyrrha on the field of battle, and show her just how far he had come.

A cold sweat ran down his back as he set his jaw.

This should have been everything he'd ever wanted. This should have been everything he'd ever dreamed of.

So why did he feel so uneasy?


	39. Chapter 39

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 39

* * *

Qrow was perched on a rooftop in a port town that offered passage across the eastern sea to Vacuo. It had been a long journey form the mainland, but he had finally reached the eastern seaboard, and not a moment too soon it had seemed. White Fang had been moving into the town all day. It seemed that the White Fang either didn't have adequate number of airships to transport their number, or else the Grimm that dominated the sky were simply attacking airships indiscriminately. Either option seemed equally terrifying. If the White Fang existed in such quantities that they could not procure enough air transport for them all, then he and his allies had vastly underestimated their number. And if the Grimm posed such a danger to the skies that his enemies' own minions would not even brave them, then that would severely hamper the movements of Qrow and his allies as well.

Either way, Raven's tip had paid off. The White Fang were in here in force, although they were at least trying to be discrete it seemed. None wore their masks, at least during the day, and for a while Qrow was worried that he was wasting his time in staking out this location. But over the course of just a few hours, the number of Faunus that populated the town seemed to double, and then triple without anyone seeming to notice. Qrow had only taken note because he was looking for them.

They seemed intent on moving their members out of the town by ship, which was the faster route than marching the entire legion over the entire continent of Vale, despite it being under their control. This made things simple for Qrow. This port town was one of the only major establishments this far east, and represented the only means of cross the sea from Mistral to Vacuo across the international dateline. That meant that all he had to do was sabotage the next ship they planned to use. Of course, it may not suffice just to sink _one_ ship. He didn't know how many ships the White Fang had access to, and he couldn't be waylaid in this town, forever sinking ships. It would be much easier to destroy the port itself so the White Fang could never make use of it, but he didn't want to do anything to upset the livelihood of the town. If it came down to it though...

No…he could not sacrifice the entire town. Even if every civilian could be evacuated and relocated, it would ruin too many lives. Besides, with Mistral fallen, they wouldn't have anywhere to flee too. He had left the village of Havensfall in the capable hands of the Spring Maiden, but even she had her limits, particularly with Cinder still on the loose. He had warned her of the danger and what had happened to the Fall Maiden, but still she had come to the aid of the people of Mistral, and she would do so again for the people of this town as well, should they require it. He couldn't afford put any more unnecessary burdens on the Guardian right now. Qrow would simply have to find another way to deter the White Fang from using this location.

He made his move at night, when a long, sleek dust boat slid into port, docking next to a wide concrete pier. It looked like a retrofitted cargo container ship, one that was no longer being used to transport goods, but now manpower. The White Fang had gathered, all wearing their masks once again, and had begun to board the container ship. In a way, Qrow almost had to admire the resourcefulness and coordination that went into organizing an operation of this scale. But that just meant that his enemy was even better prepared than he had initially given them credit for, and must not give into complacency.

He watched from the shadows, a bird on the wing as he perched atop one of the raised lampposts by the pier as he spied upon his enemies as they boarded the waiting ship, waiting for the opportune moment to make his move. Then a pair of Faunus arrived that caught his attention. One had red hair and a black coat, with a long rifle at his side. The other had bared arms covered in tattoos and had a chainsaw sword slung to his back. The two of them seemed to be in charge, the leader remaining still and silent as he surveyed the goings on with the lieutenant steering traffic and barking orders while the White Fang embarked onto the steel container ship.

Qrow's danger sense flared, however, as the leader turned his gaze upon him, and suddenly pointed his gun right where he was perched.

The next second suddenly became a dangerous gamble. The leader might have been testing to see if there was anyone spying on them. A single shot from a dust weapon of any caliber would be enough to take him out in this form, and he wasn't fast enough to dodge once the shot had been fired. However, if he took the threat for what it was and suddenly took off, he'd be alerting the White Fang to his presence, as no ordinary bird would react that way to the mere sight of a firearm. And there was also the very real possibility that perhaps the leader of the White Fang was just the type of person who randomly shot at birds.

It was a no-win situation, and one that he couldn't afford to lose.

Qrow took off just as the leader squeezed off a shot that very nearly clipped his tail feathers. A surge of adrenaline rushed through him as he sped away, out of reach of any decent light source.

But by now, he had lost the element of surprise.

"We have a visitor, it seems," the leader called out loudly to his lieutenant, clearly not caring if anyone overheard him. "Make him feel welcome."

The lieutenant motioned to the immediate group of White Fang, and they all began to fan out, flipping on flashlights, and darting them wildly around, many of them pointing up into the air.

Qrow pursed his lips. This would make things more challenging.

He counted the number of White Fang on the prowl – some thirty in total, not including the two ring leaders, and probably more that had yet to arrive, or were already on board below deck and may well come charging out. He had to be smart about this.

Silent as the night, he alighted down to the deck of the ship where one hapless thug was searching frantically. He landed right behind him, and began to morph, phasing from bird to a black morass until he was once again Qrow the Huntsman, within the space of a moment. With a quick motion, he wrapped his arm around the White Fang's neck, his other hand covering his mouth, before squeezing. The man struggled for a moment, before going limp, and then Qrow was a bird once more.

Thrice more he was able to dispatch his foes in such a manner, before the White Fang finally discovered the unconscious bodies of their own, and began to wisen up. Very quickly, they began to move in pairs, each of them casting their flashlights around erratically to cover their partner's blind spot.

Time to try a new tactic, Qrow decided, as he swooped past one of the White Fang's heads, raking their hair with his talons, before flapping off before they could react. The ensuing screaming and commotion and random firing of weapons into the air had the desired affect, and drew a number of them towards the bow of the ship where the attack had taken place, and he was able to isolate four more members by the stern to quickly dispatch with a quick stealth attack from behind.

His second attempt was not met with as much success. The White Fang had brought out a searchlight and begun scanning the skies, and as he swooped in to startle his next victim, a chance wave of a flashlight managed to capture him, and the White Fang each began firing.

Qrow flapped his wings and tried to flee, but more and more White Fang had begun pointing their flashlights towards where he was. And when the searchlight got a bead on him, it suddenly became impossible to remain hidden.

Eventually, one of their gunshots managed to clip his wing, and he went tumbling down towards the pier, quickly transforming back to his human form to land on one knee, hand on the ground for stability.

In plain view of the lantern light, he was completely exposed as the leader of the White Fang and his lieutenant approached him.

"No more hiding, Qrow," the leader said coldly as he approached, his rifle resting on his shoulder. "It is Qrow, right? Qrow Branwen? No one else we've seen has such a unique ability as that."

Qrow stood up, staring down his opponents with a mask of disinterest. They haven't seen anyone else with an ability like his before, had they? Which meant that Raven still hadn't crossed their radar, or she had and they simply didn't know what she was capable of. Or simply that this man didn't rank high enough to be privy to such intel. Either way, it was a good sign.

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, mister…?" Qrow replied smugly, adjusting his coat.

"Taurus," the leader said with a cordial bow. "Adam Taurus. We've never met, but your reputation precedes you. You've given my associates and I no end of trouble."

"Sorry about that," Qrow cracked his neck, drawing his sword in a slow deliberate motion. "Been trying to quit, but it's a tough habit to break."

Behind Adam, the lieutenant already had his weapon at the ready, and the remaining White Fang had formed a circle around the three of them, preventing any escape on foot. With the spotlight trained on him, Qrow doubted he'd be able to fly out of here without getting shot out of the sky. His only option was to fight his way out.

"I'll give you this one chance to turn yourself in," Adam said, dispensing with any pleasantries as he pointed his gun at the old man. "I have some friends that would very much like to meet you."

"I'm sure they would," Qrow laughed as he raised his sword to eye level. "I've got a hot date tonight though, so I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

Adam smirked. "So sorry then, but your date is going to have to be postponed…"

The White Fang leader opened fire, which Qrow deflected with a swing of his sword. Another shot sang towards him, and Qrow twisted his blade to deflect again. By the time the third shot came, Qrow was already back-flipping away from the swing of the Lieutenant as he swung his chainsaw-sword, its engine buzzing loudly in the night as it sparking against the concrete pier. The Lieutenant then leaped forward, pressing his attack, his strike meeting Qrow's sword, sparks flying as the chain blades ground against the edge of Qrow's mighty greatsword.

"Give it up, Qrow," the Lieutenant's low guttural voice thrummed through his mask. "You're vastly outmatched."

Qrow grinned back at the masked man. "I'm just getting warmed up…"

He then flipped over top of the Lieutenant, landing behind him and charging the leader. Adam pointed his rifle at Qrow as he approached, firing once, twice, thrice, each of which Qrow managed to deflect, before his sword met the edge of the man's gun.

"I'm putting an end to you here!" Qrow shouted, shoving Adam back before swinging his sword as it twisted and expanded into its scythe form. Before Adam could recover, Qrow managed to use the added reach of his elongated weapon to knock the rifle from the White Fang's hand. By the time the Lieutenant managed to close the distance, Qrow already had the edge of his scythe resting across Adam's neck.

"Go ahead!" Qrow called out to the lieutenant, his scythe poised against his leader's throat. "Try it!"

The lieutenant froze, letting out a groan of anger and frustration. "You're making a _big_ mistake…"

Qrow didn't answer. He was out of options. This whole operation was a bust, and he needed to escape. The leader of the White Fang could provide him with just such an escape, but that wouldn't stop the flow of White Fang into Vacuo. Leaving things as they were now, they would be on the lookout for him now, and he would not be able to use the same tactics as before. There had to be some way for him to sabotage their boat before he fled.

 _FWEEEEEE!_

Qrow suddenly turned to see Adam had some sort of whistle placed between his lips, which let out an ear-piercing shrill.

Qrow struck with the haft of his scythe, knocking Adam to the ground as the whistle flew from his mouth, but then he heard a loud _fwump-fwump-fwump_ of a pair of massive wings beating the night air.

Suddenly the ground shook as a massive red nevermore landed on the pier, its claws scraping against the concrete, its wings flared out wildly as it let out a piercing cry into the sky.

 _TSEEEEER!_

Qrow recoiled, gripping his scythe in both hands in a defensive position. He had never seen a Grimm of that size or coloration before, aside from the dragon that appeared above Vale. This one was different, however. This one had a rider.

"It can't be…" he breathed in disbelief.

Swinging her legs off the saddle on the nevermore's neck, the bird's rider dropped down to the pier and drew her weapons – a round shield and a short sword.

"Pyrrha…" Qrow gasped, shaking his head. "What have they done to you?"

The Huntress did not respond, her eyes masked behind what appeared to be carved bone visor, her armor having taken on a similar opaque white tone, while her skin and hair appeared equally muted in color. Instead of responding, she simply raised her weapons and charged him, a silent and deadly fighter built for one simple task.

Qrow was quickly put on the defensive, so caught off guard by her sudden and relentless assault.

"Pyrrha!" he called out to her, still unable to detach the creature he fought from the innocent girl whose life he and his allies had completely ruined. "Snap out of it!"

"She can't hear you, Qrow!" Adam called out to him as he and his lieutenant watched, arms crossed. "She belongs to us now."

Adam and his Lieutenant did not seem too keen on stepping in, nor did the other Whtie Fang, who had all but scattered at the appearance of the massive Grimm, which seemed to have similarly contented itself with watching the course of the battle.

Qrow bared his teeth. This creature fought with every bit of skill that Pyrrha had, and absolutely none of her hesitance, remorse or pity. He leaped back again, slowly running out of pier to stand on before he hit water. Pyrrha was forcing him into close quarters combat, which did not suit his scythe at all, so with a flick of his wrist, he reverted back to sword form.

When Pyrrha lunged again, he was able to use the leverage of his sword to press her back, regaining his footing as he once again took the offensive.

"Pyrrha, come on!" Qrow called out to her as he forced her back with a massive swing of his greatsword. "I don't want to hurt you! Wake up, kid! _Wake up!_ "

She leaped over his swing and landed behind him, but Qrow was ready for her and began pressing her back again with swing after swing. Pyrrha had been a skilled huntress in training, probably the best that Beacon had ever seen. But Qrow was one of the best huntsman in all of Vale, and was well versed in fighting a wide range of combatants. Pyrrha's short sword and shield was nothing new to Qrow. She was strong, but he was stronger. She was quick, but he was fast enough.

She could have kept her distance and taken aim with her rifle, but Qrow had a rifle of his own with which to counter her, and his scythe lent him superiority at that range, and this Grimm-Pyrrha seemed to gleam as much. She did not seem to throw either her shield or her sword as projectile weapons, Qrow noticed, which meant that this creature probably lacked Pyrrha's semblance of polarity with which to retrieve them, again displaying a startling level of intelligence for a creature that looked every bit a Grimm.

All this meant was that Qrow's steady barrage of mighty sword swings eventually overpowered the girl, sending her toppling to the ground.

By the time she had made it to her hands and knees, Qrow's blade was already at her throat.

Pyrrha froze, the danger sense present in her higher brain functions still clearly maintaining control over the savage Grimm she resembled.

Qrow gritted his teeth. He knew in his heart what needed to be done. What had been done to Pyrrha was an unspeakable evil, and it was highly unlikely that she could ever be brought back from such a state. As she was now, she was incredibly dangerous. A highly skilled Huntress working for the enemy, without the reservation and humanity that came with it, and all the ferocity and killer instinct of a Grimm. All this pointed to single, inevitable solution.

To kill her would not only be the safest solution, but would also be the kindest.

But he couldn't do it. He just couldn't do it. He couldn't stop picturing the look of heartbreak on his niece's face when he told her that Pyrrha was gone. He couldn't bring himself to break her heart once more when he told her that he had destroyed the last vestiges of the girl she had tried so hard to save.

Raven was right about him. He was getting soft in his old age.

CRUMP!

 _TSEEEEER!_

Qrow suddenly felt something sharp and heavy against his back as it crushed him against the pier, his sword flying out of his grip. The great red nevermore seemed to have gotten bored of idly watching and flown in to rescue its master. Qrow hadn't even seen it coming, and had no time to react before the great bird had him pinned face-down on the concrete pier, his lip bleeding from the impact his face had made from the assault.

He twisted an thrashed to try to escape, but the bird was several times his weight, and had him completely pinned. Finally Qrow stopped struggling, knowing that he was beaten. Straining his neck, he was just able to make out the leader of the White Fang as he approached.

"Hold him there," Adam said haughtily. "Cinder wants this one _alive_."

Qrow spat out a mouthful of blood. "Coward…"

"I do what I have to in order to win," Adam smirked.

Qrow gritted his teeth. The White Fang's words echoed his sister's mantra all too closely.

Then Qrow's vision exploded into stars as Adam's boot came into contact with the side of his head as he kicked him.

WHAM!

Qrow grunted in pain as the White Fang let out of laugh of triumph. As he shook his head to regain his senses, he only then noticed that Adam had retrieved the sword that had been thrown from his hands. The White Fang leader gave the weapon an experimental swing, before twisting the handle until the gear mechanism activated and the sword expanded into its scythe form in his hands.

"Interesting…" Adam smiled appreciatively, before reverting the weapon back into its sword form. "I'll have to take some time figuring this weapon out. It's a bit hefty for my taste…but it should make a suitable replacement…"

Qrow's eyebrows flared in outrage. To kick a man while he was down was one thing, but to steal a man's sword without even having the decency to finish him off first was unconscionable.

" _Coward!_ " Qrow snarled angrily. "That woman is just using you! Do you honestly think she won't throw you to the wolves as soon as she's done with you!?"

Adam seemed amused by Qrow's angered words.

"That, little birdy, depends entirely upon who the wolves are…"

As he spoke, Adam withdrew what appeared to be a metal collar from inside his coat. Qrow attempted to resist, but the great red nevermore still held him firmly to the ground as Adam seized him by the hair and clasped the collar around Qrow's neck.

As soon as it snapped shut, Qrow felt a stab of pain in his neck as the collar suddenly glowed and crackled with power. Electricity seemed to course through Qrow's body, and for a moment he was completely paralyzed with pain until finally the torture relented, leaving him drained of far more than simply his strength.

"Another little gift from Cinder," Adam said, yanking the man's head up to look him in the eye. "Designed to suppress an individual's semblance. You won't be flying anywhere anytime soon…"

Qrow's eyes widened in realization, and in a panic, attempted to shift into his bird form. It felt like trying to move a severed limb; the power simply wasn't there anymore. He tried again and again, until he was gasping for breath from exhaustion. He looked back at Adam and bared his teeth, but had no strength with which to utter a response.

Adam released him and waved his hand dismissively, turning to go.

"Take him away."

Qrow lay still, alive but beaten and drained as the great red nevermore lifted him off the ground, with a _fwump-fwump-fwump_ of its wings. As Qrow watched the ground fall away, he saw the White Fang continue to board the container ship on its way to Vacuo.

And where he had been lying, ignored by everyone as if it were no more than a rusty piece of iron, was Ozpin's cane, lying discarded on the damp and lonely pier. It must have fallen out of his holster after the bird had attacked him.

Qrow reached out for the cane, powerless to retrieve it as the great red nevermore and its rider carried him off into the night. Blood dripped from between his lips as the cold night air began to bite into his skin. Or maybe that was his aura struggling to kindle a semblance which no longer responded to him.

All he could do was reach for his old teacher's keepsake, watching as it disappeared from view, and he felt his consciousness ebb, and soon, darkness overtook him.


	40. Chapter 40

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 40

* * *

Emerald frowned. After surveying the wreck of the downed Atlesian frigate for the past week, she had determined that something was definitely up. Ordinarily she would not concern herself with whatever Cinder had planned next for the ruined kingdom or anything in it. But it had been months since she'd been on her own, and every time she had attempted to flee the city limits, the Grimm had almost overwhelmed her. Her semblance only worked on other people, and even if she could manipulate creatures of Grimm, the sheer number was too much to contend with. She was used to being a loner, but this was the sort of situation where she could have clearly used a team, even if it was a temporary alliance.

It was a shame that Blake was no longer around. She might have been able to swallow her pride and ask the Faunus girl for help. But Emerald had not seen her in weeks, and food in the city was starting to grow scarce. She was being forced to scavenge closer and closer to the center of town, where the site of original attack on the kingdom had taken place. It was there that she had spotted the remains of one of the enormous Atlas airships that had gone down in the middle of the city.

What was suspicious about it, however, was how active the Grimm were being around the area. While Grimm were known to attack man-made creations, they didn't seem to be tearing apart the airship the way they had many of the other buildings and vehicles throughout the kingdom. Rather, they seemed to be digging around it, clearing out space, to the point where it almost seemed an organized effort. The massive aircraft had initially been sitting at an awkward angle after its crash, but the Grimm had been digging underneath its wings and fuselage, even kicking up piles of debris to act as makeshift support struts for its nose and tail. The result over the last couple of days was the airship slowly beginning to sit almost entirely upright in the center of town. Almost as if whoever was controlling the Grimm were making them craft a massive launch cradle for the frigate.

Then one day, she spotted Cinder walking amongst the Grimm, traipsing about the ruined airship. Emerald kept her distance, but watched from afar as Cinder seemed to order the Grimm around her to clear a path for her towards one of the side entrance ramps of the airship. She placed her hand on the hatch, and it disintegrated into burning ash, leaving the hatchway wide open for her to march on through, the Grimm each waiting outside.

Emerald watched suspiciously, but without getting closer, she couldn't tell what was happening. While a part of her longed to go back to her, her sense of mistrust refused to compromise. Cinder had cast her out, and she would never trust her again. She had learned her lesson the hard way, and she would never be fooled again. That being said, she wasn't entirely sure why she was watching this scene unfold. She doubted there would be any information gleamed here that she could use. Cinder and her minions obviously needed to eat, but Emerald would sooner try her chances with the resistance than risk her former master's wrath. Still, something compelled her to see what was unfolding before her. And so she held her ground, and resolved to simply watch. And wait.

After what must have been an hour, her patience was finally rewarded. The airship began to start up again.

With a whirr and a racket, the ship's engines began to kick on again. It was a rickety start, its engines spitting out more smoke than thrust, and the ship's running lights flickered on for a brief moment. It was a temporary affair, however, as soon the airship shut down again with a massive lurch of defeat.

Emerald watched in fascination as she saw Cinder exit through the open hatched she had entered through. She gestured inside, and soon the waiting Grimm began to file inside, some of them actually shoving crates of what looked like dust. The kind airships might use for fuel.

Cinder was trying to reactivate the airship, Emerald realized. For what purpose, she could only guess at. Knowing Cinder, it would be to infiltrate Atlas. What that meant for Emerald, she could scarcely hazard a guess.

However…she could think of a certain group of individuals that might be willing to trade for this information.

Her mind made up, and her empty stomach in agreement, she found her way towards the former business district where the resistance made their hideout. They had regular patrols out on regular watch cycles, which Emerald had been easily able to avoid for the past months. The time had come, it seemed, to finally make herself known.

She came across one particular group of four students lead by a large man with a mustache.

"Now remember students," the teacher said confidently as he turned to face the small group he was leading down one of the city streets between office buildings. "Be vigilant at all times. There is no telling when the enemy might strike."

Emerald smiled as she dropped down behind the teacher, waiting for him as he turned back around to suddenly find her standing face to face before him.

"Hi," she smirked.

"Great galloping galoshes!" the portly professor recoiled, withdrawing what appeared to be a battle axe. "We've been spotted!"

The other students, four boys armed with a mace, a pair of daggers, a sword and a halberd from the look of it, each drew their weapons in response.

Emerald raised her hands up and put on her best cheerful smile. "Whoa, hold on there, boys. I'm not a Grimm. I'm a student, just like you all."

The students seemed perplexed by this, as did the professor. Emerald was banking on her previous cover story still holding water, but she'd be up a creak if anyone had gotten word of her involvement with Cinder. But at least they lowered their weapons.

"My dear," the large mustachioed man said. "What are you doing out here on your own? Don't you realize just how dangerous it is in the city right now?"

Emerald smiled coyly. "Dangerous? Whatever do you mean? With all these Grimm wandering the streets, I was under the impression this whole kingdom was practically a five-star resort."

All four of the students grinned at that. One of the boys even snickered. Emerald's smile deepened – if there was one thing she excelled at, it was putting people off their guard with carefully crafted charisma.

The professor however seemed less amused.

"I am no stranger to sarcasm, young lady," he said, crossing his arms. "How exactly have you been surviving out here all by yourself? You're not from Beacon, and I haven't seen you amongst the resistance members. Who are you? Where are you from exactly?"

"I'm from Mistral," the practiced lie left her lips. "My name is Emerald."

"From Mistral, you say?" the professor asked in astonishment. "How exactly have you been getting by out here all by yourself?"

"I have my ways," she said bluntly. "I'm a survivor, and I'm used to fending for myself. That's not what I'm here for though – I'm here because I have information that may be vital to the resistance."

That seemed to get the old man's attention.

"Oh, is that so?" he asked skeptically. "And what information would that be, young lady?"

"Not so fast," Emerald held out her hand. "I want a trade. Information for rations."

"Hmm…" the professor stroked his chin. "That could be a tricky deal. We don't have enough rations to trade them hastily, I'm afraid. You'll have to take this up with Professor Goodwitch."

Emerald shrugged. She knew this wasn't going to be a simple matter. But times getting tougher by the day.

"Fine," she harrumphed. "Take me to her then."

The portly professor didn't respond. Instead, he withdrew his scroll, dialing in a number.

"Professor Port," a blonde woman appeared on the screen. "Is something wrong?"

"Unclear," the professor said, raising the scroll to eye level. "I've got a bit of a situation here. Someone who wants to trade intel for rations. I figured you'd want to have a word with them."

The woman lowered her eyes, before looking back up again.

"Very well," she said. "Get to a secure location, and my team and I will be right there."

Professor Port nodded. "Right you are. We're not far from the Tenth street bank. We'll meet you there."

"Got it," Goodwitch said. "Stay safe."

Port closed his scroll. "You heard the lady, students. Let's get moving."

The four boys all groaned in irritation as the professor lead them off in the direction of the bank.

"Professor Port, is it?" Emerald asked, trying to break the ice a little as she followed the group as they made their way down the abandoned city street. "You were one of the commentators from the Vytal tournament."

"Indeed you are correct, my dear," Port said with a shake of his fist. "And I recognize you from the tournament as well. You and your teammate pulled a surprising upset against two of Beacon's strongest second-year Huntsmen in training. It is no wonder that you've managed to make it on your own out here for so long. Clearly you are a cunning Huntress indeed."

Emerald had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

"Right…" she muttered. "So…we're not going back to your hideout?"

"My dear, we can't afford to take chances out here," the professor said matter of factly at the head of the group. "We know that we have more than just Grimm to worry about, but an unknown number of other adversaries as well. We're not going to lead a perfect stranger right into our hideout. That would never do."

Emerald pursed her lips. It seems this resistance wasn't made entirely of fools after all.

"You know," one of the boys offered – the one with the mace. "If it's rations you need, you could always join up with us."

Emerald raised an eyebrow. "You mean join the resistance?"

The professor held up a hand. "Now, now, boys, let's not be getting ahead of ourselves."

"No, but think about it," the student said. "You'd get all the rations you'd need working with the resistance, and also a place to rest your head. Plus you'd have people to watch your back for you."

Emerald made a face at that. "No thanks. I'm more of a loner type. Trust issues, that kind of thing."

"Aww, you don't have to be afraid," he said, trying and failing to be charming. "I'd protect you."

This time, Emerald did roll her eyes. "You are barking up _all kinds_ of the wrong tree there, buddy. Better step off before you hurt yourself."

The other boys seemed to find this amusing and began laughing. The boy with the mace gave them each a threatening look, and they all flinched and stopped laughing.

"Alright, look," he said turning back to her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by that. I just meant that it must be rough having to be alone out here, not having anyone you can rely on. I can't imagine what that's been like."

Emerald raised an eyebrow. What was this boy getting at?

"I don't mean to sugarcoat it," he admitted. "Some days, we still have to scrape by on what little we got. Some days I wonder if any of us will get through this. We don't have much. But we've got a team looking out for each other. And that's something, at least."

He reached out and wrapped his arm around one of the other boy's necks, grinding his knuckles into his scalp while the other boy struggled.

"I may give these knuckleheads a hard time," he laughed, before releasing the other boy. "But I know they've got my back. And at the end of the day, that's all that really counts."

Emerald wasn't sure what she found more amusing – the boy's whole dumb speech, or how earnest he sounded while delivering it. But she certainly found it amusing nevertheless.

"You were also in the Vytal tournament, right?" Emerald asked.

"Yep," he nodded. "The name's Cardin Winchester, leader of Team CRDL."

Emerald smirked. "As I recall, you guys didn't exactly last very long."

That seemed to get a rise out of the other boys, but Cardin held his hand up to silence any retorts.

"Nope," he admitted, shaking his head. "You're right. We got our asses handed to us in the second round. Of course, to be fair, it turned out we were up against some kind of _robot-girl ,_ so…not really sure I'd call that a fair fight."

Emerald shrugged. "It seemed as though Miss Nikos was more than a match for her."

Professor Port interrupted them before they could continue.

"That's enough chitchat for now, lads," he drew his battle axe. "It seems we may have a fight on our hands…"

Emerald and team CRDL both look ahead and saw a host of Grimm off in the distance, and they looked to be engaged with a group of Huntsmen up ahead.

"Forward!" Professor Port called, gesturing forward with his battle axe, and the rest of team CRDL drew their weapons and charged.

Emerald cursed under her breath and drew her weapons, following after the group but sticking to the rear. This was the last thing she needed right then.

She and the others eventually came across an intersection where Professor Goodwitch and a team of students from Beacon. She recognized the brunette with the minigun and the tall guy with the big sword from her fight in the Vytal tournament, as well as their other two teammates.

To their credit, Cardin and his teammates leaped into battle with all gusto, charging into the Grimm from the side. There were about fifteen in total, several ursi making up the bulk of their numbers, and a huge deathstalker that seemed to be giving the team most of their trouble.

Professor Goodwitch was using her riding crop to lift pieces of rubble off the ground and crush any Grimm that ventured too close. The guy with the huge sword and girl with the minigun were holding off the deathstalker, though they didn't seem to be able to do much more than annoy it, as it kept guarding with its massive claws.

The girl with the bunny ears and the boy with the arm blades were making short work of the smaller Grimm, and once Cardin and his team entered the fray, the larger ursi began to fall.

Finally Professor Port let loose from the blunderbuss in his axe, striking the deathstalker broad side, and toppling it over.

"Now!" he cried out.

The melee fighters leaped back as the girl with the minigun let loose a flurry of gunfire into the beast's exposed belly and Professor Goodwitch lifted a massive piece of asphalt and dropped it on top of the Grimm, crushing it with a loud, gut-wrenching _crunch._

Professor Port lifted his axe high in the air. "Another victory!"

Professor Goodwitch adjusted her glasses. "It sure took you long enough."

Emerald slowly sheathed her blades as the Huntsmen around her regrouped. She did not appear to have needed them, and did not want to appear threatening when she met with the leader of the resistance, particularly with the two students she and Mercury had bested standing right in front of her. She would have disguised her appearance if it was just one or two of them, but to do so for all of them would have been impossible. She might have gotten away with just manipulating the two students she had fought in the tournament, but all it would have taken was one idle word or comment from one of the other members of the group to completely shatter the illusion, and she would be caught in her deception, and would never get what she needed out of them.

"Hey, what's she doing here!?" the girl with the minigun demanded angrily, pointing her finger accusingly.

Professor Port came to Emerald's defense. "Rest easy, Coco. She's just here to trade some information."

"We can't trust anything she says!" Coco responded. "She's with _Cinder!_ "

Emerald swallowed. _Or_ , she could have miscalculated a chance piece of information having gotten out beforehand without her knowledge and been outed right in the middle of a crowd of Huntsmen with a grudge to settle. Emerald suddenly wasn't liking her odds.

"Are you sure?" Professor Goodwitch asked.

"Positive!" Coco affirmed, pointing her gun at the green haired girl. "Ruby told us before she left Vale. They're the ones responsible what happened with Yang and Pyrrha at the tournament! She can make you see whatever she wants you to see!"

Emerald subtly eyed her peripherals, taking stock of her surroundings. She could try to flee. She could perhaps make one of the Huntsmen see something that made them attack the others, but there were still ten of them. And even if she could get away unscathed, which she wasn't terribly keen on trying, that would still leave her at square one on getting the rations she needed.

Time to play the diplomat.

" _Was!_ " she called out, holding her hands up in the air. "I _was_ with Cinder! Past tense! I'm done with her now!"

Everyone had their weapons drawn and was converging on her, with this Coco girl leading the witch hunt.

"So?" she demanded. "You still deceived everyone at the Vytal Tournament! You could be manipulating what we're all seeing _right now_ and we'd never even know it!"

Emerald gritted her teeth. This Coco certainly seemed to have an axe to grind with her. This was getting her nowhere, and they still hadn't lowered their weapons. It was time for a gamble.

"It doesn't work like that!" she called out, her hands still raised. "I can only affect one person at a time. If I'd come here to deceive you all, I would have tracked you down one at a time, and not let you all outnumber me like this."

The other Huntsmen began exchanging glances. There was confusion in their midst. Uncertainty of where things stood. That was progress at least, but they still hadn't lowered their weapons, which meant that Emerald still had her hands up in the air.

It was a foolish move, coming to them like this without so much as a backup plan. But she was getting desperate. And something about that downed airship was bothering her. In the back of her mind, something was nagging at her. Her own survival instinct was telling her something fairly basic. If Cinder planned to take down Atlas, the most technologically advanced of all the kingdoms, then the other kingdoms would soon follow if they hadn't already. And then there would be _nowhere_ safe for Emerald left to run to.

If Emerald cared at all about her long term survival odds, then Cinder needed to be stopped. And the resistance, pitiful and undermanned as they were, were the only people who had any hope of accomplishing this.

"Look, I'm not asking you to trust me," she added when no one seemed inclined to venture a response. "I'm in the same boat as you are. I'm just trying to survive in a Grimm-infested city. I have information that the resistance can use _against_ Cinder and the Grimm. All I want in exchange are some rations to keep me going for a little while longer. After that, I'll be out of your hair, and you'll never have to see me again."

"And how can we trust _any_ information you have give us?" Coco demanded angrily.

"You can't," Emerald admitted. "But you should still listen to what I have to say just _in case_ it checks out, right?"

Coco threw a glance back at Professor Goodwitch. Neither looked terribly moved by Emerald's words.

"Look, you clearly have the upper hand over me here," Emerald called out. "What do you have to lose by hearing me out?"

The girl with the bunny ears turned around and put a hand on Coco's shoulder and whispered something into her ear. Coco chewed on her lip in response to whatever the bunny girl had said, but still kept her weapon trained on Emerald.

But finally Professor Goodwitch lowered her riding crop. Everyone else lowered their weapons as well, following her example.

"Alright, Miss Sustrai," she said, demonstrating a startling memory for names. "Start talking."

Emerald sighed. Always negotiate from a position of power, she had told herself. Well, she had royally screwed that up, hadn't she? At least they had finally lowered their weapons, but now it was time to give away her only meal ticket.

"Aright," she said flatly. "I believe Cinder's trying to get one of the crashed Atlesian airships up and running again."

That seemed to draw a whisper amongst the Huntsmen. Even Professor Port seemed surprised by this.

"To what end?" he asked aloud.

"I don't know," Emerald admitted. "But if I know how Cinder thinks, it'll be to infiltrate the kingdom of Atlas undetected."

"Impossible," Professor Goodwitch said dismissively. "General Ironwood would recognize the ship immediately as one that fell here in Vale. It would never be permitted into Atlesian airspace without a full sweep."

Emerald shrugged helplessly. "Well, I don't know what else to tell you, but they're bringing it online for a reason. Cinder doesn't _go_ on wild goose chases. If she thinks she can accomplish something with this airship, it's because she can."

Professor Port scratched his chin. "An Atlesian airship _would_ still be a formidable force to contend with in enemy hands, regardless of whether it was a known threat or not. Especially if it were Ironwood's flagship."

"Would that be the biggest of the ships that went down?" Emerald asked sardonically.

"Most indubitably," Port nodded.

"Then I'm pretty sure that's the one they're working on," she affirmed. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself, but she's somehow working with the Grimm, ordering them around like beasts of burden to do all the heavy lifting. They were shoving crates of fuel and munitions and even digging up a crude sort of launch cradle."

Coco raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Now you're just starting to sound crazy."

"It's true," Emerald shrugged. "Check it out yourselves if you don't believe me. It's happening right now in the center of town."

"Oh, I intend to," Coco said smugly, before turning to Professor Goodwitch. "Permission to go investigate this matter with my team, Professor?"

The leader of the resistance considered briefly.

"Very well, granted," she said dubiously. "But stay in contact. Something about this doesn't feel right."

"I agree," Coco nodded, before gesturing to hear team. "Team CFVY, move out!"

Professor Goodwitch gestured to Emerald. "Oh, and Coco, before you go…"

"Way ahead you, Professor," Coco smiled before marching over to where Emerald was standing.

Emerald glanced back and forth between the two, taking a step back from Coco. "Umm…what?"

She suddenly froze when she felt a pair of large and powerful hands clasp around her arms, and she turned to suddenly see the big guy with the even bigger sword, who had somehow managed to get behind her without her even noticing.

"You're coming with us," Coco said with a smirk as she grabbed Emerald's weapons and withdrew them from their holsters.

Emerald blanched as she tried feebly to struggle out of the big guy's grip.

"What!?" she demanded in protest, trying to break free. "Hey, give those back! I don't want to back out _there!_ Why do you need _me_ to come along?"

"We're heading out there to check out _your_ story," Coco waved Emerald's weapons her with a smug grin on her face. "If it all looks like how you described it, you'll get these back. And _maybe_ even get some rations out of it, if you behave yourself. But if it doesn't check out, there's no deal. And we're taking you along as insurance to make sure you're not just leading us into a trap."

Emerald's heart sank. This was not what she had signed up for at all.

"Damn it, let go of me!" she demanded, kicking the big guy in the shins, which had about as much effect as kicking an oak tree.

"Report back at regular intervals," Professor Goodwitch ordered. "If we don't hear anything from you for more than fifteen minutes, we'll send someone to check in on you."

"Got it," Coco nodded, before looking back her teammates as Emerald continued to struggle. "Velvet, you're on comm detail. The rest of you, keep the prisoner in your sights. If you see anything out of the ordinary, call it out to confirm it with everyone else before taking any action, no matter how alarming it appears. If she tries to bolt, dissuade her. And if you see another team member behaving erratically, dissuade her as well."

Emerald gulped as she watched her future prospects for escape diminish by the moment.

"You guys are being completely unreasonable here!" Emerald hollered as the larger man practically dragged her towards the center of town.

"Happy hunting, you all!" Professor Port held his fist in the air.

"Yeah!" Cardin waved. "And hey, don't let Coco get to you, new girl! She's just a sore loser, that's all."

"I heard that, freshman!" Coco shouted back.

"I know you did!" Cardin taunted back as they drew away.

Team CFVY moved onward down the empty city street while Emerald continued to struggle as the big guy dragged her along, with the other three team members following close behind.

"Seriously, let me go!" Emerald demanded, more in annoyance than anger now. "At least let me walk on my own, damn it!"

"Hmmm..." Coco thought idly. "Do I let you walk ahead of us and run off at the first chance you get, or have someone walk in front of you and let you stab them in the back? Nah, I think we'll stick to this arrangement for now."

"Rrrrrgh!" Emerald growled in agitation.

"Sorry about her," the bunny girl smiled apologetically. "She's really quite nice when you get to know her."

"I highly doubt that," Emerald grumbled.

Coco just smirked.

"So what's your story anyway?" she asked curiously as she removed her shades and idly cleaned them on the hem of her jacket. "Why come to _us_ when you _know_ we were your enemy?"

"It's not so cut and dry, idiot," Emerald grunted impatiently as the big guy continued to hold her by the arm. "Like I said, I'm a survivor. I agreed to work with Cinder cause she was the best choice I had at the time. I'm _not_ sorry about what I did for her, and I'm _not_ sorry about what I did to you. It wasn't anything personal, but she was calling the shots, and I did what she asked me to do. Nothing more, nothing less."

"But…it didn't last, did it?" the girl with the bunny ears asked.

Emerald gritted her teeth. Why did Faunus' always seem to have a habit of sticking their noses where they didn't belong?

"You don't know a damn thing about me, freak!" Emerald barked back at her.

"Hey!" Coco shouted angrily. "Watch your mouth, Limeade. Velvet here's the only reason I didn't decide to shoot you on sight back there!"

Emerald raised her eyebrow as she eyed the Faunus girl curiously. So _that's_ what she'd whispered to her team leader during the stand-off back there.

Interesting.

"Velvet, huh?" she asked idly, glancing back at the big guy with the iron grip on her arm. "And what's your name again? I kinda forgot after my partner and I ground you both into a pulp during the tournament."

"Hmph," he muttered stoically. "Yatsuhashi."

Emerald rolled her eyes. "Yatsu-what-now? Sounds like some kind of foreign side-dish."

The big guy didn't deign to respond to her taunting, and Emerald turned her attention to the silent redhead with the arm blades.

"And what about you over there?" Emerald asked idly. "What do they call you? Firecrotch?"

"Fox," he responded simply as they walked.

"Hah!" Emerald laughed. "Now I _gotta_ know if the carpet matches the drapes or not!"

"Get used to disappointment," he replied without turning to face her.

"With you losers all around me?" Emerald shot back. "How could I not?"

"Well it takes one to know one," Coco admonished.

"Oh no, how I have been scathed by the fiercest of burns," Emerald groaned, rolling her eyes.

Velvet smiled. "See? We're getting along already."

"Yay…" Emerald sighed bitterly.

The team managed to avoid most Grimm over the course of their trek, but as more and more Grimm became visible, the team had to navigate more carefully. It eventually became impossible to progress any further without alerting the Grimm to their presence and Coco called their march to a halt.

"This is a waste of time," she whispered, giving Emerald a dirty look as Velvet sent a text on her scroll back to the professor. "I'm _really_ having a hard time believing this isn't a trap."

"It's not a trap, damn it!" Emerald insisted under her voice so as not to alert the Grimm that huddled not two blocks away.. "I _told_ you there were Grimm around here, didn't I?"

"Well, we can't move any closer to the crash site without tipping off the Grimm," Coco grumbled. "So we can't confirm your story without throwing ourselves to the literal wolves."

"That is _so_ not my problem!" Emerald hissed

"It kind of _is_ your problem now, sweet cheeks!" Coco hissed back.

"What did you just call me?" Emerald demanded, tugging at Yatsuhashi's grip.

"What, are you dumb _and_ deaf, sweetcheeks?" Coco retorted, smirking back at her.

Emerald glared right back at her. "Oh, I'm about ready to knock that smirk right off your face, you little-!"

"You guys!" Velvet whispered as she interposed herself between the two of them, before pointing her finger up to the top of the building. "Why not just climb to the roof of that building and get a vantage point?"

The Huntsmen all exchanged an awkward glance at one another as they stared up at the building.

"That…might work…" Coco admitted.

A few minutes later, the lot of them were at the top of one of the few remaining buildings lining the center of town and staring down at an Atlesian frigate, sitting upright in the middle of a pile of crushed rubble, its hull looking largely intact in spite of the severe battle damage it had already sustained, several holes appeared to be patched with use of welded sheets of metal.

"See!?" Emerald demanded flabbergasted, still within Yatsuhashi's grip. "I _told_ you so!"

The Huntsmen were all too stunned for words. They were each watching as the ship prepared for launch. They were already too late to do anything. It looked to be in in the middle of a pre-flight countdown. The engines were already running, as smoke trailed out of of the backs of the engines and all running lights were blinking and ready.

"Guys?" Coco breathed in stupefaction. "That ship looks like it's ready to launch any minute now."

"It does…" Velveted admitted, looking concerned.

"By the time we take this intel back to Professor Goodwitch, it could already be gone," Fox noted.

"Yeah…" Yatsuhashi nodded.

"Um, hello!?" Emerald blared, trying to get their attention. "Don't you think _someone_ around here deserves an _apology_ or something? Someone who, I don't know, turned out to be _right all along!?_ "

The members of Team CFVY exchanged looks of resignation, before Coco turned back to Emerald and nodded.

"You're right, Emerald," she nodded somberly. "You were right. And I _am_ sorry."

Emerald blinked, honestly not expecting the Huntsmen to be true to their word.

"Oh…" she said, slowly. "Well…does that mean you'll let me go now?"

Coco peered ahead towards the Atlesian frigate. It was huge, like a skyscraper with wings. But it had suffered a great deal of battle damage, and its hull was a patchwork of mis-shapen, off-color and hastily repaired holes and reinforcement. And amongst the scattered and mis-matched metal-work, one of the side-hatches lay completely blown open.

The engines began billowing out more smoke.

Coco sighed.

"I'm sorry…" she repeated "Because we're not _nearly_ finished here…"

Emerald's heart sank when Yatsuhashi threw her over his shoulder.

"Hey, what are you-?" she demanded. "What-?"

"Team CFVY!" Coco yelled. "Haul ass!"

Emerald's entire world flipped upside down as her captors proceeded to leap off the edge of the roof, leaping and tumbling down the side of the building, free running across rooftops until they reached street level, before tearing down the rubble torn cement towards the Atlesian Frigate.

" _What the hell are you doing!?_ " Emerald demanded, as she was bodily hoisted across Yatsuhashi's shoulder as he barreled his way past a startled crowd of Grimm ranging from almost every shape and size.

"The ship's almost launched!" Coco hollered as they tore down the street, nearly reaching the clearing. "We need to get there _now!_ Fox, clear a path!"

The Huntsman nodded and took the lead, punching the first Grimm to cross their path – a lumbering ursa – and sending it flying in a straight line down the path they were traveling, knocking away every Grimm in its path.

" _You idiots!_ " Emerald screamed and bellowed in protest. " _You're insane!_ "

"That's a distinct possibility!" Coco called back.

"Sorry about all this!" Velvet added, unhelpfully.

Emerald was too disoriented to even think straight. She tried to cast an illusion on the jerk who was carrying her, but he was running so fast and shaking her around so much that she couldn't even get a solid lock on his mind.

They reached the airship, and began to ascend the lowermost wing leading up the fuselage when the ship began to rumble and shake as the engines kicked into gear.

"No!" Emerald hollered as she slammed her fists into Yatsuhashi's back, her knees slamming into his chest, all with close to zero effect on his running speed. "You are _not_ taking me on that ship! That is _not_ happening!"

"No time to argue, hun!" Coco shouted back as they climbed up the smooth white wing. "You reap what you sow!"

"Damnit!" Emerald screamed. "Let me off!"

The four Huntsmen (and their burden) dashed into the open hatchway and made their way inside the airship, getting clear of the door. A few moments later, the ship's engines erupted into a gout of flame as the ship began to shudder and shake and slowly lift into the air. Slowly it rose, tiny bits and pieces of the airship falling off to tumble back to the rubble lining the city below.

But eventually, the once majestic airship had cleared the surrounding buildings, and it slowly made its way out of the kingdom, sailing off into the distance to parts unknown.


	41. Chapter 41

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 41

* * *

Ruby stared up in awe at the enormity of the sandstone city that was the kingdom of Vacuo. The walls of the city stretched out farther than she could even see. The topography of the surrounding cityscape ranged from flat, layered slums to busy and bustling marketplaces to a grand and sizable stronghold where Shade Academy stood, and a lush and ornate palace of white bristling with orange steepled domes where the council resided. And at the center of the kingdom, sustaining the entire population, was an immense oasis, a pool the size of Beacon Academy spanning end to end and providing the city with vital fresh spring water.

The Vacuan heat was blisteringly hot, and there was sand positively everywhere. The sky was almost preternaturally blue, without so much as a cloud to be seen. Upon their arrival, the delegates from Atlas (as they were so lovingly referred to by their hosts) were each provided with a large shawl with which to wrap around the head, neck and arms to protect from the blistering sun. Most of the streets were also populated with monkeys, cattle, and all other manner of wildlife that scurried about almost as if they owned the place, and the people of Vacuo almost paid them no mind.

Ruby had never seen anywhere more full of life.

"This place is incredible…" she breathed in astonishment.

Behind her, her team was filing single file out of the kingdom's modest airway station. General Ironwood's new flagship practically dwarfed the other airships, which included some of the only hot air dirigibles Ruby had ever laid eyes on.

"I'll say," Yang agreed, donning her aviators and putting her hands on her hips as she surveyed the surrounding landscape, her golden mechanical arm gleaming in the hot sun.

As the rest of Ruby's team emerged, some were blinking in the bright sunlight, and many hiding beneath their surprisingly color coordinated shawls. Jaune looked like he was suffering the most from the heat, and Ren's face was almost completely obscured behind his green shawl. Weiss had thought ahead and brought a pristine white parasol, opting to tie her shawl about her waist. Blake seemed well adapted to the heat and wasn't even wearing her shawl, and in fact had actually dispensed with her hair bow and let her ears finally get some fresh air, since the people of Vacuo weren't quite so judgmental of Faunus. As for Nora…

"Look Ren!" she called out to him, swaddling the pink shawl around herself like a blanket. "I'm like a caterpillar in a cocoon waiting to become a butterfly!"

"You certainly are, Nora," Ren said with a sigh.

All around them, all manner of shelters provided shade from the heat. Some were wood and burlap tents and tarps, others were mud-caked huts and hovels, while other still looked like sandstone structures that had withstood the test of time for hundreds of years. Such an amalgamation of culture and history, and all in a veritable melting both of sandy-dust devils and the occasional monkey scampering across the hard-packed sand.

"Isn't this place amazing, Jaune?" Ruby asked her partner enthusiastically.

"Water…" Jaune gasped, his mouth already going dry. "Need water…"

"Hmph…" Weiss said, withdrawing a silver canteen from a side pouch offering it to him. "Always come prepared.

As Jaune gratefully gulped down from the proffered canteen, Ironwood and Winter emerged from the sandstone enclave that separated the the airway station from the main thoroughfare shortly thereafter, followed by a contingent of Atlesian soldiers. Ironwood wore what appeared to be a custom made white cotton coif that covered the top and sides of his head, secured in place with a twisted piece of birch cloth tied around his forehead. And Winter wore a white embroidered silk shawl that almost made her look like some kind of princess.

"Alright people, we're not here to sight see," Ironwood chastised as the team continued to survey their surroundings. "I'm going to be convening with Professor Jasmine of Shade Academy to go speak with the Vacuan Council. In the meantime, I'm appointing Winter as your commanding officer for the duration of your assignment here."

Weiss' eyes widened. "Wait… _Winter's_ taking command?"

Weiss' sister gave her a pointed look. "Is that going to be a problem, Weiss?"

The younger Schnee gave the older woman a helpless smile as she clutched her parasol. "Oh, I mean, that is…uh, no ma'am…"

"Good," Winter clasped her hands behind her back. "Hopefully you can get through the mission without appropriating any more Atlas tech that's above your clearance level."

"I said I was sorry!" Weiss exclaimed, while Ruby snickered behind her back.

"That'll be enough," Ironwood silenced the debacle. "If all goes well, I expect your team will either be assigned to tactical recon or scouting missions, depending on whatever the council needs most. In the meantime, try to get a feel for the city and see if you can get a sense of what kind of impact the communications blackout and the refugees from Mistral have had on its citizens. Once we've settled matters with the council, I'll be heading back to Atlas. Winter will be staying here with you all. At that point, I will communicate with you through daily bulletins arriving with our airship couriers."

Winter and the rest of Ruby's team all saluted and responded in unison. "Sir!"

It had taken some getting used to, adapting to Atlesian military customs. So much saluting and posturing and genuflecting. At least they were given a bit of leeway in the Special Ops unit, so apart from a silver insignia badge they each wore on their belts, there was no uniform to speak of. Their battle formations and weaponry, apart from voluntary upgrades to things like special ammunition and Jaune's dust enhancements to his sword, were all left untouched. The only thing they had to learn were the regulations and the chain of command.

And right now, Winter held that chain, it seemed.

"You have your orders," Ironwood said as the sound of a Bullhead airship filled the air as it descended towards them, kicking up sand and dust. "I'm off to go convince the Vacuan Council that Atlas is _not_ in fact the tyrannical despot the people of Mistral seem to think we are."

The door to the Bullhead slid open, and a tall stately woman stepped out of the airship. She had long, straight black hair, olive skin, wore a blue silk brocade dress and ornate golden wrapped sandals on her feet. She had blue diamond painted on her forehead, and there were a pair of long, sleek scimitars slung to a sheath on her back. In her hand, a long thin pipe trailed a thin wisp of smoke.

"Whoa…" Ruby exhaled, admiring the Huntress in awe, before leaning in to whisper to Weiss. "Who's that?"

"That…" Weiss whispered back to her, "Is the Headmistress of Shade Academy."

Ruby nodded in appreciation. "She's pretty…"

Ironwood approached the Huntress, inclining his head. "Professor Jasmine."

The woman nodded, smiling politely. "James. It's been too long."

"Indeed it has," he agreed. "I wish it were under better circumstances. Is the council ready to see us?"

"They should be, by the time we arrive," Jasmine nodded, before reaching out to touch his shoulder. "I was sorry to hear about Professor Lionheart. I know he was a friend."

"Well, let's not let his sacrifice be in vain then," Ironwood said stoically.

"I couldn't agree more," Jasmine said, before turning to look at Ruby and her team and gesturing with her pipe. "Is this your Special Ops team?"

"Indeed," Ironwood gestured to Winter. "I believe you two have met."

Winter nodded. "During the Vytal festival hosted by Vacuo three years ago."

Professor Jasmine nodded. "Yes, and I believe that it was _your_ team that won the tournament that year, Miss Schnee. I see you've gone on to do great things, as I expected you would."

Winter nodded. "Thank you, ma'am."

Jasmine took a puff from her pipe before she turned her attention to the rest of Ruby's team.

"As for the rest of you…" she said somberly. "I have been lead to believe that you were witness to fall of both the kingdom of Vale _and_ the kingdom of Mistral?"

Everyone nodded grimly as Ruby spoke on their behalf. "We were, Professor…err, ma'am. We're just…sorry we couldn't do anything more to stop it."

Professor Jasmine held up a hand. "I have faith that you did all that could have been done. I simply hope the council sees things this way. With your help, I am hopeful that we can prevent such a tragedy from befalling my kingdom as well."

Ruby nodded vehemently. "We'll do our best, ma'am."

"That is all I can ask," Jasmine said, before turning back to Ironwood and gesturing towards the Bullhead. "Shall we?"

James nodded, before turning to Winter and the others. "Keep me updated. I'm counting on you all."

Winter saluted. "Sir."

Ironwood stepped onto the airship, and Professor Jasmine followed after, pipe in hand.

"It was good to meet you all," she said to Ruby's team. "I wish you all luck."

Ruby and her team shielded their eyes as the Bullhead lifted off the ground and slowly pulled away from the airway station, and made its way towards the city council at the palace.

Winter turned to the group and clasped her hands behind her back.

"Well then," she said, looking at young huntress in red. "Ruby, I understand that you've been leading this team for some time now."

Ruby awkwardly saluted, still getting used to Atlesian military customs. "Yes Miss Winter…err, Schnee…err, _ma'am_ …"

Winter exhaled in amusement. "Well, it's certainly not my intention to break this mold. You may continue to lead your team as you see fit, so long as you report back to me. I'll be standing by to offer any military support I can. As long as you don't go off book, we won't have a problem. Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" Ruby responded.

"The general's orders are to survey the city and gather intel regarding the general population and their feelings towards Atlas and the Grimm threat," she continued. "Vacuo is a very large and very expansive kingdom, so you've got a lot of ground to cover. I'm going to be looking into the city's immigration records to see if I can find out just how many refugees made it to Vacuo, and where they're concentrated, so you'll be operating on your own. I recommend starting in the central market district between the slums and the oasis. See what you can find while you're there. Be on your guard though, that part of Vacuo can be a little rough."

Weiss looked a little nervous at that. "Are we talking pickpockets or murderers here?"

"All of the above," Winter gave her sister a cold stare. "As I said, be on your guard."

Ruby elbowed Weiss gently. "It'll be an adventure!"

"Lovely…" Weiss muttered sourly, twirling her parasol.

Yang slammed her fist into her hand. "Well, I for one, am jonesing for a little action already."

"Boy, what a surprise there," Blake smirked, rolling her eyes.

"I wanna go sightseeing!" Nora exclaimed excitedly.

"If there's time, Nora," Ren said gently.

Jaune held Weiss' empty canteen upside down remorsefully. "Is there any chance we could get some more water before we go?"

Ruby laughed and offered him her canteen. "We'll get you some supplies on the way, Jaune."

Jaune gratefully accepted the canteen, sweating through his yellow shawl. "Oh, thank you…"

Winter cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention once again.

"For now, I've arranged for some transportation into town…" she said, gesturing to one of the many tents and tarps surrounding the sandy desert enclave.

The team wandered over to the long tarpaulin and peered inside to find a series of large furry mammals tied to a line of wood posts.

Ruby clenched her fists in excitement. "Camels! I've always wanted to ride a camel!"

Weiss eyed the tan beasts of burden suspiciously while Winter spoke to the young stable-hand.

"Don't camels have a tendency to spit?" she asked warily.

"Only if you bother them," Yang said, offering her right hand for one of the camels to sniff. "So you shouldn't have a problem."

Weiss wrinkled her nose. "They don't smell very good…"

Ruby was already petting one of the camel's noses. "Awww, what are you talking about? They're sweet!"

Nora giggled as she gingerly tapped another camel's noses with her finger. "Boop!"

"Bleugh!" Jaune recoiled after a camel began licking his hair. "Gross!"

Blake eyed another of the large creatures with disinterest. "I'm with Weiss on this one…isn't there a more reliable means of transportation we could use?"

"On these dessert sands, there's nothing more sure footed," Winter assured them as she returned with the stable-hand, a bronze skinned boy who looked no older than anyone on the team and wore a milky white tunic, brown trousers and sandals, who busied himself taking the reigns of the several of the large woolly animals and leading them out to the main thoroughfare leading into town. "Wheels don't get much traction, and there's nowhere to land an airship. This is the standard mode of transportation in Vacuo."

Ruby and her team made their way out and watched as the stable-hand tied the camels' reigns to one another's saddles so they formed a single file line.

"This is Clay," Winter said, gesturing to the young stable-hand. "He'll be your guide into town."

The boy waved shyly. "Hello…"

Ruby waved back, smiling congenially. "Hi Clay. I'm Ruby. Nice to meet you!"

"There's a map of the area on your scrolls as well as a list of other potential hot spots to look into," Winter continued. "Head into town and gather what intel you can. I'll update you on any relevant data I find. When I hear back from the general, I'll let you know what our next assignment is. If there are no problems, I'll be headed to Shade Academy to make use of the facilities they have there."

Winter gave her sister a smile.

"Be careful out there, Weiss," she warned. "Try not to get separated."

"Yes Winter," Weiss nodded.

Winter nodded back and returned her attention to Ruby.

"Report back to me if you find anything or need support," she said, before turning to head back in the direction of the airway station. "Happy hunting."

Ruby and her friends exchanged a glance, before turning their attention to their guide.

"So…" Clay said sheepishly, gesturing the camels. "Shall we?"

After a bit of struggling to climb up onto the camels' backs, particularly on Jaune's part, the team got underway. There were numerous other camels marching to and from the center of town, several horses and horse-drawn carts and wagons, as well as numerous goats, sheep and pig being shepherded along the main thoroughfare.

"So Clay," Ruby asked as the camels bumped the team up and down on their backs. "Are you from Vacuo originally?"

"Oh yeah," he called back. "Born and raised here. Family's been in the livestock business for generations. I mostly help my father with the stables, but I know the city like the back of my hand, so he lets me be a guide whenever tourists and foreign dignitaries and the like want a taste of the Vacuan lifestyle."

"Oh, interesting," Ruby commented, glancing back at Weiss and the others. "By any chance, have heard much about the recent crisis in Mistral?"

"Bits and pieces," Clay responded soberly. "We've been getting refugees from Mistral for the past two weeks, although fewer and fewer lately. Most recently it's been our own outlying villagers seeking asylum from the Grimm in our country."

Ruby bit her lip. It was just as she suspected.

"Have the refugees been bringing any news with them?" Weiss called up to him over Ruby's shoulder. "Things can't have been easy with the communications blackout."

"Oh they've been saying plenty," Clay said. "Mostly it depends on who you ask. Talk the Mistralian villagers who couldn't even get safe haven within the walls of their own kingdom, they will tell you that the Grimm were out in force, and no one has been able to stop them. But if you ask a middle or upper class family that spent their whole lives in the kingdom of Mistral, and they'll tell you Atlas practically set the Grimm upon their livelihood."

Weiss and Ruby exchanged a troubled glance.

"You don't believe that," Ruby asked warily. "Do you, Clay?"

"I don't believe that Atlas is responsible for what happened to Mistral, no," he admitted. "But I'm not so sure about Vale. Those last few videos that went out…they don't paint a pretty picture."

"Atlas wasn't responsible for Vale either!" Weiss insisted. "There was a Grimm attack there as well, and Atlesian mechs were hijacked by a computer virus and reprogrammed to fire on civilians! And then the White Fang took advantage of the confusion to invade the city and cause total chaos. That's what happened in Vale, and it happened in Mistral as well."

"Are we next then?" Clay asked warily. "You guys are from Atlas, right? Are you here to put a stop to all this?"

"That's what we're planning to do, yes," Ruby assured him.

"Well, I wish you luck then," he said. "For all our sakes."

As they rode further and further into town, the streets became busier. The tents, tarps, huts and hovels began to appear more frequently, and the sandstone buildings began to stretch higher and higher the farther into the city they travelled.

Finally they reached the market square, a wide and far-sweeping bazaar, with shop-keepers, vendors and artisans peddling everything under the sun. There was produce and foodstuffs and livestock, including live chickens hanging from their feet, bleating goats and squealing pigs made such a ruckus, it was impossible to hear anything. Baked goods and candied nuts, frozen treats and other snacks were available, as well as a considerably spread of fresh fish. Another area sported fine craft goods, from wool rugs and tapestries to fine clothing and jewelry to weapons and armor trade vendors. Dust shops also dotted every street corner, selling everything from batteries, fuel and ammunition to weapon and scroll accessories. Further into town was the steepled dome of the central lending bank of Vacuo, and off in the distance, palm trees could be seen where the oasis lay just beyond. And at the center of the market square, fueled by water siphoned from the oasis, was a large fountain, where a multitude of little kids were playing, jumping and splashing around. Street performers were also gathered in the central square, juggling, performing acrobatics, and dancing with flaming torches.

"Well," Yang commented as the team climbed down off their camels. "It certainly is a lively place."

"I'll say," Blake added, observing the multitudes of people crowding the streets, bumping into each other, many herding livestock or carrying baskets on their heads. "Is it always so crowded here?"

"Actually, it looks rather slow today," Clay smiled, waving his hands around. "This is the central business district of Vacuo. The city council may gather at the palace, but _this_ is the beating heart of the kingdom. If you want something and have the lien to pay for it, you can find it here."

Clay began tying up the camels as the rest of the team disembarked.

Jaune pulled back on hem of his shawl to get a good look at his surroundings. "I dunno guys, everything here looks pretty expensive. I don't think many of the refugees would even come around here."

"That actually makes this a good place to start," Weiss pointed out. "If we want to get an undiluted feel for the lives of Vacuo's citizens, this is the place."

"Watch your step though, guys," Ren cautioned as he looked around. "Keep an eye on your wallets. This sort of place is a haven for pickpockets."

"Wise words," Clay observed as he finished tying off his camels, before withdrawing a newspaper from one of his saddlebags. "Take your time in the market. I'll be right here when you're ready to leave."

"Come on, Ren!" Nora grabbed her partner by the arm. "Let's go shopping!"

Ruby nodded back at the two of them as they wandered off. "Stay in touch by scroll. Check in every half hour or so, and we'll meet back here before sundown."

"Sounds good," Yang nodded. "I'm gonna try to find a local watering hole. That's usually a good place to scare up some intel."

"I'll go with you," Blake offered.

"Great," Yang winked. "I could use a wingman."

"Sure," Blake smirked. "And someone to keep you from getting into trouble."

"Yeah, yeah," Yang conceded as they both made their way towards one of the taverns. "I wonder what goat milk tastes like…"

Ruby shrugged as she glanced at Jaune and Weiss.

"Well, I guess that leaves us then," she said. "Where should we start?"

"Perhaps the central lending bank?" Weiss suggested. "Refugees affect the economy. Income levels, sales taxes, property values; refugees still need to eat and live somewhere, even if it's on the street. The bank might have the stats to show for it."

"After only a few weeks?" Jaune asked, puzzled.

"Sure," Weiss nodded. "The money market's a pretty fast-paced institution. The best banks have statistics that update every minute of the day."

"Good place to start," Ruby nodded. "Let's-"

"Hey!" Weiss suddenly shouted.

The three of them turned to see a young street urchin rushing off into the crowd.

"That kid just stole my wallet!" Weiss shouted, dropping her parasol and rushing after them.

Ruby and Jaune quickly followed after her.

"Weiss, what did Ren _just_ say about this?" Ruby griped.

"Shut up and help me find them!" Weiss hollered before raising a finger as she pursued her attacker. "Stop! Thief!"

The street urchin turned down a back alleyway, which Weiss quickly rounded shortly afterward. She spotted the kid just barely within her line of sight, but it was enough. With a quick jerk of her hand, she cast a glyph beneath the kid's feet, causing them to float motionless in the air.

"Get back here!" Weiss hollered as she closed in, Ruby and Jaune just rounding the bend behind her.

To her surprise, however, as the kid thrashed and struggle in mid-air, they thrust their hand back towards Weiss, and a sudden gust of wind sent them both flying away from each other, with Weiss slamming into Ruby who tumbled back into Jaune, who somehow managed to keep them both on their feet. The kid, however, went tumbling in the other direction, and quickly rolled to their feet and kept running down the alley.

"Are you okay, Weiss?" Ruby asked as she dusted herself off.

"I'm fine," Weiss grunted, before taking off down the alley after the street urchin. "They've got some kind of wind semblance. Back me up!"

Ruby and Jaune exchanged a helpless shrug before following after her.

After a series of twists and turns down a series of narrow corridors, Weiss eventually came to a dead end of the tall, dark alleyway, reaching a tall sandstone courtyard with a number of closed doors and windows leading into the surrounding buildings, with clotheslines spanning between windows overhead and piles of trash and refuse littering the corners of the alley.

"Where are you?" Weiss said, before holding out her hand and casting a glyph beneath her feet. "I know you're here somewhere…"

She closed her eyes as the glyph slowly revolved and expanded around her, until it filled the entire alley. Suddenly Weiss' eyes flitted open as she pointed to one of the larger trash piles.

"There!" she shouted, and her glyph zeroed in on the trash pile, before sending it flying into the air.

Along with the trash pile was the street urchin, who looked completely astonished to have been discovered, and tumbled awkwardly to the ground.

Weiss dashed over to where the kid was slowly getting to their feet.

"Now hand over what you stole, and maybe I won't drag you in to the authorities," she said accusingly.

The kid stood up and faced down the huntress. Weiss could see now that she was a young girl, perhaps twelve or thirteen. She wore wide baggy pants and a woven brown vest, her hands, feet and chest bound in burlap wraps. Her hair was similarly bound in a head wrap, which had made it difficult for Weiss to determine her gender until that point.

Then the girl hastily drew a long curved knife and pointed it at Weiss.

Weiss held out a hand, her other hovering over the hilt of her rapier. The kid was clearly no match for her, and she didn't want to have to hurt them just to get back what was hers.

"Now, now," she said, wondering what was taking Ruby ad Jaune so long. "There's no need for that. Just give me back what you took, and that'll be that. No harm done."

The girl shook her head and kept her blade pointed at Weiss. "Leave me alone!"

Weiss held out her hand warily. "Look, if it's money you need, I can give you some. But that wallet has my ID and my credit card and a lot of other stuff I need that's of no use to you, okay? Just put the knife away and we can talk about this…"

The girl didn't seem inclined to oblige, but her attention was diverted when Ruby and Jaune finally arrived.

"Weiss!" Ruby gasped as Jaune rested his hands on his knees behind her. "Sorry, we got turned around back there! Is everything…?"

She stammered to a halt when she saw the little girl with the knife in her hands.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on there," Ruby held her hands out. "No need for anyone to get hurt."

The girl looked up at Ruby, and then back at Weiss, as if trying to decide who to point her knife at. Then her eyes fell on Ruby again, and they suddenly widened to saucers.

"…Summer?"

Ruby blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

The girl suddenly looked utterly terrified.

"No!" she shouted, taking a step back away from Ruby, pointing her blade towards her. "You can't be her! They told me you died!"

Jaune finally managed to catch his breath and look up what was happening, looking completely confused. Weiss staring back and forth between the street urchin and her partner, trying to figure out if she'd missed something.

"Umm…what's she talking about?" Weiss asked oddly.

"I don't know…" Ruby said, taking a step towards the girl and pointing to herself in confusion. "Did you say _Summer?_ But…my mom's name is-"

"Stop!" the girl shouted, and suddenly there was wind beginning to swirl around her. "Don't come any closer!"

Ruby, Weiss and Jaune had to shield their eyes from the ensuing flurry of dust as the wind started to pick up, so it was difficult to see the faint glow in the girl's eyes as she slowly lifted into the air.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted in alarm. "What did you say to her!?"

"I have no idea!" Ruby hollered back.

The flurry of dust had turned into a small tornado as the girl rose higher and higher into the air, her eyes now glowing a bight golden hue.

"Stay away from me!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "Stay away!"

Ruby, Jaune and Weiss were forced to brace themselves as a sudden gust of wind and sand nearly threw them against the far wall. By the time they got back to their feet, the wind was beginning to die down. The dust had begun to settle.

And the girl was nowhere to be found.

"Umm…" Jaune asked in total confusion. "What just happened?"

Ruby and Weiss exchanged a glance as they looked around. Everything not bolted down had been strewn across the alleyway. Every clothesline above them had been yanked from their windows, and trash and debris was strewn everywhere.

Ruby pursed her lip. That girl had called her 'Summer.' She was certain that's what she'd said. Ruby had always heard that she resembled her mother quite strongly, so she could understand the confusion. But how would a girl from Vacuo have known who her mother was?

"I have no idea…" Ruby said.


	42. Chapter 42

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 42

* * *

Pyrhha was adrift in a sea of dreams. They started off nightmarish at first, but eventually started to blur together as dreams do. As the process repeated over and over again, she started recognizing patterns and similarities, and this recognition gave her a kind of power over the dreams. As the memories and shapes formed, she was soon able to sculpt them to her will. At least, it felt like it was soon – time had no meaning in this mindless, thoughtless space. It was like the growth and evolution of life within her own subconscious. At first, her thoughts scattered as quickly as the images she saw, and her mind existed as pure emotion and reaction. As time passed, her own thoughts began to take on new life, as she began to reconstitute what could pass as a functional human mind within this nether realm.

She could observe and analyze her own self and her own psyche as though it were a tangible thing. She watched events from her life before her death play out before her like a cinema reel, which she could pause, rewind and analyze over and over again. Gone were the feelings and emotions that came with them – these feelings appeared around her like colors whenever specific memories or thoughts played out for her, but they had to impact, no force, and she could dismiss these thoughts and memories and the emotions that came with them at will, as if they were books on a library shelf.

She had to imagine that every spiritual being on the planet who had ever sought to achieve enlightenment through meditation could only ever envision the concept of what she was experiencing. Was this death? Was this what death felt like? No, she had been dead before. There had been no memory from that time period after Cinder had shot her and the time until Cinder had brought her back to life. There were memories after that, and memories before, but none in between. Perhaps this was a form of limbo, her mind in a state of metastability. There was no Remnant, there was no Cinder, there was no Jaune; nothing from her old life had _truly_ mattered in the long run. Right now, she existed in a form that was so completely devoid of any attachment to her previous life that she almost did not recognize it as her own.

One thing stood out to her, however. The colors of the emotions associated with her memories were varied and diverse. But there was another color scheme that seemed to permeate all, and seemed to exist in two distinct parts. These stretches of experience coalesced, like observing the composite whole of an entire, albeit short, lifetime of memories compressed into a single shade. One was the overall color of the memories that existed before Cinder had killed her, and one was the overall color the considerably brief but still vivid memories that existed after Cinder had brought her back.

It was not simply the fact that all of these later memories were tinged with pain, although that was certainly the case. It was as if the colors themselves were dominated by a background color, like a filter that dominated her overall outlook. This filter reigned independent of her experience, and tinged her every memory a distinctive shade. She could have experienced a moment of purest joy or purest sadness both before and after this bump in her life, and the two identical memories would have still remained fundamentally different.

Something was fundamentally different about her between these two stages of her existence. Of course, Ozpin had already given her the answer. It was obvious when she replayed the memories she had of her conversations with him.

It was her aura.

For most of her life, her semblance had been polarity. For most of the memories from her previous life, even the happy parts, there was an aura of blackness. This blackness seemed to stand for rigidity, discipline, structure and solidarity. It is what made her such a skilled huntress, and still manage to retain her moral compass. This moral compass, however, was also what had ultimately lead to her demise. Just as the needle of a compass is pulled inexorably north by magnetic forces, so too was Pyrrha pulled inexorably to her doom by this, her morale compass, her very nature as a person - that was to say - by her semblance, the very expression of her aura.

But after she had returned, her aura had fundamentally changed. Now, instead of the staunch black solidarity of magnetism, her aura was now tinged a golden hue. It was an aura unlike any she had ever touched before. She had unlocked Jaune's aura before, and his had been a whitish gold that shone with the brilliance of the sun, but even his aura had paled in comparison to the aura of the Fall Maiden. The briefest glimmer of this power had slipped into her during the transition process, and had been forever etched into her makeup after Cinder had sealed her into the Shadowglass.

Now, in addition to her black aura of polarity, she had the golden aura of the Fall Maiden. The two disparate energies fought and opposed each other, refusing to coalesce or cooperate. Maybe some part of her had never accepted the Fall Maiden, maybe it was because it was only part of the aura, the rest still residing within Cinder. Maybe it was the fact that, to Pyrrha, the Fall Maiden herself was too closely tied to Cinder, and so she associated it with evil and malice. Whatever the reason, Pyrrha could not unite these two parts of herself. And until she did, she would never be at peace, no matter what Cinder did.

"Sister…"

It was not a voice in the traditional sense. It could barely be considered a form of communication. It was like a communal urging, an upwelling of emotion and feeling that just so happened to not be her own. Concepts like self and individualism had no meaning in this realm of metastability, where thoughts and ideas flowed and transpired as freely as oxygen.

"Sister…"

Pyrrha studied these new thoughts and memories as they became apparent to her. There were suddenly images and feelings vast beyond measure where none had been before. Having replayed her own memories a near infinite number of times, she found the sudden presence of these new memories jarring. However, within the space of a heartbeat, she had managed to survey them all – such was the nature of time in this realm – and learned just who it was she was communing with.

"Sisters…" she responded, for there was no other word for her to use.

She was now assuming the role, not of Pyrrha, but of the Fall Maiden, the tiny scrap of power that had leaked into her awakening within her the ability to peer beyond the depths of reality as Remnant as a whole understood it. She was now communing with beings who surpassed the very concept of life and death, whose reach and comprehension of existence so far surpassed her own that she could only but glimpse their immensity.

She was now communing with the other three Maidens.

"What harm has come," the three voices spoke as one.

It was not speech, but a thought, a gesture, an emotion. It was not a question or query or request for information, because all information needed to answer such questions was readily accessible to them and had already been fully understood. They existed beyond the need for words, questions and answers. No, what was offered in this voice was sympathy, compassion and pity.

"I am," the Fall Maiden offered, by way of admission, a statement of reality.

The other Maidens observed her current state of existence, calling her current form into view. A pitiful soul trapped within the body that was little more than a Grimm, tethered to the usurper by unnatural means.

"I was," she continued, summarizing the time that had come before her.

The lifetime that she had spent as Pyrrha Nikos came into view, and the Maidens observed everything she had accomplished, her courage, her resolve, her integrity, her love. Hers was a life worthy of inheriting the Fall Maiden's power, and everything it had entailed.

"I have yet to be," she concluded, emphasizing the way in which Cinder had broken the cycle of the Fall Maiden and usurped its essence into herself, forever altering it and tainting it. Now the tiny scrap that existed inside of this girl who had once been Pyrrha was all the remained.

The other three maidens seemed to consider for a moment, or perhaps it was an eternity. The briefest of glimpses and the longest of breaths, the quickening of a heartbeat and the shortening of a lifetime, it all seemed to transpire within a hair's breadth of space, and this space represented a multiverse of possibility.

"What is now two must become one," was their solution.

It was an answer that Pyrrha had already gleamed, but Pyrrha was incapable of resolving the conflict within her. The two unique auras warring for power within her soul were forever at odds, and until they united, then she would never be at peace. And if Pyrrha could not find peace, then the Fall Maiden shall never be free.

But perhaps the Fall Maiden could find a solution to this conundrum.

"Two paths, one soul," the problem seemed to materialize in her mouth like an ache that could not be swallowed. Two divergent directions, and a soul forever conflicted as to the correct path down which to go. Should she go down the path of the Huntress that she had been, she would be turning her back on the promise she had made, and destroy the Maidens forever. But should she go down the path of the Maiden, she would give up on the life that Pyrrha had, and sacrifice her very soul in the process.

She then felt a warm embrace as the other Maidens enveloped her, and she was consumed by a love that surpassed all, and she was lifted to a state of enlightenment and understanding.

"One path, two souls," was their solution.

All of the sudden, Pyrrha could see it! Her two auras need not be at war with one another because they both sought out the same goal – resolution, retribution, freedom and justice. While the two disparate auras differed in many ways, in the end, they had one thing in common. They were both aura. In the end, they were same. All aura was aura.

Time seemed to stop all at once.

 _All aura was aura!_

At last, Pyrrha understood what Ozpin had been trying to explain to her all along! She understood _everything_ now! The very nature of aura lent itself to itself! All that was aura made up all life, and all that was life made up aura! Aura recast itself and rebound itself and rekindled itself into more life! And thus the cycle continued! Sometimes, these disparate forms of life – disparate forms of aura – came into conflict, and sometimes that conflict resulted in one form stamping out another. Sometimes that conflicted resulted in one form consuming the other.

And sometimes…sometimes that conflict resulted in the two forms merging as one.

And then, just like that, her two auras became one.

And then, all at once, she was Pyrrha again. Black and gold energies swirled together inside her like yin and yang. She was Pyrrha. Pyrrha the Huntress. Pyrrha the Fall Maiden. She was both of these things and so much more. Now she was ready. Now she knew what she was. Now, at long last, she was at peace.

"Thank you, sisters," Pyrrha devoted her words to the tapestry of memory that existed between the Maidens for all eternity.

The Maidens dismissed her gratitude as foolishness, as to implore upon them was to implore upon one's self. The Four Maidens existed as one, and in this one simple balancing act, they had merely been attending to their own. Life begets life, and the Maidens, like life, saw to themselves, and in so doing, saw to everything.

"Love, sister," they answered in kind, stating a fact which was already self-evident. "Love."


	43. Chapter 43

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 43

* * *

Velvet was panting for breath, resting her hand up against the bulkhead of the Atlesian airship. Really, she should be used to running this much, given all that she'd been through up until this point. Still, the rapid dash that Team CFVY had made to get onto the airship before it had launched had been a strenuous one. Though she supposed that as difficult as it had been for her, it had been a compounded effort for Yatsuhashi who had been given the added burden of carrying someone over his shoulder the whole time.

"Let me _down_ already, you asshole!" Emerald hollered belligerently.

The five of them were all catching their breath just inside the hatch of the airship they had just boarded, though the air whipping around the open hatch forced them to keep their distance from it. They were standing within a long metal corridor that seemed to run the length of the ship along the starboard side.

At last, Yatsuhashi released his grip on the girl in his arms, depositing her ungraciously to the steel floor, the girl finally getting her footing and pulling away from him angrily.

"Jerk!" Emerald growled, before running over to the open hatch, wind tussling her hair as she peered out, grabbing the frayed metal edge of the doorway for stability as she stared down at the ground far beneath them in despair.

Coco smirked, seemingly taking pleasure at the other girl's plight, as she casually strode past Yatsuhashi, giving him a playful pat on the butt.

"Nice hustle out there, big guy," she winked coyly from behind her shades.

Yatsuhashi raised an eyebrow in her direction, and Velvet shook her head in embarrassment. It seemed even in the midst of an emergency, Coco was not inclined to give up on her predilection for unwanted personal contact.

Emerald glared at the other Huntresses and pointed out the open hatch in anger.

"What the hell, you morons!?" she blared, wind whipping at her hair. "Do you have _any_ idea what you're doing!? Where do you get off dragging me onto this flying deathtrap!?"

Coco seemed to having difficulty containing a smirk, Velvet noticed. Difficulty in that she wasn't trying in the slightest.

"We had to board the enemy ship before it took off," Coco explained. "Sorry you got dragged along with us, Thin Mint, but I figured we'd have better odds if we had an illusionist on our side."

Emerald massaged her temples, shaking her head in stupefaction.

"The hell you say!?" she demanded through gritted teeth. "What makes you think that you and your team are going to have _any_ hope of stopping this thing, wherever it's headed!? And while we're on the subject, what gave you inkling that I'd even _think_ of helping you after the shit that you just pulled!?"

Velvet glanced nervously back and forth between her partner and the green haired girl. Yatsuhashi and Fox seemed to be surveying their surroundings, keeping watch down either direction of the corridor.

Coco put her hands on her hips. "For one thing, I'm _sick_ of the enemy always having the upper hand on us all the time. If we ever plan to take them down, we have to start taking some risks. I made a decision, and I'm prepared to deal with the consequences of that decision. My team is too."

Velvet nodded, as did Yatsuhashi and Fox. As they did, they each exchanged knowing looks with one another. They may not always understand Coco's methods, but they trusted her.

"As for why you should help us," Coco continued. "Let's start with the fact that you're not exactly on good terms with these guys anymore, are you?"

"So what!?" Emerald gnashed her teeth. "That doesn't mean I'm on _your_ side either!"

"Still, I wouldn't want to be _you_ if you got caught stowing away on their brand new airship like this," Coco peered back at her over her glasses. "They're likely to toss you out the hatch. Or worse."

Emerald clenched her fists at her sides angrily, but didn't say anything.

"Face it, Shamrock Shake," Coco said, shaking her head. "We're your best shot at getting off this airship in one piece."

Velvet sighed. Always with Coco and her silly nicknames.

"I think I'll take my chances…" Emerald said, pushing past the other girl and stepped down the corridor.

"Alright…" Coco said, holding out Emerald's weapons. "You'll need these then."

Emerald paused in her step, and looked back at the Huntress, suspiciously.

"You're giving me my weapons back?" she asked skeptically.

"Wouldn't be very sporting of me if I didn't," Coco smiled. "I doubt the enemy will be as merciful."

Emerald slowly approached the Huntress, before grabbing the weapons by the proffered handles.

Coco didn't let go. "Now think real carefully about this. You came to us for a reason. You may have been trying to trade for intel, but somewhere inside, you know we're trying to do the right thing here."

Emerald yanked her weapons out of the other girl's hands and glared back up at her.

"Maybe I don't _give_ a damn about the right thing," she grunted back at her. "Maybe I'm exactly what I always said I was: a survivor!"

Emerald turned around and stormed off down the long, unlit corridor.

Velvet fidgeted. She couldn't just leave things like that.

"Please don't go, Emerald!" she called out to her. "We could really use your help! And you could use ours! We can help each other!"

Emerald halted her steps, but did not turn around.

"I work better alone," she said coldly.

Coco held her hand up. "Let her go, Velvet. She's clearly made her choice."

Velvet bit her lip, looking anxiously at Emerald as she resumed her pace.

"Well…please be careful, then," she added. "You know where to find us if you ever need our help."

Without responding, the girl disappeared down the long dark corridor.

Coco shrugged, before turning around.

"You're wasting your time with that one, Velvet," she said dismissively.

Velvet smiled back at her. "Oh, you don't really believe that, Coco. You wouldn't have given her weapons back if you did."

Coco crossed her arms. "That was just to give her a sporting chance, is all."

Velvet shook her head. "Nope. You act all tough all the time, but you've got a sensitive side too. Just admit it."

"I do _not_ have a sensitive side!" Coco rolled her eyes, before giving Fox a prying look. "Fox, do I have a sensitive side?"

Fox cleared his throat. "No comment."

"We should get moving," Yatsuhashi cautioned. "Our entrance back there wasn't exactly subtle."

Coco nodded. "Alright, alright. Team CFVY, move out."

They made their way down the corridor as all around them, evidence of the battle fought here, and the haphazard patchwork repairs that had gone into getting the ship airworthy again became extensively clear. It was all too easy to imagine the scenario – the ship overrun with infected Atlesian Knights, shooting any soldiers they encountered on sight. It had become a ghost ship long before it had ever crashed.

The team made their way through seemingly endless corridors, stepping over broken chassis of long disable mechanized troops, scorch marks and exposed wiring dotting each and every one of them. It wasn't long before Fox held a hand up, warning the others of incoming enemy troops. The group managed to dash into a utility closet of some kind while they watched through the grate as several White Fang troops marched by on patrol.

The team exchanged a glance within the dark confines of the closet. The White Fang was here! There had been occasional sightings within Vale, but the general understanding of the resistance was that the White Fang had moved elsewhere. If they were in command of this vessel, that could only mean trouble.

When the coast was clear, they filed out of the cramped closet and tried to take stock of the situation.

"Velvet," Coco asked. "What was the last message you sent to Professor Goodwitch before we moved out of range?"

Velvet held up her scroll to show the message verbatim.

 **Airship confirmed.**

Below that was another message with an "Error – No connection" symbol next to it, indicating it had not been sent.

 **Airship boarded. Will contact whenever possible.**

"Sorry," Velvet shrugged nervously. "I tried sending a message as we were taking off, but we were already out of scroll range. I didn't exactly have time to send it while we were running back there."

Coco sighed. "It's alright. They must have heard the airship taking off. They'll just have to put two and two together when they don't hear from us."

"I hope we haven't worried them too much," Velvet said remorsefully.

"They'll be fine," Coco assured her. "I just hope Cardin and his team don't give the teachers too much trouble while we're gone."

"I don't think they will," Velvet smiled. "They've really come a long way since freshman year. They're no longer the bullies they once were."

Coco shrugged. "I guess a few months spent in _this_ hellscape will make men out of anyone."

Yatsuhashi nodded. "They may have been through a hell of a boot camp, but I'm still not a fan of that guy. Don't you remember how big of a jerk he was to, Velvet?"

Velvet shook her head. "He's still just a kid trying to figure himself out, like the rest of us."

Coco crossed her arms. "You're way too forgiving, Velvet."

Velvet shrugged. "We've got enough problems to worry about with the Grimm and the White Fang and Cinder. We don't have time to be squabbling amongst ourselves."

Fox nodded approvingly. "That's a mature outlook."

Coco sniffed. "Still think you're way too easy on the guy."

After that, the team made their way towards what appeared to be the cargo hold. The cargo hold on the Atlesian capital ship was large enough to fit an entire platoon of Paladin class mechanized units, and stretched the length of the ship, reaching almost as long as half a stadium. There were no tanks or other machines of war in this particular cargo hold, however. Instead, the team of Huntsmen found something far more nefarious.

Grimm. Hundreds upon hundreds of Grimm huddled together in the hold below. All manner of Grimm, ranging from ursi and beowolves to creeps and griffons to deathstalkers and boarbatusks to king taijutsu and even a few nevermores, shuffling about impatiently, nipping at one another, and filling the entire hold.

"This ship is going to be delivering these Grimm right into heart of Atlas," Coco surmised, as she and her team gazed down upon the expansive cargo hold from the rafters. "We can't let that happen. We have to do something."

"Can we send a warning to Atlas?" Velvet suggested.

"With what?" Coco demanded. "The CCTS is still down."

"Is there any way we can eliminate that many Grimm on our own?" Fox asked, hypothetically.

"No, we're not jumping down there to fight them all," Coco shook her head. "Even I don't have enough bullets to take on _that_ many Grimm. I may be gung ho, but even I'm not _that_ stupid."

"A ship like this is bound to have explosive munitions," Velvet offered. "That could shift the odds in our favor."

Coco shook her head. "That's _if_ they survived the crash, and assuming the general's troops hadn't reduced their supply beforehand, _and_ assuming the White Fang didn't have them removed for other purposes. And even if could find enough to take out _that_ many Grimm, an explosion that size would probably take out the ship."

"That…might be our only option," Yatsuhashi said somberly.

"What are you saying?" Coco asked, pointedly.

"I'm saying we bring down this airship," the big guy exhaled slowly. "It can't be allowed to reach Atlas."

Nobody said anything for a little while. The team exchanged looks. The more they each thought about it, the more they realized this was exactly what they had to do.

But would any of them survive a crash like that?

Velvet chewed on her lip. She had always thought that she was brave enough to die in battle. She knew it was more than likely in her line of work. She had always imagined going down after battling a particularly powerful Grimm, or group of Grimm. Going down in an airship crash, however…something about that seemed wrong to her, even if it involved taking a lot of Grimm with her and potentially saving a lot of people as a result. It may have lined up perfectly with her job description, but that still didn't mean she had to like it.

"Let's keep looking around," Coco suggested, gesturing over to the ventilation duct they had come in through. "It's a big ship. We might find something we've missed."

The team continued to crawl through the ventilation system, nimbly avoiding detection by the White Fang, despite several pairs of boots they heard stomping around at seemingly regular intervals. How many White Fang troops were on this ship, they wondered? Enough that whenever the ship landed, it wouldn't just be Grimm that the citizens of Atlas would have to deal with, doubtless to say.

The group made their way to the front of the ship – at least, they hoped it was the front of the ship; Fox may have had a good sense of direction, but it was very easy to get turned around inside a ventilation system, and the constant airflow made finding their way through the scent of the air a challenge. Coco reasoned that if there were any chance of finding any weapons that still worked, they'd be at the forward batteries. But after spending an uncomfortable amount of time squeezing through ductwork (Yatsuhashi had needed to be pried free at least three times), they eventually found what looked to be command bridge.

"…Made it off the ground, somehow," a deep, gravelly sounding voice was saying down below through the grate. "I swear, if this bucket of bolts doesn't get us all killed, the Grimm we have locked up in the cargo hold will."

Velvet and the others exchanged a wary glance with one another. There were two White Fang members right below them on the command deck, and they appeared to be high ranking. One had tattoos on his arms and had what appeared to be a chainsaw sword slung to his back, the other had red hair and a black jacket and was carrying an immense steel greatsword.

"We made it, didn't we?" the masked man with red hair replied in an angry voice. "Quit complaining."

Coco gestured for them all to move back quietly. This was clearly a very dangerous place to be.

"One of these days, that woman is going to be the end of us all," the masked man with the tattoos turned to go. "If there's any consolation to be had in that, I'll at least be able to say 'I told you so' before she finishes us off with the rest of our comrades."

Velvet froze when she heard that. She watched intently as the masked man with the red hair said nothing as the other White Fang member left the bridge.

" _Velvet…_ " Coco hissed under her breath. " _Come on…_ "

Velvet hesitated for a moment. Something about the White Fang's conversation had caught her attention, and she held up a finger as she waited and listened for more.

Coco looked peeved as she waved to the others to stop crawling through the cramped duct and wait for Velvet's curiosity to be sated.

Velvet's suspicions appeared to bear fruit almost immediately, however, as the masked man with the red hair sat down in the captain's chair and withdrew, of all things, a hand-sized mirror from his jacket pocket and raised it to eye level.

"We're airborne," he said simply.

Silence followed, and for a moment, Velvet was wondering if the White Fang was simply being vain by staring at his reflection, but soon enough, another voice was suddenly audible, albeit faintly, from seemingly nowhere.

"That's good news," a sultry feminine voice permeated the air. "I'm assuming you have adequate fuel reserves?"

Velvet craned her neck to try to peer around the bridge, but could see no one. She supposed it could have been someone speaking through the intercomm, but the voice didn't resonate with the rest of the ship. Was someone actually speaking to the White Fang _through_ the hand mirror? Maybe it was some kind of scroll, Velvet reasoned as she watched.

"Plenty ma'am," the masked man responded. "We can stay up here for almost a full day before we'll need to refuel."

"Excellent," the voice replied. "Report back when you've reached Vacuo."

Velvet's ears twitched as she glanced back at Coco.

" _Vacuo!?_ " she mouthed, as Coco nodded suspiciously.

Why on Remnant would they be taking an Atlesian frigate to Vacuo and not Atlas? Were they trying to stage an attack and make it look like it was engineered by Atlas? Either way, it could only spell more problems.

"Yes ma'am," the masked man replied.

"Regretfully I won't be joining you for this mission," the woman's voice said. "I have a pressing matter in Mistral that demands my attention. I'm confident that you and your team can handle this, Adam. Don't disappoint me."

Velvet twitched nervously. She didn't know who the woman who was speaking to the White Fang through this mirror, but she had pretty good idea who it could be. And if she was on her way to Mistral, then that must mean that the enemy had a way of communicating long range _without_ the CCTS! That gave them an unprecedented advantage!

"Was the gift-wrapped Huntsman I delivered to you not evidence enough of my capabilities?"

"On the contrary," the voice replied. "It only proved to me how little I can rely on you. My pet was the one who did all the work. Qrow Branwen is one of the best Huntsmen there is. You and your men would have had your hides served up to you on a silver platter were it not for the gifts I bestowed upon you."

Velvet felt like she had heard that name somewhere before. Had Ruby mentioned it in passing at some point?

The White Fang gritted his teeth at the insult, but said nothing.

"Maintain your course, and then report to me when you're within fifty miles of Vacuan airspace," the voice instructed. "Then I want you to circle the city maintaining your distance until I give the signal to strike. Is that _perfectly_ clear?"

"Crystal," the masked man said without hesitation.

"Good," the woman said brusquely. "Do not fail me again."

The White Fang set the hand mirror down on the command console.

Velvet nodded to Coco and began to crawl back in the direction she had come. Clearly they had gotten all the intel they would be getting for the moment. They still needed to figure out a way to bring down the ship; whether it was headed to Vacuo or Atlas made little difference. But if they could find some way to make it off the ship in one piece and get back to the resistance, then they could bring them some valuable intel. Such as the location of Cinder and the White Fang. Or the fact that the enemy had a means of communication that vastly outstripped their own!

Which then begged the question: What exactly did Cinder have planned in Mistral that was _more_ important than overseeing a mission involving an entire Atlesian frigate?

SLASH!

Velvet recoiled as the blade of a massive great sword dug into the air duct, rending through metal almost as easily as butter. She let out a gasp as she scurried back down the ventilation shaft towards Coco and the other's hurried gestures. She could just barely see the red haired White Fang member standing below them, staring up at the air ducts, sword in hand.

" _Go, go!_ " Coco ordered under her breath as she and her team fled down the ductwork.

Before they made it ten feet, a loud voice reverberated throughout the air ducts.

"Be on your guard, brothers!" the White Fang's voice sounded over the ship's intercom. "We have an intruder aboard!"


	44. Chapter 44

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 44

* * *

It had taken the better part of a month, but Cinder was finally poised to make her next move. The kingdom of Vacuo lay in right her crosshairs, and now, the Spring Maiden had been found as well. She only regretted that she could not be in two places at once. However, by the grace of her Master, she could do the next best thing.

Donning the white glove given to her by Salem, she held her arm out and created a portal of black and red. The power to open wormholes through time and space was a lost art, unknown to almost every major school of study, and Cinder had every intention of keeping it that way. Apart from herself and Salem, Cinder knew of only one other in the world capable of manipulating space and time in this capacity, and she was already accounted for.

Cinder stepped through the portal, and after a period of black emptiness, she emerged on the other side of the planet. She was now walking the untamed wilderness of the Mistralian countryside.

She had constructed her disguise well. A rough and patched billowy cloak covered most of her grab, beneath which she wore tattered rags and breech cloth wrappings over her shoes. Her face was unmade and smudged with soil, and her hair was a tangled mess, and covered most of her face. She looked every bit the poor peasant, but underneath the shoddy exterior, she wore the thin lithe sneaking suit she had worn the night of the dance that would be well suited for quick stealthy movements. And weaved into her clothing were her two reliable scimitars, ready to be summoned at a moment's notice.

It was getting close to nightfall. She was miles from the pitiful encampment the villagers and refugees from Mistral had erected for themselves, yet even from here she could see the light from the bonfire. She stowed her glove within a hidden pouch, and as she approached, the village defenses began to emerge from the dim gloom. Barricades and ditches, a reinforced wooden wall, and a watch-tower overlooking the surrounding environment, with various mounted vantage points on the wall for ranged defenders. These were defenses designed to ward against Grimm, but not humans. And they would do no good against an attack from within. The walls of Mistral had been a hundred times as high, and they had fallen as surely as these would.

As she drew near, there was a flurry of activity. The lookout had clearly seen her, and a group of Huntsmen hurried out to meet her. Standard formation for rescue and recovery – two of them fanning out to either side, two of them on approach. When the two in the middle reached her, one would secure the recovery, while the other stood on guard. The compound was well fortified, but at no point was it more vulnerable than when it was opening its gates to admit passage to incoming refugees. This was made clear by the stockades teeming with Huntsmen lining the walls, armed to the teeth, and pointing their weapons in every direction.

Cinder adopted a limp in her step and waved towards the approaching Huntsmen.

"Oh, thank goodness!" she cried out, her voice taking on a breathless and desperate quality. "I was told there might be shelter here!"

The two Huntsmen who approached her were young, one with blond hair and a white coat, the other with blue hair and a red coat. Both wielded firearms, and if Cinder wasn't mistaken, they had both been participants in the Vytal tournament earlier that year.

Interesting…though that might complicate matters.

"Don't worry, Ma'am," the blue haired boy offered his hand while the blond took position guarding their escape. "You're safe now."

Cinder put on her best flustered face as she took the boy's proffered hand.

"I thought for sure I was done for!" she said, sounding as helpless and distressed as she could.

The boy seemed to eat that right up.

"Not worry ma'am," he said, putting on a roguish smile. "I'm a Huntsmen. I won't let anything happen to you."

The blond Huntsmen seemed unamused by this display. "Really dude? You can't even wait until we're back inside the village to turn on the charm?"

The blue haired boy looked offended. "What? Can't you tell that this poor woman is in need of some reassurance right now?"

He began to usher Cinder back towards the village.

"Don't mind him," he spoke gently to her. "He doesn't understand psychology _at all_. I'm sure you've had a really rough time getting here, and I intend to ensure you get the best treatment we can give you."

Cinder uttered a playful titter. "Well, that's certainly quite gentlemanly of you. I've been out on my own for days now!"

After they had moved a safe distance from the other three Huntsmen who were guarding their retreat, Cinder decided to pry for some information while out of earshot of too many listeners. She grabbed hold of the boy's sleeve and clung to the blue-haired Huntsman hopelessly.

"Tell me!" she pleaded with him. "Did a boy and a girl come by this way? I'm looking for my brother Grey and my sister Poly! We were separated in the attack!"

The Huntsman gave her a reassuring smile. "That sounds like the pair that arrived just the other day. Rest easy, ma'am, both your brother and your sister are safe and well."

"Oh thank heavens," Cinder replied, placing her hand on her chest as they passed the first line of barricades. "I hope they haven't been too much of a burden to you."

"Not at all, ma'am," the boy assured her, waving his hands before him. "As you can see, we've got plenty to go around…"

Cinder blinked in surprise as, after they passed the main barricade, she was confronted by a field of crops that should have been impossible for this climate and season, much less with the Grimm sapping the lands. She could not suppress a glare as she realized right away what this was. The Spring Maiden had overstepped her bounds. And it would be her undoing.

"I'm Neptune, by the way," the boy said charmingly. "Do you have a name, ma'am?"

Cinder quickly schooled her expression to be one of a haggard but good natured refugee.

"Call me Asha," she said with a smile.

After he lead her into the compound, the other Huntsmen followed quickly afterward, and the village gates were shut once again, sealing them in from attack. Of course, the walls would offer little protection from airborne assault, but that hadn't seemed to deter them overmuch. Of course, with the Spring Maiden here, the Grimm would have no chance of breaching this outpost.

She was soon accosted by a village healer, who seemed intent on checking her all over for sickness or injury, despite Cinder's thinly veiled protests. After the healer had finished checking her over, she seemed satisfied that Cinder was of course uninjured, but should get some food and water in her quickly, and hurried her over to the mess cabin. Cinder had not eaten or drank anything for the last twenty-four hours to better sell the role, and she was only too happy to eat and drink her full now that she was here. It seemed the village had access to fresh well-water in addition to a plentiful spread of bread, beans and vegetables. The healer had finally left her to her own devices after giving her explicit instructions on where to go to should she require assistance.

It was well after dark by the time Cinder was able to convene with Mercury and Neo, and put on a show of relief at discovering her long-lost 'family' again, which seemed to convince the onlookers. After delivering a performance that would have convinced the most suspicious of onlookers, she then ushered the both of them over to what appeared to be a storage area (there was almost no such thing as privacy in the residential cabins, as she was fast discovering), as she deftly inspected the immediate vicinity for onlookers.

When the coast was clear, she took a deep breath, dropping her fake smile for one that was much more genuine.

Mercury and Neo took her indication to drop character as well.

"Hey, uh, could you do me a favor, boss?" Mercury asked quietly. "Please never hug me again. That was just…weird."

"Aw, do I make you uncomfortable, Mercury?" she asked coyly.

He rolled his eyes. "Only when you're within stabbing distance. No assassin in the _world_ would be comfortable letting _anyone_ that close."

"Well, you played your part to a tee," she assured him. "Both of you."

Mercury just shrugged, while Neo, for her part, simply remained silent. Although her hair was still disguised, her eyes had once again shifted to their chocolate and strawberry hues.

"There is one little detail you forgot to mention in your report," Cinder said, shifting her tone of voice to a more serious one. "The abundance of crops in this village. No doubt a gift from our visiting Maiden. You didn't think this bore mentioning?"

Mercury shrugged. "Does it matter? It's not like we were planning to _starve_ the villagers out. Besides, I thought you already had all the intel you needed to take down the Maiden."

"You would be wise not to assume such things, Mercury," Cinder said with a smile. "This little field of green these people have secured for themselves just might be the perfect tool for us to use against them."

Mercury's eyebrows rose at that. "Oh? What are you planning, boss?"

"You'll find out soon enough," she smiled.

Cinder couldn't deny how much she enjoyed keeping secrets, even from her own underlings. Knowledge was power, and holding all the power like this was intoxicating. It was what kept her coming out on field missions like these, rather than simply delegating tasks. That and the fact that her underlings were only so capable when left to their own devices.

"In the meantime, let's keep up appearances," she said. "See if our Maiden keeps to some sort of schedule, and figure out when we're most likely to find her alone."

Mercury pursed his lips. "Civilians and Huntsmen share communal housing, with a least one group of four Huntsmen per cabin. Right now, Miss Vera is posing as just another Huntress, and so is assigned to one of these houses along with three other Huntsmen. I have info on these other three Huntsmen for you in my scroll."

"Excellent," Cinder smiled. "It's a shame we can't simply attack while she sleeps. Too many people nearby, too many variables. No, for this attack to work, we've got to separate her from the rest of the village."

Her smile widened.

"And I believe I know just the trick…"


	45. Chapter 45

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 45

* * *

Ironwood stared up at a series of staunch and stoic faces. The three members of the Vacuan city council peered down at the general and Professor Jasmine, seated upon a high rising enclosure, their faces cast in a dim light, while the majority of the room's light fell upon the two figures at its center.

"This council recognizes General James Ironwood of Atlas," one of the councilmen said, by way of introduction. "You may speak, General."

Ironwood glanced back at Jasmine before stepping forward.

"Councilmen," he began. "I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me today."

There was a brief pause as the three elderly council members, two male, one female, seemed to consider their words. The men appeared bearded, wearing some form of head wrap, while the woman wore what appeared to be some sort of veil. Finally, the female councilwoman spoke.

"Indeed, General," she said soberly, her tone unreadable, her veiled face shrouded in shadow. "Given the communications blackout, we appreciate you taking it upon yourself to cross such a wide border. We are, however, somewhat concerned as to the manner in which you have done so."

Ironwood nodded. He had been expecting such skepticism.

"If you are referring to my airship escort, councilwoman, I can assure you that this was a necessary precaution," he said confidently. "The Grimm have taken to the skies, and have managed to bring down anything short of a fully armed convoy under the protection of Huntsmen. It is for this reason that we have not managed to make contact sooner."

There was a murmuring amongst the council members, but the acoustics of the room were such that Ironwood could scarcely hear them. He threw a curious glance towards Jasmine, but she remained motionless as she peered back up at the council.

"So you are telling us that the reason none of _our_ airships have returned to us, from either Atlas or Mistral, is because of the Grimm," one of the councilmen said. "Is that so?"

Ironwood clasped his hands behind his back. "That would be our best guess, councilman. I realize that coming to you like this in force must seem like quite a bold gesture, but there was no other way. It is for this reason that my fleet is stationed just beyond the border of your kingdom. It was not my intention at all that my visit be construed as an act of aggression. Much the opposite, I should like to offer the aid of my fleet in assisting Vacuo with its own refugee crisis."

This seemed to garner the interest of the council.

"Is that so?" the councilwoman asked pointedly.

The second councilman held up a hand. "Let us set aside the matter of the armada stationed just beyond Vacuan airspace for the time being. Let us instead focus on the reason why you are here, General."

The general held out his hand in gesture of welcoming and peace.

"As I've said, councilman, I am here on behalf of all of Atlas to offer what assistance we can in this time of crisis," he said magnanimously. "The Grimm have already laid waste to our sister kingdoms of Vale and Mistral. I urge the council to unite the forces of Vacuo with those of Atlas in order to combat this threat."

There was another bout of murmurs amongst the councilmen, and this time when Ironwood turned to Jasmine for confirmation, she returned his gaze with a look of caution.

Something wasn't right.

"You say that it is the Grimm, and the Grimm alone, who are responsible for the fate that has befallen both Vale and Mistral?" the councilwoman asked coldly.

Ironwood paused to consider his answer.

"That is not entirely accurate," he amended. "There have been reports of White Fang attacks coinciding with each Grimm attack. Whether this organization is somehow working with the Grimm, or simply taking advantage of a volatile situation, there can be no doubt that their involvement has worsened matters for both kingdoms."

The general noticed his counterpart tense up at the mention of the White Fang. He recalled in conversations that he'd had with Jasmine that Vacuo was generally on good terms with the White Fang. However, the facts remained as they were, and Ironwood was not here to skew facts. If Vacuo would not face the reality that the White Fang had acted with deliberate aggression towards their sister kingdoms, then this would be a difficult negotiation indeed. They would have to swallow that pill sooner or later.

"So your claim is that the White Fang may have colluded with creatures of Grimm?" one of the councilman asked, skepticism obvious in his voice. "Working side-by-side with merciless monsters with no sense of understanding or clemency?"

Ironwood shook his head. "As I've said, we do not have all the facts. These are just our findings thus far. We also have reason to believe that there is a third party at play, one who may well be manipulating both the White Fang _and_ the Grimm for their own ends. Not much is known about this third party, but we do have a name – she is known as Cinder Fall."

The general peered into the dimly lit room and tried to make out the faces of the council members to see if he could spot a hint of recognition at the name, but the room was designed to prevent any such perception at all.

"You spin a harrowing tale," the councilwoman said. "However, the refugees from Mistral paint a slightly different picture, General Ironwood."

The general clasped his hands behind his back. "I am aware that some questionable footage of Atlas's involvement in the kingdom of Vale was released prior to the blackout, councilwoman, and that the people of Mistral are frightened…"

He paused when he saw the councilwoman raised her hand.

"I know full well that the voices of the masses are not always a reliable source of information," she said. "But it is by their voice that we hold office, and so we must heed them. There is one voice, however, that we have not heard, and has thus far remained silent. Tell me…where is the Vale city council?"

Ironwood frowned. He knew what the councilwoman was driving at. There was one voice, and one voice alone, that could ratify his claim. And unfortunately that was one voice that had remained silent since the initial attack.

"I'm afraid the Vale city council has been unaccounted for since the attack on the kingdom," Ironwood admitted. "It is possible that they did not make it out of the city."

There was silence among the council. The general was not liking his odds at the moment.

"What of the Mistral city council?" he asked, when the council said nothing. "I understand the bulk of Mistral's refugees fled to Vacuo. Have any of the council members from Mistral made it here?"

"They have not," one of the bearded councilmen said. "If they too are unaccounted for, then as of this moment, our two kingdoms remain the only kingdoms left in Remnant."

"And only your word to verify what has befallen our sister kingdoms," the councilwoman said tersely. "Your word against a quarter of the population of Mistral which now cowers within our walls and demands that Atlas answer for their plight."

Professor Jasmine appeared to have heard enough.

"Councilmen!" she called out to them. "The general has come to us in person as a show of faith!"

One of the councilmen raised his hand. "Professor, please remain silent until you are called upon."

"I have remained silent long enough!" Jasmine exclaimed. "I will not stand idly by while you accuse a good man of conspiring to orchestrate a massacre!"

Ironwood stared at the professor, speechless. There was a murmuring among the council members, but none deigned to speak up at that.

"Two of our sister kingdoms lie in ruins!" she cried, holding her hand out. "The Grimm are massing at our borders as we speak! My own Huntsmen are being overwhelmed! You would assign blame based on the testimony of outsiders, and yet your own people flee to the safety of our walls! They do not speak of Atlesian forces descending upon them, they bring only talk of Grimm!"

Ironwood nodded. "Our mechanized troops were hacked during the Vytal tournament, and have since been disbanded. They were proven unreliable, and as such, have no place among Atlesian forces. Atlas will assume full responsibility for the tragedy this has caused in due course, but for the time being, we have to do all that we can to avert any further tragedy!"

One of the councilmen gestured with their hand.

"And what of the machine girl we saw at the tournament?" he asked. "A mechanical construct capable of generating an aura? What plans does Atlas have for such a creation?"

Ironwood hesitated.

"Penny's involvement in the Vytal tournament was intended to be for testing purposes," he explained. "She was the only model of her kind, and right now, our engineers are focused on rebuilding our fleet and bolstering our kingdom's defenses against the Grimm. So for the time being, Atlas has no further plans for developing any more such aura-generating constructs."

"But what would you have done with her should she not have been destroyed?" one of the councilmen demanded, slamming his fist against the wide podium where they sat. "What were Atlas' original intentions for her? What purpose did she serve?"

"Councilmen," the general spread his arms wide. "If this is a question of scientific ethics, then I am prepared to sit down and discuss the topic at length – _after_ such time as the Grimm threat has been dealt with. If you are concerned that Atlas in some way would have used this technology against our fellow kingdoms, then I can assure you that this assertion is as preposterous as the claims that Atlas somehow orchestrated the fall of Vale or Mistral."

"Councilmen!" Jasmine spoke up once more. "We face a very real threat right now! Not from Atlas, but from the Grimm, and whatever forces that make use of them! The enemy would like nothing more right now than for us to be at odds with one another! The kingdom of Mistral remained at odds with Atlas, and so stood alone against the creatures of Grimm, and its people have paid the price for this decision! The kingdom of Vacuo _cannot_ afford to do the same!"

She gestured towards General Ironwood.

"Right now, our only remaining sister kingdom stands ready to unite with us against this threat!" she said. "We must seize this opportunity to unify, or else our two kingdoms might both perish before the Grimm!"

Ironwood nodded. "Our enemy grows stronger by the day. We must respond in kind. And the only way to do that is to stand together."

The council was silent for a long while. There was a murmuring amongst them, and then silence once again. Ironwood and Jasmine exchanged a veiled glance, but remained still and silent as well.

Finally, the councilwoman spoke.

"You have given us much to think about, General, Professor," she said, waving her arms, indicating the two of them. "Let us adjourn so that we may discuss this matter in private. We will contact you once we have reached a verdict."

Ironwood and Jasmine both inclined their heads and turned to go.

Once outside the council chambers, the vast sandstone building became much more well lit. Plush wool rugs lined the floors, as comfortable floor mats and couches spanned from wall to wall, and arched windows lined either wall of the sitting room. The scent of incense and freshly brewed tea permeated the room as the two of them made their way towards the stairs at the end of the hall, as through the windows, an astounding vista of the surrounding kingdom was visible, from the markets to the oasis and the imposing towers of Shade Academy.

Before reaching the stairs, Ironwood halted his step.

"Thank you…" he said somberly as Professor Jasmine paused to look back at him. "For what you said back there. I thought for sure I was going to be turned away or even possibly tried as a war criminal."

Jasmine gave the general a helpless smile. "Do not thank me just yet, James. For all we know, either possibility might still come to pass. The council can be stubborn and quick to judge, but I have worked with them for my entire tenure. They are not beyond reason."

Ironwood shook his head. "I just hope we can settle matters quickly. There are still survivors from Mistral and Vale who need our help."

Jasmine's expression softened as she saw the general place his hand on his head.

"You mentioned a resistance forming in the remains of Vale," she asked softly. "Tell me…who leads them?"

The general looked away. "Professor Goodwitch…at least, that's what's been reported. We have no confirmation."

His words came out more slowly, as if he had to put more effort into forming them.

"Our intel is nearly a month old now," he said bitterly. "And the initial report painted a rather grim picture. Not many could hold out in those conditions, and she has no way of reaching out to us. We don't even know if she's still alive or…"

Ironwood paused when he felt Jasmine's hand on his shoulder.

"Professor Goodwitch is an adept Huntress, General," she assured him. "She would not succumb to this crisis so easily. Have faith in that."

James let out a sigh. "It's easy to say that…but with this communication blackout, it's been impossible to confirm _anything!_ "

He clenched his fists and turned away from the professor, pacing in aggravation across the sitting room.

"Ugh, what am I even doing here!?" he demanded in frustration. "Getting entangled in these legal delegations is costing us more time than we have! I should be mobilizing my fleet! We need to recapture Vale, we need to retake Mistral, and we need to drive the Grimm from the homes that they've stolen from us!"

He slammed his fist down on one of the sandstone window panes, his bitterness coming forth all at once.

Jasmine stepped over to him and put a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Have faith, James," she said soothingly. "You will see Glynda again."

Ironwood took a deep breath, staring at his metal hand through his pristine white glove.

"I've been trying my hardest to remain dispassionate in all this," he said somberly. "To remain objective. To put the mission and the fate of Remnant first."

Jasmine shook her head, placing a hand on his chest. "Your heart is stronger than you know. If you do not heed its will, you will find that it can overwhelm you when you least expect it."

Ironwood clasped his hand into a fist. "What place does the heart have in a war such as this?"

The Professor smiled. "Look inside, James, and you may find that your concern for Glynda comes from more than a mere professional concern."

The general furrowed his brow but did not deny her words.

"Let this fuel you, James," Jasmine assured him. "The heart can grant strength when our bodies fail us."

Ironwood considered her words for a moment, exhaling in remorse.

"If my heart had its way, then I would have left all of Vacuo behind in an errant quest to go save one small group of Huntsmen."

"One small group of _brave_ , _loyal_ Huntsmen who go above and beyond the call of duty and fight for what they believe in," Jasmine added. "Perhaps not so foolish a mission then, James?"

"Perhaps not…" he allowed. "But I'm smart enough to know that I need allies first."

Jasmine squeezed his shoulder. "Then let us gather those allies together."

Ironwood nodded. "Right…"

Before he could say more, he felt his scroll vibrate in his pocket. Withdrawing it, he held the screen aloft, and saw Winter Schnee's face appear on screen.

"Winter," he said by way of greeting. "Has your team found anything yet?"

"Nothing we can really use, I'm afraid," Winter said despondently. "Although I did receive a strange report of a street urchin with above average semblance ability."

Ironwood, not one to leave any stone unturned, raised his eyebrow.

"An above average semblance?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Winter replied. "The report indicated a powerful wind and sand ability, one that even granted the power of flight. I consulted the registry of student Huntsmen at Shade Academy, but none seem to align with that exact description."

Ironwood gave Jasmine a curious glance, but was surprised to see an expression of shock on her face.

"Professor?" he asked cautiously.

Jasmine hurriedly reached for the scroll in the general's hand, turning it towards her so she could speak directly to Winter.

"Tell me," she asked impatiently. "Was this 'street urchin' a young girl, perhaps twelve or so, who fought with a long knife?"

Winter glanced to the side as if consulting with a computer screen.

"That…does match the description in the report," she said curiously. "Was this a student after all? She sounds far too young to be enrolled at Shade."

Jasmine pulled away and let out a series of curses under her breath.

"Professor?" Ironwood asked, concern in his voice. "Who has my team found, exactly?"

"Agh," she spat in frustration. "It's probably nothing. A local legend."

Ironwood glanced at Winter's face through the scroll, but she just shrugged helplessly.

"What's the legend?" he asked.

Professor Jasmine shook her head. "Some story about a djinn of fortune, some wayward spirit who manifests as a young girl who runs about the streets of Vacuo, stirring up trouble and causing mischief."

The general raised an eyebrow. "A djinn?"

"Most likely she is just a troubled child, one with, as you said, an above average semblance," Jasmine shrugged. "The locals say her name is Dora. Typical 'robs from the rich and gives to the poor' motif. My staff have been trying to locate her for years with little luck, however, in an attempt to recruit her. If her semblance is as powerful as people say, she could be a fearsome Huntress indeed. However, she's such a local heroine that no one has been willing to come forward with any information. Well, no one except her victims, of course."

"Did any of these reports happen to mention her eyes glowing yellow?" Winter asked skeptically.

Ironwood felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He glanced over at Jasmine. She nodded grimly. She had figured it out too.

"Say that again, Winter?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"I overlooked this detail at first because I thought my team might have been exaggerating," Winter said. "But in addition to controlling wind and sand and being able to levitate into the air, this girl Dora apparently had, quote, 'yellow eyes that glowed as bright as the sun,' unquote."

There was a period of silence as the two headmasters quietly contemplated the implications of what they were hearing. This changed the entire state of the game.

"How could I not have seen it?" Jasmine breathed in disbelief, going over her notes to see if she'd missed something. "The semblance, the age, it all fits…"

"Winter," Ironwood barked. "New mission parameters."

Winter blinked in surprise.

"Sir?" the elder Schnee asked inquisitively.

"Your team's top priority now is to track down this Dora as soon as possible," he commanded. "Scour the entire city if you have to, but _find_ her and _bring her in_. And exercise extreme caution when dealing with her. She'll be more powerful than anything your team is used to dealing with."

Winter appeared confused by this order, but saluted and nodded all the same. "Yes sir."

As he closed the scroll, Professor Jasmine was giving the general a morbid look.

"Perhaps a show of hostility will not be the best course of action when dealing with a new Maiden who's not experienced with her powers?" she suggested.

"No choice," the general shook his head soberly. "After what happened to Amber, I'm not taking any chances. We have to deal with this matter as swiftly and decisively as possible. I guarantee you, if we're just now learning about this, then our enemy will not be far behind."

"And to think, all this time, she was right under my very nose," Professor Jasmine said, shaking her head in disbelief. "How could I have been so blind?"

Ironwood massaged the bridge of his nose. "Sometimes, it's difficult to see what's right in front of our faces. Oz told me that he's been looking for the last maiden ever since Summer's death. I never thought she would appear to us in such a fashion…and in one so _young_ at that. You said she was no older than twelve?"

"At the oldest," Jasmine confirmed. "At least, that's what the sightings suggest."

"That would have made her…no older than six when she inherited her power," the general nodded. "That will complicate matters even further."

As Ironwood turned to descend the stairs, Jasmine hurried after him.

"What about the council and their decision?" she asked.

"They'll contact us once they've reached a consensus," he shook his head. "For now, we need to find this Maiden, and find her quick. Before the worst should come to pass."

Professor Jasmine released a breath as she followed him down.

"I only hope we're not too late…" she said.


	46. Chapter 46

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 46

* * *

Blake let out a hopeless sigh. It had taken twenty-five minutes – twenty-five whole minutes – for Yang to end up butting heads with somebody.

"Well…" she said, trying to make conversation with the girl sitting across from her. "I'm glad you guys made it out of Mistral, at least."

Sitting at the long table beside her, Yang and Arslan Altan were engaged in a heated arm-wrestling competition. Left-handed, so as not to give Yang an unfair advantage. The two women were glaring at each other from across the table, neither one giving any ground as the two powerhouses struggled against one another.

A sizeable crowd had grown around them at the local tavern. In the richer areas of Vacuo, alcohol was actually much less prominent, giving rise instead to spiced tea houses and hookah bars. Yang and Blake had needed to delve much further into the seedier parts of town before they had found a place that served the type of swill (and the type of clientele) that Yang normally preferred. Blake had made her reservations well heard, but Yang had insisted that this was the only place they were likely to find any intel worth knowing.

Instead, they had found some old acquaintances from the Vytal festival.

"You too," Reese said from across the table, sipping a brightly colored drink through a straw. "Some of our friends were still on patrol when the city fell, and I haven't seen them since. I just hope they're alright."

"Yeah…" Blake nodded despondently. "I've been looking for my friend Sun for the past month or so…apparently, he's-"

"Wait, Sun Wukong?" the green haired girl asked in surprise, her drink slamming down on the table.

"Yeah, know you him?" Blake asked, before rolling her eyes. "Wait, of course you'd know him. You were classmates, weren't you?"

"Heh, you could call him that," Reese laughed. "If he ever actually showed up to class, that is."

Blake suppressed a chuckle. "That sounds like Sun. I'm sure he and his team are all fine, but with everything that's been happening lately…"

Reese nodded. "This damn war's been costing everyone a lot."

"Yeah…" Blake sighed.

The horde of onlookers that had gathered to watch the action were cheering raucously as the two blondes continued to compete. Both were gritting their teeth and beginning to sweat, though both their faces appeared amicable in spite of all this.

"You are going down, Altan!" Yang crowed, grinning back at her opponent.

"In your dreams, Xiao-Long!" Arslan smirked back.

Blake bit her lip uneasily, as her partner and her adversary began to attract more and more spectators. Already, bids were being placed to see who would win.

"Are we going to be here all day?" Blake asked sullenly.

"Possibly," Reese sipped her drink. "I've never seen Arslan loose a single match before. Then again, I've never seen her take this long either…"

Blake shrugged idly. "Yeah, Yang doesn't go down easily."

"Phrasing, Blake!" Yang snickered as she kept her gaze focused on her opponent, sweat beginning to bead down her neck.

"Sorry," Blake smirked back at her partner. "Am I throwing you off your game?"

Yang grinned. "Not even close!"

Reese chuckled. "Heheh…so do you guys know what's going on with Atlas? We've been hearing some pretty nasty rumors going around, and I was hoping someone could set the record straight for us."

Blake glanced around nervously, wondering if this was the best place to be discussing such things.

"Well…" she muttered cautiously. "It's funny you should mention that…"

She leaned in close to whisper, though in the din of the crowded tavern, her whisper was more like a conversational tone, but Reese obligingly leaned in to listen in.

"We…may have enlisted with the Atlesian Special Ops unit," Blake admitted.

Reese nearly spilled her drink. " _What!?_ "

Blake held up her hands, but fortunately the crowd around them seemed to be more focused on Yang and Arslan's bout than anything the other two girls had to say.

"Calm down," Blake said hurriedly. "Atlas isn't the enemy. Cinder, the Grimm and the White Fang are. And they're doing everything they can to make it look like Atlas is playing some part in this crisis."

Reese looked unconvinced. "Are you sure that's not just what Atlas told you when you enlisted?"

Arslan let out a grunt as she began to gain the upper hand over Yang, who groaned loudly as she strained against her grip. Around them, the crowds began to cheer louder and slam more coins onto the table as they started placing more bets.

"Come on, Reese, you were _there_ in Vale when the first attack happened," Blake explained. "You've seen firsthand what Cinder and the White Fang were capable of. My team and I saw the same thing happen to Mistral. And because none of the other kingdoms were there to help, we were powerless to stop them."

Reese pursed her lips. "I don't know, Blake…Atlas may not be the enemy, but I hardly think they're guilt-free. What about that robot girl from the tournament?"

"Her name was Penny," Blake said. "She was a friend. And she wasn't hurting anyone. Yes, Atlas has advanced tech, and yes, that might allow them to create strange and unusual things, but that doesn't mean they're bad people."

Blake wasn't sure why she was so vehemently defending Atlas, of all kingdoms. As a Faunus, she had grown up mistrustful of Atlas. All her life, they had been a symbol of rigidity, militarism and oppression. They represented everything she had ever stood against. If anyone had cause to mistrust Atlas, it should have been her.

But now, one of her best friends was from Atlas. Now she had glimpsed within its borders, and seen for herself that, while its streets were crowded and filled with tech, the people there were still just people. It was no different here in Vacuo. No different than in Vale. Some people were good, some people were bad. No one kingdom held all of one or the other.

Reese let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Blake. I _do_ believe you…but the people of Mistral might be a little harder to convince. And Vacuo's never been Atlas' biggest fan either. And now the people of Mistral are crowding Vacuo's streets and pointing the blame at Atlas. A _lot_ of people here are willing to believe anything Mistral has to say about Atlas."

"Well, we need to change their minds!" Blake declared. "Otherwise, we'll be like one head of a king taijutsu attacking the other! Think about it - what better way to bring down the four kingdoms than to set them upon one another? Rather than bolstering each other's defenses, we end up bringing each other down! The kingdoms are easier targets when they stand alone, and if the kingdoms end up attacking one another, that just weakens them all further!"

Yang began to gain the upper hand as Arslan let out a grunt of fury as she strained to hold her back.

Reese looked down at her drink. "You're talking about setting aside prejudices that are centuries old. Some people just don't want to face the truth. Some people just want to hold onto their preconceived notions, because that's what they've always believed. It's so much easier that way."

"Yeah…" Blake's cat ears twitched. "I know what that's like…still, we have to find common ground. And right now, that common ground is our common enemy, and that common enemy is the Grimm."

Yang let out a growl as her eyes suddenly went blazing red, her aura erupting like fire around her. Arslan responded in kind, her aura enveloping her like a burning fire, her eyes glowing brightly as she held her ground.

Before either combatant could gain any more ground on the other, the table beneath them shook and then suddenly exploded in a shower of wood chips, the pressure from the combined aura of the two girls sending a shockwave that reverberated throughout the entire tavern. The crowd of onlookers collectively let out a gasp of surprise, many recoiling in fear. Blake simply pushed her seat back to avoid the shower of splinters that sailed past her. Reese's drink had been flung across her lap, and she looked down at her soaked hoodie and skater shorts with dismay.

Yang and Arslan stumbled awkwardly to their feet as their hands parted, nearly tumbling into one another, their competition momentarily forgotten as they looked down at the pile of wood chips that used to be their table.

"Uhhh…" Yang chuckled nervously as she looked around the room at all the stunned and startled patrons. "Oops?"

The two of them looked up to see the unhappy looking tavern owner, a surly looking balding old man in an apron, his knuckles growing white as his fingers dug into the handle of a broom, before he angrily pointed a meaty finger at the door.

The four huntresses dejectedly stepped out of the tavern, a rundown hole-in-the-wall in the middle of the slums, wooden shacks and mud-caked hovels lining the small sandy road. There were meager looking civilians everywhere, many of them simply sitting on the street, and there was a depressing amount of garbage lining the ditch that ran along the road, and the whole area smelled vaguely of sewage. As the four girls filed out onto the street, there were various expressions on their faces, ranging from embarrassment to agitation to out and out anger.

"Nice job, Xiao-Long," Arslan griped, crossing her arms. "You just had to use that semblance of yours, didn't you?"

"Hey, don't get all salty just cause I kicked your ass!" Yang taunted back.

"Oh, that was _draw_ at _best!_ " Arslan growled back.

Yang puffed out her chest. "If that table could have withstood my aura, you'd be eating those words right now!"

"Oh yeah?" Arslan smirked. "Let's go find another tavern, and we can settle this for real!"

"Guys…" Reese said, still damp from her spilled drink. "Do you think we could maybe take it down a notch?"

Yang and Arslan both replied in unison.

"Not right now!"

The two girls went back to glaring at one another while Blake and Reese stood helplessly by as they did.

They were interrupted, however, when the rest of Team ABRN showed up.

"Hey Arslan," Nadir said as he and his teammate walked by. "You get kicked out of _another_ tavern?"

Arslan gave her pink-haired teammates a bitter look. Yang just began to laugh.

" _Another_ tavern?" she chuckled.

"Oh shut up!" Arslan grumbled, before turning to the other two boys. "And where have you both been, exactly?"

The other boy, Bolin, just shrugged.

"Checking out that Atlas airship docked at the airway station, like you asked," he said calmly. "It does seem to carry a full contingent of soldiers, but no mechanized troops. And there don't appear to be any other Atlesian ships within the vicinity, although people were saying that they saw an entire fleet escorting it into port initially."

Yang grinned as she waved at the two boys.

"Let us save you some time, fellas," she smirked.

The two of them seemed to just notice the other two girls.

"Oh, hey," Nadir said amicably. "Didn't know you guys were in Vacuo."

"We are," Blake nodded, glancing back at Reese who was busy squeegeeing liquid out of her hoodie. "And as I just explained to your teammate here, we're actually here with Atlas."

"The airship at the airway station is Ironwood's personal flagship," Yang explained. "It arrived here just this morning with about half of the Atlesian fleet, and the reason for this is that if it hadn't set sail with a sizable enough entourage, it would have been torn out of the sky by swarms of nevermores and griffons."

Blake nodded. "But the general didn't want to intimidate the people of Vacuo like he did with Vale, so he ordered his fleet to remain in the air just outside of Vacuan airspace after his flagship had set down. Atlas is here on a diplomatic mission; it's not here to incite a conflict with Vacuo."

"And you won't find any mechanized troops among their forces," Yang added. "They were discontinued indefinitely after the incident in Vale."

All of Team ABRN exchanged peculiar looks with one another.

"Well, alright then," Arslan shrugged, giving her teammates a thumbs-up sign. "Good job, team."

Blake and Yang nodded and smiled back, before they both felt a buzzing in their pockets as their scrolls began to vibrate.

"It's Ruby," Blake said, opening her scroll. "She says Winter has a new assignment for us. She wants us to meet her back at the market square."

Yang shrugged, offering Arslan a helpless smile. "Oh well, guess we'll have to postpone our rematch then."

"Hah!" Arslan jeered. "You sure you're not just chickening out, Xiao-Long?"

Yang put her hands on her hips. "In your dreams, Altan! Next time, find us a table made out of metal or something so I won't have to hold back on you!"

"As if!" Arslan crowed.

Blake and Reese both rolled their eyes in unison.

"Come on, Yang," the Faunus girl said, taking her partner by the shoulder, leading her in the direction towards the market square. "Ruby's waiting for us…"

Reese gently ushered her team leader in the other direction as she waved to Blake and Yang.

"Nice seeing you guys again," she called out. "Best of luck getting Vacuo and Atlas to cooperate."

"You too," Blake smiled back. "Thanks."

As the two girls made their way back to the market square, the layout of the city began to change as they moved to areas of progressively higher wealth and class. As the slums began to give way to the richer, denser market district, more and more herding animals were visible on the streets, more vehicles, ranging from pedal powered bicycles to dust powered mopeds were becoming prevalent, and cheaper wooden and straw houses were progressively replaced by larger and sturdier sandstone structures.

"Sorry if I embarrassed you back there," Yang said sheepishly after they had been walking for a few minutes.

"You didn't," Blake said, a content smile on her face. "It's kind of fun watching you get all competitive. And apart from the broken table, it was all in harmless fun. A welcome distraction from everything that's been going on."

Yang smiled, interlocking her fingers, both normal and metallic, behind her head.

"Oh, good," she beamed. "Wouldn't want you to be saddled with a partner who couldn't hold her own in a test of strength, after all."

"Oh no," Blake sighed in mock distress. "However would I handle the shame?"

"Lucky I'm always looking out for you," Yang winked.

Blake smiled. It really was nice to have Yang back in her life.

The first few concession stalls and sales booths were starting to appear, and as the two of them neared the market, Ren and Nora came into view. Ren was wearing a wreathe of exotic looking flowers around his head, and Nora was holding a gigantic swirled lollipop in her hands that was larger than her head. There was also a troop of monkeys following them around.

"Hey there!" Nora shouted at Blake and Yang when she spotted them over by an exotic weapons' booth.

"Helloooo!" Yang called back as the two groups approached one another. "You guys look like you had a good time."

"I got to ride an elephant!" Nora smiled with delight.

"And I got to see just how much weight an elephant can lift with its trunk," Ren added with a raised finger, sounding a little bit rattled.

"Spoiler alert," Nora whispered loudly. "It's more than Ren weighs."

Blake laughed softly to herself. "Did you guys find out anything about the Mistralian refugees or how Atlas is viewed here? What we found wasn't exactly rosy."

"Well, there's certainly no love lost for Atlas around here," Ren nodded, adjusted the floral wreath around his head.

"But apparently the refugees here aren't doing as bad as they were in Mistral," Nora added. "I mean, for starters, the kingdom is _huge_ – like, _really_ huge! It's crowded, sure, but Vacuo could handle twice as many refugees as Mistral could."

"Well, that's _if_ they even make it here," Ren pointed out grimly. "Any airship that doesn't travel with a full Huntsman escort isn't likely to survive the journey, which leaves an entire ocean between Vacuo and Mistral. And most of these refugees are _on foot_."

"Jeez Ren, buzzkill," Nora sighed. "But he's right. A lot of refugees didn't even make it to Vacuo. A lot of people have lost families, friends, loved ones…and a lot of them are blaming it on Atlas. Not _all_ of them, but enough."

Yang and Blake exchanged a troubled glance.

"That's pretty much what we've found as well," Blake replied. "Though we did run into Team ABRN, oddly enough. They made it out of Mistral in one piece, and now they know that Atlas isn't the bad guy in all this at least."

"Well, that's some good news at least," Ren smiled.

"By the way," Yang said, changing the subject as she stared at Nora and Ren's new animal companions standing behind them both. "What's with the monkeys?"

The group of monkeys were standing at attention. There appeared to be at least a dozen of them, all looking keenly interested in Nora's lollipop.

"I gave them some peanuts about an hour ago, and they've been following us ever since," Nora said, before pouting cutely. "Ren said we couldn't keep them though."

"They threw feces at us, Nora," Ren pointed out.

"That is entirely beside the point, Ren!" Nora exclaimed, gesturing to the small furry critters with her lollipop, each of whom were transfixed on the confection. "I mean, look at them! They're adorable! How could you say no to those faces?"

Ren glanced back at the monkeys. A couple of them made eye contact. Eyes narrowed. Brows furrowed. There was a moment of tension where it felt like a fight could have suddenly broke out at any moment. But then the monkeys began to chitter and pick at each other's fur for ticks, and Ren let out a sigh of relief.

"Anyway," Yang said, interrupting the monkey talk. "Let's go find Ruby. Apparently Winter's got an assignment for us."

"Ooh, I wonder what it is," Nora pondered as they all began to march towards the fountain at the center of the market square.

"The general said it would likely be either tactical recon or a scouting mission," Blake pointed out, academically.

"That's assuming everything went well with his meeting with the council," Ren pointed out.

"Yeah," Yang sighed. "Given what we've all found out about the state of affairs in this kingdom, I'm not liking his odds…"

Blake pursed her lips. It was true that things looked grim, and Vacuo appeared all but poised to declare the entire kingdom of Atlas to be persona non grata, if not declare all out war on them as Mistral had. But even after everything they'd been through, they'd still managed to find friends here. A Faunus like herself was able to befriend a girl from Atlas, and had enlisted in an Atelsian military unit. This same Faunus had just had a civil conversation with a group of Huntsmen from Mistral who had seen the fall of both Vale and Mistral, and appeared to be every bit as suspicious of Atlas as the next Mistralian refugee.

Blake had never grown up with an immense amount of faith in other people. But that was starting to change.

"Well, I guess we'll have to just wait and see," Blake said.


	47. Chapter 47

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 47

* * *

"This is a terrible idea," Weiss protested.

When Ruby's team had heard about her run-in with Dora, none of them had been entirely sure what to make of it. They had been even more baffled when it turned out that their orders from Winter were to track down this mysterious little street urchin. Ideas for how this could be done had spewed forth from everyone involved, ranging from silly to contrived to downright violent. The one that Ruby had ultimately decided on involved luring the little thief out of hiding by providing her with a tempting target. Which meant that Weiss was now traipsing about the slums near the market district by herself, with the rest of her team hiding from view.

"This girl's already seen my face," Weiss hissed under her breath, an earbud provided by Winter picking up her voice and transmitting it to her team's scrolls as she wandered the crowded city streets in a flowery dress, parasol in hand. "She's not going to come after me again after that. Why can't Yang or Nora be the bait?"

"Neither of us look anywhere _near_ as easy a mark as you," Yang pointed out. "Anyway, that's why you're wearing a different color dress than before."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Weiss grumbled, tugging at the hem of her newly acquired floral satin gown. "Pink is _not_ my color _at all!_ "

"I think it looks great on you, Weiss," Jaune's voice sounded over her earbud.

"Don't patronize me," Weiss mouthed back, glancing back and forth at the glances she was getting from the passing pedestrians in the slum. "I feel naked out here. I don't even have my sword!"

"Relax, Weiss," Ruby's voice sounded in her earbud. "We're all keeping an eye on you in case anything happens."

Weiss glanced around the narrow slum alleyway. Although she couldn't see them, she knew the rest of her team were positioned at various points around the slums, some of them hiding in back alleys, some from within buildings and up on rooftops, and even from within the sewer.

"Besides, you can use your glyphs with or without your sword," Yang added.

"Yeah, but without the added dust effects, I can't use any elemental abilities," Weiss complained. "Ugh…this brat's already robbed me once today. I still don't see why _I_ have to be the one to do this…"

"Come on, Weiss," Ruby urged her partner. "The sooner we catch this girl, the sooner you can be done with this. Now play the part already!"

"Ugh, _fine!_ " Weiss said, before giving her parasol a little twirl and put her hand on her cheek, putting on a demure expression and speaking a bit louder than was necessary. "Oh goodness me! How have I become so helplessly lost!?"

She gritted her teeth as she heard the telltale sound of snickering over her earbuds.

"Ruby, I will _not_ forget this!" Weiss hissed over the intercom.

"Oh trust me," Yang chimed in from her vantage point. "Neither will any of us."

"Yang, stop distracting her," Ruby chastised, before taking on a more supportive tone. "Weiss, you're doing great! Just keep it up, and I know we'll find something."

Weiss sighed as she continued to wander aimlessly down the path through the dirty slums. All around her, she knew her team was trailing her, but for all intents and purposes, she was alone in the slums. She looked painfully out of place here, and her brand news shoes she had brought for the role were already dark with mud and refuse and heaven knew what else.

"Oh, wherever have I gotten myself to?" she called out in a singsong voice. "This doesn't look like the market square!"

She meandered down alley after alley, a bright pink flower in the middle of a grimy desert. She continued to play up the little lost damsel role, before pausing as she felt a tingling in the back of her neck which told her that there was danger around the corner.

Sure enough, a pair of tough looking men, wearing rags and bandages, scarred and tattooed from head to toe, and armed practically to the teeth with swords and knives rounded the corner and caught sight of the young Huntress. As they approached, nearby pedestrians seemed to scurry away, recognizing trouble when it arrived.

"Well, well, well," one of the men said, a bald man with a stubbly beard and an eyepatch, "What do we have here?"

Weiss rubbed her forehead. "Oh come on now…can you just move along please? I really don't have time for this right now."

The other man tried to put on a charming smile – an attempt which somehow caused him to look even more hideous in Weiss' opinion – twirling a dagger between his fingers.

"What's the hurry, sweetheart?" he asked in a voice that sounded like what she imagined a weasel would sound like if it could talk. "Why don't you let us take care of you? We promise we'll be gentle."

Weiss furrowed her brow clenched her teeth. This assignment was becoming more trouble than it was worth. The flowing pink gown she was wearing would have made it impossible to fight off these two interlopers, but luckily, she did not really need to fight them.

Within a matter of moments, she had cast a glyph under the two brigands who had accosted her and flung them up into the air, sending them sailing over the rooftops.

"Yeeeeaaarrrghhhh!" the two men said as they disappeared from sight.

Once the coast was clear, Weiss cleared her throat.

"Ahem," Weiss scoffed, once again assuming the role of a helpless damsel. "As I was saying… Oh dearie me! I am so terribly lost!"

"Weiss, I'm not sure if you understand how this is supposed to work…" Ruby's voice sighed over her earpiece.

Before Weiss could retort, her eyes fell upon a pair of young kids running off down a side street. A flash of white caught her eye, and Weiss stiffened in recognition.

"Ruby," she asked calmly as she began to quickly and quietly step down the path towards the two kids. "Do you trust me?"

There was a slight pause on the other line which Weiss did not care for.

"Yyyyyes?" Ruby finally responded, nervously. "Why do you ask?"

The two kids chanced a glance back at Weiss, and then suddenly took off.

"No time!" Weiss hollered, before yanking off the billowy pink satin dress, revealing her white combat skirt underneath, allowing her to run at full tilt. "Ruby! I need my sword!"

"For what!?" Ruby's voice sounded. "Weiss, where are you going!?"

Weiss dashed over heaps of trashed and bounded over crumbling sidewalks, tearing down the narrow and dimly lit sandstone street. She was just barely fast enough to keep the two boys in sight, when she activated one of her glyphs to send her launching towards them.

She ended up missing the two boys and running straight into a shrub, stumbling in aggravation as the two kids let out a cry of alarm, bolting down the alleyway away from her.

"Urgh!" Weiss growled in irritation as she scrambled to her feet. "Ruby! Sword!"

She managed to keep the two boys in her sight as she dashed after them, casting a glyph ahead of her, upsetting a vegetable cart in front of the two boys, causing them to stumble as they tried to scramble around the fallen beetroots and onions. Weiss leaped over the mess gracefully, closing in on the two boys.

"Weiss!" she heard Ruby's voice overhead, and glanced up to see her running along the rooftop beside her, her semblance granting her the speed she had needed to catch up. "I've got your sword!"

Weiss raised her hand as Ruby tossed her Myrtlenaster down to her, and no sooner had she clasped her hand around its hilt then she had activating a dust round, suddenly engulfing the two boys in a block of ice.

The two kids were frozen side by side, staring up at the young Huntress, shivering in fear – and from the cold – as Weiss stared down at them both with an intimidating look in her eyes, arms crossed.

"Now where have I seen this before?" she asked pointedly.

"Dunno whatch'yer talkin' 'bout, sister!" one of the boys shouted boldly in a slurred voice, typical of someone who had grown up unschooled. "We was jus' passin' through till you came along!"

"Oh?" Weiss asked calmly.

She then flipped a switch on her rapier, activating her red dust and heating up the blade of her sword, causing a bit of the ice to melt until a familiar white wallet was revealed.

Weiss snatched the wallet out of the boy's shivering grasp, opening it to survey its contents. Everything was accounted for except the money. She snapped it closed, giving the two boys a pointed look.

"Going somewhere to go dispose of this, were you?" she asked haughtily, before bringing the point of her sword up to the boys faces, causing them to gasp in alarm. "Alright you two, where did you get this!?"

The two boys both shook their heads defiantly.

"We ain't talkin', sister!" the other boy cried. "We ain't no rats!"

"Yeah!" the first one added. "It don't matter what you do to us!"

Weiss looked genuinely upset. "Me? You expect little old _me_ to interrogate you? Oh, don't be absurd!"

The two boys glanced at one another, confused and still shivering.

"Wh-What do you mean?" the second boy asked.

"Well, what I mean to say is… _I_ certainly won't be doing anything to you…" Weiss placed a hand on her chest and smiled the saccharine smile of a sweet caring maternal figure. "My _partner_ might though…"

The two boys blinked and Ruby took her cue to drop down from the rooftop with a gentle _thud_. She rose from the ground, Crescent Rose slowly unfurling over her shoulder, and the boys' eyes widened in abject horror at the oversized weapon. She turned and swung her scythe in a spectacular flourish, before slamming the blade into the ground, the barrel of her gun pointed at Weiss' captives.

"What the-!" both boys exclaimed, staring at the massive mechanical scythe, a look of pure terror on their faces as color began to drain from their skin.

"So Weiss," Ruby asked cheerfully, playing along with her partner's ploy. "Are _these_ the ones who robbed you today?"

Weiss tapped her finger to her chin. "Well, I don't know Ruby. I sure _thought_ that it was a little girl who did it…but it was _awfully_ dark, and these two boys _definitely_ had it on them just now."

Ruby shrugged. "Oh well…I guess that means _they_ did it then. Guess we'll just have to punish them for it…"

She raised her scythe over her shoulder, as if preparing to strike.

"W-W-W-W-Wait!" one of the boys shouted loudly. "It weren't us! We didn't do nuthin! We was just gonna toss it out, tha's all!"

Weiss grabbed the boy who spoke by the collar, her rapier poised threateningly overhead.

"Tell me where you got it then!" she hissed.

"I-I-I…" he stammered nervously.

"Spit it out!" Weiss hollered.

He clenched his eyes shut. "I can't tell ya! I gotta show ya the way!"

The other boy nodded. "Yeah! It's too compli-micated to put into words, ya dig? We gotta take ya there!"

Ruby and Weiss exchanged a glance. They both knew a trap when they saw it, but they really had no choice but to follow them and see where they lead.

"Alright then…" Ruby said, retracting her scythe back into its compact form and re-sheathing it, before letting out a shrill whistle to signal her team.

All at once, the other Huntsmen on her team began to emerge from the shadows and drop down from the rooftops. The boys' eyes widened as they began to realize just how outnumbered they were, before Weiss dispelled the ice around them, letting them tumble awkwardly to the ground.

"Alright, you two," Weiss said, taking one of them up by the arm. "Yang, if you would please?"

The blonde Huntress smiled as she approached and clasped the boy's arm with her mechanical grip, hoisting him to his feet.

"Hey there little buddy," she said congenially. "Thanks for helping us out."

The boy just pouted. "Whatever."

She shrugged and lead him by the arm as Weiss gestured to the other boy.

"Alright then," she said impatiently. "Start walking."

Begrudgingly, the one boy made his way down the narrow dark alley, the other boy secure in Yang's grip as insurance to make sure the other boy didn't make a run for it. They were lead down a winding set of dirty footpaths, climbing over walls and through windows, and down into ditches as they meandered further into the slums. Wherever they were taking them, they would have a heck of a time getting back. Weiss hadn't overlooked the possibility that they might just have been leading them in circles, but still Ruby insisted that they follow.

As Ruby and her team traveled deeper and deeper into the slums, they noticed a lot more foliage than was usual. Winding roots were erupting from the cobblestones lining their path and enveloping the walls around them, breaking up old buildings and making it hard to travel. Still the team pressed on until they came to a wide open courtyard.

At the center of the courtyard was a massive banyan tree, completely blocking out the sky as its vines trailed down from the canopy all around it, burrowing into the muddy and moss-covered earth beneath it. Its size alone was astounding enough, but how massive a kingdom that Vacuo must have been that a tree such as this could have gone unnoticed and secluded like this.

As the team approached, they spotted several other kids climbing the tree, crawling through the branches overhead like monkeys. Most of them were younger than Ruby and her friends, and were dressed in rags, having clearly grown up on the streets. As they walked closer and closer to the trunk of the great tree, the kids began to take note of the strangers and climbed their way closer, gathering around to observe them, suspicious of the newcomers.

"Hey boss!" the boy leading them called out. "We got a visitor!"

The boy in Yang's grip pulled himself free as they both made a dash for one of the long, spindly vines leading up to the canopy.

"You again?" came a voice from up on high.

Ruby and her friends craned their necks to see who was talking to them, when a dull _thump_ sounded behind them, and they all suddenly turned to see a familiar looking girl drop down to the mossy terrain below the canopy.

"Haven't you bothered me enough for one day?" Dora demanded, pointing a long knife at the group. "You come to my city, wearing Summer's face, and now you try to invade my own home? You got a lot of nerve!"

The group stared oddly at the young girl before them. She really did look like some sort of djinn from a fairy tale book, wearing baggy pants and an ornate vest, her hands and chest wrapped in bandages, her feet bound in cloth wraps, and a turban wrapped around her head.

Ruby stepped forward, her arms spread wide.

"I'm sorry for scaring you earlier…" she called out to the other girl. "I just want to know who you are."

"You don't remember me?" Dora called out to her, before shaking her head. "No, of course you wouldn't! You're not Summer! You're just a pretender!"

"You're right, I'm not Summer," Ruby replied earnestly. "Summer Rose was my _mom_. My name is Ruby, Ruby Rose. I'm Summer's daughter!"

Dora lowered her knife. "Ruby Rose…?"

The Huntsmen exchanged odd glances, no one knowing exactly what to say.

"She told me once that she had a little girl…" Dora said, speaking more to herself than to the others, before returning her gaze to the Huntress. "That girl was _you!?_ "

Ruby nodded slowly. "I…guess so. But please…how do you know my mom?"

Dora crossed her arms, looking haughty.

"Hah!" she smirked. "I don't have you tell you anything! How do I know you're _really_ Ruby Rose?"

Ruby held her arms out widely. "Come on, look at my face! You couldn't even tell me apart from my mom when you first saw me! My dad always told me that I looked just like her!"

"Oh yeah?" Dora put her hands on her hips. "Well, if you're Ruby Rose, then where's your sister? Summer told me that Ruby had a big sister!"

Yang raised her hand, waving jovially. "Right over here!"

Dora blinked in surprise, as if she hadn't been expecting an answer.

"Oh…" she said, before crossing her arms. "W-Well, if you _must_ know, then I'll tell you! Summer used to come visit me in Vacuo when I was really little! I didn't have my powers back then, so I couldn't show off how awesome I was yet, but I was pretty good sidekick for a while!"

"But boss," one of the boys from up in the banyan tree called down. "I thought you said that Summer rescued your family from Grimm when you were little."

Dora clenched a fist, glaring up at the kids up in the tree.

"Shut up, you little ingrates!" she hollered up at them.

Yang crossed her arms, glancing at Ruby. "Mom must have come here on a mission or something. If she saved this girl and her family from Grimm, she must have made quite an impression on her."

Ruby nodded. "Just like Mom to keep coming back to check on her every so often…"

"What do you think she means by 'powers?'" Jaune asked in a whisper.

"Probably talking about her semblance," Weiss reasoned.

Dora cleared her throat. "Anyway, the last time I saw Summer was when I got my powers. She came over one night out of the blue. I think she was hurt or something, cause she wasn't walking right. She tried to act all tough, but I could tell. My mom and dad let her sleep in the guest room, and wouldn't let me see her for some reason. Then they told me she left early the next morning, but I think they were lying."

Ruby and Yang exchanged a worried look.

"Why do you…think they were lying?" Ruby asked slowly.

Dora pouted her lips. "I could tell. I never saw her again after that, but the very next day, I got really, really sick. Then I got better. And then I got my powers. I could make wind and sand and all sorts of stuff. It was awesome! But then, a few days later…"

She trailed off, suddenly looking away.

"What?" Yang prompted.

"…A few days later, a scary woman came and…knocked on our door…" Dora said, haltingly, refusing to meet their eyes. "She asked my mom and dad if they'd seen Summer. They told her no, though…I don't know why…"

She hesitated and Ruby and Yang exchanged a worried look.

"And then?" Ruby asked.

Dora pouted her lips, as if she was trying not to cry. "It doesn't matter…I ran away after that. They told me to run away and I did. They told me not to look back, and I didn't. I haven't seen any of them ever since. Not my mom. Not my dad. Not Summer. Not anyone. When I finally went back home, it…our house was gone. Burned down. I…I guess they all just…left…"

Dora sniffed back a tear, rubbing her cheek.

"It doesn't matter though!" she said, determined. "I got a new family now. We take care of each other. And we help people, just like Summer helped me. Maybe not from Grimm, but…we still help."

"Is that what all this is?" Weiss asked, gesturing to the tree around them. "Your new family?"

"We may not look like much," Dora admitted. "But we're everywhere. We have eyes and ears all over the city. There's nowhere we can't reach. We are the lost children of Vacuo! My family _is_ Vacuo! And I protect them all!"

She turned her eyes to canopy above.

"And together, we'll make this city a better place!" she said, raising her arms over her head. "We'll make Vacuo into a place where no one will have to go hungry, where no one will have to worry about the Grimm! Where we all get to be happy and free and never have to be afraid ever again!"

"Darn right boss!" one of the kids called down.

"Yeah, you tell 'em boss!" another voice called.

More and more kids began to raise their voices from up above, and soon enough, the whole tree suddenly erupted with whoops and hollers as the lost children of Vacuo all began cheering. Dora's expression lifted as she smiled up at the crowd of kids hanging from the branches above.

Ruby and the Huntsmen all stared up at the cacophony of raucous noises. More and more kids began to climb down from the canopy and formed a circle around Dora, chanting her name and throwing their hands in the air, eventually lifting her up in their arms. She was their hero, Ruby realized. And more and more kids were appearing from the crannies and crevices of the great banyan tree, until there were suddenly hundreds of them, all gathered around Dora like she was their savior.

It was suddenly apparent to each of the Huntsmen that this whole thing was bigger than any of them had thought.

"I…don't think she's going to come with us willingly…" Blake observed under her breath as Dora basked in the cheers of her followers.

"And if we try to use force, her little minions could probably overwhelm us," Weiss noted.

"And she's no pushover either," Jaune added. "That semblance of hers was unbelievable."

"Guys, come on," Ruby insisted. "We have to convince her to come with us! Look at her! Her heart's in the right place! It may be a den of thieves, but she's doing what she thinks is right!"

"We have our orders either way, Ruby," Weiss pointed out. "Whether she comes with us willingly or not, we were told to bring her in."

"I know…" Ruby muttered grudgingly.

"But man, I never knew mom got around so much," Yang said idly. "To think she had connections all the way out here in Vacuo. I wonder if dad knows about any of this…"

Ruby and Yang exchanged a look. Dora's story about Summer Rose had been vague at best, but it held a kernel of truth that neither of them wanted to really think about too hard.

"Well, we're too far out of range to ask him about it now," Ruby shook her head, taking out her scroll. "But we should probably check in with Winter. She might have some advice for us."

Lifting her scroll, she waited and eventually was met with Winter Schnee's face on the other line.

"Ruby," she said over the scroll. "Perfect timing. I have news from the council. How goes your search? Have you managed to secure the package?"

Ruby glanced up at Dora, who was still waving to her followers like a celebrity.

"Uh…" Ruby said nervously. "Yes and no. We found her, but we're still working on the securing part. Might need some support if you can spare it, but…what was the news from the council?"

Winter allowed herself a smile. "The council has agreed to work together with the kingdom of Atlas! We're being asked to support with humanitarian aid! Already our fleet is mobilizing to begin ferrying refugees into Vacuo's borders!"

"Alright!" Ruby looked at the others as she mirrored Winter's triumphant smile.

"Finally some progress!" Yang grinned.

"Maybe now the people of Vacuo will finally see Atlas for what it truly is!" Weiss added.

All around her, Ruby's teammates returned her smile with expressions of triumph as well.

"Once you've secured the package, we'll probably be joining on one of these humanitarian missions," Winter concluded. "Now, you said something about needing support?"

Ruby shook her head. "Actually, I think you gave us just what we needed. We'll report in once we're on our way back."

Winter nodded. "Very well. I'll see you back at the Academy."

Yang shrugged as Ruby hung up. "What did she give us exactly? How are we going to convince Dora to come with us?"

Ruby smiled. "I think she'll be more willing to listen once she hears about what we're doing. What Atlas is doing. Once she learns about the humanitarian missions, I think she'll come around. She's trying to help people, and so are we. And if we all work together, we'll be able to help even more. She has to see that."

"I don't know, Ruby," Weiss said, as she glanced over to Dora who seemed to have almost completely forgotten about the Huntsmen and was currently socializing with her fellow lost children. "Lost children like her don't tend to have a lot of trust for authority figures."

"They won't have to trust Atlas," Ruby explained. "They'll just need to trust us. We'll win her over. Soon enough, refugees will be flooding Vacuo's borders, telling everyone how Atlas saved them all."

"I wish I shared your confidence, sis," Yang frowned.

"Aw, come on Yang, let's try to stay positive here!" Ruby frowned. "After all, Atlas and Vacuo are finally working together now!"

"That is something," Jaune nodded in agreement, looking at Nora and Ren, who nodded back.

Blake shrugged, looking at Weiss. "It's not nothing."

Ruby put her hands on her hips.

"Don't worry, guys!" she smiled widely. "I think things are finally looking up!"


	48. Chapter 48

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 48

* * *

Emerald had sequestered herself in a small cargo locker on the Atlesian frigate. There she had remained for some time, content to ride out her trip to wherever it was destined to set down. Whether it was headed for Atlas, Mistral, Vacuo, the middle of nowhere, or even back to Vale, it didn't matter to her. She just wanted to get _off_ and away from all the Grimm and White Fang stationed on this ship. For all she knew, Cinder herself was on board, and that didn't bode well for her odds.

No, her only real choice right now was to lay low, keep her head down, and wait for this all to blow over.

Of course, she'd be up a creak if something were to happen to the ship while it was still in the air. It hadn't been in the best shape to begin with, and there was no telling what its intended course was. It was entirely possible that some catastrophic malfunction might cause it to fall right out of the sky, and that was assuming Cinder's plan for it didn't involve crashing it headlong into the middle of the Atlesian fleet or something equally suicidal.

Emerald held her knees close to her body and blew into her hands, rubbing them together to try to stay warm. The uninsulated deck was freezing. Most of the White Fang were wearing full body suits, and the only other occupants she had found was the horde of Grimm stowed in the main cargo bay, which was the reason why she hadn't holed up in there instead. Not that the cargo bay would have been any less cold than it was in the storage closet she had found for herself.

As she sat and waited, she had nothing but time to contemplate her situation. How ironic that she could change other peoples' perceptions on a whim, but she was powerless to change her own. No matter how she sliced it, she was still stuck on this ship, freezing her ass off, while a group of Huntsmen were off getting themselves killed trying to stop the White Fang and Cinder and the Grimm. If anything was going to cause this airship to crash, it would more than likely be them.

Emerald weighed her options. On the one hand, she was used to having to hide. She was good at it, and her track record spoke for itself. Hiding and lying in wait was a tried and true method that had rarely steered her astray in the past. Of course, it was entirely contingent on not getting caught, but in this particular case, she was also hiding on a rickety airship held together with shoestring. The ship was still populated by several groups of individuals who were at odds with each other, and none of whom she trusted, and had no reason to trust her. And were she to be discovered, she had no means of escape until the ship reached the ground. So hiding really did seem like the best option for her at that moment.

On the other hand, the ship could very well be on a suicide mission, which would make hiding on it equally suicidal. And that wasn't even taking into consideration the possibility of whatever conflict the Huntsmen got into with the ship's occupants resulting in a crash, or the ship itself simply going up in smoke as a result of damage already sustained. The only way that Emerald had any hope of surviving in any of these scenarios would be for her to somehow interfere with the goings-on in the interest of preserving the integrity of the airship, or failing that, finding some sort of escape craft or parachute (which she had no idea if the airship even contained).

In the event of the ship being sent on a suicide mission, she would have to interfere with the ship's course somehow, which would be dangerous no matter how she did it. Either she would have to manipulate the perceptions of whoever was in control, or seize control of the ship herself, which came with the added benefit of having absolutely _no_ idea how to fly an airship, much less one of this size, which clearly required the cooperation of multiple individuals. That Huntsmen team might be persuaded to assist in this regard as a last resort, she reasoned. After all, she doubted they wanted to die in a horrible crash as well.

In the event of the Huntsmen and the White Fang coming to blows, however, she had no real way of protecting the ship from the crossfire in that case. Never mind that she couldn't be everywhere at once, she had no guarantee of being able to steer the course of a given battle without loads of forethought and planning. And while "protect everything" was a good standby when it came to prioritizing what instruments would and would not send the airship spiraling into a tailspin if incapacitated, that was not the ideal scenario when trying to steer the course of a battle. And that was assuming she could influence the outcome without revealing herself in the process.

And in the event of a cataclysmic engine failure of some sort, she was totally screwed! She still had no idea how this ship worked, and would be completely helpless to amend the situation. Her only recourse at that point would be to abandon ship, which if she couldn't find any parachutes, could be a completely fruitless endeavor.

She reasoned, however, that while she waited, she might as well look around and see if she could at least _find_ a parachute or escape vehicle. Securing something along those lines would vastly increase her chances. It would be risky to move about the ship, but the risk of going down with the ship was feeling like a bigger danger by the moment. And at least moving around would get her blood flowing and possibly serve to warm her up.

Quiet as a mouse, she crept out of her hidey-hole, and tiptoed her way down the dimly lit corridor of the Atlesian frigate. Lights and heat and many superfluous functions had been disabled to preserve main system power, it seemed, which was a mixed blessing. She could hide much better in the dim light, but was hampered by the lack of heat. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her body to keep warm as she wandered the halls, giving any sound of footsteps she heard an extra wide berth.

Luckily, Atlesian airships came with many standardized emergency symbols which were easy enough for her to decipher. Mostly it let her know where the nearest exit and lavatory was, but a bit of searching yielded some emergency supplies, including a first aid kit. She also found a fire extinguisher, numerous inflatable life vests and rafts for water landings, and eventually stumbled upon the galley, where the ship's food supplies were stored. Most of the rations had gone bad, but she slipped a few cans into her pack just in case.

Just as she was leaving the galley, however, a static-riddled voice crackled over the on board intercom, startling her.

"Be on your guard, brothers!" the voice said. "We have an intruder aboard!"

Emerald gritted her teeth and made a dash for one of the ventilation ducts up along the ceiling as she heard a pounding of footsteps moving throughout the corridor.

"Shit, shit, shit!" she hissed under her breath as she leaped and crawled into the vent, closing the grate behind her just in time to see a group of White Fang plodding by.

Those idiots! This must have been the bumbling of those stupid Huntsmen! Didn't they know a damn thing about stealth!? They going to get everyone on this ship killed if they weren't careful!

She hurried through the ductwork, trying to find an area that was secluded, taking note of the passerby's that rushed by every grate she crossed. It consisted entirely of White Fang personnel, so at least the Huntsmen weren't dumb enough to go scurrying through the corridors like lab rats in a maze.

However, there was one set of footfalls that passed her by that was unhurried, which struck her as odd. Her instincts told her to freeze so as to reduce the amount of noise she made. If the owner of those footsteps was walking softly, they were likely keeping their ears pricked for anything out of the ordinary, which would include a body shuffling through ductwork.

Emerald's heart suddenly caught in her throat, however, when the footfalls suddenly stopped, far too suddenly for the person making them to have wandered out of range. She then heard the faint sound of quick inhalations, like someone was sniffing the air.

 _Shit!_ she thought to herself. _Faunus!_

Her scent was giving her away! She couldn't affect their senses without getting a good look at them first, which left her only one recourse.

She bolted just in time to save herself from a massive blade that split the entire duct behind her! She crawled at a frantic pace, her eyes going wide as adrenaline flooded her system! The entire ventilation system shook as the massive blade struck into the air duct just behind her again, the chunk created by the two gashes falling to the floor beneath her. A third strike nearly clipped her toes as she hurried down a side passage, and another chunk of ductwork fell to the corridor below.

" _Sir!_ " another static-riddle voice broke out, this one sounding like it was coming from a small communication device on the man's belt. "We've found the intruders! We've cornered them in the engine room!"

Emerald froze as she remained hidden off in a side-passage of the ductwork, the dim light from the corridor below leaking through in the newly opened hole along the corridor. She still couldn't see who was pursuing her, and she dare not poke her head out to see in order to get a bead on them, so she was left shivering and trembling and praying to whoever would listen not to let the White Fang see her.

"I'm on my way," a man's voice finally said.

It was the same voice that had been on the intercom earlier, alerting to the intruders. This must have been the commander, Emerald realized.

She was then rewarded with the sound of footsteps as he moved back down the corridor, the sound of his footfalls slowly fading to obscurity.

Emerald release a breath that she had been holding, and then after a minute and a half had gone by, she began to proceed along the air duct in the opposite direction the commander had gone. Wherever he was going, she wanted to be far from it.

Then she froze, this time for a different reason.

The White Fang had said that the Huntsmen were cornered in the engine room. There was no telling if this was the entire group or just a few of them, but they wouldn't stand a chance with the entire White Fang and possibly even Cinder closing in on them. All four of them would be wiped out.

She grunted and wrinkled her nose. That wasn't her problem! She needed to stay alive!

She took off down the corridor again. And then once again, she froze.

If the Huntsmen didn't survive this, then Cinder and the White Fang would proceed onward with this airship, unimpeded, and Cinder would continue to spread the influence of the Grimm across Remnant. What would that leave for Emerald in the long run?

She growled angrily. That didn't matter! She was a survivor! She had survived the fall of Vale, and she would survive whatever future Cinder brought about. She always stayed one step ahead of the people hunting for her! That was how she always did things!

She kept going.

 _You came to us for a reason…_ Coco's word's echoed in her mind. _Somewhere inside, you know we're trying to do the right thing here._

Emerald pounded the heel of her hand into her forehead. "Urgh! I don't care! _I don't care!_ "

She had no business going down there! In all likelihood, she'd have a better chance surviving this if she just stayed out of it! She had every reason not to go.

The Huntsmen would die if she didn't. And if they did, then who would be left to stop Cinder from taking over the world? Her chances of surviving in Cinder's new world order were abysmal at best, and in all likelihood, the airship could very well be going down anyway if she didn't step in. She had every reason to go.

How ironic that she could change other peoples' perceptions on a whim, but she was powerless to change her own. No matter how she sliced it, she was still stuck on this ship, freezing her ass off, while a group of Huntsmen were off getting themselves killed trying to stop the White Fang and Cinder and the Grimm. If anything was going to make this world livable again, it would more than likely be them.

"Damn it!" she cursed, kicking open one of the grates leading back out to the corridor, dropping down onto the floor before taking off into a run towards the engine room. "Damn it, damn it, _damn it!_ "


	49. Chapter 49

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 49

* * *

"I'm telling you, they're up to no good!"

Neptune sighed. He was used to being the paranoid one of the bunch, always having to remind his partner to stop and think without leaping headlong into trouble. But ever since the most recent group of civilian refugees arrived in Havensfall, Sun had been acting more and more squirrelly about them. And it was quite honestly getting on Neptune's nerves.

"And what, pray tell, did you see them doing exactly that convinced you of this?" Neptune demanded, as he and his partner sat together in the dining cabin late one night.

It was after midnight, and both boys had just come in from a late watch shift, and were catching a late night snack before bed. Sage and Scarlet had already gone to bed, but Sun's appetite was famously ravenous, and Neptune hadn't felt like going to bed just yet. But given Sun's current disposition, he was beginning to reconsider his decision.

"That's just it!" Sun said, a half-eaten banana in his mouth as the two of them sat along one of the many long wooden benches within the dining cabin. "I _haven't_ seen them around _at all!_ Every other civilian here goes out of their way to help out, or at least tries to socialize. Ever since those two and their sister arrived in Havensfall, I've barely seen hide or hair of them except at meals!"

Neptune furrowed his brow, rubbing his temples. It was _way_ too late to be having this discussion.

"Maybe they're just private people, Sun," he countered. "Maybe they're just keeping to themselves. They're not obligated to help us _or_ socialize."

"Yeah, but _where_ , though?" Sun said, holding his arms up. "Have you looked around? It's not like there's an abundance of room here. Statistically, we _should_ have seen them around more often, whether they wanted to be seen or not!"

Neptune groaned loudly. Was this what _he_ always sounded like when he was trying to argue a point? He was even using words like 'statistically' to argue his points! He really hoped that _he_ didn't sound this annoying when he spoke.

"Sun, where's this coming from, exactly?" he asked impatiently, eyes closed. "Is this just cabin fever or something? Getting sick of protecting people who can't help themselves? What did these people do to piss you off so much?"

"It's not…" Sun started, before shaking his head dismissively. "Look, maybe it's nothing, but I _know_ I saw them at the Vytal tournament. These guys were _Huntsmen_ – or could at least fight toe-to-toe with Huntsmen. Why are they _hiding_ that fact? They're not even using their real names! These guys should be helping us guard the wall, not cowering behind it with the sick and the injured."

Neptune frowned. "How do you know one of _them_ isn't sick or injured?"

"Because they _haven't_ even been to the hospital cabin," Sun argued. "I checked. None of them reported any illnesses or injuries since they got here."

Neptune shook his head in disbelief. Just how much had Sun been looking into this?

"Maybe they're just tired of fighting and want to lay low," Neptune allowed. "There was a fourth member of their team during the Vytal tournament, remember? Maybe she didn't make it. Maybe her death hit them too hard, and now they just want to be done with all this!"

Sun gave his partner an incredulous look. "Why are you so set on defending them, Neptune!? Did that woman put a spell on you or something? You keep jumping through hoops to come up with some innocent explanation for their behavior besides the most obvious one!"

"Which is what, exactly?" Neptune demanded. "That they're a bunch of murderous saboteurs here to wipe out a tiny group of survivors from a ruined kingdom who have nothing to steal and couldn't present a reasonable threat to anyone in the world? Do you even _hear_ yourself?"

"Me!?" Sun shot back, flabbergasted. "You're the one who's so distracted by a pretty face that you're willing to invent any excuse it takes to prove that she's innocent!"

"I never even…!" Neptune shook his head in disgust, before getting to his feet, giving his partner an irritated look. "Look, it's late, and I'm tired of this conversation. We can talk about this in the morning. I'm going to bed."

Sun grumbled and began peeling another banana. "Yeah, ok, whatever. See you later, man."

Neptune practically stormed out of the dining cabin, a simple wooden structure cobbled together in a hurry, lacking any carpeting, decoration, or any other creature comfort besides tables and chairs that were also haphazardly carved out of wood. It was one of about two dozen identical structures within the village that all served specific purposes, such as housing, eating, storage and hospital care. At the center of the village lay the bonfire and the watchtower, where Team SSSN's relief team had taken over half an hour ago.

Neptune gritted his teeth as he began walking around the compound. His team leader could be a hard-ass sometimes, but he had _never_ given him so much shit for having wayward eyes towards the ladies before. The two of them had always been bros, and that was one of those agreements that had just always gone unspoken between them. Besides, it wasn't like he had even done anything or acted inappropriately with Asha. He'd barely even seen her since she arrived, anyway! And when they'd first met, he had been a perfect gentleman as far as he could tell, and Sun knew better than to imply otherwise!

Neptune kicked a stone along his path, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets as he wandered the village, too agitated to sleep. So what if he thought Asha was pretty? He was allowed to have opinions about pretty women! That didn't mean his judgement was clouded or something like that, and it certainly didn't mean he would blindly overlook any suspicious activity committed by someone who just happened to be a pretty woman! The world of Remnant was in a state of crisis for crying out loud! He wasn't so completely daft that he'd risk screwing up just because of a pretty face!

Sun was just being unreasonable! Maybe it was because he hadn't seen Blake in over a month, and was missing her. But it had been an equally long time since Neptune had seen Weiss, and he had been behaving himself since then too! That didn't mean he had to _completely_ turn off the charm while they were apart, either. And that didn't give Sun any right to criticize him for smiling and winking at someone who caught his eye just because Sun was holding out for Blake and thought that this meant that he wasn't allowed to do the same.

He and Sun would just have to find Asha tomorrow and have a word with her to clear up any issues that Sun was having with her. That would smooth things over between them, he decided, and maybe then, his team leader would stop being such a worrywart about all this! Though he had to admit, Asha and her siblings _had_ been somewhat scarce since they'd arrived, but Neptune had chalked that up to them being shaken and exhausted from a long and strenuous journey they had just completed. Anyone might be a bit distant after an ordeal such as that.

He still wasn't feeling particularly tired, though, so he decided he'd drop in on the night watch team. They had the least pleasant shift of any of any of the Huntsmen, and could probably use some company anyway. Making his way back to the watchtower, Neptune climbed up the wooden ladder.

"Hey guys," he called out as he reached the top. "How's it going up here?"

No response came, and he felt a sudden chill go down his spine as he cleared the top to find the watchtower empty, the covered wooden platform atop the high-rise devoid of life.

"Guys?" he called out, suspiciously.

Neptune had just seen the Huntsmen team less than an hour ago. The watchtower was _never_ supposed to be left unattended, which meant that something had come up that demanded the attention of all four Huntsmen, or…

He could smell the scent of burning fire in his nose, and a flickering light caught his eye as he turned to the edge of Havensfall to see a terrifying conflagration just outside the inner walls of the village, an enormous roaring blaze that was already bellowing smoke into the sky.

"What the hell!?" he gasped as he ran over to the edge of the watchtower to get a better view.

The crop fields were up in flames! The entire field seemed to have caught fire somehow, and the flames were spreading to engulf the entire wall behind which they lay.

Neptune quickly ran to the alarm bell at the center of the watchtower and rang it as loud as he could.

" _Fire!_ " he shouted urgently at the top of his lungs. " _FIRE!_ "

He kept shouting and ringing the bell as people began to emerge from their homes, slow and bleary-eyed from sleep, but enough Huntsmen began to notice the fire and got to work retrieving buckets from the well and ferrying them over to the burning fields.

Neptune slid down the ladder to help with the bucket brigade.

"Neptune!" Sun called up to him as he reached the ground, running over to the watchtower. "What's happening? Where's the team on duty?"

"No idea!" Neptune shouted back. "I went up to check on them, but they were all gone. Now the crop fields are burning, we've got to put them out before the fire spreads!"

Sun was about to respond, when a loud blaring elephantine trumpet blast shook the air.

"What the…?" Sun tensed, drawing his weapon. "Is that what I _think_ it is!?"

Neptune drew his weapon as well. What perfect timing the Grimm had. With their watchtower unmanned, there had been no one to call out a warning to signal the Grimm approach.

"Take cover!" Neptune shouted as the ground began to shake.

Storming through the burning fields, an entire stampede of goliaths charged straight through the village, easily two dozen over them at very least! Massive tusks smashed through the burning logs that made up the village wall like they were made of sticks. Sparks and coals flew everywhere as the charred logs shattered, and soon everything the titanic goliaths hadn't mowed down was quickly catching fire. The colossal Grimm stormed through the village, and civilians who had been sleeping moments ago, at least those lucky enough not to get trampled or crushed, were all running and screaming to get out of the way of the stampeding goliaths.

The few Huntsmen who were quick enough to respond were completely overwhelmed. All were making concerted efforts to ferry as many civilians out of harm's way as possible, but with some two hundred refugees and less than fifty Huntsmen to defend them all, it was next to impossible! Sun and Neptune leaped into action, firing back at the goliaths, trying to divert their path and corral them away from the civilians, but it was a futile endeavor! The Grimm were already inside the village, and there were no safe avenues to redirect them. Everywhere the massive beasts turned, they just destroyed whatever happened to be in their path.

It was like something out of a nightmare. Grimm after Grimm was plowing through houses and homes, with people sleeping inside of them being thrown from their beds or crushed under the colossal weight of the goliaths. Neptune was running from building to building, gasping for breath as he tried to do whatever he could. Every action that he took became a decision to try to save a life, fight off a Grimm, or get out of the way, and each action had to be immediately followed up by another. Grab a hand and pull a civilian out of the way of a rampaging goliath, dive out of the way of a burning beam as it fell upon the ground, open fire and send a charging goliath away from one group of people and into another cabin entirely. Leap and save a small group of civilians from getting trampled, while watching another group fleeing in terror just behind him.

There were just too many people to save, and no way their tiny number of Huntsmen could save them all with so many threats compounding all at once!

Then, the lead goliath bashed through the far wall of the village, and the rest of the herd followed suit, charging back out of the village. Just as soon as they had appeared, the titanic Grimm were gone, leaving a trail of destruction in their path. There was scarcely a single cabin or structure that wasn't at least partially demolished, and most of what remained standing was also on fire. The only structures left intact were the south and north facing walls, the beasts having charged through the east and western walls, annihilating everything in their path.

The reprieve in the goliath stampede gave the Huntsmen time to attempt to regain control of the situation. One team was still trying to put out the fires, using everything from a bucket brigade from the well to stamping out the fires to smothering the flames in dirt. Another team was trying to dig civilians out from under fallen wooden beams and ferry the wounded to a safe zone where the worst of the injuries could be treated. At least three others were acting as impromptu nurses to treat all the injured.

Neptune was still trying to take stock of the situation. His stomach was reeling at the sight of all the bodies on the ground. So many refugees had simply been trampled to death. Many had escaped with injuries, but chief among them were crushed legs that would never walk again. All around him, people were screaming in pain as they were dragged over to safe zones, and there were even some Huntsmen among them. The number of injured must have outweighed the number who had escaped unscathed.

So many dead…

"Neptune!" Sun's voice broke through the crowd.

Neptune looked down at his hands. They were covered in blood. The body of young boy lay before him as he kneeled down to put pressure on an open wound in the boy's stomach. The gaping hole was gushing blood where a goliath had gored him with its tusks. The boy's eyes lay open and paralyzed in shock. Neptune had no recollection of how he got here. All he could see was the burning fires around him and the smell of blood on his hands filled his nostrils with the stench of death…

"Neptune!" Sun called again, grabbing him by his shoulders.

He barely registered the voice over him, or the insistent tugging at his shoulders. He finally managed to focus his attention, however, when he felt a sharp sting against his cheek as Sun slapped his face.

"Snap out of it, man!" Sun shouted. "We need to get moving!"

Neptune blinked and saw his partner holding him by the shoulders, and he suddenly realized that he was shaking.

"This is…" he stammered, gasping for breath. "This is _insane_ …Sun, everyone's dying…"

Sun shook his shoulders again. "Well, we're going to be joining them if you don't get up! There's another wave of Grimm coming!"

Neptune paled as Sun pointed off in the direction the goliaths had broken in through. His eyes managed to get a fix on a pack of opportunistic beowolves, drawn to the fear and the opening caused by the rampaging goliaths. Already, three teams of Huntsmen were lining up to form a defensive line as one of the beowolves let out a terrifying howl into the night.

"We need to get moving!" Sun urged as Neptune's legs seemed to refuse to move. "We've got to…"

Sun trailed off, however, as a drop of rainwater splashed against his cheek, and he and Neptune both looked towards the sky.

Hovering high in the air over the remains of the village was Vera, her eyes glowing a brilliant golden white, her staff in hand, her long robes billowing in the sudden updraft of wind around her. Above her, storm clouds were forming in the sky as rain began to fall. Thunder and lightning crackled overhead. Vera raised her arms upward as if summoning the Gods of the sky itself, and all at once, there was a torrential downpour, soaking the ground beneath them all.

"How is she doing that?" Neptune stammered in disbelief as all around him, the fires began to die down, the smoldering remains of collapsed cabins slowly quenching until only smoke remained as evidence of the conflagration.

The screams around them began to dissipate as an air of tranquility settled over the village. Neptune looked down at his hands, and soon the blood began to wash away. The ache in his bones and his chest began to ebb, as if the rain itself was soothing him to his very core. All around him, the cries of the wounded lessened as the pain of their injuries began to subside. Their bodies remained broken, but the panic was gone, the sting in their bones a distant memory.

The Beowolves who had each been poised to attack the city suddenly seemed to lose interest and began to scatter, as if the aura of peace engulfing the village had completely stifled their appetites. The line of shaky and sleep-deprived Huntsmen who had been prepared to fend off the marauding horde each stood down, exchanging cautious glances with one another, before soon each returned to the village to tend to the wounded once more.

"Who is she exactly?" Neptune gaped in awe as the young woman floated like an angel in the sky above.

There was no way that this Vera could be a normal Huntress! First she had brought in a wealth of crops for them to eat, and now she was calling down magical rain that not only doused fires, but soothed hearts and even seemed to deter the creatures of Grimm.

Who was she exactly?

Sun clenched his fist in triumph as he watched the young woman work. "I _knew_ it! I _knew_ she was special! Hang on, Neptune! We may just make it out of this alive!"

That was all he got out before a shrieking hiss permeated the air, followed by a scream.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

There was a brilliant flash of light as Vera's aura shattered and she let out a cry of pain. Sun and Neptune could sudden see an arrow sticking out of her back. With a crack of lightning, the two boys gazed helplessly up at the girl's tumbling form, and watched in utter horror as she fell out of the sky.

" _NO!_ " Neptune screamed.

The boy suddenly found strength in his legs once again as he wrenched free from Sun's grip, scrambling like a madman to where he thought she had fallen.

"Neptune, wait!" Sun cried out, dashing after him, skidding in the rain-soaked mud as the sky slowly cleared up.

Neptune tore past collapsed buildings and smoking piles of coals, until he finally found where Vera had fallen.

She was sprawled out onto the muddy earth, her body crippled and broken as she was forcefully dragged up to her knees by a pair of individuals that Neptune recognized as Grey and Poly. And standing over her, bow slung to her back and donning a long white glove, was Asha. None of them were wearing their raggedy cloaks, and instead wore a set of sleek combat suits, the same that they had worn at the Vytal tournament.

Neptune froze in stupefaction. The three civilians should have been coming to Vera's aid, not…not grabbing her like she was some sort of prisoner! And the bow on Asha's back…the arrow that had struck Vera down, the arrow that still lay lodged in her back…it all fit together far too perfectly!

He began to seethe in rage at his own incompetence. Asha, Grey, Poly, all of them…Sun had been right about them! Sun had been right all along! And like an idiot, Neptune had missed it!

"STO-!" he barely managed to shout, before a hand clasped over his mouth, and he was dragged forcefully to the pile of rubble that had once been the watchtower.

" _Shhh!_ " Sun hissed into his ear as he held Neptune behind their makeshift cover. "Quiet! You'll just get yourself killed!"

"Mmmf!" Neptune tried to shout in protest. " _Mmmmmmf!_ "

"Listen to me!" Sun breathed through clenched teeth. "I know who that is now! I didn't recognize her before, but that's got to be _Cinder!_ _She's_ the one responsible for what happened at the Vytal tournament! Ruby said she killed _Pyrrha_ and can even control _Grimm!_ I don't know all the details, man, but she's _way_ out of our league!"

Neptune continued to struggle as Sun held his partner in place. Neptune may have been the more agile fighter, but Sun was the more powerful one by far, and he easily held him in place as the two of them watched, helplessly, as Cinder seemed to engulf the young woman in black pitch from her glove before the young woman's aura seemed to die down. Then in a brilliant flash of light, Cinder's aura seemed to magnify dramatically.

"Nnnnnnnnnnnh!" Neptune shouted through Sun's gloved hand. " _Nnnnnnh! Nnnnnnnh!_ "

Neptune could only watch as Vera crumpled to the ground, the life drained from her as Cinder stood over her, smiling in triumph, her eyes glowing the same vibrant yellow, twin crests of energy arching across both cheeks.

Neptune seethed. The one responsible for the disaster at the Vytal tournament, the disaster that had befallen the world, the collapse of his hometown of Mistral, for that young boy's blood on his hands…she was right in his sights, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it! And just to add insult to injury, he had actually been _defending_ her honor not an hour ago!

All around them, Huntsmen scurried to rescue more wounded civilians from collapsed buildings, paying Cinder and her two lackeys no mind whatsoever. No one paid her any mind as she sucked the life from Vera's body. No one paid any mind as her two henchmen dropped her body to the ground like a broken doll. No one paid any mind as Cionder withdrew a mirror from a pouch on her waist, and began speaking into it like one would a scroll.

"We're finished here, Adam," the two boys heard her say. "How are things on your end?"

There was a muffled voice that Sun and Neptune could not decipher, but Cinder smiled in response.

"Good," she purred. "Proceed as planned then. You'll be welcomed with open arms."

There was another muffled voice, which Cinder did not seem to take kindly to.

"Stowaways?" she demanded. "Why are they still alive?"

Another muffled voice.

"Don't get cheeky with me, Adam," she snorted. "Dispose of them immediately."

With that, Cinder and her two lackeys turned to go, departing towards the edge of the village until the three of them were out of sight.

Sun finally released his partner, who scrambled to his feet and ran over to Vera's lifeless body. He checked for a pulse, a sign of breath, anything. But she was gone.

Sun slowly walked over to him as he knelt by the young woman's form, his white jacket caked with mud from the earlier scuffle.

"This doesn't make any sense…" Neptune exhaled as his head swam in confusion. "What the _hell_ was that!? Who the hell _are_ these people!?"

Sun let out a sigh. "I don't know man. But they're good. They played us all like fools."

Neptune nodded. "But why? I mean, they infiltrated our outpost, posed as civilians, took out the team up on the watch tower, lured the Grimm here…all just to get to Vera? So they could do…whatever the hell _that_ was to her!? _Why?_ What's so special about her? What's so special that they had to cause _all_ this destruction!? What did we just allow to happen!?"

Neptune gestured at the ruined compound, and all the dead lying around.

Sun just crossed his arms, shaking his head in dismay.

"Look, all I know is that this is _way_ over both our heads," he grunted. "For now, we just need to worry about surviving and saving as many people as we can."

He cast a sympathetic gaze down at his partner.

"I'm sorry for holding you down like that, man," he said, looking away. "I didn't want you getting hurt."

Neptune grunted dismissively, still not getting to his feet. "It just doesn't feel right…sitting by and watching this poor woman get _executed_...and not doing a _single thing_ to stop it…"

Sun knelt by his partner's side, grabbing his shoulder. "There was nothing you could have done, Neptune. You'd be dead, and Vera would _still_ be dead, and I'd have lost my best friend. At least now, we can report what we saw to someone who can do something about it."

Neptune looked up at Sun, a look of despair on his face. "And who would _that_ be exactly!? Who's going to come looking for us? Mistral's gone, Vale's gone, and Atlas and Vacuo are so far away that there's no way _either_ kingdom would risk a rescue op with the communication's blackout! If anyone was coming, they'd have made it by now!"

Sun shook his head, standing back to his feet.

"We can't just give up," he said, stretching his hand down towards his partner. "We have to keep moving forward. No matter what."

Neptune looked up at his friend, teeth clenched in frustration and anger. Barely an hour ago, he had wanted to punch him in the face for calling him out on his own bullshit, and now here they were. He had been wrong, Sun had been right, and if he'd just gone acknowledged his partner's suspicions, they may very well have prevented this disaster.

An enormous guilt weighed down on Neptune's shoulders as he gently eased Vera's hands together over her stomach, letting her lie flat on her back. This young woman who had come to them in their darkest hour, kept them fed, and leaped to their aid when the worst had befallen them, putting her own life in peril…she had given her life for theirs, and by his stubbornness, he had squandered her gift. And now, the small group of survivors they had rescued had been reduced by more than half!

And after all that…after all that, Sun was still looking out for him.

"I don't know how you do it, man," Neptune shook his head, reaching up to take his partner's hand. "This whole situation's just so messed up…I don't know how you keep up with it all."

Sun just sighed and pulled his friend to his feet.

"I guess I just don't know when to quit," he said, clasping his friend by the shoulder. "Come on buddy, let's go find Sage and Scarlet. The sooner we get our act together, the sooner we can make this right."


	50. Chapter 50

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 50

* * *

Coco eyed her surroundings with a discerning eye. Even she had to admit, things looked pretty bleak.

"Hey guys…" she muttered sarcastically. "I don't suppose there's any chance we could talk this out, is there?"

Surrounding the four Huntsmen were at least two dozen White Fang, each one carrying either a sword, a knife or firearm. Any other day, this number would not have been enough to give pause to an experienced Huntsman team like Team CFVY, but in the confined quarters of the Atlesian flagship, the team had no room to maneuver, especially in such tight quarters as the frigate's engine room.

After eavesdropping on the commander's conversation with what had to be Cinder, it seemed as though the frigate's plan was to maintain a holding pattern, which seemed to indicate that the team had some wiggle room. That they had lost the element of surprise clearly put a dampener on this, but it was still decided the best course of action would be to try to sabotage one of the engines. Coco was no expert on airships by any stretch, but she did have a bit of a background in engineering, having constructed her mini-gun basically from scratch. She also happened to know that the Atlesian frigate that they were on had two engines, and that taking out one of the engines might force the airship to set down without crashing at speed.

Probably.

Either way, it had seemed like the best plan they could come up with under the circumstances, so they had gone ahead with it. Unfortunately, the ventilation had not provided the team adequate access to the engine room, and the White Fang had already been alerted to their presence on the ship. It was merely a matter of time before they found them, and there was a lot of ship between them and the engine room.

Which meant only one thing.

"Team CFVY!" Coco barked. "Kick some ass!"

The long narrow corridor leading to the engine room was cramped and narrow, the bulkhead pressing in on all sides. This made Coco and Yatsuhashi's weapons too large and unwieldy to be used for anything but defense. Coco could always retract her gun back into its case and use her case as a bludgeoning weapon, but that was still a fairly limited solution.

Fox's arm-blades, on the other hand, were well suited to the close quarters combat as he charged forward, dashing back and forth between his flailing enemies, taking them down one at a time. And following right after him, wielding an identical pair of arm-blades, albeit glowing and blue, was Velvet, copying both his weapons and his fighting style.

Velvet and Fox made short work of the White Fang, both moving too fast for the foot soldiers to counter. And the narrow passageway made their superior numbers almost a moot point. Coco and Yatsuhashi didn't even have to lend a hand.

"Not bad you guys," Coco nodded approvingly as she stepped over the pile of unconscious bodies littering the floor.

"I like using Fox's weapons," Velvet said brightly.

"Aren't they fun?" Fox quipped.

Yatsuhashi crossed his arms. "You never seem to copy my weapon anymore, Velvet."

The Faunus girl gave her partner a sympathetic look. "Oh, I'm sorry Yatsuhashi! I'll try to find an opportunity to use your sword again in the future, but there's just no room in here! And it's so unwieldy! I can copy your technique, but my arms just aren't long enough to use it as effectively as you can!"

"Alright, enough chit-chat, kiddies," Coco said, giving Velvet a playful pat on the rump, causing the girl to let out a shrill 'eep!' "We've got an entire airship after us. Let's make tracks!"

The team mobilized, moving as a unit towards the engine room, to which they eventually arrived to find it much more wide and expansive than the rest of the interior of the ship. The engine power required to lift an Atlesian frigate the size of an entire school building was phenomenal, and the two massive engine stood nearly two stories high in the dimly lit engine room. The noise they made was deafening, as rotating gears and whirring rotors generated the four hundred and twenty-four tons of force required to move the entire flagship.

Team CFVY stood upon a wide catwalk leaning in from the rest of the ship, with offshoots that lead down the center of the two towering engine blocks, as well as around either side of them. A metal railing ran the length of the catwalk, and stationed next to each engine were a series of control modules for emergency overrides, auxiliary controls and shut-off switches

"Last chance to back out," Velvet offered warily.

Before Coco could respond, a shouting could be hear from the corridor behind them, and a platoon of White Fang troops charged for the door.

Yatsuhashi stabbed his massive sword into the automatic door controls, sending the massive steel door dropping into place and latching shut, as the White Fang began pounding at the door to get it open.

"No turning back," Coco said, before stepping up to one of the control modules stationed before the roaring port-side engine block.

Velvet glanced back at the door as a white hot plasma cutter began to cut through the door as Yatsuhashi and Fox stood guard, before turning her gaze back at Coco who was looking over the control module pensively.

"Are you sure you know how to shut this thing down?" she asked nervously.

"No, do you?" Coco admitted, before she began pressing random buttons. "How hard could it be? I mean, if worse comes to worse, we she could just throw a wrench into it or something…"

Velvet winced as she glanced back at the door.

"That doesn't strike me as the most airtight plan!" she grimaced.

"Hey, it's the best I could come up with on the fly like this…" Coco barked, before trying pulling seemingly random levers and muttering to herself under her breath. "Come on, baby…momma wants a new pair of shoes…"

She pressed a big red button, and a bright red light began to fill the room, a loud alarm blaring over and over.

"That's…promising…" Coco looked up.

"Not the word I'd use!" Velvet retorted.

"They're nearly through!" Fox called out as he watched the white hot plasma torch nearing the floor.

"They're at this door too!" Yatsuhashi hollered, standing in front of another sealed door that was similarly being cut through.

Coco nodded, before turning to the Faunus girl. "Velvet, you see that module over there?"

Velvet looked over to a secondary control panel that Coco was gesturing to. "Yeah?"

"I need you to flip that red switch for me on my mark, okay?" she instructed.

Velvet stepped over to the control panel nervously. "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this?"

"We're bringing this ship down one way or another, Velvet," Coco shouted, her hand on her own switch. "Now on my mark…three…two…one…mark!"

The two girls flipped a red switch on their respective controls panels at the same time, and all at once, the port-side engine began to power down, and soon the entire frigate began to list to the side, the starboard engine doing the work of both and straining under the duress. An analog altimeter on the wall began to slowly spin downward. The ship was going down.

That was when the door to the engine room flew open and Fox flew into action, sending the first White Fang flying backward, careening into everyone behind him. At the other door, Yatsuhashi kept his sword raised, the wide catwalk giving him ample room to swing his sword.

"Okay, can we find a way out of here now?" Velvet demanded anxiously.

"Not yet," Coco cautioned. "We can't let them reactivate the engine. We have to hold this position."

Velvet looked around nervously at the two massive engine blocks. "This is not the first place I'd want to be when this thing crash-lands."

"Have you got a better idea?" Coco demanded, withdrawing her mini-gun to go help Fox.

Velvet smiled. "In a manner of speaking…can you give me some cover?"

Coco smiled as she stepped over to the door where they first came in.

"Stand aside Fox," she smiled, bringing her revolving gun to bear. "I'll clear a path for ya!"

Coco unloaded a hail of gunfire down the narrow corridor, taking out every White Fang in sight! The few that remained ducked and covered behind bulkheads and intersections, sticking their guns out from behind cover to blindly return fire.

Fox shrugged as he watched Coco lay down a rain of fire upon their opponents.

"So…have you got this!?" he shouted over the din of gunfire.

"Go help Yatsuhashi!" Coco nodded.

The two boys covered one door while Coco covered the other, and as they worked, Velvet drew upon her weapon to produce a wire-frame copy of Yatsuhashi's greatsword.

"Let's see if I remember how to use this correctly," she said to herself, before leaping up on top of the engine block, sinking her sword into the steel shell of the mechanism.

Coco smiled as she watched Velvet work, laying down a steady stream of cover fire, keeping the White Fang pinned down. She had enough rounds to last another minute or two, but that should be enough to let Velvet dismantle the engine so they could find somewhere to bunker down.

Then, out of nowhere, a flash of red and black flew towards her up the corridor. She aimed her gun, trying to target the fast-approaching figure, but the target produced a massive blade that managed to deflect her bullets!

She took a step back as she realized far too late that her gun wasn't going to be effective against this target, and the raised the barrel of her weapon to block the incoming attack.

The strike came half a heartbeat later, as a silver and red sword cut through the shaft of her minigun, sending the six-cylindered barrel toppling uselessly to the floor.

Coco's eyes widened in fear as the White Fang commander stood poised before her, massive greatsword at the ready, holding a now useless weapon in her hands.

"Fox!" she shouted her partner's name, hoping he could come to her aid in time as she retracted what remained of her minigun into its compartment, holding the case up defensively.

She wasn't nearly fast enough to take on this opponent, however. Not without her weapon. She blocked his first strike with her case, the second one threw her off balance, the third knocked the case from her hand, and the fourth sent her to her knees, the sharp edge of the massive blade poised against her neck.

"Stand down!" the masked commander bellowed to the room. "All of you! Stand down, or she dies!"

Coco gnashed her teeth together, frustration welling up inside her as she cast a glance back at Velvet, Fox and Yatuhashi with looks of alarm on their face. She hated being a liability like this.

"Don't you dare, guys!" she called back to her team. "We're all dead anyway if you listen to him! Hold your ground! That's an ord-!"

Coco was cut off as she was struck in the face with the haft of the commander's sword, knocking her in the jaw.

"Coco!" Velvet shouted in alarm.

"Enough!" the commander shouted angrily, grabbing Coco by the hair, sending her beret tumbling to the floor as he held her face against the massive blade. "Stand down now! This is your last chance!"

Velvet and the others looked around helplessly as more and more White Fang began to trickle into the room, including a scary looking guy with a huge chainsaw sword. Even Coco had to admit, things looked pretty bleak.

"Sorry boss," Fox said sullenly, holding his hands up.

Velvet and Yatsuhashi both set their weapons down and let the White Fang take them by the arms, and force the two of them along with Fox to their knees next to Coco, a line of White Fang keeping their guns trained on the young Huntsmen.

The commander relieved Coco of her weapon case, before finally releasing his grip on her, but keeping his weapon poised by her neck.

"Sir, we're losing altitude fast!" one of the White Fang reported as they manned the control consoles in an attempt to regain control of the engine.

"Get that engine up and running again," the commander ordered.

The White Fang with the chainsaw sword stepped over to the commander.

"What should we do with them?" he asked, his voice deep and menacing as he gestured to Coco and her team with his weapon.

"I haven't decided yet…" the commander said brusquely, drawing the dull end of his sword against Coco's cheek. "They might know a thing or two about the resistance…"

"You leave her alone!" Velvet shouted.

Coco winced in response. Dumb girl didn't know when to keep her mouth shut.

"I'll deal with you in due time, traitor," the commander shot back at the Faunus girl. "And trust me...your punishment will be most severe of all..."

Coco wrinkled her nose and spat back at the commander in disgust.

"You can go shove that sword of yours right up your-!"

" _We're finished here, Adam,_ " a muffled female voice sounded from somewhere within the commander's coat, cutting off Coco's tirade. " _How are things on your end?_ "

Coco and Velvet exchanged a glance as the commander withdrew the hand mirror from his jacket pocket. That was the same voice they had heard when they had eavesdropped on him before. It could only be Cinder!

"Not the best time right now," the commander said bitterly. "But before you even ask, it seems that Vacuo has finally agreed to work with Atlas. Their fleet has been dispatched to ferry in refugees from the Vacuan countryside."

"Good," the voice within the mirror said. "Proceed as planned then. You'll be welcomed with open arms."

Coco fumed. Of course! Professor Goodwitch had said that Atlas would have recognized the frigate and never have admitted it into their borders without a security sweep. But a battle-damaged Atlesian frigate flying into Vacuan airspace for emergency aid after Atlas had been providing vital assistance to the people of Vacuo? How could the Vacuan council turn them away? They'd be admitted for sure! And the horde of Grimm in the frigate's cargo hold would be unleashed within the walls of the city!

"Yes ma'am," the commander replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some stowaways to deal with."

"Stowaways?" the female voice asked. "Why are they still alive?"

"I was going to find out what they knew about the resistance first," the commander explained. "Besides, the last time I made a _rash_ decision like that, you went into a tizzy on me."

"Don't get cheeky with me, Adam," the voice replied bluntly. "Dispose of them immediately."

Fox and Yatsuhashi tensed at that.

"Yes ma'am," the commander – Adam, apparently – said, before tucking the hand mirror into his jacket pocket.

Coco thought fast. She had to stall him somehow.

"So, a hand mirror, huh?" she smirked up at Adam. "Need to check your hair on the go?"

"Quiet," he spat in disgust. "Looks like I won't be interrogating you after all…"

He lowered his sword so that the point was level with her face.

"Any last words?" he asked.

"Just a question," she smirked back. "How many Grimm do you have on board, exactly? There were too many for us to count, and we weren't exactly keen to stick around when we found them. But with the cargo bay on this ship, you ought to be able squeeze in two, maybe three hundred or so, right?"

Adam sneered. "We have enough to get the job done. Is that seriously all you wanted to know? You've wasted your last breath."

"Just a follow-up question then?" Coco asked cockily, her team staring at her anxiously.

"What?" Adam growled impatiently, raising his sword.

"How many Grimm do you think could fit into _this_ room?" she grinned.

Coco would savor the look of stunned confusion on his face for years to come as a loud roar suddenly drew everyone's attention, and a wave of beowolves and ursa stormed their way into the engine room.

"Look out!" the White Fang began screaming in panic as they all turned to face the incoming attack. "The Grimm are loose!"

Coco seized the moment of distraction to throw an uppercut straight into Adam's jaw, sending him staggering backwards.

"Go!" she cried to her team as she grabbed her hat and her weapon case and making a dash down the catwalk between the engine blocks.

Her team each grabbed their weapons and followed after her while the White Fang was busy defending themselves from hordes of Grimm, their numbers already being reduced by the onslaught as they began to slowly fill the room.

"Get back here!" Adam shouted as he recovered, charging after the Huntsmen as they fled.

He nimbly maneuvered his way through the attacking Grimm, easily fending off any that go too close, and began pursuing his prey down the catwalk.

Coco glanced back at the White Fang commander as he closed in on them, and she turned her eyes forward, falling upon an intersection in the catwalk.

"Split up!" she called out, as she grabbed Velvet by the arm and ran off to the right, as Fox and Yatsuhashi veered left.

The two groups split off from one another, as Adam hesitated before following after Coco, charging across the catwalk as it led over the inoperative engine shaft.

The catwalk led into a flight of stairs heading up to the top of the engine block, where Coco and Velvet quickly found themselves peering off the edge towards what appeared to be a long drop into a mess of gears and pistons.

"Dead end," Velvet noted rhetorically. "What now?"

Coco said nothing as she turned and saw Adam stepping up the stairs onto the top of the engine block. The two girls held their weapons in hand, preparing to defend themselves.

"What do you think?" Velvet asked Coco under her breath. "Should I use your gun or maybe Fox's arm-blades?"

"My gun's busted, and it didn't do much against him to begin with," Coco advised. "Against a sword that size, you might want to use Yatsuhashi's sword."

"Got it," Velvet said, manifesting a wire-frame replica of the giant greatsword.

Adam got closer and closer as the two girls stared him down, steeling themselves for an attack.

But the attack never came.

"Where'd you go…?" he muttered angrily to himself, as he began looking around as if he couldn't even see them before his eyes.

Coco and Velvet shared a glance at one another. Was that mask of his screwed on a little too tight?

The sound of shouting from down below indicating that the White Fang was losing the battle against the Grimm caused the commander to grit his teeth and retreat back down the stairs, heading back towards the scene of the attack.

Moment's later, Emerald dropped down from the rafters, giving the two girls an annoyed look.

"You idiots!" she growled angrily at them. "What do you think you're doing, backing yourselves into a corner like this!? Do you both have some kind of death wish!?"

Velvet's eyes widened in joy. "Emerald! You came back!"

Emerald crossed her arms. "Yeah, yeah, don't get your panties in a twist."

Velvet was still staring aghast at their former enemy's sudden arrival. "Then it was _you_ who bewitched the commander's eyes!"

The green haired girl rotated her shoulder dispassionately. "Don't read too much into it. Someone had to do something to keep you idiots alive."

Coco nodded approvingly as she took a moment to put her hat back on her head. "You set the Grimm loose, didn't you?"

Emerald nodded. "Yeah…but you already knew that. You were counting on it. Weren't you?"

Coco smirked back at her. "It's what I would have done in your position."

The other girl crossed her arms. "Yeah, well…don't think this makes us friends or anything…"

"I won't hold my breath…" Coco smiled.

There was a sudden shuddering, and all at once, the ship began to tilt back towards the starboard side as the port-side engine block came back online.

"Damn it, they must have reactivated the engine!" Coco grimaced.

"Wait, that was you!?" Emerald demanded. "I thought the engine had just shorted out or something!"

Coco shook her head. "This ship is headed straight for Vacuo, and its entire cargo hold full of Grimm. We can't let this ship land. We need to bring it down."

Emerald shook her head in disbelief. "Are you shitting me? I just saved your asses just so you could get us all killed?"

"Maybe not," Coco shrugged. "We planned to only shut down one engine to force the airship down slowly. But if the White Fang puts up too much resistance, we may have to take drastic measures."

Emerald frowned suspiciously. "One engine? And you're sure that's going to be enough to keep us from going up in a blaze of glory?"

"To be honest, I have no idea," Coco shook her head. "I'm just throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks. Now then, Velvet, would you do the honors?"

Velvet nodded, and stabbed her wire-frame sword into the engine block beneath their feet, carving away at the outer shell before slicing up its innards like they were made of tinfoil, until the whole engine began smoking in protest and whirring to a halt.

Emerald held her face in her hands. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."


	51. Chapter 51

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 51

* * *

"Not interested!"

Ruby let out an exasperated sigh. Having grown up under Yang all of her life, she was used to being the baby of any given group. This usually entitled her to many a privilege not afforded to her elder peers, including the privilege to be silly, stubborn, and cutesy whenever she felt like it. She was not used to having to deal with someone who was even _younger_ than she was, and by extension, was even more stubborn than she was as well!

"Dora, please!" Ruby pleaded with the young girl. "We need your help!"

"No!" she growled as she sat cross-legged with her arms crossed in front of the trunk of the great banyan tree. "I'm not doing any favors for Atlas!"

As Ruby's team watched the exchanged, Weiss stepped in to her aid.

"If this about those rumors going around about Atlas' involvement with the attacks on Mistral and Vale, then I can assure you-"

"That's now what this is about!" Dora interrupted her, eyes closed as she tilted her head back, shouting towards the sky. "Only an idiot would believe that Atlas attacked Mistral or Vale!"

Weiss blinked in surprise. For a twelve-year-old girl, Dora certainly seemed perceptive.

"Then why won't you help us?" she demanded.

Dora shot to her feet and marched straight up to Weiss.

"Why!?" she demanded angrily. "You want to know _why!?_ "

Weiss backed away, holding her hands up diplomatically as Dora practically stormed towards her.

"Because Atlas only helps itself!" Dora glowered, hands clenched into fists at her side as she got up in Weiss' face. "Where was Atlas when the droughts came to Vacuo? Where was Atlas when the sandstorms ruined our crops for the season? Where was Atlas when the Grimm came to our doorstep? Where was Atlas when the children of our kingdom were lying starving in the streets? I've heard the tales of Atlas - of its glistening towers and soaring airships and its people who get to live like kings! The richest kingdom in the world, and what do you do? You keep it all for yourself!"

Dora pointed an angry finger at Weiss' chest, as the Huntress stared back at her, eyebrows narrowing at the accusations.

"Just think the good we could do with the wealth of Atlas!" Dora exclaimed, waving her arms wide. "We would have enough to feed everyone who had ever gone hungry! But _no_ , Atlas needs _more_ airships and _more_ soldiers and _more_ robots than it already has! Never mind that they already have the biggest fleet in the entire world already!"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Weiss pursed her lips. "Atlas has sent humanitarian aid to Vacuo before! What about the post-war relief we sent over after the Faunus wars?"

"A war that Atlas started to begin with!" Dora shouted back. "A war that Vacuo wanted nothing to do with!"

"What choice was there?" Weiss demanded. " Faunus insurgents were seeking sanctuary within the walls of Vacuo!"

"And that made it okay for Atlas to drop _bombs_ on our city!?" Dora shouted back.

Ruby held her hands up diplomatically, while the rest of her team tried awkwardly to look in any other direction they could find.

"Umm…guys…?" Ruby pleaded with the two girls.

Weiss nodded and sighed, placing a hand on her forehead.

"Look, I'm not here to discuss politics with you," Weiss said, shaking her head. "I realize that Atlas has a less-than-stellar reputation, but we're trying to resolve that right here and now, before it's too late. In the spirit of cooperation."

Dora crossed her arms. "For years, Vacuo has been alone in its struggles. But now there's a problem that Atlas can't handle on their own, and suddenly you're interested in cooperation, huh?"

Weiss held her arms out in exasperation. "Fine, yes! Atlas needs the aid of Vacuo because we're too weak to handle things on our own! Is that what you want to hear? You want to see us humbled? You want to see us bow and scrape and grovel and _beg_ for your aid? Then fine!"

Ruby held a hand up, looking worried. "Weiss, maybe this isn't such a good idea…"

"I may not represent all of Atlas, but I _do_ represent one of the largest companies in the entire kingdom," Weiss said, taking a knee in front of a _very_ surprised looking Dora. "My family's net worth is something like six hundred and thirty-three million lien last I checked. You want to see how much all that money's helping us now? _This_ much!"

Weiss bowed her head low to the ground, spreading her arms wide in a majestic flourish that made the act seem more audacious than humble. Dora took a step back in astonishment, as if she had honestly not expected a great and noble house of Atlas to acquiesce so easily.

"Oh lost children of Vacuo, I beseech you," Weiss said, her voice taking on an overly dramatic tone. "Please come to our aid in our time of need! Atlas stands chastened before you, and our forces are unequal to the task before us! We beg your forgiveness for our past grievances, and we promise to make efforts to amend our mistakes in the future! My family stands ready to provide aid in full! Food and clean water, blankets and clothing, housing development...anything you need!"

Weiss looked back up at Dora, crocodile tears in her eyes.

"So please…will you help us?"

Dora looked more and more astonished with every word. So did Ruby's team. Blake and Ren were both shaking their heads, faces in hand, Yang and Nora both looked like they were on the verge of cracking up, and Jaune looked like he had no idea what was going on.

Ruby herself was crestfallen. All Weiss was doing was ruining their chances at winning her over by being overly condescending! The girl may have been a child, but she had already proven herself to be wise beyond her years! There was no way that Dora was buying this!

Then she saw Dora gritting her teeth, looking fearfully up at the children still hanging in the treetops and watching the proceedings with unveiled interest. The more Weiss show-boated, the livelier the crowd was becoming. They were eating up her performance like candy! And she was even promising them the financial aid backed by the Schnee family! Ruby looked back at Dora, and suddenly realized what Weiss was doing. Without even realizing it, Dora was trapped!

Dora may have been clever enough to see Weiss' ploy for what it was, but her followers weren't! To the kids up in the trees, this looked every bit like Atlas prostrating itself before them! The outsiders were humbled before them and begging their favor, and even offering tribute! If Dora should turn them away, there was no way the lost children of Vacuo would approve now! Dora knew it, and Weiss knew it.

Dora narrowed her eyes.

"Fine," she said in a low grumble. "I'll talk to your general. That's all I'm agreeing to. Let me just talk to my people about this…"

Dora turned to climb the trunk of the banyan tree while Ruby and her team were left to wait amongst its roots.

"Weiss!" Ruby stammered as her partner got to her feet and dusted herself off. "Where did _that_ come from? That was _really_ risky!"

"Also hilarious," Yang added with a smirk.

"Not really," Weiss said dismissively, checking her nails. "If there's anything I know how to deal with, it's a highfalutin idealist with an over-inflated sense of self-righteousness. And I'm no slouch when it comes to working a crowd either."

"And you're sure your family can afford to send that kind of aid to Vacuo?" Blake asked skeptically.

"Of course," Weiss shrugged, looking at Blake. "Besides, philanthropy looks good on quarterly statements. This isn't my first rodeo here."

She turned her attention back to her team leader.

"We'll win her over eventually, Ruby," she said. "But first we have to get her through the door. And don't forget – we're dealing with a _child_ here. Standard negotiating tactics don't apply. To win them over, you need to play their game better than they play it themselves."

Nora whistled in appreciation. Ren just looked stumped.

"Wow," Jaune said, eyes wide with awe. "You're actually a little terrifying, Weiss."

"Only a little?" Weiss demanded, a haughty smirk on her face.

Dora dropped down to the mossy ground once more, landing easily in crouch from the seemingly impossible fall, a long staff of twisted wood slung to her back.

"I'm ready to go," she announced begrudgingly as she got to her feet, cinching the strap that tied her staff to her back. "Let's get this over…"

She trailed off as her eyes suddenly flew open, and her hand quickly rose to her chest, her pupils dilated to fine point and she began to hyperventilate.

"Oh, no…" she breathed, her whole body quivering. "No, no, no…not again…"

Ruby and her team observed the girl with trepidation.

"Dora?" Ruby asked tentatively. "Is…everything alright?"

Dora was shaking her head, as if suddenly gripped by a terrible affliction.

"No, no, no!" she wrapped her arms around her body, doubling over like she was about to be sick. "Not again…not again…it's getting worse!"

"Dora!" Ruby exclaimed, running over to her to put a hand over her shoulder. "What's happening!? Are you hurt? Tell me what's going on, please!"

The young girl shoved her away, keeping her distance from the Huntress.

"Stay away from me!" she shouted angrily. "You all need to get out of here, now!"

The Huntsmen all tensed at that. Weiss and Blake even put their hands on their weapons.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked sympathetically. "Dora, please, tell us what's happening!"

"Something terrible has happened!" Dora cried, her eyes beginning to glow. "I don't know what it is, but the last time I felt like this, the Grimm came. You need to go!"

Now the Huntsmen were really starting to look worried. The children up in the tree were starting to get agitated as well.

"What's wrong, boss?!" one called down.

"Yeah, are these bozos giving you a hard time?!" another asked.

Dora began to stagger her way back towards the tree, holding her head as if it was throbbing.

"Dora, we're Huntsmen," Ruby called out to her. "Just like Summer! If there's Grimm coming, we can stop them! Just show us the way."

Dora placed her hand against the trunk of the tree, eyes still glowing faintly.

"No…" she shook her head weakly. "None of you can stop what's coming…"

Before Ruby could pry further, a gust of wind began to kick up around the girl as she hunched over, sand and dust swirling in a vortex around her.

"Dora, wait!" Ruby called out in worry.

But it was too late. Dora launched herself into the air with a powerful leap, the wind currents rising with her to carry her up and over the canopy, the branches and leaves shaking and kicking up massive dust devils as she disappeared from view.

"Great," Weiss grumbled, crossing her arms. "Now we've lost her again."

"What was happening to her just now?" Jaune asked. "Did she look sick to you guys?"

"Kind of…" Yang shrugged. "Did you hear what she said about the Grimm though? Never heard of anyone having some sort of sixth sense for detecting Grimm."

Ruby shook her head. "I don't think that's what it was. She said that 'something terrible has happened.' The Grimm may only be a side effect. Whatever she's feeling, I don't think she quite understands her own abilities yet."

Weiss shrugged. "Considering that she doesn't even know that it's called 'semblance,' I don't doubt it."

"If it's even a semblance at all," Ren offered forebodingly.

Ruby pursed her lips. "Something's bugging me about her though. I can't quite put my finger on it."

"You mean besides the fact that she apparently looked up to our mom almost as much as we did?" Yang asked.

Ruby frowned. "I don't know…I feel like we're missing something here. There's something that the general's not telling us. Why is it so important that we bring this girl in? It can't just be because she has a powerful semblance."

"Maybe she's his long lost daughter or something?" Nora suggested.

"Either way, I think we need to ask him directly," Ruby said, looking at her companions in turn.

There was one voice she hadn't heard yet.

"What do you think Blake?" she asked, looking around for her Faunus teammate. "Blake?"

The black cat girl was busy climbing up one of the long, spindly tendrils of vines leading up to the banyan tree. Overhead, many of the lost children of Vacuo were starting to disperse, but enough of them were remaining to peer down at the strangers with curiosity, and Blake was now climbing towards one of them.

"Hey!" a girl of about ten or so in raggedy clothing and a dirt smudged face called down to her. "You're not supposed to be up here! This is our home!"

Blake reached the top and crouched on one of the wide arching branches, peering across the canopy at the girl.

"I'm sorry," she said politely. "I won't stay long. We just need to talk to Dora. I'm afraid we may have frightened her, and we want to make sure she's alright. Do you know where she might have gone?"

Down below on the mossy floor, Yang crossed her arms proudly. Blake never was one for dilly-dallying.

The other girl, however, appeared to be as stubborn as her leader.

"No idea," she crossed her arms, looking away, her legs clinging to the tree branch. "She likes to go off on her own sometimes. We got hidey-holes all over this whole entire kingdom, an' she could be in any one of 'em."

Blake pondered for a moment before speaking again.

"And where would she go if she thought there was going to be a Grimm attack?"

The girl frowned and hesitated, looking unsure.

"I dunno…" she muttered, uneasily. "She'd always tell us ta hide when Grimm were around. She oughtta be right here with us…"

Blake frowned. "…And if she intended to fight them off herself?"

The girl's expression darkened as her eyes widened in realization.

"The city walls…" she muttered in disbelief.

"The city walls?" Blake asked, prodding for more.

The girl shook her head. "I mean…nuthin'! I didn't say nuthin'! Go away! Leave us alone!"

The girl dashed away, leaping and swinging from branch to branch like a monkey. Blake didn't follow after her; she had the information she needed.

"We need to get to the city walls," Blake said after dropping down to the knotted and twisted roots lining the ground beneath the canopy. "If Dora's not hiding here with her people, then she'd most likely be at the city walls to fend off whatever's coming."

"Good thinking, Blake," Yang gave a thumbs up.

"You think there's going to be a large scale Grimm attack to the kingdom?" Jaune asked the group.

"Well, if there is, we'd better get there, and quick," Ruby said, pulling out her scroll. "We're too far into the city to get there on foot. I'm going to call Winter to see if we can get a lift."

"Good idea," Weiss nodded. "Dora's got a head start on us, and it would seem that she too is flying towards her destination."

"And if there _is_ going to be a Grimm attack, the general needs to know about it," Ren added. "The Atlesian fleet has probably already been dispatched to aid in the humanitarian effort. If we're going to mount an effective defense against a Grimm invasion, we need the fleet _here_."

"Got it," Ruby nodded, before thumbing Winter's contact information, bringing her face up on her screen.

"Hello Ruby," Winter said stoically. "Any update on the package?"

"Umm…I'm afraid that she's managed to evade us, ma'am," Ruby admitted. "But we think we know where she's going. Can you send an airship our way to fly us out to the city walls?"

"Very well," Winter said, tapping a few buttons off screen. "I'll divert one of our bullheads to your location. Is there anything else?"

Ruby exchanged a glance with the others before proceeding.

"It could be nothing," Ruby said. "But we think there might be a Grimm attack imminent on the kingdom."

"Really?" Winter asked, skeptically. "What evidence do you have that makes you think this?"

"No evidence, per say," Ruby admitted. "Just something that Dora said. She seemed quite certain of it."

"Hmmm…" Winter mused pensively. "Well, the Special Operatives unit isn't one to leave any stone unturned. I'll take it up with the general. In the meantime, keep tracking down the package."

"Yes ma'am," Ruby nodded. "One more thing, though…is the general still in Vacuo? We need to speak with him directly about something."

Winter crossed her arms. "Anything you have to say to the general, you can say to me."

Weiss grabbed Ruby's hand, pointing the screen towards herself. "We just want some more information regarding the package. Any intel he could provide, anything he might have left out. That sort of thing."

"Any intel that's available has been provided to you already," Winter said pointedly.

"Are you absolutely sure about that?" Weiss probed. "Nothing's been left out?"

Winter's eyebrow shot up. "Do you have any reason to doubt my intel?"

Weiss sighed. "I just don't think we're dealing with an ordinary twelve year old girl, ma'am. That's all."

Winter waved her hand dismissively. "If the general felt that any further intel would aid you in your mission, he would have provided you with it. Anything that was left out is on a need to know basis. Are we clear?"

Weiss relinquished the scroll, and Ruby brought it back to her head level.

"Yes ma'am," she nodded, before hanging up and looking at her team.

"Well, that just makes me even more suspicious," Yang commented.

"Tell me about it," Blake added.

"She didn't deny that there might have been intel that we _didn't_ need to know…" Weiss pointed.

"Nothing we can do about it until we see the general face to face again," Ruby exhaled. "Alright guys, let's get to higher ground. There's no way that airship is going to be able to land around this big tree."

The team nodded and made their way to one of the many terraced rooftops of the surrounding sandstone slums. The sun was beginning to hang low on the horizon, and the desert heat was slowly giving way to the cool of evening air, the tiny chimneys popping through the rooftops releasing thing wisps of smoke from cooking fires.

The team waited about ten minutes before the sound of a bullhead rang through the reddening sky, and Yang sent a bright red flare up into the air, alerting the pilot to their position. The bullhorn touched down on the sandstone rooftop, its engines kicking up sand and dust as the side door slid open. Startled civilians on the street were staring up at the sudden arrival of an airship, as Ruby and her team boarded the craft.

"Hi!" Ruby called out to the pilot as she leaned in between the front chairs. "Thanks for coming to get us! How fast can you take us to the city walls?"

"Depends on which direction you want to go to," the pilot said from beneath his helmet. "North, south, east or west?"

Ruby pursed her lip in consideration. It hadn't been clear from Blake's intel which direction would be the most likely spot.

"Which border is most likely to get hit by a Grimm attack?" she asked out loud.

"Your guess is as good as mine," the pilot offered helplessly. "If you want to just get to the wall as quickly as possible and patrol the perimeter, the nearest border is the eastern part of the wall. Should I take you there?"

"That's good enough for now, I suppose," Ruby shrugged.

"Alright ma'am," the pilot nodded. "Go ahead and strap yourself in."

"I call shotgun!" Yang shouted, leap-frogging over Ruby's head and positioning herself in the co-pilot's seat.

Ruby pouted. "Aww…Yang, you _always_ get the front seat!"

Ruby's sister stuck her tongue out playfully. "Got to keep up, short-stuff!"

Ruby grumbled and went back to sit with the others as they strapped themselves into their seats, the door sliding shut as the bullhead began to lift away from the rooftops.

"Sisters, am I right?" Jaune asked with a laugh.

"Tell me about it…" Ruby blew a strand of hair out of her face.

"So, not to point out the obvious," Weiss stated as she sat calmly across from Ruby. "But the pilot brings up a good point. Once we reach the wall, we'll have to circumnavigate the entire border to find Dora. That doesn't strike me as the most efficient use of our time."

"Vacuo's got to have border patrols of their own," Blake suggested. "We should coordinate with the local defense forces to zero in on any disturbances."

"Yes, but what if they won't cooperate?" Ren asked worriedly. "Vacuo's council may have agreed to work with Atlas, but that doesn't mean every member of the guard is going to want to help us."

"We can just name-drop Professor Jasmine!" Nora answered with a grin. "She'll vouch for us!"

Ruby nodded. "Okay, sounds like a plan. Let's-"

" _Attention all units!_ " a static-riddled voice sounded over the Bullhead's intercom, interrupting the team's discussion. " _Hostile airship on approach to Vacuo! All units be advised – hostile airship on east by southeast approach vector! All nearby units, please respond!_ "

Ruby and her teammates exchanged a worried glance.

"Hostile airship?" Weiss asked in confusion. "The enemy doesn't have any airships…do they?"

"Unless they captured one of ours," Blake pointed out. "…Again."

"Ma'am!" the pilot craned his neck to call back to Ruby, his eyes hidden behind his helmet and visor. "We're one of the closest units! I've got to respond to this call!"

"Understood pilot," Ruby nodded in agreement. "We'll provide assistance."

She glanced back at the others, a look of trepidation on her face.

"Something tells me they're going to need our help," she said gravely. "If _this_ isn't the threat that Dora was predicting, I'm betting it's related."

Jaune gritted his teeth. "I've got a bad feeling about this…"

The bullhead adjusted its course slightly to the north, and made a bee-line for the great sandstone wall surrounding the city. It stretched over fifty feet high, and was marked every five hundred feet or so by watchtowers and guard stations, with mounted dust cannons lining the wall, pointed outward to defend the kingdom.

And off in the distance just below the clouds and approaching at speed was the war torn carapace of an Atlesian frigate.

"Is that…?" Yang asked as she peered out the windshield.

"Ironwood's flagship?" Weiss finished Yang's thought, recognizing the vessel from the battle over Beacon.

"Didn't that ship crash during the battle?" Blake asked as she peered out through one of the side portholes.

"Well, it's clearly up and running," Ren pointed out.

"Hey guys?" Ruby asked as their small VTOL craft moved in closer to the massive airship. "Is it just me, or is that ship not looking too good?"

As everyone crowded around their respective portholes to observe the Atlesian frigate, they noticed that one of the two main engines towards the rear of the ship was indeed trailing a wisp of smoke. The colossal airship even appeared to be listing to one side.

And it was descending fast.

"Target sighted!" the pilot spoke into a microphone on his dashboard. "ETA to Vacuo about ninety seconds! Moving to intercept!"

As the small aircraft veered towards its target, the flagship actually descended below the Bullhead, still on approach to Vacuo. The VTOL altered course to pursue the other airship. But at the rate it was going…

"It's not even going to make it to the city!" Yang pointed out. "That thing's coming down, and it's coming down _hot!_ "

"This doesn't make any sense!" Weiss racked her brain for answers. "Who in the world is flying that thing? The White Fang? Surely they're better pilots than _that!_ "

"What, are you _rooting_ for them or something?" Blake asked incredulously.

"No!" Weiss snorted. "But Atlesian airships practically fly themselves! Either it's in much worse shape than it looks, or something _bad_ happened on board to cause the engines to fail!"

"Well, whatever the reason," Ruby shook her head. "It sure looks like it's about to crash."

The frigate's smoking engine suddenly went up in a blaze of fire, the whole ship listing even further to one side as it careened towards the city. Below it, terrified peasants beyond the city walls ran in every direction, many herding farm animals with them, fleeing the great smoking behemoth coming down upon their land.

The great airship slammed into the sand with a mighty crash, shaking the earth as its momentum carried it forward across the desert wasteland, skidding through roughhewn carts, tents and other simple structures as it plowed towards the city walls.

Ruby's eyes widened as she realized just what was about to happen.

"Oh no…" she exhaled, before yanking off her restraints and stumbling towards the pilot's chair. "Yang, it's going to hit the city wall!"

Yang tensed as she too saw what Ruby was seeing. The ship still had way too much momentum. In about thirty seconds, it would plow right through the walls of Vacuo.

"Not if I can help it…" she said, before unstrapping her safety harness. "Pilot! Bear right, thirty degrees! Get as close as you can to that airship and stay on course! On my mark, open the throttle and brace for impact!"

"What!?" the pilot demanded. "Why!?"

"Just do it!" Yang shouted, climbing back to the main cabin.

With a great effort, she yanked open the side door, sending a gust of wind through the cabin that threw everyone's hair and clothes into a flurry.

"Weiss, help me stop this thing!" she hollered.

"What?!" Weiss demanded. "I-I can't stop something that big!"

"Just do what you can to slow it down!" Yang cried. "Otherwise it's going to break right through the walls of the kingdom!"

Yang's mechanical arm shifted into a dust cannon with a whirring of gears, three revolving servos rotating around the main gun, as she grabbed the bar along the ceiling of the airship and hung most of her body outside the VTOL, taking aim as her dust cannon charged, wind whipping at her hair.

While she charged her weapon, Weiss drew her sword and cast a single black glyph in front of the flagship's nose, acting as a dragnet of sorts. The ship began to slow.

"Impact in twenty seconds!" the pilot called out.

Ruby and the others watched in trepidation as Yang focused her gold plated weapon on the massive airship careening towards the city wall while Weiss closed her eyes in concentration as she did everything she could to slow it down.

"Fifteen seconds!"

The cannon continued to charge, a blowing blue orb of energy forming at the end of the barrel.

" _Now!_ " Yang shouted, before unloading a solid blast of energy that struck the sliding airship off the port bow. The VTOL shook from the force of Yang's blast, and if the pilot hadn't opened up the throttle on Yang's command, it might have gone careening out of the sky. The blast sent the nose of the massive airship skidding sideways, slowly spinning the entire ship along its course, leaving a considerable dent in the bow of the ship, but its momentum continued nevertheless, as the massive warship tumbled ceaselessly towards Vacuo.

"It's gonna hit!" Jaune shouted in alarm as he and the others choked on the smoke from Yang's cannon.

"Was that not enough!?" Yang gasped in astonishment as she charged up another round, knowing full well it wouldn't be ready in time.

The ship continued to slide, its massive momentum carrying it forward, and a moment later, the ship slammed into the walls of Vacuo. Yang's concussive blast had twisted it to the side, allowing it to slam into the wall broadside and divert more of its weight across a wider impact radius. But enough of the ship's bulk was still in motion, and the great walls of the city just weren't enough to withstand it.

CRAAASH! BOOOM!

Soldiers and guards were thrown from their posts to tumble to the ground below as the wall shook from the impact, the airship plowing a great big hole through the side. The wall above began to crumble and fall, the airship carving a path straight through the barrier, leaving a trail of rubble and screaming people in its wake.

"No, no, no…" Ruby slammed her fists into the bulkhead of the VTOL. "The wall's been breached!"

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted, pointing behind them. "Look! The skies!"

Ruby followed her friend's gaze, and sure enough, the faint outlines of wings were just beginning to appear on the horizon.

"The last two major Grimm attacks were coordinated assaults," Jaune noted as he saw what his team was seeing. "If this is the first wave, then…"

Ruby scrambled back over to the cockpit.

"Pilot!" she cried. "Alert everyone you can! The Grimm are coming!"

"Ruby…" Blake pointed out towards the crashed airship. "Look!"

Ruby's heart sank as she saw Grimm beginning to pour out of the wreckage of the airship, hordes of ursa, beowolves, boarbatusks, creeps, death stalkers, king taijutsus and even some nevermores and griffons, all of them snarling and angry, dashing out of the shattered hull of the airship like plague beetles.

"Correction, pilot…" Ruby said grimly. "The Grimm are _here!_ "

Jaune winced as he stared down at the carnage that was unfolding, as Grimm began to flood into the city and terrorize any nearby civilians. The guards that weren't thrown clear from the wreckage of the crash were just beginning to mobilize against the Grimm, but were already being overwhelmed.

"Ruby…" Jaune muttered anxiously. "You ever get tired of being right all the time?"

"Yes, Jaune," Ruby said, drawing her weapon as she prepared to jump down to engage the Grimm. "Yes I do…"


	52. Chapter 52

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 52

* * *

The main hall at Shade academy had been converted into a war room. Ornate pillars lined the room, giving it the feeling of a great coliseum. Carvings and stelae of great acts of heroism throughout the ages were etched across the walls. Sunlight peered in through the columns, the great hall filled with officers, soldiers, guards and attendants, from both Vacuo and Atlas alike. Across the table at the center of the room was a wide map, spanning the entire country of Vacuo, the continent that it shared with Vale cutting off shortly after the desert and badlands gave way to sparse wilderness once again. Across the map were inked points for all known settlements spanning the Vacuan countryside. And stationed at varying points between these settlements and the kingdom were innumerable markers, each indicating an Atlesian airship, either venturing out towards one of the settlements, or returning to Vacuo, ferrying refugees in their holds.

Ironwood stared down at the map in contemplation. It bore a strong resemblance to the map that lay in his command center back at Atlas. Although the technology composing it couldn't be further from it. Instead of a sleek metal board of circuitry and holographic images, it was a table of carved wood, a map of animal hide and ink, the markers made of metal scraps. Although Vacuo was no stranger to technology, the walls of the great hall lined with computer systems, the kingdom itself was steeped in tradition, and in times of war, its people tended to defer to the old ways.

A strange custom, Ironwood thought, but he kept his comments to himself. At least quill and ink couldn't be hacked by a computer virus.

"We are making good progress…" Professor Jade observed as she made her way over to the map, having been tending to one of her senior professors as they monitored the computers around them. "Without your fleet, it would take months to evacuate the villages. But at this rate, our citizens will be safe within the walls of Vacuo within the week!"

The general crossed his arms. "Yes, but without your Huntsmen teams aboard each of my vessels, by now half the fleet would have been brought down with a dispersal pattern like this. Even our own Huntsmen could not cover so many airships, but Shade academy graduates more Huntsmen than any other kingdom by half."

"Well, that's to be expected when we have the largest population in the world," Jasmine smiled congenially. "But those numbers are not always to our benefit. In many cases, it only means we are more vulnerable. Without the technology of Atlas, our numbers would mean nothing. It is as we told the council: our two kingdoms are stronger together than we would ever be on our own."

Ironwood nodded sullenly. "I just wish we had managed to band together much sooner than this. If we had gotten our act together before the Vytal festival…"

The professor placed a hand on his shoulder. "Have faith, James. We will see the four kingdoms restored."

Something about her words made him feel uneasy. Then he realized what it was.

"There's that word again," he said, curiously. "Faith."

Jasmine gave him a peculiar look. "Is there something wrong with having a little faith?"

The general took a deep, cleansing breath. "No, I suppose not…I'm just not used to hearing it. It's not a word that gets used very often in Atlas."

Jasmine shrugged. "It was not long ago that Vacuo still worshiped the Gods. Most of this knowledge was lost in the great war, but there are still families in Vacuo that remember the days when the Gods were law."

James shook his head. "It's difficult to imagine…"

"It can be for many outsiders," Jasmine admitted. "But we cannot forget our cultural heritage. Telling someone to have faith is still a very common saying in Vacuo, and even the most modern citizen will still wish you luck when the say farewell."

The general stared down at the map, a hard expression on his face. "Everything in my kingdom is always so pragmatic and regimented. There's no need for faith because everything is either certain or uncertain. Everything can be rationalized and quantified, and everything that can't is little more than a statistical probability."

"It is something that every citizen of Vacuo feels deep in our bones," Jasmine explained. "The understanding that the world around us cannot be controlled nor predicted, and that sometimes, faith can be our only guide."

"We are a nation built on the foundation of engineering and ingenuity," Ironwood shrugged. "That has always been our guiding star."

"Ingenuity can only take you so far, my friend," Jasmine said earnestly. "The human mind can only encompass so much. Life goes on whether we will it to or not, and if we are not careful, we can get swept away along with it."

"How poetic," James responded with a wry smile.

Jasmine looked like she was about to reply when Winter Schnee came marching into the war room through the double-doors opposite the pillars.

"Sir," she said brusquely, snapping a salute as she stood upright.

"Schnee," Ironwood nodded. "Report?"

"My team is still on the hunt for Dora," Winter replied. "They were able to speak with her, however she managed to evade them. They are now exploring the city walls for further sign of her."

Jasmine raised a suspicious eyebrow. "The walls, you say?"

Winter nodded. "Yes Professor. There was one other bit, Sir, but it may be nothing."

"What is it?" the general asked impatiently.

"According to my team," Winter said hesitantly. "Dora believes that a large scale Grimm attack is imminent on the kingdom."

Ironwood and Jasmine exchanged a look.

"The team didn't have any evidence to support this," Winter added. "But they seemed to think it was important enough to bring up. And I don't believe they would give credence to flights of fancy."

James nodded and stroked his chin, concentrating down at the map.

"It would be unwise not to heed Dora's word," he mused absently. "And a large scale attack _would_ fit the Grimm's M.O. thus far,"

"It would also explain why the attacks on your airships have been decreasing…" Jasmine added.

Before any of them could ponder the situation further, one of the technicians called out to him.

"General?" the young tech said. "We've got a bird coming in, east by southeast. Looks heavily damaged."

The two headmasters marched over to the technician's desk, where they saw a large blip appearing just of the right of a crude map of Vacuo on the translucent screen.

Jasmine looked puzzled. "Or perhaps not…"

Ironwood looked less convinced as he looked over the technician's console. "We didn't send anything that big out that way…which unit is that?"

"Unknown sir," the technician said. "Radio appears damaged. It does appear to be a larger airship. Frigate class, by the looks of it."

"It is coming from the direction of Vale…" Processor Jasmine noticed.

The general's expression darkened. "It couldn't be…"

"Getting a visual now, sir!" the technician replied, before putting an image of the Atlesian frigate up on screen.

Ironwood's eyes flew open in recognition.

"That's my flagship!" he blurted, before pointing in the direction of the communication's officer. "Alert Vacuan defense forces! Target that airship! It _cannot_ be allowed within Vacuan airspace!"

Professor Jasmine looked confused. "James, what is wrong? Why are we targeting one of your own frigates?"

"Because it's controlled by the enemy," Winter answered for him as the general began barking orders around the war room. "That airship went down inside the kingdom of Vale, and was never recovered."

Jasmine's eyes widened with realization. "But our forces _just_ received the memorandum to allow passage to _all_ Atlesian aircraft!"

Winter narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean? Can't we issue an exception?"

"Yes, but these things take time!" Jasmine ran over to the navigation technician. "How far away is the target!?"

"Two and a half miles, and closing fast!" they reported.

"Got it!" Jasmine nodded, and ran over to Ironwood, who was busy arguing over an intercom to a very confused looking security guard in Vacuan garb.

"Look, this is _General Ironwood!_ " he barked. "I am giving you full authorization to shoot down that aircraft!"

"James!" Professor Jasmine said as she drew his attention away from the console. "You need to issue a general order!"

Ironwood nodded, and shut off the console, instead grabbing a communication's officer by the shoulder.

"I need you to broadcast a general order to all available units," he commanded. "Send out an alert that there is a hostile airship on east by south-eastern approach to Vacuo."

The communication's officer saluted. "Yes sir!"

"And send out a recall order to all airships!" he commanded. "Vacuo is about to get hit, _hard!_ "

"I'll gather as many of my Huntsmen as are remaining in the city," Jasmine announced.

"Go!" the general nodded, as he watched her rush out of the war room.

Winter stood next to him as the two of them watched the events unfold, their intel coming in through the digital readout.

"Makes me sick to imagine what those monsters could be doing with my ship," Ironwood lamented. "It could be chalked to the brim with high explosives for all we know. As soon as it gets within Vacuan airspace, that could be it. It could very well cripple Vacuo's security forces. We cannot afford to let it get into the kingdom."

Winter furrowed her brow as she studied the airship and its approach vector.

"Sir…the ship appears to be descending at a rapid rate," she observed.

Ironwood nodded. "Yes it does. Has anyone responded to the general order?"

Winter glanced at her scroll. "Just one unit, sir. It's…hmm…well, what do you know? It's the airship I sent to pick up my Special Ops team."

The general allowed a sliver of hope to seep through his façade.

"So we won't be caught blindsided, at least," he mused. "Though from the looks of it, the frigate won't even make it to the wall…"

Sure enough, a moment later, the navigation technician reported in.

"Hostile airship has touched down, sir," they called out from their seat in front of the console.

"But it's still moving…" Winter noted. "Sir, it's going to collide with the wall!"

Ironwood nodded. "What's the ETA to impact?"

"Thirty seconds and closing!" the technician announced, as the readout updated on the screen.

The general gritted his teeth. "Winter, if your Special Ops team is going to do anything, now would be the-"

He was interrupted when an energy blast from what appeared to be a bullhead airship struck the frigate's nose, sending it skidding sideways.

"If I'm not mistaken, sir," Winter observed. "That would be the Mark 44 dust cannon we equipped to Agent Xiao-Long's prosthetic enhancement."

Ironwood crossed his arms. "Here's hoping it pays off…"

His question was answered several seconds later when he saw the airship strike the city wall broadside, plowing through the massive sandstone structure, before finally coming to a rest beyond the wall, leaving an empty space in the barrier where it had plowed through.

Many crew and technicians in the war room voiced cries of disbelief when the wall came down. The entire room was stunned to silence, however, when they all saw creatures of Grimm begin to pour out of the airship's hull.

Ironwood slowly raised his scroll to his face.

"Professor Jasmine," he said calmly. "What's the status of your Huntsmen teams?"

Jasmine's face appeared momentarily. "Ready to deploy on command, James."

"Jasmine, the walls have been breached," he explained as the room around him began to bustle with activity in response to the emergency. "The airship is down, but it's releasing Grimm into the city. You need to get your Huntsmen on site to contain the situation before it escalates."

Jasmine nodded. "Understood. How many Grimm are we dealing with?"

"Hard to say," Ironwood replied, shaking his head as he watched events unfold before him. "At least a hundred or-"

"Sir!" a cry of alarm interrupted the conversation. "We've got incoming Grimm on the horizon! Too many to count! They'll be on us inside twenty minutes!"

Ironwood looked up at the transmission screen, as the black wings of hundreds of airborne Grimm crested the horizon.

"Professor…" he muttered into his scroll. "What you were saying before, about having faith?"

The professor blinked in confusion. "What about it?"

Ironwood lowered his eyes in despair. "Well…it's just looking like we might just need a miracle right about now…"


	53. Chapter 53

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 53

* * *

Jaune had never fought so hard in his life. It seemed every Grimm he struck down, another rose to take its place. The wreckage caused by the crashed airship had left a lot of wounded, so his primary duty was to defend the citizens of Vacuo. Yang, Nora and himself acted as the bulwark, drawing the attention of the Grimm, while Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Ren used their speed to ferry civilians out of harm's way.

The airship had plowed through part of the slums along the wall, its carapace just barely holding together, its wings and tail torn clean off, its engine still smoking from the explosion it had endured earlier. Piled around the airship were hills of sun-bleached sandstone bricks that had once been a part of the massive wall surrounding the city. The terraced rooftops of the slums spread out as far as the eye could see, those hovels and huts in the immediate vicinity crumbled and broken from the impact of the airship. All around them, guards and civilians were pulling the injured out from under the wreckage and fleeing the Grimm as Ruby and her team rushed to their aid.

"Jaune! On your six!" Yang called out as she punched an ursa's head clean off its shoulders.

Jaune turned and saw a Boarbatusk spinnint towards him like a whirling buzz saw of death. He planted his shield into the ground and focused his aura into his shield, and a moment later it was glowing bright white. The Boarbatusk slammed into it like a brick wall, breaking both tusks and tumbling away in a crippled heap.

"Nora, we're getting flanked here!" he called out when he saw a death stalker and a king taijitu approaching. "Any chance for an assist?"

"Be with you in a minute!" a loud voice called down to him, and Jaune looked up to see Nora clinging to the back of a nevermore, with Ren hot on her heels.

"No time!" Yang charged forward, rushing the two-headed snake with a flurry of blows.

Jaune gulped as the deathstalker approached him, twin pincers snapping wickedly towards him, its wicked stinger looming ominously overhead.

"Heh…" he muttered to himself nostalgically. "Still can't believe I ever thought that was the relic, huh Pyrrha?"

The deathstalker charged him and he blocked one claw with his shield, the other clasping around the blade of his sword. As he grappled with the giant scorpion, its tail jabbed down at him, forcing him to leap to one side to avoid being stabbed.

"Rrrrgh!" he growled in frustration as he tugged at his sword, trying to rip it free from the deathstalker's grasp. "Get off!"

He managed to smash the hilt of his sword into the Grimm's face, causing it to hiss in displeasure and finally release the blade of Crocea Mors, snapping and flailing its claws wildly. Jaune seized the opportunity to leap over the swinging pincers and bring the point of his sword down into the giant scorpion's back, embedding itself halfway into the beast.

As the Grimm let out another howl of anguish, its tail came down upon him, which Jaune deflected with his shield, putting all his effort into shoving the sword down into his target. He felt his aura swelling up, and soon the steel of his sword began to glow a vibrant gold, same as his shield, and with a cry of anger, Jaune shoved his sword all the way into the death stalker's back.

With one last groan of defeat, the Grimm collapsed, and Jaune withdrew his sword, it's shimmering hue dissipated, before rolling off of the carcass and onto the rubble-torn street below.

"Not bad, short stuff!" Yang called out to him.

Jaune looked over at Yang, and blinked in surprise when he saw that she had literally tied the king taijitu into a knot, both of its heads blown apart in a shower of black gore.

"Now you're just showing off, Yang," Jaune sighed, his shoulders sagging in incredulity.

Yang smirked.

"Guilty," she said, before jetting off towards her next target.

Ruby landed next to him shortly afterward.

"All the civilians in the immediate vicinity have been cleared out," she assured, drawing her scythe. "Winter says that back-up should be arriving shortly. All we've got to do is hold the line until they get here."

Jaune nodded, checking his scroll to monitor his aura. He was at about eighty percent. He needed to be more sparing with his semblance, which drained him significantly.

"I just hope we can hold out until then…" he sighed helplessly.

Ruby's eyes lit up when she saw a familiar set of faces climbing their way out of the wreckage of the downed Atlesian frigate.

"Well, at least we won't have to hold out on our own!" she shouted, before waving her arms over her head. "It's Team CFVY!"

Jaune turned his head to see their former classmates climbing out of the hatch on the side of the airship, looking a little worse for wear.

"Velvet!" Ruby shouted, rushing towards them as Jaune kept his back to her, shield raised, his eyes scanning for any signs of approaching Grimm.

The Faunus girl's eyes lifted at the sound of her name, and her expression brightened when she saw Ruby running towards her.

"Ruby!" she cried out in surprise. "You're here!"

Ruby threw her arms around the other girl, embracing her tightly as Coco, Fox and Yatsuhashi simply watched, a pang of relief tempering what otherwise appeared to be looks of despair.

"Hey!" Yang called out as she ran up to the little reunion. "You guys were in that airship?"

"Yeah," Coco replied, staring back at the wreckage. "We survived, somehow…"

"I thought you guys were still in Vale!" Ruby exclaimed as she clung to her long lost friend.

"We were!" Velvet replied. "But the White Fang were restoring this airship for their purposes, and we managed to get aboard before it took off. We tried to bring it down before it could reach the city, but…it looks like we failed."

Ruby looked up at the ruined airship and the sizeable gap it had left in the wall behind it, the smoldering husk.

"At least you brought it down," Yang said consolingly.

"Yeah, and we practically gift-wrapped the city to the Grimm now," Coco shook her head. "Look at that wall! It won't even matter if we take down every Grimm on this airship, it's only a matter of time before the Grimm outside the city find their way in."

"We've already seen a massive horde approaching on the horizon," Ruby sighed. "But don't worry. Reinforcements are on their way! All we have to do is hold the Grimm here and…"

She trailed off as Ruby's eyes fell on a fifth person emerging from the wreckage.

"Lookout!" Ruby shoved Velvet behind her, pointing an accusatory finger. "It's Emerald!"

Yang aimed her Ember Celica as Ruby withdrew her scythe. Jaune turned in alarm at the sound of his team's weapons deploying and raised his sword and shield as well.

The green haired girl just blinked in confusion, pointing a finger at herself as if completely unaware of what could be wrong.

"Ruby, everyone, it's okay!" Velvet said, holding onto Ruby's shoulders from behind. "She's with us, alright? She's the one who let us know about the airship! Look, a lot of things have changed since we last saw one another."

"Yeah," Coco said, giving Emerald a slightly rougher-than-necessary pat on the back. "Without this little trickster, we'd have never made it off the airship alive."

Emerald grimaced at the gesture, but smirked in Ruby's direction. "Yeah, chill out, will you? I'm a bona fide hero, after all."

Yang pointed her finger at Emerald angrily. "Yeah, and you're the reason I got framed during the Vytal tournament!"

"Yeah, well, just doing my job," Emerald crossed her arms. "So why don't you just get over it already?"

"Guys!" Velvet said coming between Emerald and their classmates. "We can throw around blame later! Right now, we've got a lot of Grimm left to deal with, and not much time before even more show up!"

Ruby pursed her lips, still looking unconvinced.

"Well…alright, if you say so," she said, before fixing Emerald with a dirty look. "But I'm keeping my eye on you!"

Emerald just shrugged.

"Ruby, there's something else," Velvet said, her voice taking on a somber note. "Remember when you told me about the man who trained you? Your uncle, I think it was?"

Ruby nodded eagerly. "Our uncle Qrow!"

Yang's interest piqued as well. "Have you seen him?"

Velvet's ears drooped, and she clearly did not relish the thought of saying what she had to say.

"I…I don't know how to tell you this…" she said softly. "But I think-"

" _Look out!_ " Fox shouted, shoving his teammate to the side, his ears picking up on the threat before anyone else.

BLAM!

"Fox!" Coco cried in alarm as Fox and Velvet tumbled to the ground, the rest of the team tensing in surprise.

Fox looked up from where he had landed, placing a hand on his chest where he expected to see a bullet wound. Instead, he found nothing, and saw Jaune Arc standing over him, his pristine shield glowing golden white.

"You!" Jaune shouted, glaring up at their attacker, his shield slowly fading back to normal.

Everyone looked up to see a familiar red-haired Faunus, climbing out from the wreckage. He stood high above them, atop the hull of the ruined airship, weapon pointed at them all.

And his weapon looked very familiar.

"Yes…" Adam smiled grimly, retracting the gun back into the long angular greatsword. "Me…"

Ruby and Yang's eyes flared open in recognition.

"That sword…" Ruby's jaw dropped. "Is that…?"

Yang's teeth gnashed as fury overtook her.

"That's Qrow's sword!" she shouted.

The White Fang released a guffaw of laughter, cackling toward the sky.

"Oh, this?" he exclaimed in triumph, waving his stolen sword around like a trophy. "You recognize this, do you!? Oh this is just _too_ perfect!"

"You _monster!_ " Ruby shouted in anger. "What have you done to our uncle!?"

"Hahahah!" Adam laughed a maddening laugh as he hoisted the sword over his shoulder. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Velvet put a cautioning hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby, be careful! That man's dangerous!"

"You should listen to your friend there, little red," Adam smiled, tauntingly. "Your uncle's sword is a tad unwieldy, but it packs a punch. Here, let me show you!

He lunged towards the group, bringing the haft of his blade down towards them.

It was Yatsuhashi who caught the blow with his own sword, the two massive blades colliding as Adam descended upon them. The resulting impact caused a caused a shockwave to push everyone away, an enormous crater appearing under Yatsuhashi's feet as he struggled to fend off the massive greatsword. Ruby, Jaune and Yang tumbled in one direction, Fox, Coco and Velvet were flung in another. Both scrambled hurriedly to their feet as Yatsuhashi finally managed to push back against Adam's attack.

"Velvet!" he called out to his friends. "Coco! Fox! Get out of here!"

Adam regained his footing and redoubled his attack. Yatsuhashi tried to fend him off, but Adam was the more agile fighter by far. With a flourish, he flipped over the Huntsmen and sent a flying kick into the back of his head, sending him tumbling forward.

"Yatsuhashi!" Velvet cried in alarm.

She cast a glance at Fox, who nodded as she replicated his arm blades on her own wrists. The two of them charged the White Fang, encircling him in a blur of motion, keeping him from advancing on their fallen teammate.

Adam simply sneered, and extended Qrow's sword into its scythe form, spinning it in a dazzling whirl of motion that sent both Huntsmen tumbling away.

Coco gritted her teeth in frustration, powerless to assist. "Velvet! Fox!"

Adam's wicked smile fell upon Coco as he brought the scythe to bear.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," he said viciously. "You're next..."

Coco glared back at him, her weapon-case in hand, as she watched him lean into crouch, ready to lunge towards her.

The attack was interrupted, however, when a shrill voice pierced the battlefield.

"WHERE IS HE!?"

Adam turned to find the young leader of Team RWBY, clutching her scythe in her hands, tears dripping from her eyes as she glared at him in rage, eyes beginning to glow a pale silver.

"WHERE'S MY UNCLE!?"

Behind her, Yang and Jaune were slowly getting to their feet. Ruby, however, did not look like she was willing to wait for them to back her up.

Adam just smirked, his head tilting back as he stared haughtily at her. "Oh…you're still hung up about your uncle Qrow? Is that who you're worried about?"

Ruby's teeth clenched in anguish as she tried not to imagine the worst had come to pass.

"Where… _is_ …he!?" she demanded angrily, her eyes burning white, her tiny body quivering in outrage, her scythe rattling in her hands.

Adam let out another laugh, before retracting the scythe back into its sword form, hoisting the greatsword languidly across his shoulders.

"Who knows?" he chuckled, drawing back his lips into a wicked smile. "Last I saw of him, he was rotting in a prison cell. For all I know, Cinder's got him strapped to an interrogation chair, torturing him for information…and if she didn't get what she wanted out of him, she may have killed him already for all I know…"

Ruby's eyes widened in revulsion and she nearly dropped her scythe, the thing wisps of silver in her eyes flickering out.

"No…" she whimpered in disbelief, shaking her head.

Yang shook her head in anger. "You're lying!"

Adam shrugged dispassionately, clutching the stolen sword in his hands. "What do I care? I mean, after all…"

He slipped into an attack position, poised and ready to strike as he smirked at the two furious young girls.

"…I've already gotten everything I want out of him."

Jaune clenched his sword. Yang gritted her teeth. But it was Ruby who made the most fearsome visage.

" _YOU MONSTER!_ " she screamed at the top of her lungs, lunging forward with her scythe, tears burning in her eyes.

At Adam's smile, a flash from memory crossed Yang's mind, and her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. Adam was taunting them, goading them into an attack. Making them reckless. Just like he had when she had fought him during the attack on Vale. And Yang had leaped right into the fray and suffered the consequences.

And now Ruby was doing the exact same thing.

" _Ruby!"_ Yang cried in alarm, reaching out for her. " _NOOOOO!_ "

She and Jaune tore after the young girl, but it was too late. The sword he carried may have been larger and bulkier, but he still swung it with the finesse of a polished swordmaster. Yang's eyes widened in horror as she watched, helplessly, as her uncle's blade bit into her sister's flesh and tore through her like a hot knife through butter, leaving little more than tatters in its wake.

" _NOOOO!_ " Jaune shouted, eyes wide in disbelief.

" _RUBYYYY!_ " Yang screamed, tears in her eyes.

Yang and Jaune both watched Ruby's limp form tumble to the ground, crumpling like a limp rag doll.

And then her image withered away into a flurry of shadows.

Yang and Jaune both blinked in shock. What exactly did they just…?

Then they heard Ruby's tiny voice off in the distance.

"Let me go!" she was screaming like a child. "Let me go! Let me go!"

Yang fell to her knees when she saw Blake, clutching Ruby in her arms on a nearby rooftop. The leader of Team RWBY had been reduced to a squabbling mess as she struggled to escape Blake's grip as she held her tightly in her arms.

"Ruby…" Yang's voice escaped in her lips in a withering lilt as she fell to her knees.

"Oh, thank heaven…" Jaune gasped as he felt his heart resume beating in his chest.

Adam pursed his lips as he stared down at the empty space before him in confusion, before turning to find his former lover off to the side, and he drew back his upper lip in a sneer.

"Blake..." he growled.

Blake wasn't even looking at him.

"Blake, let me go!" Ruby demanded, tears in her eyes, arms flailing wildly. "Blake, _please!_ That man, he... _Uncle Qrow!_ "

"Ruby!" she chastised, shaking her in her arms. "Stop this!"

Ruby inhaled sharply as she seemed to regain her senses.

"That man has taken _far_ too much from us already," Blake said forebodingly as she cast her eyes back on Adam's looming form as he slowly marched towards them. "Don't let him take anything else."

Adam leaped from the edge of the wreckage down onto the slum rooftop where Black crouched, her friend in her arms.

"The more you struggle to save them, Blake," he warned, raising the greatsword over his shoulders. "The more it will hurt when you ultimately fail."

Blake glared back at the man, a look of defiance on her face.

" _You're_ the one who's going to need saving," she said, her ears flat against her head.

He looked like he was about to retort, when a series of glyphs lit up in a straight line towards him, and the whistling screech thundered across the battlefield as he was struck in the face with a shard of rubble delivered at super-sonic speeds.

 _BOOM!_

Blake looked up to find Weiss, standing atop the pile of sandstone that was all that was left of the wall, an arsenal of bricks levitating around her.

Right on time, Blake smiled.

"Get Ruby out of there, Blake!" she called out. "I've got your back!"

Blake took Ruby's limp form in her arms and leaped back to where Yang and Jaune were standing. Meanwhile, Weiss sent another piece of rubble hurdling at Adam as he retreated, clutching his face. She sent bolt after bolt, each one funneled through a series of speed-boosting glyphs, one after another, each one amplifying and magnifying the effects of their ammunition, in what amounted to a dust-powered rail gun.

 _BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

When Blake landed, Yang threw her arms around her little sister, clutching her tightly.

"Ruby!" she shuddered as she embraced her tightly. "Don't ever do anything like that again, do you hear me!?"

Ruby shook in anguish as she tried to return her sister's embrace.

"I'm sorry, Yang…" she whimpered. "But…Uncle Qrow…"

"We'll find him, Ruby!" Yang declared, squeezing harder. "But first we have to get out of this alive! Can you do that for me!?"

Ruby winced as she tried to sniff back her tears.

"Okay…" she blubbered helplessly.

Yang set her jaw and finally parted with her, holding her by the shoulders.

"Jaune…" she said brusquely without looking at him. "I want you to take my sister, find Ren, Nora and Team CFVY and take care of the rest of the Grimm – there's going to be more coming soon."

Jaune nodded. "Got it. But what about you?"

Yang's eyes were already glowing red, radiating a cold, glowing rage.

"Blake, Weiss and I will take care of the White Fang," she said simply. "Just put some distance between us…this place is about to get _messy_."

Jaune felt a shudder run down his spine at Yang's words. There was a deadly, vengeful tinge to her voice that he had never heard before. Behind her, Blake was keeping a watchful eye on the situation. It was her quick thinking that had saved Ruby just now. Even Yang and Jaune, for all their strength, had been too slow to respond.

And off in the distance, Weiss was still taking pot shots at Adam, keeping him pinned down.

 _BOOM! BOOM!_

"I'm trusting you, Jaune," Yang said forebodingly, recapturing his attention. "Take care of my sister."

Jaune took one look at Ruby's tear-filled face and nodded.

"I will," Jaune said, taking Ruby by the hand. "Come on, Ruby."

Ruby reluctantly took his hand and let him lead her away. She looked utterly drained of strength, and was clearly in no condition to fight anymore.

"But Jaune…" she muttered softly, though her words lacked conviction. "Yang…"

"Yang will be fine," Jaune assured her. "She's a big girl, she can take care of herself."

Ruby watched Yang's retreating form as Jaune pulled her away, reaching out towards her sister as she waved goodbye.

Something in her heart made her feel like she'd never see her again.

Yang turned to give Blake a grateful smile.

"Thanks Blake," she said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I mean that."

Blake smiled sweetly. "Ruby's my friend too, Yang. But don't worry – I wasn't going to let anything happen to your sister on my watch."

Yang gave her partner's shoulder a meaningful squeeze before releasing her and cracking her knuckles as she peered down at Adam as he ducked beneath the cover of what used to be the airship's wing. Weiss was still pelting his position with railgun fire.

"Time for round three," Yang glowered, giving Blake a reassuring smile. "You ready for this?"

Blake nodded. "Just don't go charging in like the first time, okay?"

Yang waved her hand. "Got it. Anything else?"

"I know how he thinks," Blake added, drawing her sword. "Let me do the talking."

"You?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "Heh…alright then…"

The two girls dropped down from the rooftop onto the rubble below, striding over to where Weiss had Adam pinned down. The ground was littered with craters from Weiss' mortar fire, and Adam was nowhere to be found.

Blake gave Yang a surreptitious smile, before raising her voice.

"You may as well give up!" Blake called out. "We have you out-matched!

Yang smirked as she saw what Blake was doing. She was using his own tactics against him, trying to goad him into attacking them while they had the advantage. If he was truly as fixated on Blake as he seemed, there was no way he wouldn't rise to her baiting. The only thing that worried her, however, was whether or not he had any tricks up his sleeve that he had been holding back until now.

The two girls stiffed a gasp, however, when Adam finally emerged. His mask was _gone!_ Weiss' initial barrage must have shattered it completely. A trickle of blood ran down the left side of his face from his eyebrow, covering his left eye in a mat of blood as he glared back at them with his remaining eye. And as emerged from the cover of the wreckage below, he stepped out onto the rubble, putting himself in line of sight to Weiss' rail gun.

But her attack never came.

"Oh?" he asked haughtily. "What in the world ever gave you _that_ idea?"

Shortly thereafter, Weiss leaped down from her vantage point, stumbling haphazardly as she rushed to join with Yang and Blake, panting for breath.

"Weiss!" Blake called out to her. "Are you alright? What…?"

She trailed off, however, when she saw just what had driven Weiss from her sniping position.

The chiseled and tattooed form of the White Fang Lieutenant appeared next to Adam, chainsaw blade hoisted over his shoulder as he glared ominously at his prey.

"I want the Schnee…" he said to Adam in a chilling, gravelly voice. "Leave her to me."

Adam smiled a cold, deadly smile. "She's all yours…"

As Weiss, Blake and Yang raised their weapons, all around them it seemed that even more White Fang had begun to gather around them, crawling out from the wreckage of the airship now that the Grimm had all moved onto other areas.

"Weiss, he looks pretty set on you," Yang muttered pensively, her focus not leaving Adam or his crony. "You need any backup?"

"I've got him," Weiss said confidently, re-chambering her rapier. "You just deal with Adam."

The White Fang commander lifted his stolen sword and pointed it at the three Huntresses.

"Blake!" he called out to her in a low, scathing voice. "You and I have unfinished business! It's time to end this!"

Blake squeezed the hilt of her sword, knuckles turning white as her eyes narrowed.

"Then let's end it…"


	54. Chapter 54

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 54

* * *

It was the simple things in life that counted the most, Nora though breezily. Lazy Sunday afternoons. Warm blankets. Hot pancakes. Crushing her enemies. Seeing them driven before her. Hearing the lamentation of their women (or men - she was no one to judge). But there was something especially satisfying about taking on a creature that was larger than she was by a wide margin, and not only wrestling into submission, but riding on top of it making it take her places.

And even better when that creature could fly.

"Fly, my pretty!" she hollered like a madwoman atop the hapless nevermore, yanking its feathers in the direction of a horde of other Grimm terrorizing some citizens. "Fly!"

The oversized raven gave out a screech of protest, but finally gave into Nora's relentless prodding and flew in the direction she wanted it to go. It tried several times to shake her loose, but no matter how many flips and aerobatics it pulled, Nora's grip was like iron around its ebony quills. Like any animal, it eventually yielded towards the path of least resistance, which involved the nevermore swooping down and clipping about eight or ten creatures of Grimm and sending them flying.

Hot on her tail was her partner, Lie Ren, who followed her lead and picked off the Grimm that she targeted while they were knocked senseless by the swooping nevermore attack. As Ren quickly finished off the horde of ursi and creeps, the fleeing civilians briefly turned to give them both an enthusiastic cheer in return.

"Whoo!" Nora hollered as she watched her partner clean up the rabble she had left behind. "Go Ren!"

Without even having to coordinate their strategy, Ren had seen the opportunity she had provided and capitalized on it. She had known Ren almost all her life, and loved being able to count on him like this. It was hard to imagine life without him sometimes, and harder still for her to imagine anyone having to go through all their days without someone like that in their lives as well. Which is why her heart went out so strongly for Jaune. She had been so hopeful that he and Pyrrha would have established a bond like that. And for a while, they almost had. Even if they hadn't quite sealed the deal, Nora had been confident that it would have only been a matter of time before it happened. Which is what made the tragedy so much sadder, she thought.

A griffon swooped in to attack her atop the nevermore, and she responded by raising her hammer one-handed and smacking it in the face, cracking its beak and sending it tumbling to the ground.

Where was she? Oh yeah, Jaune and Pyrrha. And to make matters worse, now Jaune wasn't able to properly move on from his loss with this phantom Pyrrha terrorizing the countryside. They hadn't seen too much of her since they'd enlisted with Atlas, but they knew she still had to be out there somewhere. And as long as she was, they knew that someday, they'd have to deal with her.

One way or another.

"Nora!" Ren hollered up to her, although she could barely hear at this range. "We should go find the others! We still have to deal with the Grimm trying to get through the wall!"

Nora hadn't quite heard all of that, but she got the basic gist of it. She and Ren had peeled off from the rest of the team in order to track down anything that might have slipped past the rest of the Huntsmen. She hadn't exactly mentioned this to their team leader, but sometimes, being a Huntress meant making decision on your own, and explaining them to your leader later. What made a good team was for a leader and her team to be able to trust one another. That's what Nora thought, at any rate.

"Alright!" she raised her hammer, steering her mount back in the direction of the border, the breach where the airship had gone down about a mile down the wall.

The nevermore flew surprisingly gracefully for a creature of Grimm. It was too bad she couldn't keep it, but even she knew better than to try to keep a Grimm as a pet (she had learned that particular lesson long ago). Still, it had been a fun ride while it lasted, but Nora supposed it was time to say goodbye.

FWUMP! FWUMP! FWUMP!

The massive wings of the nevermore she rode beat the air, stirring up air currents as it flew. But even amongst the thunderous din, Nora's ears picked up the thudding sensation of an even heavier set of wings.

FWUMP! FWUMP! FWUMP!

Nora's eyes widened as her Grimm mount fluttered in fear and agitation and screeched to a halt, nearly tossing her off its back as it reeled from the sight of what was emerging from behind the wall.

FWUMP! FWUMP! FWUMP!

Rising slowly above the wall, its wings flapping slowly and gracefully as it hovered into view, was the great red nevermore, the oversized creature of Grimm that served as Pyrrha's personal mount. Larger than all but the largest airships and crimson as a bloodied battlefield, the mighty Grimm dwarfed Nora's ride nearly twice over, its wingspan stretching over a hundred feet from tip to tip. And standing astride the beast, sword and spear in hand, a silent gladiator for the enemy, was their former teammate.

Pyrrha Nikos.

Her mask had grown in size since they'd last seen her. What had once been a mere circlet of bone on her crown, a Grimm mask now dominated her entire face. Covering her eyes, nose and mouth, the mask barely possessed anything remotely resembling human features, a skeletal grimace of pure terror. Her only distinguishing features now were her crimson red hair and her tarnished bronze armor. For all her disfigurement, Pyrrha's weapons still shone brightly, and looked as deadly as they had ever been. Nora's namesake may have been the Valkyrie, but the way her old friend hovered over her, it was Pyrrha who looked like the angel of death from on high.

"Ren!" Nora shouted to alert her partner, attempting to regain control of her mount. "It's-!"

She didn't have time to finish as the great red nevermore lunged at her, its massive beak opening wide enough to nearly snap the other bird in two.

Nora twisted and leaped in response, letting the Grimm she was on take the brunt of the attack as she flung herself from her mount, diving down towards the wall below. She swung her hammer beneath her legs, letting off a concussive blast to slow her fall, before tumbling to her knees, rolling back to her feet. She landed on top of the wall, its sandstone walkway stretching out in either direction, a series of enclosed guard stations stretching out in both directions every thousand feet or so, and a chest-high parapet running along either edge.

As she looked up at her attacker, the larger bird simply tore the other bird in twain, gripping it within its talons and ripping it in half with a mighty snap of its beak, the poor creature giving out one last desperate screech before it crumpled into tattered pieces of black feathery flesh. And then, on top of the great red beast, Pyrrha raised her spear in triumph before pointing the tip of it towards Nora. As if understanding her intentions, the giant Grimm turned its attention towards the Huntress.

"Pyrrha!" Nora shouted, taking a step back, looking back at her former teammate as she weighed her options.

As sure as she was in her combat abilities, she knew she wasn't up to facing Pyrrha by herself. Even with Ren's help, it would be impossible. It wasn't simply a matter of combat ability, it was the friend that she knew was underneath that mask. The smart thing to do would be to flee, but then Nora was never one to do the smart thing in favor of the right thing.

"Pyrrha!" she shouted again, standing her ground as the woman in the Grimm mask slowly descended towards her on her blood-red mount. "It's me! Nora! Don't you remember me!?"

The ghost of Pyrrha stared back at her, unflinching, unmoving, unfeeling atop the back of the nevermore, preternaturally balanced despite standing perfectly upright. The nevermore landed roughly on the wall, its claws digging into the sandstone as it let out a deafening shriek.

 _TSEEEEER!_

Nora did not flinch under the barrage of noise, and simply clutched her hammer in one hand at her side, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You can't do this to us, Pyrrha!" she shouted back, angrily. "You can't torment us like this!"

Pyrrha remained staunch and emotionless as her mount snapped forward with its beak. Nora nimbly sidestepped, eyes remaining focused on Pyrrha's stone-faced mask as the Grimm recoiled its head back for another attack.

"We buried you!" Nora cried, stepping backward as the giant bird advanced on her. "We moved on! You can't come back to us like _this!_ Please, Pyrrha!"

The bird lunged again and Nora raised the haft of her hammer, wedging it between the bird's beak. She didn't know what she was trying to do; if Jaune couldn't get through to her, what hope did Nora have? But she was tired of running, tired of watching helplessly as she and her friends continued to suffer at the hands of this ghost.

She had to try.

"I'm your friend, Pyrrha!" she shouted angrily back at the unfeeling visage. "This isn't you! Try to remember who you are!"

With a fearsome thrash of its head, the great red nevermore ripped Magnhild from Nora's grasp, tossing it away into the terraced rooftops below.

Nora appeared unphased by the disarming, and instead kept her gaze focused on Pyrrha, a defiant look in her eyes.

"Is _this_ the way it's going to be, Pyrrha!?" she demanded. "You're stronger than this! Fight it! I know you can!"

The woman in the skull mask yanked back on the quills of her nevermore, and the Grimm began to flap its oversized wings, and for a moment, Nora honestly thought she might have gotten through to her.

But then when the bird had reached a sufficient height, it opened up its claws and dove at her, talons spread wide to tear at her.

Nora braced herself for the impact, but was suddenly shoved violently to one side.

"Nora!" she heard a familiar voice shouting as she toppled to the walkway atop the wide sandstone wall, and to her horror, she saw Ren standing where she had been a heartbeat earlier.

"Ren!" she screamed in distress, reaching for him. " _No!_ "

The great red nevermore's talons closed around the boy in green. His eyes remained on her as he was yanked away from her as the bird took flight.

"Nora!" he shouted in alarm, his voice straining under the pressure of the nevermore's grip as he was dragged off into the air. "Get somewhere safe!"

"Ren!" Nora screamed in distress as she leaped to her feet and ran to the edge of the parapet. She slammed against the edge, her arm stretching futilely out towards her partner as Pyrrha carried him off in the bird's claws. " _Ren!_ "

Nora's eyes were dilated, her pupils narrowed to fine points. Her breath was caught in her throat as she struggled to form a coherent thought. She hadn't been afraid to die, but now, with the prospect of Ren in that creature's grasp, she suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

He would be fine, she told herself. Ren wasn't completely defenseless. He still had his weapons, and could defend himself. But that Grimm had been monstrous! And Pyrrha was…

She needed to go after him! She needed her weapon! Her eyes began scanning the slums below, peering through dim evening light, searching frantically for the pink telltale sign of where her weapon had fallen.

There! On one of the terraced rooftops below! She leaped over the parapet, scarcely taking notice of the fall as she landed roughly atop the tallest building within reach, before dashing over towards where her hammer lay, its head embedded partway into the sandstone upon which it had landed.

With a mighty yank, she retrieved it from its resting place, and frantically scanned the skies, searching fervently for the red wings looming overhead.

There! The great red nevermore was still circling, as if biding its time. If she squinted, she could just barely see a flash of green still in its talons!

Nora gritted her teeth. She had to get to him! Now! But the nevermore was just too high up! She could let loose with all six charges of her weapon, and only make it halfway! And her specialty was force, not accuracy! There was no way she could make it! She needed a plan! But she couldn't even think straight!

Ren…

"Nora!" a familiar voice suddenly caught her attention. "Nora!"

Nora turned and saw Ruby and Jaune jumping up to the sandstone rooftop beside her, following her gaze up to the circling form of the nevermore, its wings casting visible shadows in the waning evening haze.

"Ruby…" Nora blinked in surprise. "Jaune…"

"Nora, are you okay?" Ruby asked sympathetically. "Team CFVY is off protecting the nearby civilians, and the rest of Team RWBY is holding off the White Fang. Where's Ren?"

Nora looked crestfallen as she turned her eyes back to the skies.

"Up there…" she said.

The other two Huntsmen's eyes widened in dread.

"What!?" Ruby demanded.

Jaune's eyes narrowed as he and Ruby both spotted the green glint in the nevermore's talons.

"That's Pyrrha up there, isn't it?" Jaune spoke out, a heavy intonation in his voice.

Nora nodded. "She snatched him right out from under me! I couldn't do anything at all! We have to save Ren!"

Jaune put a hand on her shoulder while Ruby stared up pensively.

"I can try to clip a wing…" she said, biting her lip.

Jaune shook his head. "That thing's way too big! You'll only piss it off!"

"Well, we need to do something," Ruby muttered bitterly, before turning to Nora. "Can you get me up there?"

Nora looked uncertain. "Maybe…but what if I miss?"

"Can we lure it down here, maybe?" Ruby mused.

Dawn flashed in Jaune's eyes.

"Ruby…" he said, catching their attention, his eyes on the sky.

"What is it, Jaune?" Ruby asked.

Jaune was still staring skyward, his sword and shield clutched tightly in hand. Whatever he was thinking, it clearly terrified him as much as much as the thought of facing Pyrrha again did.

"I have an idea," he said, turning to his two teammates. "And it's crazy."

They were both silent as Jaune explained his plan. And Nora and Ruby both agreed. It was crazy.

"Jaune, are you sure you can pull this off?" Ruby asked as she followed him up to the highest rooftop they could find.

"What choice do I have?" he asked bluntly, grunting with exertion as he climbed the terraced rooftops. "Besides…I'm pretty sure that _I'm_ the one she wants."

"Jaune…" Nora shook her head slowly as they reached the highest point apart from the wall itself. "She'll kill you."

"I won't let that happen, Nora," Jaune stared back at her. "Besides…we have to save Ren."

Nora flinched. She wanted to save Ren, but not at the cost of Jaune's life. She glanced overhead at the great red nevermore, circling their location with Ren still clutched between its talons. He didn't appear to be fighting back, but it was hard to tell at that range. He may very well already have been dead.

Jaune's mouth curved into a nervous smile. "Nora, I can do this."

Nora felt the tears come as she clenched her eyes shut and threw her arms around Jaune.

"Don't you dare die on me!" she shouted, squeezing him tightly. "I can't lose my _entire_ team from Beacon, you hear me!?"

Jaune stiffened under her embrace, but placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her. She could tell that he was nervous too, but he was putting on a brave front to reassure her. As scared as she was for him, she was honestly proud of him as well.

"Save Ren if you can…" she buried her face in his chest. "But don't you _dare_ die!"

Jaune let out a long, slow breath. "I won't."

"You can do this, Jaune," Ruby said, a confident smile on her face. "I believe in you."

Jaune nodded and parted with Nora.

"I'll get him back, Nora," he said, smiling wistfully at her. "Count on it."

Nora and Ruby watched nervously as he stepped out towards the middle of the roof and began waving his arms and shouting frantically up towards the flying Grimm in the sky.

"Hey!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing across the slums. "Heeeeeeey!"

The nevermore didn't seem to respond as it weaved across the sky like a harbinger of death.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune's voice rung like a hollow note across the darkening city-scape. "It's me, Jaune!"

The nevermore let out a strangled cry of agitation that echoed far louder than anything Jaune could muster, as if challenging him.

 _TSEEEEER!_

Jaune stared back at the beast, still waving his arms over his head to get its attention.

"You want me!?" Jaune cried into the void. "Come and get me!"

The great red nevermore let another shriek, before tilting its wings to the side and banking towards the trio of Huntsmen, its rider raising her spear high in the air in gesture of defiance.

Jaune set his jaw before hurrying back over to his partner.

"Here she comes!" he said urgently, sheathing his sword into his still-open shield. "Hurry!"

Ruby nodded and drove the tip of Crescent Rose's blade into the rooftop, lowering the end of the long handle to the stone floor, angling the muzzle of the gun upward like a ballista.

"Perfect!" Jaune nodded, before frantically climbing on top the barrel of Ruby's weapon, balancing precariously on the edge of her scythe.

Slipping his sword and shield off of his arm, he quickly slid the handle of Crocea Mors into the muzzle of Ruby's sniper rifle – a sword that was still sheathed inside his shield, which protruded grip-side up at the end of Cresecent Rose, giving the entire weapon the appearance an oversized shovel.

Above them, the nevermore let out a horrific cry of rage as it tucked its wings back and dove towards them, its prisoner hanging limply in its claws and Pyrrha on its back as she raised her spear to attack.

 _TSEEEEER!_

Ruby held her weapon steady. She had thought it would be harder to balance it with a person on top of it, but the blade embedded pretty thoroughly into the rooftop below their feet. She shifted ever so slightly to aim towards the descending nevermore, before glancing nervously at her friend.

"Jaune, are you sure about this?" Ruby asked one last time.

Jaune placed his feet onto the back of his shield, using it as a platform, the reinforced steel in both weapons easily supporting his weight as the handle strained inside the muzzle of Ruby's weapon. He crouched low, his knee resting on the wide end of his shield as he grabbed hold of the shield-grip like his life depended on it, and looked up to see Pyrrha diving down towards them, her face completely obscured by her bone mask.

"Not even a little bit," he admitted, before focusing every drop of aura he had into his semblance. "Do it!"

Jaune's shield and armor began to glow as Ruby pulled the trigger. Without his semblance, Jaune would have been blown to smithereens, but his shield and armor withstood the blast, his body held together in a self-contained bubble of pure aura. The sword and shield both left the muzzle of the rifle in a gout of flame, sending the weapons (and their rider) flying upward. Not only was Ruby using concussive rounds to propel them forward, but the rounds were striking the pommel of Jaune's sword, and setting of his new dust weapon, firing backward and adding to the propulsion.

Jaune took off like a rocket! Using his shield as a surfboard to steer through the air currents, and propelled by the flaming hilt of his sword still embedded within its base, he sailed off into the sky, his body straining under the g-forces. His armor and shield were still glowing bright, holding himself in place so he didn't fall off or pass out. His aura was holding, but he needed to hurry or he'd be drained before he reached his target.

Reaching back, he thumbed the switch on the handle of his sword that Atlas had been nice enough to provide for him, and set off another concussive blast, giving him an extra boost of speed, and then another, and another. He wobbled precariously with each blast, but his semblance kept him rigid and steady as he glided on his shield. His back knee kept him braced, and his grip on his shield held true. Gritting his teeth, Jaune continued to sail ever skyward on a collision course towards the descending Grimm and its rider.

Pyrrha…

If only the real Pyrrha could have witnessed this, Jaune thought somberly.

The Grimm let out another battle cry at Jaune's abrupt approach. It opened its wings, spreading its beak and its unoccupied talon, bearing a set of vicious claws, each as large as Jaune himself was.

 _TSEEEEER!_

With one last concussive blast from the pommel of his sword, Jaune just managed to avoid the Grimm's outstretched claw and he struck the great red nevermore broadside, right in its feathery flank. The great bird let out a cry of anguish as the sharp end of Jaune's shield bit into its flesh, digging a gash along its front, sending it tumbling back into the sky, its rider obscured behind its massive body.

Jaune saw the nevermore's talons loosen from the impact, sending Ren flailing like a rag doll. Planting his feet against the foundering Grimm as it thrashed to regain control, Jaune pushed himself away from the nevermore and towards his friend, his shield strapped to his arm with his sword still inside.

He reached out towards Ren as they both tumbled through the air, and managed to snag his sleeve and wrap his arms around him. Jaune was surprised how light he felt, but that may have simply been because they were both falling towards the city…

Oh right, they were both falling towards the city, Jaune realized as the two of them began plummeting towards the ground. Luckily, Jaune had a landing strategy picked out this time. He just hoped he had enough juice left to pull it off.

Summoning his semblance again, Jaune's whole body began to glow vibrantly. The whole world was spinning around him, and he clenched his teeth as he felt the air whipping around his body as he fell. He needed to expand his aura outward. Not just to his shield or his sword or his armor or his body. He needed to ensconce an entire person within his semblance. But he was _so_ drained; the maneuver he had pulled to make it this far had already sapped him of his strength. He held onto his teammate's limp form, his vision beginning to narrow as he concentrated hard and he began to feel lightheaded.

The world began to go completely white as it faded around him.

BOOM!

Jaune suddenly had the wind knocked out of him as he saw stars, his his ears ringing, every muscle in his body on fire. Ren tumbled from his grasp and Jaune rolled over, staring up at the sky, too weak to move. He tried clenching his fingers. Both hands seemed to work. He tried wiggling his toes. It was hard to tell with his shoes on, but he was pretty sure his feet worked. Nothing appeared to be broken.

He turned his head to one side to see Ren's body beside him. All around them was an ashen crater, the sky a deep red as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving the kingdom of Vacuo obscured in darkness. There was dust around them from the impact of their landing, however, and Jaune could see the telltale wisps of air as Ren breathed.

He was alive.

Jaune sighed with relief as he tried and failed to sit up, letting out a groan of pain, beginning to feel nauseous. He'd certainly be regretting this little stunt in the morning.

"Jaune!" the faint voice of Ruby sounded.

Despite his torment, Jaune felt a wave of satisfaction running over him. He had done it. He had saved Ren. And he had managed to not die in the process. Soon Ruby would find them both and carry them off to safety. All in all, not a bad day's work.

He tried to raise an arm to signal them, but could barely moved. With a great effort, his vision blurring as he did, he managed to drag himself to a sitting position, gasping for breath as he did.

It was only then that he saw Pyrrha limping towards him.

For a moment, his heart fooled him, and he saw her as she had once been. Beautiful. Vibrant. Poised and graceful. The Pyrrha that he remembered was nigh untouchable. But fate had proven that notion wrong, it seemed. And now, a shambling monster approached him, its face completely covered in a stone white mask. A single crack ran down the front of her mask from where she must have fallen, and a green iris glowered underneath amidst black sclera. Her shield arm hung limply to one side, seemingly broken. But her sword arm was raised as she stepped over to him.

"Pyrrha…" Jaune groaned, squinting back at her with unflinching eyes.

She was here to kill him, it seemed.

He couldn't fight back. He had nothing left. He was utterly spent. He couldn't have raised his sword if he tried. He wasn't even sure where his sword was.

The girl that he remembered gazed down at him with a hard, stoic look. This was not the girl he remembered. This was not even the shadow who had knocked him senseless yet for some reason had spared his life before. This Pyrrha was completely dead inside.

She would not hesitate.

"I failed you, Pyrrha," he exhaled as his eyes flickered closed. "I'm sorry…"

The remnant of the girl standing over him said nothing. The voice another, however, suddenly broke through the haze.

"Jaune!" Ruby's voice suddenly sounded much closer.

His eyes flew open as he turned to see Ruby dashing towards him, stumbling over ruble and decimated buildings. She was still too far away to do any good, and would only manage to make a target of herself after Pyrrha finished him off. She would feel so guilty after this, Jaune thought. He wished he could tell her that it wasn't her fault. He didn't blame Ruby for any of this. She had tried her hardest to save him, just as she had tried her hardest to save Pyrrha before.

That was all that mattered. That was enough.

Jaune steeled himself as he looked back at Pyrrha, her sword already raised over his head to finish him off.

"JAUNE!" Ruby screamed in desperation. " _NOOOOOO!_ "

Jaune closed his eyes, waiting for the end to come. He just hoped that Ruby could find Ren and get away from Pyrrha in time.

Then there was a blinding flash of light, as Jaune attempted to open his eyes and was forced to close them again.

What the…?

He clenched his eyes, confused by what was happening. Pulsing around him was a light so bright, it hurt his eyes even through his closed lids. Every sound around him was suddenly washed out, not by any kind of noise, but by an odd absence of it. Like being absorbed in white noise.

Was this the afterlife?

Finally, the light abated, and Jaune mercifully regained his sight. But what he saw above him, he almost couldn't comprehend.

Pyrrha remained standing above him, poised in mid-strike. And she was completely motionless, as if she had been frozen solid.

What was going on?

He turned his head and saw Ruby standing behind him, looking utterly stunned, barely remaining standing and gasping for breath. And her eyes were glowing a pale silvery glow, tiny wisps of ethereal light escaping from either side.

"R-Ruby?" Jaune asked out loud, still unsure how exactly he had survived. "W-What…?"

Ruby didn't answer. She was staring at Pyrrha's petrified form, blinking in utter disbelief.

"Did…did I…?" she muttered absently to herself, the sliver light slowly fading in her eyes.

She didn't get to finish the thought, however, as a familiar battle cry tore through the air.

 _TSEEEEER!_

The great red nevermore landed before them, kicking up a storm of dust as it flapped its wings. Somehow it had survived!

"Ruby!" Jaune shouted, struggling and failing to get to his feet as she raised her weapon instinctively.

The beast seemed to ignore the two Huntsmen entirely, however. Instead, it almost gingerly reached out with one of its talons and plucked the frozen form of Pyrrha off the ground.

With a mighty flap of its wings, it took to the air. Taking Pyrrha with it.

"Wait, _hey!_ " Jaune shouted, his voice cracking, too surprised to think or move. "Pyrrha!"

Jaune could only stumble and Ruby could only watch, both of them still too shaken to move, as the nevermore rose into the sky. It let out one last cry of defiance, before it flapped its wings and swooped off into the night.


	55. Chapter 55

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 55

* * *

For all her bluster, Blake was scared. Adam was a lot stronger than her, and in a fair fight, he would beat her every time. It was difficult not fall back on old habits and simply flee. But running here would accomplish nothing, and would only put Yang and her friends in harm's way. She had to face this problem now, she knew, otherwise she and the people she cared about would suffer the consequences.

But she couldn't just grab the bull by the horns, either. She had fight smart and wear it down. Adam thrived on head-on attacks, and was naturally suited to dueling large and powerful opponents into submission. This meant that no matter how strong Blake's attacks, she'd never make any headway if she fought the kind of battle Adam was suited for. No, for this fight, Blake knew she had to play to her strengths. And those strengths were tactics and stealth.

Blake was a natural guerrilla fighter, very adept at making quick hit-and-run attacks. Add to this to an assortment of dust abilities provided to her by Weiss, and she could find creative solutions to daunting problems. A quick application of yellow speed dust had allowed her to pull her team leader out of harm's way just a moment ago. All she had to do was _out-think_ Adam, and she would beat him.

The problem there was that he was also older and wiser than she was, and he knew her fighting style as well as she knew his. He knew that she would rely on stealth tactics, and would be prepared to counter them. He wouldn't fall for any of the tricks that she had used while she had been part of the White Fang.

But…he may not know about her newly acquired dust abilities. No doubt he was familiar with the Schnee Dust Company and that her teammate was a Schnee…but he would have no way of knowing how dust affected her semblance.

And there was one other trick she had up her sleeve…

"Not so brave without your little human friend to protect you?" Adam taunted her.

Blake took a steadying breath. The two of them were facing off against one another, while Yang dealt with the rest of the White Fang. As gifted as Yang was at crowd control, even she could be overwhelmed. Blake had tried to step in as the White Fang had rushed her, but before she could, Adam had headed her off, separating the two of them while Weiss dueled with the Lieutenant elsewhere.

It seemed that this had always been Adam's plan, to have his men deal with her team while he faced off against Blake himself.

"I could say the same about you and your soldiers," Blake snorted derisively, gesturing to the brawl going on behind him between Yang and his men. She could see Yang holding her own, giving the foot soldiers a thrashing. She was in no evident danger, but still, Blake could not expect any help from Yang at this point.

"Three on one is hardly a fair fight," Adam smirked as he clasped his sword at a ready position by his side. "This is much better."

He looked odd without his mask. His irises were beet red, and his horns stood out more prominently without the added ornament, somehow making him look even more fearsome. His face was still stained with blood, and somehow Blake knew that it would bear more blood before she saw it last.

"I don't seem to recall you ever caring about fairness," Blake said, drawing her sword.

Adam pointed his stolen sword at her and sneered.

"Are you that eager to die, my love?" he asked, his red eyes taunting her.

"You of all people should know the answer to that…" she shot back, her sword and sheath in hand and poised in front of her.

Then she disappeared like a shadow in the wind.

Adam cast his eyes about the ruined slum around him, his sword held at the ready. He then held his sword out, and blocked an incoming strike as Blake reappeared at his side, not even turning his head to face her.

He smirked. "You'll have to do better than that, my dear…"

Blake gritted her teeth and withdrew her sword, disappearing again.

Adam shifted his sword to the other side of his body and blocked her next strike, effortlessly. She disappeared again, and he shifted his sword behind his back to block her next attack.

"You're wasting your time, Blake," he sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "I know all your moves and all your tricks."

Blake disappeared again, and when she tried to attack him from the front, he reached up and grabbed her by the wrist before she could even land a blow on him.

"You're powerless against me, my darling…" he breathed wickedly. "Why don't you just save us both the trouble and-"

He didn't get to finish the sentence when he was suddenly interrupted by a sword in his back.

" _Gyagh!_ " he gasped in pain and disbelief, his head flying back as his eyes widened in shock.

Blake stood behind him as her shadow before him faded into nothingness, the blade of Gambol Shroud embedded halfway between his sixth and seventh rib. She had been training herself to keep her shadow clones out for longer and longer since they had last fought. They still could only last a few seconds, but it was not the instantaneous maneuver it had always been. Now she could move unseen for even longer than before, and she was using it to her full advantage now.

"You think you know me so well…" Blake whispered angrily as she twisted the blade in between his ribs. "But you don't know a _damn_ thing…"

Adam exhaled through gritted teeth before letting out a roar of aggravation.

"Rrrrr _rrrrrghhhhhhh!_ " he howled in anger.

To Blake's surprise, he then turned and lashed out at her, seemingly unencumbered by the sword in his back. She tried to yank her sword out, but she was forced to leap away from his flailing strike, and her sword remained embedded in his back as he turned and glared at her.

Blake stared aghast as Adam stood before her, panting for breath as her sword protruded from behind him. His eyes were blood red and she could see veins throbbing under the skin on his forehead, his nostrils flaring as his blood boiled in rage. She was pretty sure she had pierced a lung with that strike, he shouldn't have been able to keep standing, much less continue to fight her.

He reached behind his back to grab her sword and give it a brutal yank, pulling it from his back with a spurt of blood, grunting in pain as he gritted his teeth. He held her sword out before him, holding handle and blade in either hand.

" _That_ …" he growled furiously at her "…was…a _mistake_ …"

With a vicious snarl of rage, he snapped the blade in two over his knee!

Blake's eyes widened in dread as she held out the single bladed scabbard she had left defensively as he charged her, his sword raised. She barely had time to leap out of the way as he plowed through the rubble behind her, before coming back at her with another charging strike. His injury only seemed to fuel his fury as he rushed her, like a rampaging bull!

This wasn't a weapon. This wasn't a semblance. This was his very nature as a Faunus, brought to bear. His aura must have been running low from the airship crash, Blake determined, based on how easily she had managed to wound him. However, when pushed to his limit, Blake realized, Adam transformed into a completely different person! This was a side of Adam that she had never even seen before. This was unfettered rage incarnate. He was attacking her with a fury she had never thought possible, his mind lost for reason, like some kind of berserker.

Given their history, Blake reflected idly, she wondered whether this indicated something about why she was so drawn to Yang.

Adam swung at her relentlessly with his sword; while each strike wasn't particularly difficult to dodge, he was following through with another attack after every swing, forcing her to keep on her toes. At this rate, she would run out of stamina before he did, and she didn't have her sword or any of its dust rounds to work with.

Then he managed to grab the hilt of her sword and yank her off balance, sending her tumbling to the ground.

She winced as she fell and grimaced as she expected him to finish her off right there. But as she got to her feet, she noticed something strange about him.

He was looking around in confusion, as if he didn't even see her.

"Where'd you run off to…?" he growled in agitation, sniffing the air.

Blake stared at him in astonishment, before a familiar voice suddenly caught her attention.

"Get out of there, you idiot! Before he smells you!"

Blake turned and saw Emerald hidden behind an outcropping of rubble, and Blake's eyes widened in astonishment. She quickly hurried over towards her and joined behind her hiding place, keeping a wary eye on Adam. Emerald must have been using her semblance to hide the two of them from Adam's sight!

"Emerald!" she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your furry butt, from the looks of it," Emerald glowered, nose wrinkled. "You owe me for this! Now hurry up and get going while I keep him distracted."

Blake stared at her in stupefaction. "Get going? To where, exactly?"

"Anywhere!" Emerald hissed. "As long as it's not here! Look around you! Everything's gone pear-shaped! The White Fang are everywhere, the Grimm have already invaded, and it won't be long before even more Grimm make it into the city with that huge hole in the wall!"

Blake looked around at the carnage around her, and had to admit, things did look pretty bleak. The Grimm were already spreading farther than she and her team could contain, and aside from Yang and Weiss, she and the rest of her team seemed to already out of the fight, thanks to Adam and the White Fang. It was a losing battle by any viewpoint, and Blake of all people should have been the first person to jump ship in times like this.

"Where are you, Blake!?" Adam's voice echoed from behind their cover. "I'll find you eventually!"

Emerald grabbed Blake by the shoulder, giving her a serious look. If she was still focusing her semblance on twisting Adam's mind and allowing the two of them to remain hidden, it did not show on her face.

"Vacuo's going the way of Vale," she said forebodingly. "We _both_ need to get out of here before it does!"

Blake set her jaw. Yang and her team were still out there. She couldn't abandon them here. Not again. She wouldn't run away anymore.

"Sorry, Emerald," Blake muttered grudgingly. "But I'm not going anywhere…"

Emerald gave her an incredulous look. "Are you _insane!?_ You've lost your weapon, your team is scattered, and the threats are growing by the minute! Plus, that psycho out there seems dead-set on _ending_ you!"

Blake nodded, clutching her bladed sheath in her hands, stealing herself in preparation.

"Exactly…" she explained, trying to calm her breathing. "This is _my_ mess. And I've got to-"

"Hey!" came a loud shout from the clearing.

Blake froze in fear. That had not been Adam's voice. She peered out from her cover, and with a look of despair, saw Yang standing tall, panting and wheezing for breath. She was covered in dirt and scuff marks and bleeding from several cuts and gashes around her body as she stared down the leader of the White Fang with a defiant look in her eyes.

"I just finished mopping up your buddies back there…" Yang growled angrily, her breath wheezing. "Now where's Blake!?"

Blake withered. She dare not reveal herself for fear of sending Adam into a frenzy again. But Yang…

"Who knows…?" Adam muttered grimly as he turned to her, lowering his sword in preparation for a strike. "But as long as you're here…I might as well kill _you_ instead…"

Blake flinched and moved to rise, but Emerald's hand was still on her shoulder.

"Stop!" she hissed warningly. "Are you crazy? You don't even have your weapon! You'll just get yourself killed!"

Blake bit her lip. "But…Yang…"

Blake knew her partner well enough to know when she was putting on a brave front. She didn't even need to check her scroll to see that she was _exhausted_. Behind where she stood, Blake could see unconscious bodies littering the ground by the dozens! Yang had just gone toe to toe with the _entire_ White Fang, and had come out seemingly victorious And while they consisted largely of small fry by comparison, they numbered well into the hundreds, and were a force to be reckoned with when combined. Yang may have won the battle, but her aura was flickering in the red zone as a result!

"I'm only going to ask you one more time…" Yang growled warningly, her arm transforming into a dust cannon as she aimed it at the last remaining White Fang, slowly beginning to charge. "Where…is…Blake?"

Adam stared back at her, a murderous look in his blood red eyes.

"Maybe I killed her already…" he said in a deadly tone. "Would that make you angry?"

Yang's nostrils flared as she gritted her teeth, letting out a grunt of anger as she raised her arm and opened fire! She let loose a blast from her dust cannon, a blue-white beam of pure energy casting its pale glow on everything in sight.

"No…" Blake whispered. _That fool!_

Adam grinned as he withdrew his sword, catching the full force of her blast on the edge of Qrow's sword. The energy concentrated into a single fine point as he held his ground, focusing his aura into the point, before it dissipated into nothingness, its energy coalescing with his own aura.

Yang gasped for breath as she stared back at her opponent in anger and frustration, her body shaking from fury and her own exhaustion. That had been her last ditch effort, and it had somehow made him _stronger!_

Blake's ears drooped in despair. Adam's aura had more than fully charged from that blast!

"Say goodbye!" Adam crowed, his aura swirling like a red morass around him before lunging towards Yang, sword raised.

"No!" Blake cried, pulling free of Emerald's grip and shadow-stepping away.

"Blake!" Emerald shouted in alarm.

Blake grabbed Yang just in time to pull her out of harm's way, her momentum carrying them both forward as Adam's attack flew past them, the two of them landing awkwardly in a heap together.

"Blake…?" Yang breathed in disbelief.

There was a sudden explosion as Adam's sword strike impacted the rubble and the shattered carapace of the Atlesian frigate behind them. The force of the blow hit with such impact that the entire airship split in half along the trajectory of the cut, a beam of energy lancing through it as the two broken halves crumbled together, gravity collapsed the ship further in on itself.

Blake climbed to her feet and stood defensively over her partner as she stared down her former lover with a warning look on her face, ears lowered threateningly.

"Blake…" Yang placed a steadying hand on her shoulder as she rose to her feet as well.

Adam, for his part, could not look more pleased.

"Hahahaha!" he laughed maniacally.

His aura radiated so heavily that Blake could feel it from where she stood, even as blood dripped from the wound on his back. He had the look of a madman, his eyes bloodshot as he dragged his stolen sword on the ground.

"Isn't this precious!?" he crowed, pointing his sword at the two girls. "Still fighting the same losing fight! History repeats itself, doesn't it Blake!?"

Blake drew back her upper lip as she glared back at him.

"What do you _want_ from me, Adam!?" Blake demanded angrily. "Will killing me give you the satisfaction you crave!? What do you gain by doing any of this!? How far are you willing to go!?"

Adam spat. "You don't get to ask questions like that anymore, Blake! You turned your back on everything we ever stood for!"

"I made a choice!" Blake cried. "I'm sorry if that choice hurt you, but I had to decide what was best for me! I couldn't live with a monster anymore! And you!? You're the one who decided to become that monster!"

"Shut up!" Adam seethed angrily. "You don't have a single clue how much I've sacrificed! For the White Fang, and for _you_ , Blake! How _dare_ you throw that all away!"

"You didn't do it for _me_ , Adam!" Blake screamed back. "You did it for yourself!"

For the first time, Adam seemed to hesitate. He stared at her blankly, a look of disbelief in his eyes.

"Blake…" he shook his head.

"You wanted a version of me who _never_ existed!" Blake shouted, tears in her eyes. "You dreamed up this life for us both to live, and… _God_ , I even dreamed it for myself once upon a time…"

Blake rubbed the tears from her eyes.

"But then I woke up from that dream!" she said. "I saw how much that dream would cost, and that cost was too high for me! But not for you! Don't you see? We _never_ had the same goal in mind! We're two _completely_ different people underneath it all!"

Adam was trembling in scarcely contained fury now, his eyes hidden behind mud-damp locks. "Blake…"

"You think you know me, Adam!" Blake sobbed. "But you don't! You never did!"

Adam's nostrils flared as he crouched low to the ground, hand on his sword.

" _BLAKE!_ " he blared, charging forward with his sword.

Blake froze in fear. Adam's aura was still supercharged from Yang's dust cannon, which allowed him to move _blindingly_ fast! Within the blink of an eye, he was already within striking distance, and Blake barely hard time to grab Yang, much less shadow step away.

In the end, she didn't have to, however. Because at that moment, Yang shoved her to the side, holding her mechanical arm out to defend against the impending sword strike.

Adam's blade impacted with the steel bracer built into her arm, and the area behind where Yang stood exploded in a burst of pure aura! The blade sank into metal and machinery, sparks flying as Yang held her ground, the sword and arm clashing in a climactic fury of energy and willpower.

"Yang!" Blake shouted in alarm as she tumbled to the ground beside her, shielding her eyes from the explosion of energy.

Yang growled in frustration as she finally shoved him back, before dropping to one knee. Yang's arm was in smoking shambles, crackling machinery and exposed wires sparking as it hung limply at her side.

"Nnnrrrnnng!" Yang gritted her teeth angrily as she clutched her shoulder in pain with her good arm. "Fuck…"

Adam regained his footing as she glowered back at her.

"You lose…" he crowed.

Blake scrambled to her feet. "Yang! Come on! We have to get out of here!"

Yang spat out a mouthful of dust and smiled weakly at Blake.

"Blake…" she said. "If we run from this now, we'll be running for the rest of our lives. I'd rather deal with this here, now…"

"Yang…" Blake shook her head in disbelief. _That stubborn fool…_

"I may only have one arm!" Yang yelled, clutching her good hand at her side as she glared back at Adam. "But that's all I need to beat you!"

Adam snorted derisively.

"You've interfered for the last time, human…" he said with a growl, preparing his sword for another strike to finish her off.

Yang smirked back at him, before glancing over at Blake.

"Blake…do you trust me?"

Blake fought back tears anew. "Yang…whatever you're thinking…"

She snorted out a laugh as she fixed her eyes on Adam.

"I've always wondered what would happen…" she said in a low, husky voice "If I tried something like this…"

Slowly, she raised her remaining Ember Celica, and pointed the barrel of her guns against her temple.

Adam seemed puzzled by this. Blake just gasped in disbelief.

"Yang!" she shouted. "What are you doing!?"

"I don't know…" she said, not breaking eye contact with Adam. "Want to find out?"

Blake's heart leaped into her throat.

"Yang!" she screamed. " _Don't!_ "

Yang was smiling as she pulled the trigger.

BLAM!

Her head jerked sideways from the impact as she teetered precariously and stepped sideways to catch her balance. Her aura wavered and flickered, before turning a brilliant white gold.

And then all hell broke loose.

BOOM!

Yang's hair lit up like a white hot blow torch, her eyes raging like a bonfire. Her aura fired off around her, enveloping her body and radiating in all directions. The ground beneath her feet began to give way as she exploded with power, her semblance lighting up, exploding with energy like a supernova!

Blake's jaw hung agape in disbelief. Kinetic energy transference. A semblance that could absorb damage and grow stronger the more it absorbed. And Yang had just unloaded a concussive round right into her own skull.

The result was an explosion of power unlike anything Blake had ever seen before.

" _YAAAAAAAARRRRRRGH!_ " Yang bellowed, her voice echoing off the sandstone walls.

Adam blinked in disbelief.

"What the-?"

That was all he got off before Yang was suddenly in his face, her fist connecting with the pit of his stomach, firing off another round. Blake hadn't even seen her move!

BOOM!

Adam flew backwards, tumbling through the rubble without slowing, before slamming back-first into the wall like a ton of bricks, leaving a sizable web of cracks all around him from the impact.

Yang's breathing was ragged and labored, her breath vaporizing before it left her lips as she clasped her teeth together in a maniacal grin of malevolence. Her blood-red irises were dilated to fine points as she charged forward, her broken machine limb dangling uselessly at her side.

" _HURRRRRRAAAAAAGH!_ " Yang let out a bloodthirsty scream.

BOOM!

Her fist slammed into Adam's stomach once again, hammering him into the sandstone wall behind him with another concussive round, and he spat up a mouthful of blood.

" _Guhhhh!_ " he sputtered in pain.

Yang grabbed the White Fang by the collar and threw him into a pile of rubble, watching him crumple like a ragdoll as he rolled and tumbled through the loose sandstone bricks.

"Yang!" Blake shouted again, trying to capture her attention.

Adam rose to his feet, bleeding from the lips as well as his back as he clutched his sword, tremulously preparing another strike as Yang stood staring back at him, a manic look in her eyes, her one good arm clenched into a flaming fist, her mechanical arm dangling uselessly at her side.

It was not anger or rage on her face anymore. Her emotions had surpassed any such fixations. No, the look on her face right then was one of absolute _glee_. She was _enjoying_ this! She was enjoying the act of beating the White Fang within an inch of his life! Finally, she would be getting her revenge, and by all that this world stood for, it would be _so_ sweet!

Blake shook her head in disbelief. Yang looked absolutely insane, her lips spread wide, baring her teeth like a Cheshire cat toying with its prey. She was standing at an awkward angle, as if her legs didn't work properly anymore, hobbling back and forth, her sense of balance entirely skewed.

And her eyes. Such vicious, obsessive, blood-crazed eyes…

"Yang!" Blake shouted. "Stop!"

Yang ignored her as she chambered another round into her one remaining gauntlet.

Blake couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was like Yang had gone absolutely insane!

Adam, it seemed, had finally gathered his wits about him.

"Rrrrrng!" Adam bellowed in rage. " _Enough!_ "

He charged forward with his sword, drawing his blade on her for one last strike.

" _Yang!_ " Blake screamed.

CLANG!

Adam froze in astonishment. He could hardly fathom what had just happened. He had been aiming for a decapitation strike; he had every intention of taking her head.

Instead, Yang had actually caught his sword in her _teeth!_

" _What!?_ " Adam gasped in astonishment.

" _HHHYYYYYYYYAAAARRRRRGGHHHHH!_ " Yang bellowed through clenched teeth, sinking her good fist into his stomach and letting loose another blast, a look of utter bloodlust in her eyes.

BOOM!

Six cylinders of Ember Celica went off and sent the White Fang skyward, tumbling up high into the air.

" _RRRAAAARRRRRRRRGGHHHHHH!_ " Yang let out another war cry as she leaped into the air after him, firing her remaining six cylinders downward to give her enough thrust to get above him.

BOOM!

She soared upward, chambering another round into her gauntlet before slamming her fist into Adam's back, sending him flying back down to the ground.

BOOM!

Adam hit the rubble with a bone crunching _crack_ , his body lying crumpled and broken on the ground. Yang landed feebly before him, her aura slowly dissipating as she stumbled weakly over to him, her body swiftly draining of power, but her good fist still raised.

"Yang!" Blake shouted as she ran up to her, throwing her arms around her shoulders. "Yang, stop!"

Yang halted her pursuit. Her enemy did not rise to his feet. He was barely conscious. She stood rigid and steadfast, her eyes sunken inward from exhaustion, her hair withered and ragged. Her breathing was low and halting, and her face betrayed no other emotion, save the unyielding and unflinching desire to kill.

"You said it yourself, Blake…" Yang wheezed, her voice hollow and raspy from screaming and exhaustion. "This man…has taken… _far_ too much…"

She fixed her partner with a look of vicious fury. If ever Blake could ascribe the phrase 'don't fuck with me' to a single expression, Yang wore that expression on her face at that very moment.

"I _won't_ let him take anything else!" she declared tremulously.

Blake shook her head in despair. "Yang, you've already won! Just stop already! You've done enough!"

" _No!_ " Yang roared back at her, baring her teeth and pointing her good arm threateningly at the man lying before her. " _He dies!_ "

"Yang, please!" Blake begged. "I can't _bear_ to see you like this anymore!"

Yang stared aghast at Blake, disbelief on her face. She couldn't understand where this was coming from. If anyone had cause to see this man dead, it should have been Blake. So why?What was she even talking about? Yang peered into Blake's eyes, searching for answers.

"This isn't you, Yang!" Blake sobbed. "You're not a monster! Don't let him turn you into one!"

Yang stared at her dumbfounded, her eyes slowly losing their red hue and fading back to pale lavender.

"I nearly lost you once, Yang!" Blake cried, clutching her tightly. "I can't lose you again! Not like _this!_ "

Yang's eyes widened as she blinked in surprise, and only just seemed to notice what she was doing. She stared down at her bloody fist – blood that was both hers and Adam's – and the dents and scuff marks lining her gauntlets. She stared down at the mangled wreck that was her mechanical arm, a machine she had attached to herself in order for her to continue fighting. She stared down at the bruised and bloody figure lying prone before her as he glared back at up at her, blood weeping from every part of his face.

Was this what her mother had expected her to become?

Yang lowered her fist.

"Sorry Blake," she sighed, exhaling in defeat. "You're right…we're done here…"

Blake let out a sigh of relief as embraced her partner tightly. Yang had finally come back to her. She had nearly lost all control, and for a moment, Blake was worried that Yang had completely lost sight of herself. Yang burned bright as an ember, and Blake had to remind herself that sometimes, that meant she risked burning herself out. Blake feared Adam to be sure, but she feared losing her partner even more. Yang had nearly become a monster in defeating him, and as much as she wished Adam gone from her life, it was not worth losing her friend in the process.

"Oh, Yang..." she whimpered.

"Oof!" Yang grunted in pain. "Easy, easy there…"

"Sorry…" Blake winced sympathetically as she lent Yang a shoulder to lean on.

"Rrrrng…" a voice at their feet groaned lowly. "Nng… _Blake…_ "

Blake and Yang stared down at the White Fang disdainfully.

"One last thing, though…" Yang said as she stiffly hobbled her way over to where Adam lay.

With an effort, she leaned down and grabbed the hilt of Qrow's sword and hoisted it over her shoulder.

"This is my uncle's sword…" she said simply. "I'm taking it back."

Adam glared up at her as she reclaimed the weapon, but Yang simply met his gaze.

"This isn't over…" he growled through pained breaths, his body crippled and unmoving.

"Looks pretty over to me," Yang said coldly. "You just don't seem to know when you're beat, do you? Let's get one thing straight here, pal…"

She jutted her finger at the White Fang.

"You and Blake-" she said gruffly. "-Are _done_. The only reason I'm letting you live is because _I_ don't need your blood on my hands. But I'm warning you…if you ever come after her or _any_ of my friends again…"

Yang bared her teeth one last time.

"…I will _rain down_ on you with a fire unlike _anything_ you've ever seen before…" she breathed threateningly. "Don't you _dare_ forget that."

She turned and Blake nodded in affirmation as she helped Yang limp away from the battlefield.

"Rrrrrgh! _Blake!_ " Adam's voice hollered behind them, echoing across the distance. "I'll find you, Blake! You hear me!? There's nowhere for you to hide! Wherever you go, I'll find you!"

Yang shook her head, dismissively as she leaned into Blake's shoulder.

"Come on, Blake…" she said softly. "Let's go find the others…"


	56. Chapter 56

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 56

* * *

Weiss' foe was a persistent one. While lacking much in the way of grace or agility, his speed and brute force more than made up for. It made keeping him at a distance all the more difficult, as he could close the distance on her with relative ease, and any obstacles she put in his way, he simply cut through with his chainsaw sword. At a range, Weiss had the advantage, and would have been able to use her most powerful glyphs, but he was attacking with such a ferocity that she was having difficulty even casting the most basic conjurations before being forced to raise her sword to block another attack.

And what was even worse was that he was particularly adept at controlling the flow of the battle. While their last fight had been in closed quarters, where Weiss could not have possibly moved far enough away to get a decent angle on him, now they were in wide open space within the crippled walls of Vacuo. As much as Weiss wished to see her foe vanquished, she was particularly loathe to leave Blake and Yang to that ruffian with the red hair. Yet the White Fang Lieutenant only seemed to pushing her farther and farther away from her two teammates, dividing their numbers so he could focus solely on her, and every maneuver she made to get back within range of her team was met with her suddenly being forced back yet again.

He was like a madman! He was expending so much energy with each attack that it was unreasonable to think that he could maintain this output, but he was proving that theory an invalid one. There must have been a limit to his stamina, but so far, Weiss was not seeing it. What was fueling this man, exactly?

"Honestly!" she cried, leaping back yet again as he swung his massive chainsaw sword where she had just been, cleaving through what had once been a sandstone slum wall. "What exactly does the White Fang stand to gain from all this? Vacuo has had friendly race relations with the Faunus for centuries!"

The Lieutenant simply poised and raised his sword for his next strike.

"They are but a stepping stone," he said bluntly. "That is all."

He lunged forward, and Weiss sent herself flying backwards with a glyph once again as he destroyed a section of the wall she had been standing besides.

"To what end, though!?" she demanded, quite honestly muddled as she stood upon a pile of rubble at the base of the great wall. "Will you not be satisfied until every non-Faunus in the world is dead?"

The Lieutenant glared up at her through his mask, his voice a sonorous baritone note. "Would that be so bad?"

He plunged his chainsaw sword into the pill of rubble on which she stood, destroying stone after stone and causing the pile to shift, sending Weiss slowly drifting down in a landslide. She was forced once again to leap back, this time back to the wall itself.

"Well, I'd certainly mind!" she declared indignantly.

"Hmph," he retorted as he lumbered towards her. "What do I care about the opinions of a _Schnee!?_ "

Weiss was cornered, and if she stood her ground, she'd eventually be overpowered, so without any other options, she leaped up onto the side of the wall, casting a quick gravity glyph, sticking her feet to the surface.

"You say that name like it's an insult!" Weiss shouted back down at the White Fang. "I know my family's company doesn't have the best track record the Faunus, but…surely there's some way we can reach an accord!"

Weiss' eyes widened as he crouched low and leaped into the air, coming at her with his blade poised to strike. She leaped back, up the wall, casting another glyph to stand on, just barely retreating in time for him to embed the tip of his sword into the sandstone wall, feet planting into the surface beneath it as he clung the wall beneath her.

"The White Fang has tried negotiations before!" he spat in disgust. "Things only got worse! Your family showed us just how much they valued talk!"

With a buzz of his chainsaw, his sword began to dig its way through the burrow it had made in the sandstone, and digging its way across the surface, began to _drag_ him up towards her.

Weiss let out a gasp as she leaped clear of his blade, casting another glyph to keep herself suspended on the wall. She was forced to cast another and another, however, as his approach did not slow. Dodging left or right did not seem to deter him as he simply angled around and continued his approach, the whirring blade in his sword keeping him affixed to the wall beneath her as it dragged him along the surface like a propeller. He pursued her no matter which direction she went, etching a long, winding trail behind him as went. She was left with no other choice than to continue dancing up towards the top of the wall, leaping and bounding from glyph to glyph as she maintained her hold on the vertical surface.

Finally, she crested the top of the wall, cartwheeling over top of it to stand on the raised parapet lining its border. Across either side, she could see the last wisps of sunlight disappearing behind the horizon, the vast city of Vacuo on the opposite side, and the spectacular wreck of the Atlesian frigate down below, the wall ending abruptly where it lay. And off in the distance, difficult to see in the fading sunlight, was a horde of Grimm, stampeding ever closer to the wall.

They would be on them in a matter of minutes! They needed to do something, and soon!

But the White Fang Lieutenant had already leaped over top of the wall to stand before her, his chainsaw sword buzzing menacingly.

"So…what?" Weiss demanded, holding her sword out. "You'll just kill me and topple the kingdoms of Remnant one by one, and that will make everything better? You think _anything_ you're doing here will have a positive effect on the future of the Faunus!?"

"You know _nothing_ of what we've been made to endure!" the lieutenant growled as he swung his sword at her, which she dodged, back-flipping across the parapet with each swing. "You don't have a _single_ clue what the Faunus go through every day!"

He slammed his sword down towards her, barely missing her dress as he ground his chainsaw into the sandstone parapet.

"We've tried diplomacy!" he shouted, swinging at her vehemently. "We've tried peace marches!"

He swung at her again and again, forcing her back as she parried and dodged, just barely keeping pace.

"We've tried Protesting! Rallying! Picketing, unionizing, holding demonstrations…all to be ignored!" he blared. "Humans are _deaf_ to the language of peace! Especially the Schnee Dust Company!"

His sword slammed into hers, and she absorbed the force behind the strike, toppling back as she rolled across the parapet, sliding off the ledge and grabbing the sandstone with her free hand, her feet dangling precariously over the terraced slums below.

"Violence is the only language you Schnees understand, the only language any of you seem to respond to…" he growled as he stood over her, his chainsaw blade hanging menacingly over her exposed hand. "And so we must speak out loudly and clearly if we are to be heard!"

His chainsaw sword began whirring loudly as he brought the sword down towards her fingers.

"And your death shall be the loudest message by far!" he cried triumphantly.

Before he could saw off her fingers, Weiss released her grip on the wall. His sword bit into sandstone and she dropped down onto a pure white Glyph suspended in mid-air, which launched her over the wall, back flipping over the lieutenant's head and landing on the parapet across from him.

"I am _not_ my family!" Weiss said, holding out her sword in a ready stance. "And I am _not_ my company! I have _heard_ what the White Fang – no, what the _Faunus_ have had to say! And I _do not_ condone what my family and my company has done! To the Faunus, to its workers, or to you!"

The lieutenant seemed unimpressed by this as he charged her, sword buzzing.

"So what?" he demanded, his gravelly voice reverberating through his mask as she sunk his whirring blade into the sandstone. "Will you single-handedly topple your own company? Your own family!? I think not! Your petty ideals are as worthless to us as your words are empty!"

Weiss managed to get a glyph off and propelled the lieutenant backwards along the walkway, skidding along the sandstone and kicking up dust. The sun had all but disappeared, and the dim light cast by the torchlight at each of the guard stations positioned along the wall cast the two fighters into obscurity.

But soon enough, the shattered moon became visible from behind the clouds.

"You don't know me, White Fang," Weiss stated plainly as she prepared another glyph, watching as the lieutenant got to his feet. "So I'll tell you this _once_ …"

She sunk her sword into the sandstone walkway at her feet, lining the path in either direction in solid ice, causing the Lieutenant to wobble precariously, jamming the tip of his sword into the floor at his feet for stability.

"I am _Weiss Schnee!_ " she bellowed. "And my word is my bond! I _don't_ compromise on my ideals! I _don't_ go back on my word! And when I make a promise, I _keep_ it!"

With a wave of her sword, two small glyphs appeared on her heels, and her feet gently rose up above the ice, riding on a cushion of air.

"So when I tell you that I _fully_ intend to overturn every criminal act my company has committed, to amend every grievance it has caused, and to make right every wrong for which it is guilty…you can _count_ on it!" she declared. "You kill me now, you get nothing! And you can bet your bottom dollar that my father will devote _every_ resource in his power to eradicating the White Fang and all that it stands for!"

As the lieutenant climbed to his feet, he watched as Weiss sheathed her sword.

"But if you agree to set aside our differences, right here and now, then you will have gained the greatest ally you could imagine!" she offered simply. "The choice is yours, sir!"

Weiss put her hands on her hips.

"I await your answer."

The lieutenant lowered his chain-sword for a moment, as he seemed to consider.

"If only it _were_ my choice to make…" he lamented, before raising his sword once again. "But it is not my place to make such decisions. It is not how things are done in the White Fang!"

He slammed the tip of his sword into the ice, starting up his buzz-saw blade, and using the chain to propel himself towards her across the ice.

Weiss feet glided across the ice, and she easily evading his incoming charged, moving gracefully and effortless across the frozen surface as he spun on by. In an effort to correct his course, his blade drove through the parapet to his right to gain a grip and halt his charge, before propelling himself back in the opposite direction towards her.

Weiss dodged him again and again as he charged towards her, as he let out growls of anger and frustration at each missed attack, digging his sword into the parapet each time to turn himself around.

"Hold still, you little-!" he roared, and Weiss could practically hear him gnashing his teeth beneath his mask.

Weiss clicked her tongue as she shook her head. He was only serving to tear up the walkway and the parapet with his flailing attack patterns, and was demolishing the very foundation on which they both stood. Behind her, a new, larger glyph was already forming along the ice. This battle was already hers.

"So I take it I have your answer then?" she asked indignantly, checking her nails.

The White Fang Lieutenant raised his sword and pointed it at her.

"Even if what you offer is true…" he glowered "No force in this world will convince me to work together with a Schnee!"

Weiss let out a sigh as she shook her head in disappointment. "Then it seems that it is the _White Fang_ who are the ones deaf to the language of peace…"

With that, she raised her hand and summoned her gleaming knight, the colossal titan emerging from a great white glyph behind her, rising out of the ground before landing with a great sonorous _boom_ on top of the wall.

"What!?" the lieutenant gasped in disbelief at the size of the colossal summon.

The impact of the knight's weight alone was enough to shatter the sandstone wall beneath their feet. The cuts and gashes that the lieutenant had carved into the stone at his feet suddenly gave way as the foundation beneath him suddenly began to crumble, the surface level bricks at the wall's zenith starting to collapse.

"No!" he shouted, this time in panic.

As the sandstone began to fall away off to either side, he watched in horror as the destruction he'd caused brought the ground on which he himself stood tumbling away like so much sand. He slammed the end of his sword into the loose and crumbling sandstone bricks, but it was impossible to find purchase until he was well off the edge of the wall, and by the time his sword embedded itself, he dangled precariously over the ledge, hanging on by the handle of his sword as it protruded from what remained of the top of the wall.

Weiss stood above him, two small glyphs beneath both heels as she suspended on a cushion of air over the uneven terrain. The knight seemed to have found its ways to an unbroken section of the wall off to the side, but its sword still extended precariously over the lieutenant's head.

"Whether you accept my aid or not," Weiss swore. "My goal remains unchanged. I _will_ take the reigns of my family's company, and I _will_ bring it to heel. The day will come when the Faunus under my family's employ will know true justice. I make that promise not to you, but to _every_ Faunus. You have my word on that."

The lieutenant stared back at her, his eyes still hidden behind his cold, dead mask. Then, with one hand still clutching the hilt of his sword and his only lifeline, he brought his other hand to his mask, slowly removing it from his face and letting it fall away to the sandy ground far below.

Weiss stifled a gasp as she looked upon him. His face was mosaic of scars! Every inch of his skin was a patchwork of stitches and discolored overgrowth. One of his eyes hung shut, apparently damaged beyond use, the two wolf ears on his head ravaged and torn to ribbons, scarcely recognizable as anything remotely animal anymore. Most of his skin was was mottled and blistered, as if it had been grafted back onto his face after a horrible burn! And over his nose and mouth was a breathing apparatus, a black mask with tubes and pipes leading in and out of his mouth, a tracheostomy valve regulating his breathing and his speech.

Weiss' jaw hung wide.

"My family…did _that!?_ "

He stared sadly back up at the Schnee heir apparent.

"You know _nothing_ of what we've been made to endure _…_ " he repeated, his voice sounding more hollow and robotic without the reverberation of his full mask. "Those Schnee dust factories aren't nearly as safe as the general public believes. And those who demand compensation and better working conditions usually just disappear. My brother and sister…dead. My friends…forced into bondage. Everyone I've ever known…a slave to the machine that the Schnee family built…"

Weiss was shaking her head back and forth. This was unbelievable. There was no possible way her father could have known about this…could he!?

The lieutenant's eyes narrowed as tears began to drip down his face.

"You say that you'll make this _right!?_ " he demanded. "Amend _every_ grievance and right _every_ wrong your family has committed!? Is _that_ what you intend to do!?"

"I…I…" Weiss stammered, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Weren't those your _exact_ words!?" the lieutenant demanded. "Isn't that what you _just_ promised!? Promises are _so_ easy to make, little Schnee! But how do you intend to _keep_ those promises, huh!? How do you intend to make _this_ right!?"

He waved a flailing hand over his face as he continued to dangle precariously over the sand, barely holding onto his sword with the other.

Weiss' jaw hung open in disbelief, completely at a loss for words. How could she fix this? How could _anyone_ ever fix what her family was responsible for? What worth was there in words when no tangible act could ever give back what was taken?

"Tell me!" he demanded.

Weiss' hands rose to her mouth as she gently set her feet down on the uneven surface of the wall that had been left behind.

"I'm…I'm sorry…" she whimpered as tears trickled down her cheeks. "I'm _so_ sorry! I…I didn't know!"

The White Fang snorted derisively. "Of _course_ you didn't know! You didn't know because you were under _no obligation_ to know!"

Weiss stood there, dumbstruck as the White Fang railed on her.

"What single aspect of your life would _benefit_ from you knowing the suffering of a bunch of lowly Faunus!?" he demanded. " _That_ is your privilege as a human! As a _Schnee!_ You only _have_ to see as much as you _wish_ to see, and you can _choose_ to look away whenever it suits you, and no one would ever fault you for it!"

He swung precariously as he gestured frantically with his free hand.

"But my brothers and sisters are made to _live_ like this, every day!" he cried. "We do not _get_ to simply turn a blind eye away from our suffering! We are forced to witness the injustice, to breathe it and make it part of our very existence!"

He slammed the palm of his hand against his chest.

" _That_ is why we fight, Weiss Schnee!" he declared loudly and proudly. "That is why we fight…and _that_ is why we _die_ …"

He looked eyes with the young Schnee, and seemed to smile sadly.

"And you will die knowing that Ferrous Umber gave his last breath in defiance of the tyranny of _your_ family!"

With a swift motion, he flipped the dial on his sword, activating the chainsaw.

With a whirr and buzz, the blade lodged itself free of its housing, destroying the sandstone bricks around it as it cut through its wedge like a hot knife through butter. The stones around it kicked loose, and Weiss' already precarious perch began to give way.

"Whoa!" she gasped as she began to tumble down after him, watching in horror as he tumbled backwards towards the hard sand more than fifty feet below.

She reached out with her hand, and with a great effort, the white knight lunged out with its open hand, clasping its gauntlet around her waist, catching her in its grip. The summon embedded its sword into the sandstone wall to anchor itself as most of its weight now hung over the ledge, and the two of them hung precariously over the sand, Weiss' feet dangling out from the knight's gauntleted fist.

And as she watched Umber fall to his death, she bit back a pang of guilt. She had honestly thought that she could reach him, but she didn't know anything, it seemed. Everything she thought she understood about the White Fang and the Schnee Dust Company didn't seem nearly so black and white any more. For all the harm they had caused, Weiss was honestly not sure if she could find fault with the White Fang anymore. At least, not for one of them.

She swore to herself right then and there, that she would never allow Umber's words to become true, to never allow herself to succumb to complacency ever again. From that day forward, Weiss would make every effort, not just to be cognizant of the suffering of those less fortunate than she was, but to accept the fact that no matter how great she thought her understanding became, to never assume that she had the complete picture.

No one had the complete picture, and no one ever could. Umber could no more understand her problems than she could his. But she could at least gain a better appreciation, if not for his problems, then for the fact that she would never understand them in full. And just because she could never fully understand the suffering of others, that did not negate their relevance, nor their rights.

As Weiss directed her summoned knight to withdraw its arm and return her to the wall, she gingerly stepped out of its gauntleted grip and back onto the solid walkway of the sandstone wall. She then dismissed the summon with a flourish and rushed over to the other parapet to peer down and scan the terraced slums below.

To her surprise, she saw Huntsmen! Dozens, if not hundreds of Huntsmen, each bearing the insignia of Shade Academy! They dotted the rooftops below as they formed a perimeter around the wreckage of the airship, cutting off every angle of approach.

A spotlight suddenly fell on her, and Weiss stared up at a hovering bullhead in surprise. When exactly had reinforcements arrived!? As she peered up at the airship, she saw Ruby and Blake peeking out the side hatch and down towards where Weiss stood.

"Weiss!" Ruby hollered down at her. "Are you okay!?"

Weiss shielded her eyes from the intense searchlight and grimaced.

"I'm _fine_ , you dunce!" she called back at her. "What about you!? Where have you been!?"

A rope ladder began to spool out of a whirring mechanism beneath the aircraft, and Ruby and Blake slowly climbed down to meet with their wayward teammate.

"We're fine!" Ruby called down to her as they descended. "We'll explain it on the way! Backup finally arrived, and the Huntsmen from Shade have secured the area for now!"

"Yeah," Blake nodded as she and Ruby touched down, the wind kicking up around all three of them. "But we need to get moving! That army of Grimm is approaching the city, and they'll be on us well before we can seal that breach!"

Weiss glanced out over the horizon. Even in the dim moonlight, she could see the first waves already on approach. They would be flooding the breach any minute now, and those hundred or so Huntsmen from Shade Academy would have their hands full, and Weiss and her team needed to do everything they could to help them.

"How in the world are we going to stop them all?" Weiss exclaimed in agitation. "Even with all our Huntsmen, we'll never contain that many!"

"We'll find a way, Weiss!" Ruby assured, her hand on the ladder. "Now come on, let's get going!"

As Weiss climbed the ladder up into the bullhead and looked around, she couldn't help but notice a lack in their number. It seemed that Nora was the only other occupant in the airship.

"Hey Weiss," Nora smiled from her seat. "You kicked butt down there."

Weiss nodded, looking around. "Thanks…but where's Yang? And the rest of Team JNPR? And Team CFVY?"

"They're fine!" Ruby assured her as she and Blake ascended the ladder and climbed onto the bullhead. "Yang, Jaune and Ren got a little banged up, but they'll be okay. They got taken back to the academy on medevac. And Velvet and her team are down there with the Huntsmen from Shade."

Blake pulled the door shut, cutting back on the wind that whipped through their hair and clothes, and the airship began to fly off down the wall towards the breach.

"What about _you_ , though?" Ruby continued, pestering Weiss for details. "You had to fight that White Fang Lieutenant all by yourself!"

Weiss waved her off dismissively. "Oh, posh! I was more than a match for him…"

Her expression soured, somewhat.

"Although…" she muttered.

"What?" Ruby asked.

Weiss shook her head. "Nothing, really. It's just that…well, I learned his name. It was Ferrous Umber."

Blake seemed to recognize the name. "Umber…"

"Yes…" Weiss nodded, letting his words etch themselves into her memory. "He…fought well. I tried to reason with him, but his mind was made up. He fought…and died…for what he believed in…"

Blake nodded. "I see…"

Ruby gave her partner a pitying look. "Weiss…"

Weiss shook her head and smacked her hands to her cheeks.

"Look, I'll tell you all about it later," she said. "We should probably figure out what our next move is going to be at this point."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Right! Let's…"

Her voice trailed off as her eyes focused on something out the window.

"What?" Weiss asked, turned to peer into the darkness. "What is it?"

Ruby shook her head, and promptly flung open the side hatch, once again buffeting them with wind that whipped through their skirts.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted in protest. "What do you see!?"

The two girls peered out the hatch and towards the dimly lit wall, the horde of Grimm amassing on the far side. The torchlight by the guard stations interspersed along the wall was poor light to see by, but eventually Weiss and Ruby's eyes fell upon the small, lone figure standing atop the wall.

"Is that…?" Ruby muttered in confusion.

"It's too far to see…" Weiss shook her head, before turning to shout to the woman at the helm. "Pilot, can you get us closer to that person down there on the wall!?"

As the airship slowly descended and neared the tiny figure on the wall, the bullhead moved its spotlight over their position, and Ruby's eyes flew open in recognition.

"It's Dora!" Ruby shouted in surprise.

Weiss and the others both gaped in astonishment. Sure enough, the figure's turban and billowy pants were a dead give away as she stood on the wall, facing the Grimm on approach. The knobby wooden staff that the team had seen on her back was now in her hands, and the girl seemed indifferent to the airship hovering over head her shining a light over her.

Her focus instead seemed to be on the creatures that lay beyond the walls.

"Dora!" Ruby tried calling out to her, though her voice would have likely been drowned out by the airship's engines.

As the bullhead hovered overhead, however, the air currents around them began to kick up immensely, causing the airship to veer off kilter as the engines whirred into overdrive in order to stabilize.

"Whoa!" Ruby blurted as she and her team grabbed onto the handrails to stabilize themselves.

"We're getting some turbulence here, ladies!" the pilot said over the speakerphone. "You may want to shut that hatch!"

As the airship was buffeted by violent air currents, they were briefly sent out over the sand on the far side of the wall, and there, they could see clearly Dora's eyes glowing a brilliant golden hue in the darkness as her body drifted slowly into the air, her staff raising overhead.

Ruby tried calling out to her again, but her voice was inaudible amongst the tumultuous wind, even within the airship. Weiss urged her team leader back into her seat while Blake shut the hatch, and the four Huntresses could once again hear themselves think.

But nothing could prevent the sound they heard next from reaching their ears.

" ** _GET OUT OF MY CITY!_** "

The Huntresses caught a glimpse through the window of Dora slamming the tip of her staff into the top of the wall. And then it was as if every grain of sand beyond Vacuo suddenly took to the air. All at once, the sand on the ground beneath them was flung into the sky, soaring high above the level of the city walls, almost cresting the clouds overhead. A thunderous explosion rocked the hull of the airship as a massive sandstorm suddenly buffeted them, sending them whirling back within the walls of the city. The Huntresses inside struggled to catch a glimpse of the action going on outside, but the tumultuous winds made it a battle to even maintain their positions.

"These winds are too rough!" the pilot announced brusquely. "I got to set her down!"

The Huntresses couldn't even respond before a sudden lurch rocked the airship, and the turbulence finally came to a halt. It took everyone a moment to realize the reason for this was that the bullhead had already came to an abrupt landing within the slums, probably damaging its landing struts in the process.

Ruby was the first one out of the airship, and while the wind whipped at her hair and clothes, the sand that was kicked up by the nearby winds was nothing compared to the veritable _wall_ of sand beyond the border of Vacuo, cutting off visibility beyond the wall entirely. The sandstorm enclosed the city like protective arms, the kingdom lying at the eye of a hurricane. Around Vacuo and beyond its sandstone walls, an ocean of sand was blasting everything and everything it touched.

Weiss looked around and was surprised to see that the people around them within the walls of Vacuo them seemed nonplussed. They were natives to the desert life, and were used to sandstorms it seemed. Most seemed quite content to batten down the hatches and wait for the storm to pass.

But the Grimm beyond the wall…

The four Huntresses could hear their death knells even from here.

And high above them, floating in the sky like a silent guardian, a single lone figure who floated, poised beneath the shattered moon.

Ruby stared aghast in disbelief. "Is Dora doing…all _this!?_ "

Weiss and the others simply shook their heads, lost for answers. It was it mother nature herself were fighting back against the creatures of Grimm, protecting the inhabitants of the kingdom. But they had all heard the voice before, and while it had been Dora's voice, it had bore a strange quality as well, as if she had been possessed by something greater than herself. While everyone could plainly see what was happening around them, no one it seemed could fathom an explanation for it.

Answers came, however, in the form of another voice.

"Indeed she is…" a familiar voice caught their attention.

Everyone looked to see Professor Jasmine stepping down off the back of a camel, her face covered in a thick shawl that protected her from the stinging sandstorm around them. It seemed that she too had come to fight the Grimm alongside her students, though now it seemed that particular need had passed.

"Professor Jasmine!" Ruby called out to her, holding her arm up to shield her eyes from the sand. "What's going on!?"

She gestured her arms around wildly.

"How is Dora doing all this!?" Ruby demanded. "Who…is she, exactly!?"

Jasmine nodded slowly as she approached the four Huntress and gazed up at their airborne savior.

"I suppose there's no hiding it now," she allowed sagely.

Pulling down the shawl around her face to turn her gaze towards the young Huntress, Professor Jasmine looked eyes with her, a foreboding look on her face.

"That…Ruby…" she said gravely. "Is the Summer Maiden."


	57. Chapter 57

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 57

* * *

 _Twenty-two years ago…_

Qrow Branwen perched unseen upon the branches of a tree in the Emerald Forest. He had been there for almost an hour now, scanning the area below after scouting around for the most ideal location. In his bird form, he was practically invisible to the other wannabe Huntsmen in the area, and was in no danger from any of the Grimm in the area. This left him plenty of time, not only to locate his mission objective, but to check out the competition, as it were.

In all honestly, he wasn't entirely certain how Ozpin's insipid test was even supposed to test him. Find a relic and bring it to a safe haven? Please! Qrow could do that in his sleep! He had already scoped out where the relics were being kept, and it was now just a matter of seeing who showed up, and which of them would be the best partner to recruit to his team.

Qrow had already seen several other barely passable applicants pass by this area on their way to find the relics, most of them rushing foolishly into danger. Qrow was different from those other students, however. He was a patient Huntsman. He had no qualms with letting his enemy come to him, or with passing by those who would only serve as a waste of time.

And _technically_ , none of the Huntsmen he'd seen had made eye contact with him, so he was under no obligation to accept any of them as his partner here at Beacon.

However, he _was_ noticing that more and more of the would-be Huntsmen who were passing him by seemed to have already been paired. When half an hour had gone by, and he hadn't seen a single individual Huntsmen go by without a partner, he began to curse his lack of foresight! If he waited too long, he'd be left with the dregs as his only options! That would never do!

Then fortune seemed to smile upon him, as his eyes fell upon a young girl in a white hood. Qrow hadn't noticed her before this point, even during the speech the headmaster had given the day before. But whoever she was, she walked with a level of grace and poise that suggested uncommon skill. He spied a simple dagger tucked behind her back, and the way she kept to the shadows seemed to imply a level of cunning that Qrow had not yet seen in any of his fellow students. He had yet to see her fight, so he had no way of know just how strong or capable she was, but he had a good feeling about this one.

Plus, one peek beneath her hood and Qrow could see that she was quite the cutie as well.

He had just about made up his mind to fly down to the ground an introduce himself, when out of nowhere, another bird suddenly dove at him.

 _TSEEER!_

Qrow had no time to react! He fluttered wildly as the other bird hit him broadside, sending them both tumbling to the ground as he struggled to right himself. In his bird form, he was as vulnerable as his namesake, and in a panic, he clenched his eyes and transformed back to his human form. In a matter of an instant, he went from about a pound and half to a little over a hundred and sixty pounds, and was now tumbling towards the dirt, which he hit with an unceremonious and painful _thump_.

"Ow!" he grunted in aggravation as he clenched his eyes and jaw, sitting on his backside and straining to peer up at whatever had just attacked him.

Or, in this case, _whoever_.

"Hello brother," a familiar voice filled his ears, and Qrow felt an impotent rage boiling inside him.

As he opened his eyes, sure as the days were long, there was his twin sister Raven, standing over him with a cocky smile on her face. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore her red kimono and armor, a long twelve-chambered dust blade at her hip.

Qrow made no effort to disguise his outrage.

"Damn it, Raven!" he barked angrily, climbing to his feet. "What the _hell_ is your problem!? I was in the middle of scoping out a future teammate!"

Raven seemed only to delight in his misery.

"Caught you blindsided _again_ , little brother," she smirked haughtily, a devilish look in her eyes. "What's that bring us to now? One-fifty-eight to your sixty-two?"

"You're only thirty-five minutes older than me, you know," Qrow wrinkled his nose in disgust as he began brushing off his clothes of dirt and leaves. "And it's one-fifty- _seven!_ That bullshit with the greased-up boarbatusk doesn't count."

"Umm…" a tiny voice chimed in behind them. "Excuse me?"

Qrow was in the midst of picking twigs out of his hair when his eyes fell on the girl in the white hood.

It was only then that he noticed her striking silver eyes.

He immediately cleared his throat and straightened his posture, trying to play off his tumble as minimally as possible. He knew he wasn't all that much to look at – thin and lanky, and not a lot of muscle. He was already seventeen, and Qrow felt like he still had not hit his full growth spurt yet, and still retained much of his boyish physique. His twin sister Raven, on the other hand, had blossomed early in life – in every possible sense – and was the envy of every girl in her class. Qrow had received many a strange proposition from interested suitors looking for his advice on how to get his sister to go out with them, and this only ever seemed to give Raven more fodder to tease him over.

That being said, Qrow knew a thing or two about charming people, and took great pains to work with what he had. His outfit was a loose collared, close fitting button down jacket with a red cape on his back – capes were cool, after all! And around his neck, he also wore a diagonal cross pendant on a chain.

"Oh, uh," he chuckled playfully. "Hey there. I'm, uh…I'm Qrow. Nice to meet you."

The girl nodded her head shyly. "Qrow Branwen, I know. Seventeen years old, native to Patch, and graduated from Signal Academy in the top tenth percentile."

Qrow blinked, somewhat astonished that she knew all that.

"I…didn't realize I had that much of a reputation…" he admitted awkwardly.

The girl immediately held up her hands, bashfully. "Oh! You don't! I, uh…I mean, you might…but that's not why I…"

Raven elbowed Qrow in the ribcage, causing him to flinch and glare at her.

"Hey!" he grunted.

Raven just smirked. "Sounds like you've got a fan."

The girl in the white hood shook her head in embarrassment.

"No!" she protested. "It's not like that at all! I just, uh…kind of memorized the names and details of _all_ the students on the roster, actually…"

Now it was Raven's turn to blink. "Seriously?"

The girl blushed shyly, scratching her head through her hood. "I know who _you_ are too, Raven Branwen. Seventeen years old, twin sister to Qrow Branwen, and Valedictorian last year at Signal Academy."

Raven crossed her arms, whistling with a nod. "Hmmm…impressive…"

The girl in the hood shrugged, a helpless smile on her face.

"Yeah…I'm a bit of a dork like that, I guess," she admitted, self depreciatively. "I did some research on _all_ of the first year applicants at Beacon. Wanted to make sure I ended up with a good teammate, y'know?"

Qrow nodded, the crook of his mouth raising in approval. "Oh, I know the feeling perfectly. So what's your name?"

The girl's eyes lit up and she planted the heel of her fist into the palm of her hand, as if realizing that she was forgetting her manners.

"Oh!" she blurted, matter of factly. "My name's Summer Rose! And speaking of which…do either of you happen to be on a team yet? The both of you were actually at the top of my list."

Qrow eyes widened with delight. "Oh! Well, actually, I was-"

His voice suddenly caught in his throat as his sister suddenly placed her arm around his neck, putting him into a headlock.

" _-Actually_ , my brother and I are already on a team together," Raven finished for him, much to Qrow's chagrin. "Had to make sure to keep him out of trouble and all that. You know how it is. Terrible shame that you wasted your time finding us and everything."

Qrow fixed his sister with a murderous glare as one can only give to one's sibling. Raven just smirked back at him, winking slyly, clearly knowing full well how thoroughly she had dashed his plans for his future team.

"Aww," Summer sighed, rapping her knuckles against her temple. "Just my luck!"

Qrow was about to see if he could bullshit his way out of his sister's conniving, even though he fully realized that she was right in that the two of them _did_ technically make eye contact first, when another voice broke through the silence.

"Hey there!" a loud and brash sounding voice caught everyone's attention as a blond haired boy came wandering towards them, hands interlocked behind his head. "Am I…interrupting anything?"

Qrow fixed the other boy with a dirty look. "Kind of…"

The other boy was dressed in yellow and brown, with a spaulder and vambrace on his right arm, and an orange sash around his left.

As soon as he caught a glimpse of Qrow and Raven, however, his eyes widened.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed in excitement. "No way! The Branwen twins!? You guys are, like, _legends_ back at Signal academy!"

Raven let out a haughty laugh at that. "Is there _anyone_ at this school who doesn't know who we are already?"

The other boy was smiling widely. "Oh man, please tell me _one_ of you is still looking for a teammate at least! That would be the opportunity of a _lifetime!_ "

Summer held up her hand, cautiously. "Sorry…I just checked. They're both spoken for, it seems."

The blond boy put his hands on his hips, a sour look on his face.

"Awww, man," he muttered grumpily. "That totally sucks."

"I know, right?" Summer grinned. "I was really hoping I could get one of them onto _my_ team too."

The boy shrugged. "Oh well… _you_ look like you know how to handle yourself. What's your name?"

"I'm Summer!" she said cheerfully. "And I already know who you are too, Taiyang Xiao-Long."

The boy, Taiyang it seemed, looked surprised.

"You know my name?" he asked suspiciously. "You're not…some creepy stalker chick or something, are you?"

Summer threw her hands up and waved them frantically. "No! No, I just memorized the student roster so I could find the best partner at Beacon! You, Qrow and Raven are all at the top of my list, actually!"

Taiyang seemed intrigued by that. "Oh, is that so? Where do I fall on that list, exactly?"

Summer held a finger up, staring pensively at the sky. "Just above Qrow, but still under Raven for the top slot."

Taiyang pumped his fist victoriously. "Yes! Second best!"

As the two of them joked around, Raven smirked at Qrow and she whispered to him. "See what I saved you from? You could have wound up with _this_ tool over here for a teammate…"

Qrow was still sulking at her.

"Yeah," he glowered under his breath. " _Or_ I could have gotten the cutie on my team, like I planned! But _no_ , you had to go and be a mother-hen about it, just like you do about _everything!_ "

Qrow grumbled unhappily as he made his way over to the alter where the relics were stationed.

"Aww, come on, Qrow," Raven called after him. "Don't be such a wet blanket. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"I don't _need_ you looking out for me, Raven!" he growled as he stormed off towards the relics.

He gave the relics on display a passing glance – they appeared to be miniature carved wooden animal statues from the look of it. There were lion, tigers, dears, frogs, bears, turtles, horses and even a fish carved with a splash of water as its base. Some of the statuettes were painted black, other were painted white.

As Qrow inspected them, he began to ponder of which animal statue he wanted. A bird would have been preferable, given his affiliation, but there didn't appear to be any birds, he noticed with a groan. If there had been, they had all been taken – some of the altars were empty.

Then his eyes fell upon a white wolf, its head reared back in a howling motion up at the sky. Qrow did also like wolves, and it definitely looked the coolest out of all of the figurines, he decided. It was no bird, but wolves were definitely cool in his book.

His mind made up, he reached for the white wolf statuette. But his hand touched the white wolf figurine just as another hand grabbed hold of it.

Qrow looked up to see Taiyang with his hands on the white wolf, gripping it from the base.

"Oh hey there," the boy smirked, feigning sincerity. "Sorry, did you want this one?"

Qrow gave the other boy a nasty look, his hand clutching the wolf's head. "Yes, as a matter of fact. I did."

"Oh," Taiyang's eyebrow narrowed. "Well, I hate to be _that_ , but I kinda had my heart set on this one too. Plus, I saw it first. So I think it's only fair-"

"Bullshit you did!" Qrow grimaced, tightening his grip on the relic. "I was here _way_ before you were!"

Raven and Summer were drawn to the sound of Qrow's raised voice, and wandered over to the relics, staring at the scene in confusion.

"Are they seriously fighting over who gets which relic?" Raven put her hands on her hips.

"I thought…" Summer blinked in confusion. "I mean…aren't they all basically the same?"

Raven rested her face in the palm of her hand. "Ugh… _boys!_ "

Meanwhile, the two young men were still arguing.

"Yes, _but_ …" Taiyang held up his other hand, gesturing with his index finger, evidently trying to sound academic. " _I'm_ actually higher on Summer's list then you are, so that means _I_ get first dibs."

"What do I care about some stupid list!?" Qrow glared, refusing to release the relic. "I was here before you, so I get first pick! Now hands off!"

"You are _both_ acting like children!" Raven sighed.

The two of them ignored her as they tugged at the wooden statuette, and Taiyang's eyebrows narrowed at Qrow.

"I'll fight you for it!" he offered, sounding a little too eager.

Qrow snorted derisively back at the other boy incredulously. "Seriously? _You?_ Don't make me laugh!"

Taiyang wrinkled his nose at the barb, before swinging his fist at Qrow's face.

Qrow recoiled, honestly not expecting him to throw the first punch and released his hold on the statuette, staring back in astonishment.

"Did you just…?" he narrowed his brow.

Taiyang smirked, tossed the statuette into his off hand, and raised his gauntleted fist defensively.

Qrow glared in anger. This prick had some gall. Not only had he snatched up his first pick of a teammate right out from under him, but he couldn't even let Qrow have the damn relic of his choosing! Was he put into this school _just_ to screw with him? Either way, Qrow had just about had enough!

"Alright, _fine,_ " Qrow sneered. "If that's the way you want it…I could use a little _practice_ …"

As Qrow withdrew his massive broadsword, Summer and Raven stiffened in response.

"Ummmmmmm…" Summer held up her hands nervously.

Raven just rested her face in the palm of her hand. "Oh, for the love of…"

"Oh, this is gonna be _good_!" Taiyang grinned in excitement.

"Draw your weapon already!" Qrow barked at the other boy, holding out his sword. "It's no fun beating up on some who isn't armed."

Taiyang hopped up and down on his feet in a martial arts stance, pocketing the relic, and raising both of his fists defensively.

"Dude, have you _seen_ me!?" he asked, flabbergasted. "My fists _are_ my weapons!"

Summer leaned in to whisper to Raven, looking uncertain.

"Should we…?" she gestured nervously to the other two boys.

"No," Raven said, arms crossed. "Let's let these two duke it out for a while! Maybe a few bruises will knock some sense into them!"

Summer held a hand up to her mouth, looking at the other two anxiously. "Oh, dear me…"

Qrow gritted his teeth and took a leaping charge at his opponent, sword raised offensively with both hands. Taiyang responded by blocking with his bracer and countering with a quick gut punch with his off hands.

Qrow gasped and recoiled, holding his sword out defensively as he held his abdomen with his other hand.

Taiyang smirked and flicking his nose with his thumb.

"You'll have to do better than that!" he crowed.

Qrow glared and switched to a one-handed stance, spinning and whirling towards the other boy. Taiyang ducked and dodged under the sword swings, laughing and grinning all the while as the other boy's massive sword missed him by inches.

"Hah!" Taiyang chuckled as he back-flipped away. "Not even close! Is this the best you…?"

His voice trailed off when he saw a small tuft of blond hair drifting gently to the ground in front of him.

Qrow smirked. "Close enough for you?"

The other boy's expression soured. "Oh, that's _it!_ "

Qrow's eyes widened as Taiyang clenched his fists and his aura suddenly exploded in a fiery haze around him. His eyes seemed to glow, and as he charged at Qrow, his fists seemed to move faster than the eye could follow.

BAM!

Both of his fists slammed into Qrow's chest, sending him tumbling backwards, through grass and dirt and bushes, kicking up a cloud of dust as he staggered to his feet.

"Heh…" he smirked, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip. "Looks like you're not all talk after all…"

Taiyang didn't say anything. His aura was still emanating around him like an open flame, his eyes glaring back at Qrow in fury.

Qrow felt his adrenaline pumping. He'd felt the force behind that last strike. It had chewed through nearly half his aura in a single blow! And that speed! It'd been a while since he'd fought someone _this_ good before.

"Looks like I better take this fight seriously then…" Qrow glowered, twisting the crank in his broadsword's handle.

The gears begin to shift, and as Qrow ran towards Taiyang, his sword began to extend into a long, wicked scythe, its pointed blade aimed straight for Taiyang's neck. Taiyang himself responded by firing up his aura and charging ahead, his fists blazing in a fury of power.

They both froze mid-strike, however, when Summer Rose appeared between the two, holding her arms out towards each of them.

"I think that's enough fighting for now, you two," she said with a smile.

Qrow went rigid as he reigned in his grip on his scythe. She'd appeared so suddenly, he'd nearly struck her by mistake! And Taiyang looked equally flabbergasted, having very nearly punched out his own teammate!

"Now, Mister Qrow?" Summer smiled sweetly at the younger Branwen twin. "I can see that Mister Taiyang has clearly been pushing your buttons, but you mustn't let yourself rise to his baiting. Otherwise, who knows what might happen in an actual emergency? You've got a teammate to look after now, don't you?"

Qrow was taken aback. He glanced back at Raven, who was still not meeting his gaze and crossing her arms stubbornly.

"Pfft…" Qrow snorted. "Like she ever needs my help. She can take care of herself just fine."

"I'm sure that she can," Summer said kindly. "But should she really have to?"

Qrow looked at Raven again, who stole a quick glance at him, before turning away once again, arms still crossed. He still wasn't in the mood to be doing her any favors. But Summer's words spoke to him.

Maybe the only reason Raven constantly messed with him was because that was her way of showing that she cared about him.

Qrow lowered his scythe and retracted it back into its sword form, sheathing it behind him.

"Maybe you're right…" he admitted.

"Good," Summer nodded, before turning to the other boy. "Now, Mister Taiyang?"

Taiyang raised his eyebrow. " _Mister_ Taiyang?"

Summer put her hands on her hips. "None of that! Now _I_ think you owe Mister Qrow an apology."

Qrow raised a hand. "That's really not-"

Taiyang wrinkled his nose. "What for!?"

"For being an idiot, for one thing!" Summer pointed her finger at him. "And for being a jerk for another!"

Taiyang took a step back, a hurt look on his face. "Hey! Who are you calling-?"

He was halted, mid-rant when Summer withdrew a small white wolf carved out of wood.

"Hey…" Qrow narrowed his eyes.

"There was a _second_ white wolf relic _right over there!_ " she said, pointing behind her. "I _know_ you saw it! Which means you were _deliberately_ antagonizing Mister Qrow here!"

Taiyang smiled sheepishly, withdrawing the first wolf relic from his pocket.

"Alright, I'll admit it…it was _never_ about the relic," he admitted bashfully. "I just wanted to see what he was made of."

"Well, now you've seen it," she scolded gently. "Now is there anything you'd like to say to him?"

Taiyang smiled sheepishly at Qrow, before tossing the white wolf relic over to him.

"Sorry, man," he chuckled in embarrassed. "Got a little carried away. You and your sister were supposed to be some of the strongest fighters from Signal! I wanted to see how I stacked up."

Qrow snatched the relic out of the air, giving the other boy a half smile.

"Well, you're no slouch, I'll give you that much," Qrow allowed, turning back towards Raven. "Maybe in a few years, you'll be at my level."

Taiyang clenched his fists. "A few years!? Hah! I had you on the ropes!"

Qrow snorted. "As if!"

"You want to go again!?" Taiyang demanded, getting fired up again.

"Mister Taiyang!" Summer shouted, and the two of them withered under her voice once again.

"Sorry!" Taiyang winced shamefully.

Summer let out an exasperated sigh as she walked over to him. "Listen, if we're going to be teammates, you can't go jumping into fights without talking to me about it first, okay?"

Taiyang smiled sheepishly as he followed Summer away from the altar, and Qrow let out an irritated groan as he looked back towards Raven.

"Okay," Raven nodded once they had wandered out of view. "I can see why you'd want someone like her on your team."

Qrow gave her a dirty look, before shaking his head.

"Let's just get going…" he said, pocketing the relic and shifting into his bird form.

Raven transformed as well, and soon the two of them were soaring high in the air above the Emerald Forest, peering down at the trees, still catching the occasional glimpse of their other fellow Huntsmen in training.

 _'For what it's worth, I'm sorry_ ,' Raven called out to her brother, their shifted forms granting them both a form of communication that existed through mental link.

 _'Can we just drop it?'_ Qrow responded grumpily, tilting his wings to shift away from her.

Raven slowly followed after him, even her bird form noticeably larger than his was. Perhaps it was simply that ravens were larger than crows, or that female birds were general larger than males, but either way, even in bird form, her very presence as a constant reminder of her superiority over him.

 _'You're mad at me,'_ Raven commented, matter of factly.

 _'I'm just frustrated,'_ Qrow responded stubbornly.

 _'Why?'_ Raven demanded.

 _'Cause…'_ Qrow hesitated, straining his wings to try to pull away from her – even in bird form, she was larger and faster than he was, and could keep up with him no matter how fast he flew. _'Ugh…look, you remember how mom and dad used to dress us up the same growing up?'_

Raven laughed over their mental link. ' _Hahah…yeah, I remember. You looked so cute in that little sailor outfit.'_

Qrow grumbled. _'Even before we went to Signal, we were always being paired together, always being part of a matched set…'_

 _'Yeah, I know…_ ' Raven allowed.

 _'But the thing is,_ ' Qrow griped. _'We're_ not _matched at all! You excelled at_ everything _, Raven! Classes, combat, even dating…I just couldn't keep up with you! We were_ always _together, and you were_ always _better than me! I never got a chance to shine on my own with you always around me all the time!'_

 _'So, what? You're saying you need more space?'_ Raven asked curiously. _'Is that it?'_

 _'E_ _ver since mom died, you've acted like it was your job to take care of me all the time,_ _'_ Qrow said sullenly. _'_ _Beacon was supposed to be my chance to see what I could do on my own._ _To show the world what I could do_ without _my big sister looking over my shoulder all the time. But now it looks like I'll never have that chance…'_

Raven said nothing in response to that, and Qrow began to wonder if maybe he'd pushed back a little too hard.

 _'Look, I'm sorry…'_ he added. _'But I'm never going to grow into my own if I don't ever get the opportunity.'_

Still Raven said nothing. Qrow was beginning to wonder if she was even listening at all.

 _'Raven_? _'_ he called out to her.

He crooked his black bird head this way and that, and suddenly realized that she was nowhere to be found. She must have slipped away while he had been rambling. It seemed that she could even evade him with ease when she wanted to.

He supposed that this was her giving him the silent treatment, which he probably deserved. But even after having spent a lifetime wishing her out of his hair, now that he finally had just that, at least for the moment, he wanted anything but.

 _'Raven…_ ' he muttered sullenly as he began to circle around, scanning the skies and the trees below for any sign of her.

To his surprise, rather than his sister, Qrow instead caught sight of a familiar pair of student Huntsmen fighting off a horde of beowolves.

Qrow sighed internally. Taiyang and Summer didn't have the advantage of flying unseen as he and Raven did. They had no choice but to make the dangerous trek back to the rendezvous point on foot, and it seemed as though the Grimm were dogging their steps.

This was how he and Raven had always done things, even before they had ever gone to combat school. Ever since they had learned their semblances, the two of them had genuinely worked well together. They had both capitalized on the stealth provided to them by their semblance, and had developed a cunning technique for striking unseen. While their classmates had always plunged headlong into the fray, Qrow and Raven were the type of fighters to wait it out and gauge the flow of the battle, striking at the most opportune moment.

And today was no different.

Qrow took the opportunity to observe how the two Huntsmen below fought. Taiyang fought much the same way he had in his brief duel with Qrow, but Summer fought low to the ground, her dagger reverse style, making quick darting motions. As much as he hated to admit it, the two Huntmens' fighting styles complement each other rather well.

Qrow felt a wave of dread wash over him, however, when he saw a giant deathstalker creeping out of the woods towards them.

Taiyang and Summer fell back, the boy keeping between the girl and the beast. Qrow watched with trepidation as the two of them turned to flee, with the deathstalker hot on their tail.

They were no match for the giant arachnid, it seemed. Qrow tried remain dispassionate to the situation, but all he felt was remorse. If that thing managed to catch up to them, they were dead. He tried to put it out of his mind. They _weren't_ his teammates after all. If the two of them couldn't even survive Ozpin's stupid test, then that just meant that they were never Beacon material to begin with, and there would be one less pair of Huntsmen standing in his way to prove himself.

But damn it, he couldn't just let them go down like that. With just a few brief words, Summer had endeared herself to him in a way no one else ever had. And despite all his bluff and bluster, Taiyang was clearly a good person under it all. Neither of them deserved what was coming to them.

 _'Raven…'_ he called out to his sister through their mental link. _'If you can hear me, I could_ really _use some backup right now. I'm about to do something really, really stupid…'_

With that, Qrow dove down towards the two Huntsmen and their foe, wings tucked in to allow him to dive bomb his prey. As he descended, he could see his two classmates being herded towards a ravine, cutting off their path. The deathstalker would corner them if they didn't alter their course soon.

He got to within a hundred feet, and he quickly shifted forms. Suddenly, he was a young man again, his hand on his weapon as he fell upon the Grimm from above. The Grimm had utterly no chance to respond to the attack as Qrow drew his sword.

SHINK!

Qrow's sword embedded itself into the deathstalker's carapace, its claws and tail flailing in pain.

Summer and Taiyang, who had already turned to face the arachnid, suddenly recoiled in surprise.

"What the hell!?" Taiyang blurted, holding his arms up in a martial arts stance.

"Go!" Qrow cried as he leaped off the deathstalker's back just in time to avoid its tail as it counterattacked, cartwheeling off to land in front of the other two Huntsmen.

"Mister Qrow!" Summer stammered, clutching her dagger defensively. "You're helping us?"

Qrow glanced back at them both, his sword still raised.

"Well, _somebody_ has to," he smirked. "You two are _clearly_ outclassed."

"You kidding…?" Taiyang smiled exhaustedly, putting his hands on his hips. "We've got this thing right where we want it!"

Qrow leaped back as the deathstalker's tail struck the dirt where he had been standing. He had landed a direct hit before, but the beast was so well armored, that only seemed to make it angry. Behind them, the ravine lay open, at least a five-hundred-foot drop leading down to the gorge below. The Grimm had already cornered them it seemed, as Summer and Taiyang had ignored his instructions to flee.

That or they were just stubborn.

Taiyang flew forward with a flying kick, which the deathstalker blocked with its massive claws. His attack did manage to shove the creature backwards a ways, but it countered with a jab of its tail, forcing Taiyang to retreat once again. Summer, however, took the opportunity to leap onto its tail as it struck, clinging to it as the Grimm withdrew the swinging tail, stabbing at it with her dagger as the deathstalker whipped her around in protest.

"Summer!" Taiyang shouted in alarm. "Be careful!"

Before the words even left his lips, the deathstalker flung her forward, ending her spinning and tumbling through the air, somehow managing to land on her outstretched feet, skidding backwards, dagger in hand as she stared up at the beast from beneath her white hood.

Qrow tried to use the opportunity to get a better angle on the creature, but the Grimm snapped its claws where he had been trying to move, and he was forced to step back. It still had them cornered, their backs to the gorge, and Qrow had used up any advantage he'd gained with his sneak attack.

"Raven…" Qrow muttered irritably under his breath as he watched the deathstalker raise its tail for another strike. "Anytime now…"

As if summon by his plight, a shadow appeared overhead as Qrow's sister materialized from the plumage of her namesake. Before she even landed, she had her hand on her sword and withdrew it within the blink of an eye, striking the Grimm's tail as it tried to bring it down upon its prey.

The deathstalker howled in pain as the top half of its tail flew forward, severed from its body as it embedded itself in the ground behind the Huntsmen.

"Raven!" Yaiyang exclaimed in surprise.

"Mister Taiyang!" Summer shouted, breaking the surprise caused by Raven's entrance. "Now's your chance! Go!"

Taiyang blinked away his shock, before seeing the opportunity that Summer was referring to and charged. As the Grimm's claws flailed wildly overhead, trying to snap at Raven as she pirouetted expertly overhead, Taiyang slid underneath the beast, pumping his aura into a single, super-charged uppercut.

BOOM!

The giant arachnid was sent skyward as Taiyang's fist connected with the beast's underbelly, its entire body caving inward from the force of the impact, its spindly body twisting and flailing as it was rendered airborne.

"Mister Qrow!" Summer blurted, running over to the younger Branwen twin. "Give me a boost up there!"

Qrow didn't hesitate.

"Right!" he nodded, before extending his scythe and lowering it to the ground.

Summer leaped onto the flat of the blade, gripping the haft of the handle nearest the curved edge. Qrow spun around, waving his weapon in a wide arc, before angling his weapon upward to fling Summer up into the air with an overhead strike.

Summer leaped off of the blade and flew upwards towards the tumbling deathstalker, waving its claws and the stump of its tail helplessly as it began to descend towards the ground. Summer held her dagger at the ready as she approached the beast, ducking nimbly below a snap of its flailing claws, before driving her dagger forcefully into the beast's belly.

SHINK!

The short blade found its mark into the deathstalker's hide, but did not appear to do any appreciable damage.

At least until it extended.

SPLURT!

The Grimm howled in pain as a noticeably longer blade than the one Summer had been using appeared out of the deathstalker's back.

Summer twisted the grip on her weapon, and the handle extended backward into a long pole-arm blade, and as she grasped the extended grip, she planted her feet into the dying Grimm as the two of them plunged towards the ground.

CRASH!

The beast landed on its back with Summer standing on its stomach, her weapon still embedded in its hide. She grasped the elongated handle of her blade and withdrew her weapon with a sickening lurch. As she pulled her weapon from the slain beast, the tang of a full-lengthed partisan blade was revealed, a long pointed sheet of glistening steel with two deadly prongs protruding from its base like a bladed hilt.

Qrow admired the girl's weapon in disbelief. How had such a tiny dagger extended into something of such size? For such a tiny package, it had become something immense and incredible in its might. Much like Summer herself, he observed.

Summer twisted the haft of her weapon once again, and the handle of her weapon retracted back to its previous size, the partisan blade now taking on the form of a longsword. Then with another twist of the haft, the longsword blade began to retract as well, leaving only the two side prongs, which collapsed back together, like a pair of jaws, to once again form the thin narrow blade of her dagger.

Then she turned to the other Huntsmen and smiled.

"Nice work, you guys!" she said with an adorable grin on her face.

Qrow couldn't help but smile back. Her expression was absolutely infectious.

"Heh…" he muttered, scratching his head. "Yeah, I guess it was."

Taiyang clenched his fist, shaking it in the air in a gesture of triumph.

"Hell yeah!" he hollered. "That's what I'm talking about!"

Raven managed to sneak up behind Qrow and punch him in the shoulder.

"You couldn't even last five minutes without me?" she teased.

"Aw, come on!" Qrow retorted, clutching his shoulder. "It was an emergency!"

Summer inclined her head respectfully.

"Thank you _so_ much for your help Mister Qrow!" she said to the other boy, before turning to his sister. "Miss Raven."

"Anytime, Summer," Qrow winked.

"Please," Raven wrinkled her nose. "It was nothing. Oh, but do me a favor, and drop the 'Miss,' will you?"

"Oh!" Summer beamed. "Right!"

Qrow shook his head and turned his attention to Taiyang, who seemed to be busy posing with his muscles flexed.

"Not bad, Tai," Qrow smirked. "You managed to get yourself _and_ your teammate cornered by a deathstalker."

Taiyang turned to Qrow, giving him a withered look. "Aw, come on, man…"

Qrow held a hand up. " _But…_ when you saw an opportunity, you took it, and you managed to completely turn the tables back there. Not bad at all."

Taiyang's frown turned into a smile as he put his hands on his hips.

"Tai, huh?" he smirked, pondering the nickname in his head. "I think I like that…"

Qrow shook his head and crossed his arms, and then Raven dragged him into another headlock and ground her knuckles into his scalp.

"There, you see?" she grinned. "You _can_ accomplish something on your own after all!"

"Hey!" Qrow yelped, extracting himself from her grip. "Knock it off!"

Summer and Taiyang just laughed.

Raven waved at the other two Huntsmen while her brother sulked at her treatment.

"Well kids, it's been fun, but I think it's time my brother and I got our relic back to the rendezvous point," she said.

"Right," Summer nodded. "We should too."

Taiyang held up his little white wolf statuette. "Bet we can beat you there!"

Raven smirked and shook her head. "Please! That won't even be a contest."

Qrow crossed his arms. "Oh, I don't know. How much you willing to bet?"

Before the other two Huntsmen could respond, Raven grabbed her brother by the arm and started dragging him away.

"Come on, Qrow," she said sternly. "Let's go."

"No, I'm serious," Qrow smirked. "We could make some money here."

Raven shook her head and shifted into her bird form and fluttered off. Qrow shrugged, turned and threw a wink at the other two, before following suit. He felt a satisfied glow in his stomach when he heard their exclamations of surprise as he flew off.

"They can turn into _birds!?_ " Taiyang blurted, staring aghast.

"That wasn't in any of my notes!" Summer added, rummaging through her pockets for note cards.

Qrow flapped his wings to keep up with his sister as she flew off.

 _'Seriously, what took you so long?'_ he demanded, irritably.

 _'Wanted to see if you were willing to put your money where your mouth was,'_ she replied in amusement.

 _'Well, I did,'_ he retorted _. 'Are you satisfied?'_

 _'Let's just say I might be more inclined to let you off your leash from time to time,_ ' she shot back.

 _'Gee, thanks,'_ Qrow droned.

 _'Cheer up!'_ she jeered, buffeting him with her wings. _'At least you made a friend today!'_

Qrow fluttered as he tried to regain his balance.

 _'Whoa, hey!'_ he exclaimed in agitation. _'Watch it, will you!? Come on!'_

Raven laughed across their connection and Qrow let out a sigh.

 _'It's not like there's any cause for celebration or anything,'_ he muttered. ' _Besides, I doubt we'll ever even see those two after this.'_

Raven didn't respond, and they were silent for the remainder of their journey back to Beacon.

It was hours later when Qrow would finally learn how wrong he was.

"Summer Rose," Ozpin's voice sounded over the loudspeaker of the main hall in Beacon. "Taiyang Xiao-Long. Raven Branwen. And Qrow Branwen. The four of you retrieved the white wolf pieces."

Qrow stared blankly as he, his sister, and the other two Huntsmen lined up together on the stage. He could not believe any of this was happening.

"From this day forward, you will work together as…Team STRQ," Ozpin continued. "Lead by…Summer Rose."

Summer clenched her fists, laughing in delight. Taiyang threw his fists into the air. Raven just smirked as she leaned in to whisper to Qrow as he fumed.

"Well brother, you _did_ want to be on a team with Summer," she grinned. " _I_ wanted to be on a team with my favorite little brother. And those two _both_ wanted to be on a team with one of us. It looks like we _all_ got what we wanted."

Qrow's face remained expressionless as he stared off into the distance, the the very picture of a broken spirit as his team's faces all appeared on the wall.

"You've got to be _fucking_ kidding me…"


	58. Chapter 58

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 58

* * *

Cinder was furious.

How the Summer Maiden had evaded her detection up until this point was anyone's guess. In a kingdom like Vacuo, it was the easiest thing in the world to become lost and remain hidden. But for nearly ten years on end? She was only a child! She had no training, no known mentor, and no known associates to keep her hidden or safe! By all accounts, she should have been easy prey! And yet, not only had she remained undetected for all these years, but she had reared her head at the _least_ opportune moment imaginable! Not only had she effectively halted the Grimm invasion of Vacuo, but thanks to her meddling, the Huntsmen who had been dogging her progress had remained unimpeded, allowing to utterly _cripple_ the White Fang! She had lost _two_ of her pawns in a single move, and she had _nothing_ to show for it!

And thanks to that silver-eyed _tramp_ , she had very nearly lost her secret weapon as well!

With a flick of her wrist, the entire wall lining the left-hand side of the Beacon Academy dining hall was obliterated, blown outward in a show of force that caused a sudden gust of wind at the displacement of mass that buffeted the rooms occupants, leaving only a pile of rubble where it had been.

Mercury winced at the display, while Neo remained utterly taciturn at his side.

"Ouch," the young man muttered wanly to the other girl, his hands in his pockets. "I don't think I've ever seen her this angry before."

Neo didn't deign to comment as Cinder continued to fume, pacing the floors of the ruined mess hall.

"I'm in no mood for your usual repartee, Mercury," Cinder's voice rang clear through the gentle breeze that had been allowed into the dining hall from the new opening. "This is as much your fault as anyone else's."

Mercury raised a suspicious eyebrow towards her.

"Me?" he demanded. "What did _I_ do?"

"Don't act like you've forgotten," Cinder retorted. "We were only making our move on Vacuo thanks to _your_ little stunt back in Mistral. I knew Vacuo would be a wildcard, which is why I had been _planning_ on saving it for last."

"Don't try to pin this one on me!" Mercury fixed her with a dirty look. "I just do what I'm told! This has always been _your_ show, boss! It's not _my_ fault that you didn't make a contingency plan in case there happened to be a _Maiden_ just wandering around Vacuo."

Cinder exhaled through her nostrils. She knew Mercury was right of course. She knew the plan in Vacuo hadn't been as well thought-out as the one in Atlas, but she had gone through with it anyway. Less than a third of the amount of time had gone into preparing for it, but as they say, no plan survives the first moment of the war.

Though she supposed not all was lost at this point. She still had the power of _two_ Maidens at her disposal, after all. Perhaps it was time that she put those powers to the test, and let the world finally see her for what she truly was. Surely she was strong enough on her own by now.

But no, if the Summer Maiden's demonstration today had shown anything, it was that even _one_ Maiden's power could be devastating! A single well-placed sandstorm had cut her entire Grimm army to ribbons, riddling the beasts with a thousand-thousand supersonic sand grains that cut like shards of glass. The Maidens may have been no less mortal than any other human and could be killed just as easily, but when pushed, they could strike with the fury of the very planet itself. This meant that even if Cinder was powerful enough to take on either of the remaining Guardians, she could still be removed from play were she to become careless with her own life. And that was something that she could never allow to happen, no matter how dire the situation became.

No, she would need all four Maidens' powers before she could finally begin her end-game.

And she had honestly expected the White Fang to last longer than they had. While the White Fang themselves had been immigrating into the city for weeks on end beforehand, Adam's strike force that had landed (or crashed) in the airship had been the linchpin of their plan. And they had been eradicated before the sun had even set! The call had gone out to rise up when Ironwood's flagship crashed into the kingdom, but without the aid of the strike force or the Grimm, the local Huntsmen had thwarted any efforts the remaining White Fang had made, rounding up most of them right then and there. Many had likely escaped of course, but the loss of Adam and his Lieutenant was a significant blow. The White Fang was now leaderless, and those that remained would be directionless. Given the lack of any real motivation to attack the otherwise friendly kingdom of Vacuo, the White Fang would most likely dissolve before long.

What Cinder needed was someone who could rally the remaining White Fang out of the woodwork once more so that they could at least be useful in the march upon Atlas. A charismatic leader who could lead the White Fang against an age-old enemy would be a useful ally indeed. The problem was, Adam was the only Faunus ally she had kept. And he was missing in action, most likely dead. Neo could always take on the form of a Faunus, but it was unlikely that she could alter her scent without arousing suspicion. And even then, in order to take the role of a good leader, she would have needed to been a captivating orator. And Neo's communication skills were…somewhat lacking.

It was this type of job that she could have really used someone with Emerald's skills, Cinder reflected. Her powers may have been limited in front of crowds, but her skill with words was almost on par with Cinder's herself. It was a shame that Cinder had needed to terminate their arrangement.

And then there was the matter of her little side project. Turning the Maiden candidate into a full Grimm had come with a price. While it may have stifled any lingering free will remaining in the young woman's heart, it had also stifled much of the skill and resourcefulness that came with that free will. And it also seemed to make her vulnerable to that damn girl's silver eyes.

Ruby Rose…Cinder would have to deal with her sooner rather than later, it seemed.

"We're through here," she said simply to her minions. "Rally what forces you can. I will contact you when I am ready to make our next move."

Mercury and Neo turned to leave, and Cinder began to make her way down the ruined hallways of the school. The building had come under much disrepair in recent months as creatures of Grimm had come traipsing through the halls, upsetting furniture, tearing up floors and walls, and generally making a mess of the place. Cinder paid the untidy surroundings no heed. She had no time for such concerns any longer. Now, her focus was entirely on her next move. She needed to regroup, and seize what opportunities she could before they slipped away from her for good.

And she had just the idea on how to do it…

Climbing the stairway to the remains of Ozpin's office, Cinder found the great red nevermore perched overhead, nursing its wounds. Cinder had arranged for several "volunteers" to go towards its nourishment. The desk and much of the furniture was no longer present; only the Shadowglass remained, the rest tossed off the edge or smashed into bits. And standing at the center of the floor was the paralyzed statuesque form of Pyrrha Nikos.

Cinder frowned as she appraised the petrified shape before her. It seemed that it would shatter given only a slight push. The girl's Grimm nature had made her vulnerable to the silver-eyed girl's powers, just as the dragon was. Cinder glanced over at the massive form of the giant reptile clinging to the wall. Such a fearsome beast, and it had been reduced to nothing with nothing more than a glimpse.

What good was a weapon that couldn't be used?

Cinder slowly pulled her white glove out and slid it onto her right hand. She held her gloved hand over the Pyrrha's face, and flooded the ornamental piece with her aura. The symbol began to glow, and soon the blood beetle sleeping withing began to emerge from the palm of her hand.

She frowned as she watched the tiny creature work, spraying its fetid silk across the Grimm mask frozen to Pyrrha's face. Leaving the girl with her free will had been a risk that Cinder had been unwilling to take. With Ozpin in frequent communication with her, and Cinder unable to keep the girl monitored at all times, it was only a matter of time before they found a way to subvert her.

But she had run out of options now. And at least this version of the Fall Maiden candidate could be controlled to some extent. She would bring with her the skill of a trained Huntress. And that sniveling silver-eyed brat would be powerless to stop her.

As the blood beetle tugged, the mask affixed to the girl's face finally came free, before falling to the ground and shattering, revealing Pyrrha's eyes transfixed in an emotionless gaze were it had been. However, within moments, color slowly began to return to her, as her humanity began to reawaken, bit by bit.

Pyrrha blinked in confusion, looking around as if unsure of where she was. Her eyes eventually fell on Cinder.

And then to Cinder's indignation, the young Huntress actually had the gall to _laugh!_

"Ahahahah!" Pyrrha shook with unbridled mirth, the memories of the past month's events no doubt slowly trickling to the surface, like recalling a fever dream. "Hahahahahahaha!"

Cinder scowled in outrage. "Silence you brat! Who do you think you're dealing with!?"

With a flick of her wrist, Pyrrha's body was suddenly enveloped in Cinder's power as she was lifted bodily up into the air.

The girl didn't seem to care at all.

"I was right!" she exclaimed, tears falling from her eyes. "I was _right!_ You _are_ afraid!"

Cinder clenched her eyes. One thing she had not missed with the girl's transformation had been her silence!

"I don't recall asking for your input, child!" Cinder's eyes flared with rage as she lifted the Huntress with nothing more than her aura, sending her flying back against the Shadowglass, pinning her to the mirror like a vice.

Despite her predicament, Pyrrha continued to smile. And she kept smiling even as she sank further and further down as Cinder pushed her into the pocket dimension within the Shadowglass.

The girl continued to shake with mirth even as she fell to her knees upon the floor within the Shadowglass. The girl would have been locked in an endless slumber while her body had been fully controlled by the Grimm within. Like a coma patient, she would have experienced nothing of the outside world within that time frame. However, it seemed that once she had awoken, and her mind regained control, the flood of emotions and memories was enough to make her giddy. Like a sudden rush of endorphins after an eternity of numbness.

No matter, Cinder reasoned as she descended to one knee to gaze at the young woman's face. The pain would return in time.

"Enjoy this little victory while it lasts, my dear," Cinder smiled wickedly. "I can assure you…it is only a temporary one."

Pyrrha was out of breath, her hair hanging loosely over her eyes. Her color had just about returned to normal, her skin tone regaining its natural sheen, her armor once again a shimmering bronze.

"You don't get it…" the girl said softly. "Do you?"

Cinder did not deign to comment, though she did not make any effort to silence her further.

"You've done everything in your power to drive this world apart…" Pyrrha said in a tremulous voice, as if her body was unused to the presence of a conscious mind and was struggling to adjust. "But in doing so, you've only managed to unite them. And they will be coming for you. You've all but guaranteed that."

Cinder narrowed her brow. She had been expecting empty words of bravado, but this…there was knowledge behind this. Where had these words come from? What exactly had happened to her while she had slumbered in realms beyond? Whose voice was this girl even speaking with anymore

"Whether you realize it or not…" Pyrrha rose to her feet as she locked eyes with Cinder as her fists rested against the glass. "You've already lost. This was never a fight that you were _ever_ going to win, Asha'ella!"

Cinder's eyes flew open in disbelief.

"Where did you hear that name!?" she demanded angrily, reaching out with her hand to once again envelop the girl in energy through the Shadowglass, lifting her off her feet. "Tell me!"

Pyrrha simply smiled back at her, even as Cinder's aura began to constrict around her neck.

"You… _are_ afraid…" she muttered through a clenched throat, smiling wistfully down at her. "The Huntsmen…are gathering. My friends…are out there. They'll come for you."

Cinder growled furiously as she tightened her aura around the girl's throat. "I'm _through_ playing games with you!"

Pyrrha slowly shook her head. "Killing me…won't stop them. It will only…spur them onward."

She glared back at Cinder, a look of triumph on her face as Cinder snarled back, her brow knit in tension as she held the other girl aloft.

"You've seen for yourself…how dangerous they can be…" Pyrrha grimaced as Cinder's grip around her neck constricted. "And now…they have a _Maiden_ on their side…"

Cinder dropped the girl and took a step back, eyes unfocused.

Of course! The girl had touched the Maiden's power! Which meant that all the knowledge of the Maidens was at her beck and call! And sending her to slumber in the realms beyond had no doubt given her ample opportunity to explore those vast depths. Cinder had inherited the Maidens' power, but she had no way of tapping into the shared reservoir of knowledge that each Maiden had accumulated over the eons! That knowledge had been denied to Cinder as one who had taken it by force.

But now, all that knowledge was all right here for the taking!

A smile crept across Cinder's face. This opened up a whole new realm of possibilities. Pyrrha may have been incalculably more dangerous to keep around with this revelation, but she was infinitely more valuable to Cinder now as a result! As a weapon, Pyrrha may have been formidable. But as a conduit into the collective unconscious of the Maidens…she very well might provide Cinder with everything she would ever need.

"Interesting…" Cinder mouthed through curved red lips, the golden lines on her dress glowing intensely. "You've given me much to think about indeed, little one…"

Pyrrha blinked, seemingly unsure of herself now. Cinder could practically see the questions darting around inside her head. Had she given too much away? How much had her captor figured out? What could she be planning?

Cinder felt her confidence swelling as she felt a wellspring of opportunity open up around her. What had initially seemed the greatest of follies may yet be her winning stroke.

"Rest up, my pet…" Cinder smiled wistfully as she turned to go, leaving the other girl to her thoughts. "Tomorrow's going to be a beautiful day…"


	59. Chapter 59

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 59

* * *

Ruby stepped into an off-white waiting room where General Ironwood, Headmistress Jasmine and Winter Schnee were gathered. It was a departure from the usual aesthetic of Vacuo's sun-bleached sandstone. This room at the heart of Shade Academy looked institutional, cold and lacking in any personality. The walls lacked any windows and the hard fluorescent lighting overhead cast the room in a pale, opulent glow. The doors were automated, and sealed behind her with a _woosh_ , and another door with a single window lay at the opposite side of the room.

What stood out most to Ruby, apart from the high ranking Huntsmen in the room looking about as unkempt and unhappy as three people could possibly appear together, was all the broken furniture around the room. Tables and chairs lay upturned and strewn, anything wooden completely torn apart. There were a number of Vacuo security guards stationed just inside the door as well, and they all appeared to be on edge.

It looked like there had been some kind of fight recently.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked curiously as she entered the room.

Professor Jasmine looked furious and refused to meet Ruby's gaze. Ironwood appeared equally aloof, and it was Winter who finally responded to Ruby's query.

"Ruby," she spoke calmly, with her hands behind her back. "We were hoping you could help us."

Ruby blinked in confusion. "Help you with what?"

Before Winter could respond, there was a loud _bang_ from the other side of the door on the far side of the wall.

"Let me out!" tiny muffled voice cried out on the other side of the door. "You can't keep me here!"

Ruby's jaw dropped. "Is that…Dora?"

Winter nodded slowly. "Yes…we were hoping you could-"

BAM!

Another loud bang thrummed through the door.

"That door won't hold…" Ironwood observed, distantly. "That room was designed to contain Grimm specimens, but nothing like this."

Ruby glanced back and forth between the door and the room's occupants.

"I don't understand…" Ruby said, innocently. "Why are you keeping her locked up?"

Jasmine turned and gave Ironwood a murderous glare.

"That's a good question," she said slowly. "Would you care to answer her, _general?_ "

Ruby flinched at the venom in the Headmistress' voice. When the two of them had first met, Professor Jasmine had been as friendly with the general as anyone could be, but now she wouldn't even call him by name.

"It's for her own protection," Ironwood said, his arms crossed, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. "Someone is gunning for the Maidens. We have to keep Dora safe."

"By holding her _prisoner_ here!?" Jasmine demanded incredulously.

BAM!

There was another loud bang at the door.

"She's just a child," the general shook his head. "She's not ready for the responsibilities of being a Maiden, nor is she capable of defending herself."

"And who are _we_ to decide that for her!?" Jasmine demanded. "Who are _we_ to imprison this child!?"

"Professor, you swore an oath to Professor Ozpin!" Ironwood shot back at her, pointing to the floor with his index finger. "We all did! That means that it is _our_ responsibility to keep this girl safe! Whatever that entails! Regardless of how we may feel about the situation!"

Jasmine shook her head slowly in disgust. "I was wrong about you, general. Your heart is as cold as the machine you are!"

Ironwood stiffened at that, and Ruby could swear that she felt the temperature of the room drop by several degrees. She had no idea what had gone on between the two of them in the past, but she could tell that Jasmine's words had stung.

BAM!

"Let me _out!_ " Dora screamed again, her voice obscured behind layered carbon-steel walls.

It was Winter who cleared her throat and finally broke the tension in the room.

"Ruby," she said slowly. "We were hoping that you could talk to Dora. Maybe try to get her to calm down a little. If we can get her to stop lashing out and talk to us, then maybe we can let her out of that room."

Ruby blinked in surprise. "Me? What can _I_ do?"

"You're closer in age, for one thing," Winter explained. "And you're both new to this whole 'Maidens' thing, which I'm still trying to wrap my head around…"

She threw a questioning look at the general, who was still refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

"And from what I understand from your field report, she also knew your mother," Winter finished. "Maybe you two can find some common ground?"

Another loud _bang_ emanated from the other room, and the two of them flinched.

Ruby stared at the door worriedly. "I…I don't know if this is a good idea, Ma'am…I mean, I've never been that great at…y'know, _talking_ to people. Yang's so much better at giving pep talks and stuff…"

Winter shook her head. "Yang's still in the hospital, Ruby. And you're the one that Dora is most likely to listen to. We need your help Ruby."

She gestured to the door.

" _She_ needs your help."

Ruby chewed on her lip and stared at the steel door as it rattled once again with the force of an angry child with more power than she knew what to do with.

"Okay…" she said nervously, stepping towards the door. "I'll try…"

Ruby cautiously approached the mechanical door and peered in through the window. Behind the door was a small pristine white room with no furniture or defining features of any kind. At least, it likely started out that way, as the walls were now marred by scorch marks and dents from Dora's wrath. Bolts of lightning crackled around the room as Dora's energy fluctuated around the room, the wind in the contained unit kicking up and losing momentum in the confined space.

And standing at the center of the room, her eyes glowing brightly in anger, was the young Summer Maiden. She had neither her dagger nor her staff, but she was still radiating with power. Her brow was knit with anger and fear, locks of black hair slipping out from under her turban, her bronze skin glistening with sweat as tears clung to her cheeks.

"Dora…" Ruby said softly through the plexiglass window. "Are you okay?"

Dora's eyes snapped towards Ruby as they lost their eerie yellow glow, and she ran towards her, slamming her hands into the door.

"Ruby!" she cried in recognition verging on relief. "Let me out of here, please! You have to get me out!"

Ruby's heart began to ache. She could see now why Professor Jasmine was so cross with General Ironwood. While intellectually she understood that Dora had to be kept safe, the treatment she was receiving here was cruel and unnecessary.

"I'm trying to do just that, Dora," Ruby said sympathetically. "But first I need to talk to you. Is that alright?"

Dora crossed her arms, her lower lip quivering as she began to cry anew. "We're talking right now, aren't we? Why can't you let me out now!?"

Ruby placed a hand on the transparent barrier between them.

"Dora…did anyone explain to you why you have these powers?" she asked softly. "Has anyone told you…who you are?"

Dora shook her head violently, shaking her fists as her aura flared up violently.

"I don't care!" she cried, eyes glowing once again. "I don't care about _any_ of that! I just want to go _home!_ "

Ruby flinched at the outburst, but she maintained her gaze on the young, traumatized little girl. If anyone could understand the grief that this girl was going through, of having everything she knew and loved stripped from her, it was Ruby.

She then turned to Winter.

"Let me in there," she said simply.

Winter tensed. "Ruby, you've seen what that girl can do. It took all three of us to get her in there in the first place. I can't just let you-"

"Winter," Ironwood snapped. "Open the door."

Winter hesitated for a brief moment as she stared at the general in surprise.

"Y-Yes sir," she finally nodded and stepped towards the mechanical lever on the wall that controlled the door and pulled it down.

The door slid open with a _whoosh_ , and Ruby slowly stepped inside, letting the door close behind her.

"Dora…" she said slowly.

The other girl was standing at the other end of the room with her arms crossed, facing away from Ruby.

"Go away!" she said stubbornly. "I'm not talking to you until you let me out of here!"

Ruby withered sympathetically, her shoulders drooping.

"Okay…" she said, trying to play nice. "Then…how about just listening for a while…?"

Dora didn't respond, other than to let out a determined 'hmph!' as she set her shoulders rigidly.

Ruby walked as far as the center of the white, seamless room, ignoring the pock-marked walls and all that they implicated, and sat down cross legged on the floor.

"I don't have a lot of memories of my mother," Ruby began. "I was about…three or four when she died. She was out on missions a lot of the time, but she always tried to make time for me and my sister. I remember waiting for her to come home from long trips, and being so happy when she finally walked in through our front door…"

Dora glanced back at Ruby as she spoke, but remained stubbornly on her feet with her back turned and her arms crossed.

"Back then, we only knew about the world through the stories our parents would tell," Ruby went on. "Our mom used to read to us every night, about all the adventures she and my dad used to go on, and the heroes and villains they had heard about on their journeys."

Dora had finally turned her head to listen to what Ruby was saying, but had yet to turn around or otherwise acknowledge her.

"Heh…" Ruby laughed to herself. "If only I'd known back then how much she had really done as a Huntress…I mean, I knew my mom was _incredible_ , but I never imagined that she'd come all the way to Vacuo! My sister and I grew up in this tiny little island near Vale, we had never even _seen_ the world beyond our own kingdom back then. And I'm only _just_ finding out that my mom has traveled the world, seen all these _amazing_ things, and met such _amazing_ people…"

Ruby smiled up at Dora as the girl peered back at her.

"I would have loved to have met you when my Mom was still alive," Ruby said sweetly. "It would have been nice to have someone else to play with growing up…besides my sister, I mean."

Dora finally turned to face Ruby as she listened to what she had to say.

"And now, they're telling me that my mom was even _more_ special than I thought," Ruby said wistfully. "Not only did she have silver eyes, which made her _really_ good at fighting Grimm…but she also had special powers. Likes yours, Dora."

Dora looked interested now. "Like mine?"

Ruby shrugged. "I think so. I don't really understand it very well, but…it sounds like my mom, Summer Rose, was also something called a Guardian Maiden. Like the fairy tale?"

Dora nodded intently. "Oh, I know the story. An old man gets a visit from four sisters, and they're each one of the four seasons. Spring gives life, summer gives warmth, autumn gives bounty and winter gives rest. Summer used to tell me that story too."

Ruby nodded. "That's right. And it seems that…when she died, she gave that power to you."

Dora looked puzzled as she crouched down in front of Ruby, clasping her hands around her knees.

"Why me?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know," Ruby shook her head. "Ironwood says that a Maiden gives her power to one who is in her thoughts when she dies. I don't know why my sister or I didn't get it; why _we_ weren't the ones in our mother's thoughts during her last moments. Maybe because you were very special to her. Maybe because she was sleeping in your house at the time. Maybe she…didn't want my sister or I to have that power because she wanted to keep us safe and free…"

Ruby wiped a tear from her eye.

"I just don't know, Dora…" she sighed, sadly. "And we'll probably never know."

Dora looked concerned at Ruby's crying. "Ruby…"

Ruby shook her head, trying and failing to dry her eyes.

"My mom…clearly cared about you a lot…" she sighed. "And I can tell that you cared about her too."

Dora nodded, tears arising anew in her own eyes too.

"You miss her…" Ruby observed, her throat clenching. "Don't you?"

Dora nodded, tears growing. "I do…"

"Was she…?" Ruby hesitated, trying to ask the right question. "Did she treat you well?"

Dora nodded. "She was like another mommy…"

Ruby nodded as she fixed the girl with an earnest stare. "Then that…makes us a little bit like sisters, doesn't it?"

Dora nodded again, not finding the words to answer. Ruby responded by wrapping her arms around the young girl, holding her tightly. As she did, Dora leaned into her embrace, and Ruby squeezed her shoulders.

Ruby had always wondered what it would have felt like to have a younger sister. Maybe it felt something like this.

"Ruby…" Dora murmured sleepily.

"It's okay now, Dora," she said. "I'm sorry for everything we've put you through. I know you didn't ask for any of this. But as long as you have your powers, there are people who are going to come after you."

Dora looked up at her in confusion. "Why?"

"I don't know why, Dora," she said. "I can only guess it's because they want your power for something. And they won't ask nicely for it. They'll…try to hurt you to get it."

"Then I'll fight them!" Dora shook her head. "I'm not afraid, Ruby. I can handle myself. I always have."

"I know that you're brave and strong, Dora," Ruby shook her head. "But you can't be brave and strong all the time. You have to sleep. You have to eat. And you have to look after your other family too, right? The lost children of Vacuo?"

Dora nodded vehemently. "Right. I'll have to watch them all even more carefully now!"

Ruby shook her head. "What if you can't though? There are _so_ many of them, and it's such a big city. What if one of them gets kidnapped, and the people who want to hurt you force you to give yourself up in return for one of your family? What would you do then?"

Dora's lip quivered as she shook her head. "I…I…they wouldn't _really_ …would they?"

Ruby shrugged, shaking her head. "I don't know. Maybe. But I'd rather not find out. Not without someone helping me, at least."

Ruby clasped the girl by the shoulders.

"That's what these people want to do, Dora," she explained. "They want to help you. They want to protect you from people that might hurt you, _or_ hurt your family. I know it might be hard to trust them, but…you trust me now, don't you?"

Dora slowly nodded her head. "Yes…"

Ruby smiled. "Well, then trust me when I say that you can trust my friends too. You can trust the General. And Winter. And Professor Jasmine too. They're all trying to help you."

Dora pouted her lips. "Then why did they lock me up in here? Why did they take me away from my family?"

"Because they're _scared_ of you," Ruby explained simply. "You're _really_ powerful, remember? You just beat an _entire_ horde of Grimm all by yourself! And they don't know if they can trust _you_ yet either."

Dora blinked in surprise, as if she'd never thought of it that way before.

"Maybe…" Ruby suggested gently "If you show them that they can trust you and that you can all work together, they'll be nice and let you out so you can see your family."

Dora slowly nodded her head. "Well…okay, I guess…as long as _you're_ there too, Ruby."

Ruby nodded. "I'll stay with you as long as I can, Dora. But I'm a Huntress too. I've got a big job to do, just like my mom. And check it out…"

Ruby leaned in close to Dora and placed a hand under her own cheek, opening one of her eyes wide enough for Dora to see.

"I've got silver eyes too!" she said with a grin. "Just like Summer. Which means it's _my_ job to stop the Grimm. Not just here in Vacuo, but everywhere I can."

"Then…" Dora appeared uncertain as she considered. "Then I'll go with you!"

Ruby shook her head. "But Dora…what about your family? What about Vacuo? The lost children of Vacuo still need you, Dora. The General, Winter and I have to go back to Atlas when all this is done, so you'll need to stay here in Vacuo with Professor Jasmine looking after you. I'm sure she'll let you stay with your family once she's sure she can trust you, she'll just be keeping an eye on you. Does that sound alright?"

Dora gave Ruby a pouting look. "But what about you, Ruby? Will you ever come back? I don't want you to leave…"

Ruby hugged the little girl again. "I'll come and visit you as much as I can, Dora. Just as soon as the Grimm are defeated. And who knows? If Professor Jasmine lets me, maybe the two of us can go hunting from Grimm together. You can be my sidekick, just like with Summer."

That seemed to lift Dora's spirits a little. "I…I'd like that…"

Ruby nodded and got to her feet, reaching for the young girl.

"Good," Ruby smiled. "Now let's go show those other Huntsmen how awesome you are, and how much of a team player you can be."

Nervously, Dora took Ruby's hand, and together, the two of them stepped over towards the door. Winter seemed to take the cue to open it for them, and the two young girls emerged from the isolation chamber.

"Everyone," Ruby said, as everyone's eyes fell on her and the Maiden. "I think Dora has something she'd like to say to you all."

Dora glanced around the room with trepidation. "Ummm…I, uh…well, I'm sorry about…trashing the place…"

Ironwood and Jasmine glanced around at all the broken furniture.

"Apology accepted, young lady," Jasmine responded evenly.

"And, uh…" Dora glanced back and forth between Ruby and the others. "I'll try not to, um…blow up like that again. I don't know much about this Maiden stuff, but if means there's someone after me, then they might come after my family too. I have to protect them."

Professor Jasmine nodded glanced over at Winter, who pulled up some information on her scroll.

"The lost children of Vacuo," Jasmine noted, glancing at the scroll that Winter held out for her. "Yes, we've heard of you. You're rather notorious around the slums, aren't you?"

Dora rubbed the top of her finger under her nose. "Heeheehee…we are, aren't we?"

Jasmine cast a glance back at Ironwood, who said nothing, but at least met her gaze this time. He made no objection, and Jasmine finally nodded.

"Very well," she declared. "If that is the price of your cooperation, I will make it my responsibility to ensure that the lost children are kept safe from the creatures of Grimm. Is that fair?"

Dora nodded, but then held up a finger. "Also! That girl from Atlas promised us help! Food, shelter, clothing, stuff like that! I want her to make good on her promise!"

Jasmine held her hands up. "That is out of my hands, I'm afraid. You will have to talk to _this_ one about that."

She gestured to Ruby, who blinked in surprise.

"She is on her team, after all," Jasmine reasoned.

Ruby blushed and scratched her hair. "Oh, umm…okay, I'll talk to Weiss. I'm sure she'll be perfectly willing to help. Maybe…"

Dora crossed her arms. "You better! I'm not going to be much help if I have to spend all my time feeding a bunch of starving kids!"

Ruby held her hands up, reassuringly. "I'll make sure she understands that! I promise!"

Dora finally smiled and nodded at the others in the room.

"Okay then," she grinned widely from ear to ear. "Tell me more about these Maiden powers of mine…"


	60. Chapter 60

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 60

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Been kinda sick lately, and also busy moving into a new place, traveling, and dealing with work. Will try to post more in the future.

* * *

The population of Havensfall had been reduced by half. The number of viable Huntsmen left to protect them all had been cut down by even more than that. There was division amongst the survivors as to what they should do next. Some thought that they should remain in the village, although it was heavily damaged and its resources dwindling, their miraculous harvest of crops having died out and never recovered from the attack. Others thought that they should cut their losses and make for the north-western harbor, where they could hopefully find passage to Atlas, to hell with any lingering animosity there might have been between the two kingdoms. But that solution would mean leaving behind many of the sick, injured and elderly. It would also evaporate completely if they arrived to find the harbor ransacked, pillaged or otherwise bereft of sufficient boats. Or if Atlas simply turned them away.

For the Huntsmen, who had taken the role of de facto leaders of the group, the decision was not an easy one. For one thing, the number of experienced medical professionals amongst the refugees consisted of only two doctors, a husband and wife who had taken to the task of treating the sick and the injured with a level of dedication that Sun had honestly found quite inspiring.

"Seriously, I'm fine," Neptune insisted as one of the doctors examined him while he sat on a fold-out cot in one of the remaining tents that had been left standing after the attack.

"You're _not_ fine, buddy," Sun countered. "You've woken up screaming for the past three nights in a row!"

Neptune frowned back at his partner; he had dark circles under his eyes, and had not been getting adequate sleep lately. He groaned in irritation as the doctor shone a penlight in his eyes, inspecting the dilation of his pupils.

"Well," the mustachioed doctor mused "You're definitely showing signs of fatigue, but that's hardly far from the norm in these conditions. You say you haven't been getting sleep lately? Waking up from nightmares?"

Neptune growled angrily. "I said I'm fine!"

The doctor backed off slowly at Neptune's outburst, but Sun put his hands on his partner's shoulders.

"Calm down, buddy," he cautioned him. "We know you're stressed out right now, but we gotta check you out and make sure nothing serious is wrong, okay?"

Neptune crossed his arms grumpily as the doctor continued to examine him.

"I'm not finding anything physically wrong here," he offered finally.

Neptune gave Sun a dirty look. "There, you see!?"

"However," the doctor interrupted, "I am going to recommend that my wife have a look at you, just to be on the safe side."

Neptune's irritation only grew. "Oh, come on!"

As the doctor wandered out of the tent, Neptune remained sitting on the cot, resting his head in his hands, looking as grumpy as ever.

"This is such a waste of time," he complained as the doctor went to fetch his wife. "The doctors' time would be much better spent on people who are _actually_ hurt from that attack, and our time as Huntsmen would be better spent guarding them all!"

Sun stood over him with his arms crossed. "You know, you can be a real blockhead sometimes?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Neptune demanded.

"It means that we don't have enough Huntsmen left to be careless with your health, man!" Sun argued, holding his arms out. "There's, like, four teams left! If we lose _you_ , that's…one out of…sixteen…that's…"

As Sun struggled with the math, Neptune sighed.

"About a six percent loss," he finished.

"Right!" Sun nodded. "We can't afford to lose any more Huntsmen, now more than ever!"

Neptune sighed. He supposed that Sun was right, but he just hated being a burden and didn't feel like his relatively minor discomfort was worth drawing the doctors' attention away from people who had lost actual limbs in the Grimm attack. If he was being completely honest, however, he had to admit that he hadn't been feeling up to snuff since the attack. It wasn't just the lack of sleep, though that certainly contributed. But something told him, if there was another Grimm attack, he wouldn't have been much use in a fight.

Of course, he would never tell Sun that.

"Alright, fine," he finally admitted. "If it'll get you off my back."

Sun nodded with a smile. "Thank you."

The doctor finally returned, this time with a female doctor following after him. Like him, she wore a suit and jacket with a loosened tie, and like most of the civilians in Havensfall, their clothing was unwashed and disheveled. Neither of them looked particularly well rested, although both strode with a level of confidence borne of a lifetime of service.

"Hello there," the female doctor said somberly as she entered, her red hair tied back. "Neptune, was it? What seems to be the problem?"

Neptune shrugged and rolled his eyes. "My team leader is convinced that I'm unfit for duty."

Sun shook his head dismissively. "I didn't say you were unfit, I just meant-"

"Gentlemen," the doctor held her hand up in protest, her husband rummaging through his doctor's bag elsewhere in the tent. "Please. Neptune, could you describe what's going on with you?"

Neptune sighed. "It's…just nightmares, alright? We've all been through a lot lately, and they'll pass eventually."

The doctor gave him an inquisitive look as she sat across from him. "But they're interfering with your ability to sleep."

Neptune shrugged. "I guess."

"If you can't get proper rest, you're of no use to these civilians as a Huntsman," she crossed her arms sternly. "Now tell me…did anything happen during that last attack? Anything that stood out to you, or impacted you more than usual?"

"Well, there was that woman who arrived the day before the attack," he muttered angrily. "She killed Vera. And did…something to her. We couldn't stop it."

The doctor nodded. "I remember hearing about that. So you were there when it happened? That must have been difficult for you."

Neptune ground his teeth. "More like infuriating. I mean, she was maybe twenty feet away from us! We could have jumped in! Maybe even saved her!"

"Yeah, more like gotten ourselves killed," Sun commented.

"You don't know that!" Neptune growled back at him.

"Gentlemen!" the doctor insisted. "Please…Neptune, is there anything else you can remember from the attack?"

"No…" Neptune shook his head angrily. "Not really…just…"

The doctor waited patiently as Neptune thought back. Come to think of it, he had blacked out for a portion of that fight. He had thought he had simply been knocked silly. But when he had come to, the last thing he remembered was trying to resuscitate someone.

"There was a boy…" Neptune muttered slowly in recollection. "Couldn't have…been more than ten or twelve. A goliath got him with one of their tusks. He…he bled out in my arms. Really…never stood a chance…"

The doctor peered at him, her green eyes focused on his.

"That sounds absolutely terrible," she said softly. "I'm sorry."

Neptune refused to meet her gaze. "Yeah, well…what are you gonna do, right? That's the world we live in. It is what it is."

The doctor turned a saddened gaze up to her husband.

"What do you think, honey?" she asked.

The husband looked up from his doctor's bag. "I think we've seen more than enough cases like this to be sure, dear."

The wife nodded. "Right…"

Neptune looked concerned. "What? What is it?"

"Difficulty sleeping, nightmares, irritability and feelings of aggravation and guilt," the doctor sighed as she stood up. "All symptomatic of post-traumatic stress disorder. Sadly, a condition that's becoming more and more commonplace these days, particularly among Huntsmen."

Neptune glanced back at Sun, before returning his gaze to the doctor.

"You think I have PTSD?" Neptune asked in disbelief.

"A child died in your arms," she answered soberly. "Less traumatic experiences than that have caused it in others. I can give you something to help you sleep better, but our supplies are extremely limited out here."

Neptune was still sitting still. "I don't get it…we've all fought _hundreds_ of these things before. Why is this happening to me now?"

"Everyone has their limits, Neptune," the doctor explained, fishing a bottle of pills from one of the supply crates in the room. "It doesn't reflect on you as a person; for every documented case, there are probably hundreds that go unreported. It wouldn't surprise me if half the Huntsmen in Remnant had at least a mild affliction. The important thing is that we identify it and treat it as soon as possible."

Sun gave Neptune a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"But he'll be okay, right?" he asked inquisitively.

The doctor nodded her head, handing Neptune his medication. "As long as you avoid any situations that make you relive the event in mind. If there is another Grimm attack, I want you to come see me again afterward as soon as you can."

Neptune lowered his eyes. "Assuming we all walk away from it…"

The doctor smiled sadly. "Death is the burden of living. As is living, I suppose."

Sun gave Neptune a comforting pat on the shoulders, before smiling back at the woman.

"Thank you so much for checking my buddy out," he said with a polite nod. "We really appreciate it, Doctor…?"

She nodded and smiled sweetly. "Oh, I'm Dr. Athena Nikos. And this is my husband, Dr. Perseus Nikos. I can assure you, it's been our pleasure."

Sun and Neptune exchanged a glance.

"Nikos…" Neptune muttered. "Hey, we knew a Nikos…didn't we?"

Sun nodded. "Yeah! She was that Huntress who…"

Then his eyes returned to the doctor as realization dawned on him.

"Oh my god…"

Dr. Nikos lowered her eyes. "I take it you two knew my daughter, then?"

Neptune nodded. "We met her and her team during the Vytal festival in Vale."

"Our team was there the day it happened," Sun added, worry encroaching his brow. "We were fighting off the Grimm invasion at the time. I…I can't even imagine…"

Athena nodded as her husband stepped over to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We were informed shortly after it happened," Dr. Nikos said slowly, looking up at her husband. "I suppose, in a way, this crisis we find ourselves in has been a welcome distraction for us. Percy and I have been able to put our skills to good use rather than wallow away in grief."

Perseus squeezed his wife's shoulders.

"We're only too grateful that you all have done the same," he said. "Our daughter was strong and brave, and she died a hero. We must do all we can to live up to her example. We cannot allow ourselves to succumb to grief when there is so much more work to be done."

Neptune and Sun both nodded.

"Couldn't have said it better," Sun smiled, clasping his partner's shoulder.

"Yeah," Neptune agreed. "We're got to keep moving forward. All of us."

Pyrrha's mother smiled back at the two boys.

"I certainly hope you do."


	61. Chapter 61

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 61

* * *

 _Twenty-one years ago…_

Qrow honestly hadn't expected them all to last this long.

Life at Beacon had been a mixed bag. Some parts were easy – Qrow had always excelled at schoolwork. While his sister was no slouch, applied theory and academics was one area where he could hold his own against her. They were both equally studious, and tended to get top marks in all their classes. They were neck and neck in most of their classes, with the exception of Professor Goodwitch's combat training course.

In the area of combat proficiency however, his sister was the star pupil, which aggravated Qrow to no end. His other teammates seemed only too content to cheer her on when she performed, but he felt no such desire. It wasn't out of some deep-seeded bitterness, at least, not anymore. He didn't cheer on Raven because he knew that she didn't need him to. Nothing ever seemed to challenge her. Her sword skill was top notch, and she approached every situation with a cool, methodical head, and secured a win for herself in every sparing match the Professor put her through.

Their parents had taught her well. They had taught them both well, he supposed, but in Qrow's case, not enough of it had sunken in it seemed. Both of their parents were teachers at Signal Academy, which meant that coming home from school was never just coming home from school – the lessons continued long into the dinner hour. Before they even got to eat, they were both required to complete a mandatory obstacle course that had been erected in the backyard, which got more and more complicated and hazardous with each year! Both his mom and his dad had trained he and his sister mercilessly, and as a result, the two of them were probably well above any of their fellow second-years, and probably many of the third or fourth-years for that matter. It was if his parents had been grooming them for something, but would never tell them what exactly.

Qrow had usually gotten away with just scraping by, passing his parents' rigorous training with just the bare minimum. On reflection, his parents must have known this, and raised the bar on this bare minimum to such a height that even at his level, he far exceeded his peers. Raven, on the other hand, had thrived on the challenge growing up, and flourished under the harsh treatment, attacking each new problem head on with stubbornness and tenacity. As children, she had always cheered him on, but he knew that it only meant that he needed cheering on. It was as if he would never be good enough, and his entire family knew it.

He didn't begrudge them this, however. If Raven was going to be the shining star of the family, then so be it. Less work for him. And he didn't hold his parents' harsh training against them. For one thing, in spite of how much of a struggle it had been, it had allowed him to coast his way through every other aspect of life. Their attention had focused on honing their individual strengths, providing them with challenges that forced them both to come up with new ways to employ their unique semblance and their fighting styles.

For another, after their mother had died, the harsh training had diminished substantially.

They had all received the news when he and his sister were fourteen. He could remember the day clearly. The broken look in his father's eye, the way his sister had shaken with grief. That was the only time he had ever seen either of them cry before. It was a day that Qrow would never forget.

Their lives were never the same after that. For a while, their father had tried to keep the family training tradition alive, but both Raven and Qrow could tell that their father's heart had just not been in it anymore. That had been three years before the two of them had shipped off the Beacon, and that was the year that Raven had taken it upon herself to train her brother personally.

That had been the most aggravating three years of his life, and the culmination of all his animosity towards her had risen to a boil. Raven took after her mother in her malicious creativity, and her ability to see through Qrow's deceptions. He could never fool her or trick her, and having trained at his side for years, she was fluent in all of his techniques. He was equally wise to hers, but she knew that, and never relied on the same trick twice. It was a vicious back and forth that he could never win, and their father had practically shifted into a passive observer, usually only giving remarks and rarely being an active participant. Qrow wasn't entirely certain what he had learned in those three years, other than ways he could subvert his sister for at least a few hours before his reckoning finally came in the form of even more stringent challenges.

It was only after coming here to Beacon that this dynamic had finally shifted. At first, Qrow had been worried that it would be more of the same with Raven on his team, but there had been a factor that Qrow had not anticipated thrown into the mix when their teams had been decided.

Taiyang.

If there was one student at Beacon who could match Raven for sheer power, it was Tai. The guy was like a livewire, high strung and aggravatingly upbeat. He could match Raven blow for blow, rarely focused on defense, and simply threw himself into offense, relying on his semblance to absorb any damage he took. It was a foolish, ballsy strategy, and Professor Goodwitch constantly criticized him for it. But the problem was, it worked! Every time!

And the way he flirted with every single girl he saw at Beacon almost turned Qrow's stomach. Qrow fancied himself a ladies' man, but he was not too proud to admit that Taiyang put him to shame! The guy exuded confidence, and his upbeat and easygoing attitude made him easy to get along with for everyone in the school, except seemingly for Qrow.

And the worst part was Raven. Qrow had expected her to butt heads with him at every turn, to react to his competitive, go-getter attitude by trying to overpower him and assert her dominance, as she usually did. Everything he knew about his sister told him that she should despise their blond-haired teammate in everything he did.

Instead, she seemed to thrive on it! Every time they sparred, she seemed even more invigorated and motivated to train even harder! Their win-loss ration was almost neck and neck, but every time they stepped out of the ring, it was like all that competitiveness and heated savagery had been left behind on the mat. The two of them were always together, whether it was studying, training, or mealtimes. Every time Taiyang got some hair-brained idea in his head, whether it was to pull a prank on the headmaster or perform some insane stunt that might have easily gotten him killed, rather than call him out on the dumb-ass that he was, Raven seemed only too willing to participate, relishing in the challenge of pulling the two of them out unscathed. The two of them got along like a house on fire, and it irritated Qrow to no end that he could not relish in his sister's seeming inability to reign supreme over their fellow teammate simply because of how much she seemed to _enjoy_ it!

If there was one solace to all of this, it was Summer. Summer's tranquility and sincere demeanor was like the calm eye of the tumultuous hurricane that was Qrow's life. The two of them hadn't spoken all that much, but that was okay. Neither of them seemed to be very big on words, and usually were able to simply enjoy each other's company in silence.

The best part of the day for Qrow were study hours, where he and Summer could simply sit together in the library, reading. Occasionally they would help each other with school work, but both were fairly gifted students. Mostly, it was just the pleasure of having someone's company while engaged in an otherwise solitary task. Oftentimes, neither of them said a word to each other; they simply sat across from each other at the table, reading their respective books.

Sometimes Taiyang and Raven would join them. But more often than not…

"Ugh, this is so _boring_ ," Tai announced, getting up and stretching, leaving his books on the library table. "Hey Raven, want to see me jump off a cliff?"

Raven's lips curved into a smile. "Sounds like fun!"

Qrow rolled his eyes as the two of them hurried out of the library.

"Siblings, am I right?" he broke the silence with Summer.

"I wouldn't know," she said stoically. "I'm an only child."

Qrow went back to his book. "Hmph…lucky."

That wasn't to say Raven and Tai never interacted with their fellow teammates. Taiyang's shameless flirting was in no way limited to those outside of his team. Raven's reaction to it had been simple – she would only date someone who could defeat her in combat, hence their constant sparring. Summer's reaction had been a bit subtler. To Qrow's relief, she hadn't seemed terribly interested at the time, but not in condescending way either. Her refusals had never been outright, more provisional, like a parent chastising a child. Hers was a voice that made someone feel like they were almost there, but hadn't quite made it yet and to keep trying, and maybe one day they'd get it right. And so Tai kept at it, much to Qrow's chagrin.

Summer didn't seem terribly interested in dating anyone, at the moment. Qrow often weighed the option of asking her about whether or not she was looking for a relationship. Not with himself, oh no, not yet! He had to plan his move perfectly if he ever wanted a chance. But as her teammate, he had his concerns. Tai was clearly a playboy. Qrow had no worries for his sister, he knew she could handle herself, and would string Tai out if he should ever hurt her. But Summer was a gentle soul, and though she had demonstrated surprising resilience in battle, the last thing he wanted was to see her get hurt after opening her heart to someone like Tai.

One of the drawbacks of spending most of their time together in silence was that Qrow actually knew very little about Summer. A year together, and he had only just learned that she didn't have any brothers or sisters. He had actually never seen Summer without her hood covering her head. One of Raven's stipulations in sharing a room with the two boys was hanging a full-sized curtain dividing the room into the boys' side and the girls' side. A curtain that Raven enforced heavily after hours, which Taiyang had attempted to breach only once as a joke. One time had been enough, it had seemed. Tai may have been a flirt, but he knew his boundaries. That or Raven had simply found a way to tame the lech.

Summer and Raven had their moments too. One time, Tai wound up in the student hospital with a broken leg, probably from jumping off of too many cliffs. Raven was absolutely beside herself; she blamed herself for Tai's injury, and claimed that she was supposed to watch his back and not let him get hurt like that, even if he was the one putting himself in harm's way. She was determined to make it up to him, and somehow got it into her head that she absolutely _needed_ to bake him cookies to help him recover.

Qrow still had _nightmares_ about Raven's attempts at cooking growing up. That was one area the two of them knew absolutely _nothing_ about, but unlike Qrow who had simply given up in wasting any further effort on the task, Raven had been determined to get it down. And she had made him taste-test all of her creations.

" _Blegh!_ " Qrow spat the remains of what was _supposed_ to be a chocolate chip cookie onto the floor. "What did you just _feed_ me? A charcoal briquette!?"

Raven's face was a heated and angry pink as she held a platter of what appeared to be neatly arranged black smoking piles of ash that at some point might have stood a chance of being baked goods. Though Qrow had to admit, Raven did look kind of funny wearing an apron over her usual battle attire.

"Qrow!" she growled angrily. "Is that any way to react to your sister's baking!?"

"That's not baking!" Qrow gestured angrily to the tray in her hand. "That's a biohazard!"

The two of them continued to bare their teeth at each other until the someone else stepped into the small communal kitchenette.

"Is something burning in here?" Summer's voice broke the tension in the room.

Qrow went to get a glass of water as Raven held up her tray for Summer to see.

"I…made these…" Raven said, face still red with shame. "Wanted to make something for Taiyang…"

Summer inspected the tray of spoiled cookies, and tapped her chin ponderously, before taking one of the black husks and taking a cautious bite.

"Hmmmm…" she mused as she chewed on the blackened ashy remains. "You used margarine, didn't you?"

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Umm…yeah? Margarine's healthier, isn't it?"

Summer shook her head chidingly. "Not really. Besides, cookies are already loaded with sugar; you're not baking them to get any health benefits from them. Cookies are meant to be sweet and delicious, so don't let anything get in the way of that. And above all, cookies should be baked with love."

Raven actually took out a notebook and nodded her head studiously as she began taking notes. "I see…I see…"

Summer smiled and stepped over the kitchen counter and began taking out ingredients.

"Here," she offered sweetly. "Let me show you…"

Summer was without a doubt the heart and soul of team STRQ. She was as approachable as was Taiyang, as fierce as was Raven, and as insightful as was Qrow himself. Part of the reason for Qrow's hesitation in trying to ask her out was because he was terrified of ruining this unbelievable balancing act she was performing. She kept their team together, seemingly through sheer patience, and disrupting that by trying to squeeze romance into the mix would affect not only the two of them, but their whole team as well.

There was also the fear that if Summer had turned down even Taiyang's advances, what chance did Qrow have? He had long since given up on any hope of ever matching Tai's good looks. And even with his trademark charm, Qrow was still terrified of casting that stone, because while it would change everything if she were to say yes, it would also change everything if she were to say no. It would forever alter their relationship one way or the other. He wasn't sure he could take that kind of rejection, not from Summer. Not from someone he admired so much. Not from someone he would have to work with and train with and take orders from every day for the rest of his academic career.

He honestly wasn't sure how Taiyang did it. How could he just be so open with his desires and affections, and then act like nothing had happened after the cards were on the table? His confidence was staggering, and while working together with Taiyang was aggravating for the most part, even Qrow had to admit that the guy had his moments too.

"Hey man," Tai called out to him as he wandered out onto the dorm rooftop where Qrow was sitting. "Raven said you might out here. What's up?"

Qrow furrowed his brow. He liked to come out to the roof sometimes to think. It was peaceful and quiet, especially in the early evening when the sun was just beginning to crest the horizon. It gave him time to be away from his teammates and alone with his thoughts, which is something that Tai seemed determined to take from him at the moment.

"Shouldn't you be out chasing skirts or something?" Qrow asked derisively, turning his head as he sat facing away from the door on the edge of the roof.

Tai shrugged. "I've filled my quota for the time being. You should join me sometime. I could show you a trick or two."

Qrow raised an eyebrow as the boy approached. "I'm good, thanks."

Tai shrugged again and swung a leg over the ledge of the rooftop to sit next to him.

"You come out here often?" he asked, looking out at the horizon.

"Only when I'm trying to get some peace and quiet," Qrow said, hoping he'd take the hint.

"Sounds boring," Tai said, sounding oblivious. "You really ought to get yourself a girl, man. Help take some of that stress off your shoulders."

Qrow rolled his eyes, sighing deeply. "I'll take it under advisement."

Taiyang hesitated, seeming to sense Qrow's irritation, and finally holding his arms up in a gesture of peace.

"Alright, look, in all seriousness," he said softly. "I know you don't particularly care for the way I do things…"

Qrow raised an eyebrow in Tai's direction but didn't say anything.

"I know I can be a little brash…" he continued. "…Overconfident and…maybe a bit careless…but I want you to know, I've only got the best intentions."

Qrow looked unconvinced. "What are you getting at?"

Tai sighed. "What I'm trying to say is…if you want me to back off…I will."

Qrow looked confused. "Back off? From whom?"

"From Summer," he said, looking sincere.

Qrow narrowed his brow. "What…what are you talking about?"

Tai shook his head in amusement. "Look, come on man, we _both_ know you've had a thing for her since day one."

"What!?" Qrow's cheeks flared red. "That's ridiculous!"

" _And_ …" Tai continued, unfettered. "Since you're up here by yourself and not spending the evening with our esteemed team leader, we _both_ know you haven't made any moves on her yet. So what gives? What's holding you back, man?"

Qrow ground his teeth. Tai could be so aggravating sometimes.

"It's not that easy, alright?" he fumed, looking away. "Maybe it is for _you_ , but for me, it's…"

Taiyang shook his head playfully. "Look, man, this is why we should hang out more. I could give you all sorts of advice."

Qrow scowled. Why did his teammate have to be like this?

"I don't _need_ advice," he fumed. "I just…need to play it the right way."

Tai shrugged. "Alright man. I'm sure you have your reasons for holding back. Just…don't let _me_ be one of them, okay? I'm strictly hands-off from here on out."

Qrow threw him a furtive glance. "You're serious?"

"I won't get in the way," Tai raised his right hand. "You have my word."

Qrow thought for a moment. That may have been one of the nicest gestures Tai had ever made for him. It seemed that even though he may have been something of a philanderer, that even he could be a nice guy when it counted.

"Ok…well…thanks…" Qrow said, not knowing what else to say.

Tai grinned back at him.

"No problem, man!" he smirked. "And in return…maybe you can give me some tips to help me with Raven?"

Qrow let out a snort of laughter.

"Hah!" he chortled, suddenly feeling like he was back at Signal. "Not on your life!"

"Awww, come on, man!" Tai withered, putting on his best puppy-dog smile. "I went out on a limb for you!"

Qrow kept laughing. "Forget it! Besides, you're asking the wrong guy! If _I_ knew anything about how that sister of mine ticked, you can bet your ass I'd be using it to get under her skin as we speak."

Taiyang sighed in defeat. "Man…"

Qrow smirked at him. He had to admit, it felt good to let off some steam and fraternize a little. Maybe he'd try it more often now. He doubted he'd ever work up the courage to approach Summer, but at least he had a friend in Tai.

"I'll give you one piece of advice," he said, taking pity on the boy.

Taiyang sat up and peered back at him attentively. "Yeah?"

Qrow took a deep breath as he considered how his sister operated, her ferocity, her determination. Their parents had instilled into her all that they were, demanding everything and more, and Raven had been only too willing to give it.

"Raven…doesn't give up," he said.

"Got it!" Tai nodded. "Um…what do you mean by that, exactly?"

Qrow sighed.

"I mean that Raven never…ever…gives up," he said, sounding fatigued. "She will keep pushing…and pushing…and _pushing_ …until she gets what she wants. It doesn't matter _what_ it is. If she sets her mind to something, she'll _do_ it. It's just a matter of time."

Tai nodded. "Okay…"

Qrow stared him in the eye. "If you ever expect to get _anywhere_ with her…then you'll have to be prepared to be just as stubborn. You'll have to be better than you ever intended to be. You'll have to push yourself harder, make yourself stronger, and work yourself more than you ever imagined. She won't accept anything less."

Taiyang nodded slowly. "I understand…"

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "That…doesn't utterly terrify you?"

Tai grinned, jumping to his feet. "Nah, man. Just gets me more fired up. I think I wanna go hit the sparring ground now. Wanna come?"

Qrow sighed. He could barely comprehend this guy. He could barely comprehend his own sister. And he could barely comprehend Summer either. How could such a team of misfits manage to stick together and persevere in spite of it all? It had been an entire year at Beacon, and he was still finding things out about his team that he had never known before. Qrow honestly hadn't expected them all to last this long.

But he knew one thing for certain now: he didn't want it any other way.

"Sure," he smiled, getting to his feet. "Why not?"


	62. Chapter 62

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 62

* * *

Blake chewed on her lip as she peered through the hospital window at her partner lying in bed. A heart monitor silently oscillated besides the hospital bed, and Yang's head was encircled with a bandage. Her mechanical arm had been removed, and there were numerous flowers adorning the bedside table, no doubt a gift left by Ruby.

Blake slowly stepped into the small hospital room at the Shade Academy student health clinic, and Yang's eyes flickered open at her entrance.

"Hey…" the girl said sleepily, her eyes still half lidded as she sat up. "How are you?"

Blake still looked nervous as she approached her partner, a bouquet of daffodils in her hands.

Yang smiled. "Aww, are those for me? You shouldn't have."

Blake slowly set the flowers on the bedside table. Her addition to the collection was utterly dwarfed by the arrangement already there – roses, lilies and hydrangeas, irises and chrysanthemums, and enough lilacs and tulips to send anyone with allergies into a coughing fit.

Blake still said nothing as she stared down at Yang, a million thoughts running through her mind. She didn't even know where to begin. How many more of these near-misses would they have to endure? How much would be cut from them until they were finished? Yang was once again down an arm, and Blake had lost her sword. It seemed they would both need to replace their weapons. But what then? How long until someone broke down those weapons again? Would they just have to keep rebuilding themselves over and over again? How much longer would the world keep swinging at them? How much longer could the two of them keep swinging back?

"Blake?" Yang asked, her eyebrows narrowing, a crestfallen look arising on her feature as Blake continued to remain silent. "What's wrong?"

Blake could remain silent no longer. She threw her arms around her partner and buried her face beneath her chin and began to weep.

"Damn it, Yang!" she cried, squeezing her tightly. "Don't ever do that again! I was so worried!"

Yang's eyes widened in surprised as the other girl laid her weight on top of her, holding her good arm up as if not sure what to do with it.

"H-Hey…" Yang said gently laying her hand over Blake's shoulders. "It's alright! See? I'm fine."

"You're _not_ fine!" Blake shook her head, still burying her face in the other girl's chest. "Look at yourself!"

Yang put an uneasy expression on as she held up the stump of her right arm, the mechanical enclosure bolted at the end awaiting whatever replacement Atlas had in store.

"Okay, so my prosthetic got a little banged up," she admitted awkwardly. "But so what? That thing can be replaced. The people it was protecting can't be so easily-"

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Blake growled accusingly as she raised her puffy red eyes up at Yang. "What about that _crack_ in your skull!?"

Yang stiffened, remembering the bandage she wore around her crown as well as the fact that she'd been drifting in and out of sleep for the last three days, and she realized what Blake was getting at.

"It's just a concussion, Blake," she said, trying to rationalize as she smiled and looked the other way. "Turns out, even with a semblance like mine, you can't shoot yourself point-blank in the head without a few repercussions. It was a dangerous gamble, I'll admit it…but now we know that."

Blake shook her head in disbelief. "Do…do you even _hear_ yourself!? How can you talk like that? How can you put your life at risk so _casually_ that like!?"

Yang's expression stiffened as her face became more serious. "I had someone to protect, Blake. You _know_ that."

Blake stood up, putting her hands on Yang's shoulders as she stared her right in the eyes. Tears were streaming down Blake's cheeks as she squeezed her shoulders, and Yang was completely stunned by the intensity in Blake's eyes.

" _I_ had someone to protect too, Yang…" Blake sobbed, her voice cracking as she placed a hand on Yang's cheek. "And…and I nearly _lost_ that person in that fight…"

Blake's voice had lowered to a whisper, as if she had lost all strength to speak through her grief. Yang's own brow wrinkled as remorse began to overtake her, her lower lip hanging open in realization.

"Blake…" Yang whispered sympathetically.

She took Blake's hand off of her cheek and brought it to her lips, placing a kiss on the girl's open palm, before closing it and squeezing it with her own.

"I'm sorry, Blake," she smiled sweetly, closing her eyes as she pressed her lips to her knuckles. "I'm sorry for being so reckless. I guess it's just how I am. I'll try to work on that, okay? Don't be sad."

Blake wiped the tears from her eyes with her free hand.

"Yang…" she exhaled through shuddering breathes. "If…if you care about me at _all_ …you _have_ to take better care of yourself. I couldn't bear to lose you, Yang. It'd be like losing a part of myself that I could never replace…"

Yang glanced at the stump where her right arm ended. A cylinder of metal covered most of it to give her prosthetic sufficient leverage. The cylinder ended with several open wiring ports, some of which were connected to nerve endings, others had been grafted to muscle tissue and ligaments. If she tried moving what felt to be her right forearm, she could actually hear several servos firing off inside the attachment, but she avoided doing so because of the phantom pain it caused. Ironwood hadn't been wrong about the procedure – it had easily as been just as painful as the original injury had.

"Sometimes you have to lose an arm to save a body, Blake," she sighed wistfully. "I won't make you any promises I can't keep. If it ever comes down to your life or mine? No two ways about it, Blake. I'm choosing yours."

She gave the other girl a powerful stare, her eyes actually shifting to red for a brief moment.

"Every…damn…time…" she said, before her eyes once again faded back to their pale lavender tone.

Blake shuddered at the intensity of the girl's gaze, and closed her eyes nodding slowly.

"I know…" she sighed, shaking her head. "I know that…I think you're an _idiot_ for it, but I _know_ that's what you'll do…"

She bit her lip as she raised her eyes as she bit her lip.

"Just promise me one thing…" she asked. "Promise me you'll never intentionally hurt yourself like that again."

Yang let out a breath. "Blake, I…what if we run out of options again? What if I-?"

"That kind of power comes at a cost, Yang!" Blake shook her head forcefully. "You could have _died_ right then and there! It's nothing short of a miracle that you didn't! You _can't_ ever do anything like that again, Yang! Promise me!"

Yang flinched. It was clear she did not want to make any promises she couldn't keep, but Blake's voice was so insistent.

"Blake, I…"

"Promise me!" the Faunus begged, tears once again welling in her eyes, her voice lilting into a sob.

Yang pursed her lips. It was really unfair of Blake to put her in this position, she mused. The girl hadn't worn her bow ever since they had landed in Vacuo, and the way her black cat ears folded back every time she got upset just made Yang more and more pliable. Why she had such a weakness for this particular Faunus girl, she had no clue. But she couldn't hold back when Blake got like this.

So finally, she relented.

"Okay…" she released a breath as her hand settled on Blake's back. "I promise, Blake. No more hurting myself to get a power boost. Okay?"

Blake let loose a huge sigh of relief. It wasn't everything she wanted, but it was something.

"Okay…" she breathed, settling her head in Yang's lap.

Yang began running her hands through Blake's hair.

"So what'd I miss after the fight?" Yang asked, trying to change the subject. "All I heard after we got medevacked away was that Dora showed up and unleashed _hell_ on the rest of the Grimm."

"That's pretty much what decided the battle," Blake nodded, sitting up and resting her arms on the side of the bed. "That crashed airship was part of an initial strike by the White Fang that was intended to coincidence with the Grimm invasion, but…well, Dora pretty much took care of everything after we put a halt to the White Fang."

Yang whistled. "No wonder the general wanted us to bring her in. Damn girl must be one hell of a powerhouse. Wouldn't want to be on _her_ bad side. How'd she get so powerful anyway?"

"That's where things get weird," Blake admitted. "Apparently she's something called a Summer Maiden."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Wait…like the fairy tale?"

Blake shrugged. "I thought the same thing, but both Professor Jasmine _and_ General Ironwood seemed to confirm it."

Yang blinked in surprise. "So…wait, does that mean there's like…three more of these girls out there somewhere?"

"I don't know," Blake shrugged. "Probably, but I don't have all the details, except that the Grimm attacks on the kingdoms of Remnant all have something to do with the Maidens…and that apparently your _mother_ was also a Summer Maiden at some point."

"Wait, my mom?" Yang's eyes widened. " _Really?_ "

"Well..." Blake suddenly held her hands up, looking unsure of herself. "I guess technically it'd be…Ruby's mom, but…"

"Hey, Ruby's mom raised me for longer than my _real_ mom ever did, so I think of her as my mom too," Yang shook her head, blinking in disbelief. "Still… _wow_ …you're telling me our _mom_ was like a real-life hero out of a fairy tale…?"

"I guess so," Blake nodded. "Apparently her powers went to Dora after she, um...passed away. And now Cinder and the Grimm are all after her and the other Maidens."

Yang sat back, lifting her good hand up and scratching her head. She brushed her fingers through tangled strands of hair, and longed for a hairbrush. And a shower. She'd been confined to this stupid bed for three days while they monitored her concussion.

"So mom was…a Summer Maiden?" she asked, obliquely. "Is that why she was _named_ Summer? Was she _born_ with this power or something? Can Ruby or I get it?"

Blake shrugged. "I don't know. You'll have to ask one of the headmasters. They've been keeping the details pretty close to the vest. The only reason _we're_ being included at all is because we witnessed it firsthand, and because we seem to have become rather indispensable to the cause. With only two kingdoms left standing, the headmasters are probably running out of options. Ruby's telling me that Ironwood's actually _promoting_ us after our performance in that last battle."

"Promotions?" Yang asked with a curve of her lip. "I feel like all we did was get our asses handed to us."

"We delayed the initial attack long enough for the Huntsmen of Shade to contain the situation," Blake explained. "Dora may have fended off the Grimm invasion, but our actions still very well may have saved the kingdom. At the very least, we thwarted the White Fang. As I recall, Yang, _you're_ the one who single-handedly took out most of their invasion force, not to mention their commander."

"Well, who am I to argue with that?" Yang smiled proudly, before considering their promotion. "So, wait, we're already Spec Ops though. What's above that?"

Blake chuckled. "Apparently the general wants to make us into his personal strike team."

"Sweet!" Yang grinned. "Maybe they'll give me an even better arm."

Yang raised an eyebrow at the empty scabbard on Blake's back.

"Speaking of upgrades," her smile widened. "You're gonna need to get yourself a new weapon too."

Blake nodded stoically. "I haven't forgotten."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem particularly concerned. I'd be pretty broken up if I'd lost Ember Celica. Even losing one half of it for just a short while hit me pretty hard…"

Blake shrugged. "Well…the truth is…Gambol Shroud was a gift from Adam."

Yang's expression fell. "Oh…"

Blake shook her head. "For him to take it from me like that…it actually felt rather fitting, really. It helps me finally close the door on my past with him. Now I feel like I can move on."

Yang smiled awkward. "Well, whatever helps. But what are you gonna do for a weapon now? Build another sword just like it, or start from scratch?"

Blake smiled again, and for the first time, her smile seemed downright cheerful.

"I have a few ideas…" she smirked. "I was going to see if Ruby could help me, actually. She seems pretty good with building and designing weapons."

Yang smirked back. "Hey, I built my weapons too. I know a thing or two."

Blake giggled a little. "Sure. I'll take whatever advice you can give me."

There was a voice over hospital loudspeaker announcing that the Shade Academy student health center visiting hours were coming to a close, and Blake rose to her feet.

"I should let you get some rest though," Blake admonished. "We'll talk more when you're on your feet."

Yang furrowed her brow. "Hey, one more question before you go…"

"Hmm?" Blake hummed in response.

"You heard that Emerald's back, right?" Yang asked suspiciously. "I know you said that you ran into her once or twice while you were hiding out in Vale…"

Blake nodded. "I did…"

Yang pursed her lips. "Well…Team CFVY seems to vouch for her, but…I mean…we know she worked with Cinder. She's the one who got me framed during the Vytal festival. Can we really trust her at all?"

Blake shrugged. "I don't know, Yang. I'd like to. I don't think she's a bad person. But it's a moot point at this point – she ran off shortly after the battle ended. No one has seen her since."

"Wait, she ran off?" Yang asked, confused. "Why?"

"I don't think she trusts us anymore than we trust her," Blake shrugged. "From what Coco and the others told me, she's been an unwilling participant in this whole thing from day one. I think she's just looking out for herself at this point."

Yang wrinkled her nose. "Well…if that's what you think, then I guess there's no point in hunting her down then. Even if she was trying to be Cinder's inside woman in Vacuo, the kingdom's just too big for that to really mean anything."

Blake nodded. "I think Vacuo's a good fit for her, actually. She's a pickpocket, she'll fit right in with the lost children."

"Right…" Yang smirked. "Well, if she ever changes her mind, I'm pretty sure she'll be the one to come to us.

"That was my thinking," Blake agreed. "We've got so many enemies. It'd be nice to gain an ally."

"Yeah…" Yang lamented.

The announcement voice pinged again, and Blake could see orderlies filing down the hall outside and gesturing to visitors.

"I better go," she said, resting a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Get some rest Yang."

Yang smiled and nodded. "I will. Thanks for coming by, Blake."

Blake smiled back as she made her way to the door.

"Of course, Yang," she said. "You're my partner after all. And we're in this together."

She nodded as she left.

"For better or for worse."

Yang sighed as she watched her go.

"For better or for worse," she repeated.


	63. Chapter 63

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 63

* * *

Weiss gingerly stepped into the main hall of Shade Academy. The auspicious dining hall had been converted into a full blown command center, as Atlas tech lined the walls, cobbled together from deployment stations gathered from the Atlesian fleet, the bulk of which had largely returned to safeguard the walls of Vacuo.

Weiss couldn't find any sign of the general or the headmistress of Shade. She did, however, see Winter Schnee standing at the far end of the dining hall as she monitored the main console, observing the ebb and flow of airship traffic around the kingdom across the large oversized monitor on the wall.

Weiss flinched when she saw who it was, halting in her tracks, and then put every ounce of effort into making herself as quiet and inconspicuous as possible as she slowly turned around and made for the exit.

"Weiss," Winter said without even turning to look at her.

Weiss froze in place. She may have been a mistress of ice, but no one could send a chill down her spine quite like Winter Schnee.

"Winter!" Weiss turned around immediately to face her sister, snapping her heels together stiffly as she straightened her back. "How do you do?"

Winter slowly turned away from her station and stepped slowly over to where Weiss stood, towering over her younger sister like the bastion of authority and clout that she was.

"Weiss," Winter said again as she stared down at her sister. "I never got the chance to properly congratulate you on your battle earlier with the White Fang."

Weiss blinked in surprise, expecting some sort of reprimand.

"Oh…" she stammered. "Th-thank you!"

Weiss never knew what to think around Winter. She was such an expert at disguising her emotions – mostly because the only outward emotion she ever seemed to exude was cold disdain. She knew from many years of experience growing up next to Winter that she was capable of a very wide range of feelings, and often exhibited them in surprising and subtle ways. But those ways usually took even Weiss at least a few minutes of time to decode and decipher.

Winter didn't make a habit of giving her that long.

"I've reviewed the footage taken from the patrol ships during the battle," Winter began. "Your employment of a glyph based railgun technique was brilliantly executed, and you also managed to evade and outmaneuver a powerful foe all while scaling a vertical surface and then fighting on highly limited terrain."

The corner of Winter's lip rose in the tiniest hint of a smile.

"And I see that your summoning skills have improved significantly…"

Weiss absolutely beamed. This was high praise indeed coming from her sister, who less than a year ago was chastising her on falling short.

"However," Winter said, closing her eyes and raising a hand, "I would be remiss as your sister if I did not point out the obvious flaws that I saw."

Weiss withered, her hopes and dreams dashed in an instant, her shoulders drooping.

"You allowed your enemy to force you to abandon the high ground," Winter rattled off a list of grievances to Weiss' chagrin. "You could have held your ground, and yet you continued to fall back despite several instances where you could have pressed your advantage."

She pointed an accusatory finger at her sister.

"You were holding back, Weiss," she said, disappointed. "Against your fellow students in a tournament, I can understand. But against the _White Fang?_ What's _wrong_ with you?"

Weiss rose a finger to reply. "I-"

"And to top it all off," Winter interrupted, "When you had your enemy on the ropes, you invited him to _parlay_ rather than finish him off! And he very nearly took you off the wall with him as a result!"

Winter clasped her hands together behind her back as she stormed around the command center, the few guards and technicians in the room trying their hardest to mind their own business as the two sister spoke.

"You may have every reason to gloat as a proud daughter of the Schnee family," Winter allowed. "But becoming complacent before securing a true victory is a grievous mistake that will cost you your _life_ , Weiss!"

Weiss flinched under the admonishment. A year ago, she would have whole-heartedly agreed with her sister's assessment. But things weren't so cut and dry for the Schnee heiress any longer.

"I wasn't _gloating_ over him, Winter…" she tried to explain. "I was giving him a chance to surrender."

"I don't care, Weiss," Winter crossed her arms. "When you're in the field of battle, you _must_ be decisive, no matter the cost. Once you draw steel, it is you or them. In the heat of battle, you must do everything you can to ensure victory, or it's your very life. Nothing can be allowed to compromise that, my sister."

"I know!" Weiss protested. "But Winter, I…"

She sighed. She couldn't believe she was about tell her this.

"I _know_ you're probably the last person in the world you wants to hear this besides _father_ , but…"

Winter raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Weiss set her jaw. She knew that Winter may well disown her for saying what she was about to say. But her heart wouldn't allow her to let this go unsaid any longer. Not after what she'd seen.

"I did what you said, Winter," Weiss said slowly. "I've gone out into the world. I've seen the world of Remnant outside our borders. I've seen people killed…villages destroyed…entire _kingdoms_ fallen…"

Weiss took a steadying breath as she shuddered from the recollection.

"And I've learned… _so_ much more than I ever expected…"

Winter took in a slow and steady breath through her nostrils, straightening her back in adulation but remaining silent as Weiss explained.

"But one of the hardest things I've ever had to learn…" Weiss continued, "Is that the White Fang is as much victims as _we_ are!"

Winter's eyes narrowed. "What?"

Weiss swallowed. No backing out now.

"The White Fang began as a peaceful, diplomatic organization," Weiss began. "It was founded with every intention of improving the relations between humans and Faunus. But a diplomatic peace corps can only make so much headway when it has to negotiate against titans of industry like our family's company."

"And that excuses the White Fang from becoming a terrorist group?" Winter asked incredulously.

"No!" Weiss argued. "But the only alternative they had was to _continue_ to accept criminally poor working conditions and severely overzealous penalties anytime they tried to fight for equal rights! The White Fang _never_ had the negotiating power to try to accomplish their goal, not against high class industrialists like our family, whose primary concern has _always_ been the bottom line. They were a _peace_ movement, made up of civilian volunteers, who were trying to gain recognition and compensation from _billionaires_ who had _no_ reason at all to listen to them."

Winter took in a breath. "So…you're saying it's _our_ fault then? _Our_ fault that the White Fang has killed hundreds of peaceful Schnee Dust Company employees and board members?"

"We're not _entirely_ blameless, Sister!" Weiss countered. "Our grandfather used to donate _millions_ to charitable foundations, including the White Fang, but ever since father began running the company into the ground-"

"Weiss!" Winter said warningly.

"Tell me I'm wrong!" Weiss shot back, clenching her hands into fists at her sides. "Tell me the Schnee Dust Company hasn't been bleeding _millions_ of lien!"

Winter ground her teeth together. "That still doesn't excuse the White Fang."

"I'm not _excusing_ them, Winter," Weiss said, more softly. "But you and I _both_ know that when a company starts losing money, it has to tighten its belt. Layoffs, cutbacks, mergers and acquisitions, the whole song and dance. And what reason – what _conceivable_ reason – would the Schnee Dust Company have _not_ to cut back most heavily in its compensation of Faunus employees!?"

Weiss began tallying off items on her fingers.

"They're an under-privileged minority with virtually _no_ negotiating power, who would have practically _no_ recompense for any unfair treatment! If a Faunus employee gets laid off, or isn't paid a fair wage or has to deal with unsafe working conditions, they have _no_ ability to do anything about it! Where else could a Faunus employee work when _no one else_ is hiring them? And the general public certainly isn't going to cry out over a mistreated Faunus worker, so the Faunus have _no_ other choice but to either keep working in squalid, dangerous conditions, or go out onto the street and starve!"

Winter was taken aback. She had never heard her sister argue to vehemently or so passionately about _anything_ , much less in favor something that she should have every reason to oppose.

Weiss stepped over to a window, gazing out at the sky. Somewhere out there, Atlas still loomed, pristine and perfect as ever. And beneath that crystalline white exterior, a rotten core lay festering.

"From a business standpoint, it makes _perfect_ sense," Weiss admitted. "The Schnee Dust Company would suffer _no_ negative repercussions on cutting back costs most heavily on its Faunus employees. If they tried anything like that on a _human_ employee, there'd be hell to pay. Public outcry alone would cost them millions in PR. The general public doesn't tolerate the mistreatment of _human_ workers. But the Faunus have no other recourse but to put up with it. So it makes all the sense in the world to cut costs as much as possible with Faunus employees. And that's exactly what we've done."

Winter watched as Weiss shook her head in disgust, and she realized in that moment how much her little sister had grown since she'd last seen her.

"So you tell me," Weiss said, turning back to face her sister with a defiant look in her eye. "Tell me, if you had to live in these conditions, with your options and mobility hampered by a prejudiced society that you just so happened to be born into…wouldn't _you_ want to rise up too? Wouldn't _you_ want to fight back and lash out against the society that was holding you down for no other reason than because it could? I know I would!"

Winter could only stare at her sister's enthusiasm in amazement.

"Weiss…"

Weiss shook her head in defeat.

"I _do_ still hold the White Fang responsible for everything they've done…" Weiss admitted. "They've taken a bad situation and made it much, much worse…"

Weiss clenched her fists in determination.

"But we _sure as hell_ are the ones who put them into that situation to begin with," she declared. "And that means we don't get to just point fingers and attack them right back, as if they were nothing more than an obstacle in our path. _That's_ what I've learned out there, Winter. The world _isn't_ all black and white. We _all_ share in the responsibility for this mess. And it is _our_ responsibility to help reach _some_ sort of accord before it escalates any further!"

She thrust her finger out the window.

" _That's_ why I parlayed with the enemy," she said simply. "Because if I can circumvent even _one_ conflict through words, then I've already won the fight. That fight, and every fight that would have happened thereafter. And I'll have done it without spilling _any_ more blood."

Winter took a deep breath. She knew her sister was serious when she spoke. But as much as she respected what Weiss was trying to do, she knew that it would ultimately bring her more pain than anything else.

"It's a noble task, Weiss," Winter nodded. "One that I wish I could do more to help you with. But what can you really do, sister? You can't single-handedly make the entire world stop hating and fearing the White Fang, to say nothing of father and the company. How do you plan to convince him to spare any mercy on an organization that has already cost his company millions?"

Weiss' mouth curved into a smile.

"I don't," she said. "I plan to change the company myself."

Winter' eyes widened. "Really…?"

Weiss nodded. "Well, not all at once, obviously. But I have no intention of letting him run our grandfather's company into the ground. I'm going to restore the Schnee Dust Company to what it once was. And I'm going to do it right, treating all of its employees fairly, human and Faunus alike."

Winter smiled, crossing her arms. "Father might have a few things to say about that."

"Father can run his mouth all he wants," Weiss said, crossing her arms haughtily. "What he says won't change facts. The Schnee Dust Company _needs_ to change its practices, whether he agrees to it or not."

"I must say," Winter nodded approvingly. "You've become far more brazen since your confrontation with him."

Weiss raised a worried eyebrow at that. "Oh…you heard about that, did you?"

"The whole _company_ heard about it," Winter smiled in bemusement. "I'm proud of you, Weiss. You didn't back down from your ideals, even when confronted by the most powerful man you've ever known. I'd say the company will be in good hands if you ever get your way."

Weiss was smiling once again. "Thank you, Winter."

"Of course, you certainly do still have your work cut out for you," Winter went on. "Apropos, Professor Jasmine seems to think that the Schnee Dust Company has promised housing and support benefits to Dora and the lost children of Vacuo."

She raised a knowing eyebrow.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Weiss nodded. "Call it my first business venture. I _do_ own a reasonable share of the company, after all. They can take it out of my stock, as long as any proceeds are made in my name."

Winter sighed and returned to the main console to observe the digital feed. "Be careful, Weiss. Running a business is a complicated ballet of promises and trust. And you never know when either one might run out."

Weiss smirked haughtily. "Are you suggesting I couldn't run the dust company if I had to?"

"I'm saying to not be over-confident," Winter warned. "That's exactly what our father did, and look where it got him."

"I suppose so…" Weiss nodded, stepping over to where her sister stood to watch the monitor with her. "Is…that why you left the company? Because of all the shady business ventures? Or was it to get away from family drama?"

Weiss chewed on her thumb as she asked the question. She had always been hesitant to ask Winter about her choice of career because of how their father had reacted. It had been such a sore subject for everyone, so she had always left well enough alone. But, since they were each venting all these other worries, she figured it was in for a penny, in for a pound.

"A bit of both, I suppose," Winter finally said after a moment of consideration. "I was lot like you, I suspect – young and eager to prove myself. I knew I couldn't do that as just another secretary at the family company, so I enlisted with Atlas. It was close enough to home that I thought father couldn't really complain, but it would finally allow me to step into my own."

Winter sighed, shaking her head.

"If I had known then what I know now, I doubt I'd have even considered it," she lamented. "Even before learning about all this hubbub about Maidens and fairy tale heroes, you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders when you work in the military. I'm sure you've been feeling it ever since you enlisted."

Weiss nodded. "Since the Vytal festival, really. At least now, I can _do_ something though."

Winter smiled. "Does that include using my security credentials to look into classified intel?"

Weiss' face colored. "That…that was for an important mission! I had no choice!"

"Relax," Winter said gently. "I know all too well how long it takes to get proper security clearance. I'm honestly impressed at your ingenuity. Which reminds me…"

Winter stepped over to a stack of documents that littered one of the tables in the command center, and began rifle through papers.

Weiss peered over her shoulder curiously. "Hmmm?"

"Your security clearance has been upgraded," Winter said, turning to hold out a translucent ID badge with Weiss' photo stamped to it. "Your security level is now on the same as my own. Your whole team has been upgraded, actually, but I wanted to give this to you personally."

Weiss eyes widened as Winter handed her the ID badge.

"Wow…" she breathed, forgetting herself briefly, before shaking her head and standing upright, snapping a salute. "Uh, ma'am! Thank you, ma'am!"

Winter nodded approvingly. "Don't thank me, Weiss. You're the one who earned it. And you're going to continue earning it. You've proven that much to me."

Weiss nodded again, staring back at the badge in her hand in awe.

"Level seven clearance," she breathed to herself, realizing just how much that meant.

"The only level higher than that is the general himself," Winter affirmed.

Weiss looked at the simple piece of plastic and silicon in her hand as if she'd just been handed the deed to a mint. The Atlas databanks were a gold mine of knowledge and history going back hundreds of years, and the most sensitive data was locked behind several comprehensive security walls. With this single piece of plastic, she could glimpse into some of the best kept secrets in Remnant.

"I wonder…" Weiss thought out loud as she studied her card. "Is there any information on the Maidens in the Atlas databanks"

"There isn't," Winter shook her head, speaking quietly. "Not at our level, anyway. I spent an entire evening sifting through reports and documents after I learned the truth. Nothing in our databanks showed any concrete examples of the Maidens' handiwork out in the field. It's possible that they go back even further than the foundation of Atlas."

Weiss blinked in surprise. "Seriously? They've been around for that long?"

Winter nodded. "If what the general tells me is true, I think it's entirely possible."

Weiss chewed on her thumb. The list of topics that she had been curious over should she ever have the proper authorization had been a substantial one, but as soon as she had learned about the Maidens, they had shot right up to the top of her list.

But thinking back to her time spent with her team, particularly with Ruby, there was one other thing she had wanted to check in on more than anything.

"What about silver eyes?" Weiss asked.


	64. Chapter 64

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 64

* * *

 _Eighteen years ago…_

Four years of training together had not made it any easier to land a blow on Taiyang Xiao-Long. But Qrow was still determined to try.

CLANG! CLASH! SHWING!

A flurry of heated blows exchanged in mid-air, and the two combatants landed opposite one another on the sparring mat, facing away from one another.

"You still fight like an old lady," Taiyang crowed haughtily, turning to face his teammate.

"Hah!" Qrow snorted back at the young man. "Maybe I'll knit you a sweater after I'm done tossing you around."

The two of them leaped back into the fray, hurling towards each other with reckless abandon. While Taiyang's ferocity had been tempered over the years by a healthy dose of caution that had saved his own skin more than once, Qrow's usual fighting style of playing it close to the vest had been embellished with an aggressive edge that made him downright deadly. They had each begun their tenure at Beacon as such polar opposites, but had each seemed to absorb a little bit of the other's nature, complementing their own styles, and becoming more well-rounded fighters as a result.

Qrow's win-loss ratio with Raven was still hopelessly one-sided, however his win-loss ratio with Taiyang was almost neck and neck. And seeing as how Taiyang was currently leading Raven by a few wins, Qrow figured that if he could surpass Taiyang, he'd be surpassing Raven by extension. This fueled his drive to surpass his fellow teammate all the more.

"Okay, okay!" Taiyang recoiled, staggering on his feet from Qrow's last attack as his hands flew up in defeat. "You win, dude! Chill!"

Qrow smirked as he landed in front of his, hoisting his sword over his shoulder triumphantly.

"Who fights like an old lady now?" he grinned.

"I just don't want to pull a muscle or something," Tai shrugged, stretching his shoulders. "After all, I got a hot date tonight."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Right…"

Tai grinned as he held his hand to his mouth to amplify his voice. "With your _sister_ -"

"I got it!" Qrow growled, red-faced, as he sheathed his sword. "Seriously, you two have been dating for over a year now. What's the big deal?"

Tai grinned. "The big deal, birthday boy, is that _someone's_ turning twenty-one tonight. You _both_ are."

Qrow let out a long sigh. He was hoping no one would remember his birthday, but he supposed it was a futile hope, since he and Raven shared the same birthday.

"So naturally, you're planning on drinking into the wee hours of the morning?" he asked dryly.

"Uh huh," Tai smiled like a cat.

"And the fact that you don't turn twenty-one yourself until later this year…?" Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"Don't sweat the small stuff!" Taiyang waved him off. "More importantly, I figured this would be the perfect excuse to not only live it up a little, but maybe while Raven and I party down, you might just work up the courage to finally broach the subject with Summer!"

Qrow grumbled as he stepped down off the sparring ring, giving Taiyang a dirty look.

"This again?" Qrow grumbled. "I told you before, I'm not looking to rock the boat until after we've graduated."

Tai clapped his friend on the back as the two of them made their way out of the training room and out into the hall.

"Well, graduation's only a few months away, man," he admonished as the crossed the checkered linoleum floor. "You're gonna miss your chance if you wait any longer. Besides, do you even know what her plans are after she graduates?"

"Plans?" Qrow asked, as if the idea had never occurred to him. "I don't know, I…figured we'd all stick together as a Huntsmen team. We make a pretty good one after all."

"We do at that," Taiyang nodded approvingly. "But there's no rule saying we _have_ to stay together after Beacon. Lots of Huntsmen teams break up after graduation. Have you even asked Summer what she wants? Or Raven? Maybe one of them wants to go solo for a while. Or maybe they want to settle down and start a family. Have you ever considered that?"

Qrow gave his friend an incredulous look. "Well…what do _you_ want to do? Do you ever plan to settle down?"

"Maybe," Tai shrugged. "If things get any more serious with Raven, I might have to start giving it some real thought. What about you, Qrow? What do you want to do? Do you want to try to stick it out with your team, or go solo for a while? Is this what you want to do for the rest of your life?"

Qrow stared at his hands glumly as he considered his future. "Fighting Grimm is all I know how to do. If the team breaks up…I don't know. I guess I'd _have_ to go solo for a while. I'd probably want to find a _new_ team or something eventually, but…I don't think I stand a chance of finding anyone _nearly_ as good as you guys."

Taiyang grinned. "Aww, flatterer!"

Qrow playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Don't forget who just whooped your ass back there."

"Psh!" Tai snorted. "Yeah right! I was going easy on you!"

"Oh please," Qrow shot back. "I know the sound of bullshit when I hear it, Tai."

The two joked around for a while longer as they walked back to their dorm room. It had been four years that they'd walked these halls, and the room had become their home together. They had forged memories together as a team, and they had slowly become a family over the years. Which is why the notion of leaving it all behind scared Qrow so much. Maybe that was why he was waffling on talking to Summer or considering the future. He didn't want to even consider a future without his friends. So he kept inventing excuse after excuse to put it off, because it would mean learning for certain one way or the other. And if that certainty turned out to be something he didn't like, he couldn't continue to pretend that it would last forever.

Of course, nothing _ever_ lasted forever.

"Professor Goodwitch?" Tai asked out loud as the two of them approached their dorm room.

The assistant headmaster and combat training instructor turned to face the two boys. She stood tall and regal, her pristine black and white outfit belying the bold power contained within. She struck a commanding figure, and Taiyang used to joke with Qrow about wanting to spend some time working on "extra credit" with her over the years, but with the look she was giving the two boys now, neither of them were thinking such thoughts.

"Gentlemen," she said soberly, before turning her attention to Qrow. "Mister Branwen, could you come with me please?"

Qrow straightened his back, exchanging a nervous glance with Tai.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked cautiously.

Glynda shook her head. "No, Mister Branwen. But there is something we need to discuss. Could you please come with me?"

Qrow once again glanced at Tai, who just gave him a helpless shrug.

"I…guess I'll catch up with you later then…" Qrow said, before following Glynda back down the hall.

She made her way out the building towards the main hall across campus. It was getting to be late in the evening, and the sun had almost set by the time the two of them made it to the main hall.

"What's this all about, Professor?" Qrow asked as he followed her.

"It would be best if we discussed that in private, Mister Branwen," Glynda said gently.

Qrow felt a chill run down his spine.

"Why come to collect me in person?" Qrow asked wanly. "You could have just sent me a message."

"Your scroll was off," Glynda replied. "And this was too important to wait."

Qrow flinched. He had forgotten that he shut off his scroll while he was training with Tai. What could be so important that the assistant headmaster of the entire academy would come to collect him personally?

The two of them stepped into the elevator. As Qrow suspected, they were headed towards the headmaster's office. As they ascended, he stood awkwardly with his hands clenched at his hips, staring at the floor as he racked his brain for what this could be about.

As they arrived in Ozpin's office, Qrow was surprised to see his sister already present and waiting for them in one of the chairs, although the headmaster himself was oddly absent.

"Raven?" Qrow asked out loud as he followed Glynda into the office, glancing between her and his sister. "Professor? What's going on?"

"Miss Branwen, Mister Branwen," Glynda walked across the office to the other side of Ozpin's desk, placing her scroll on the surface before gazing back at the young man, the eyes behind her narrow spectacles giving nothing away. "Thank you both for coming. Would you please take a seat?"

Qrow shot a glance at Raven, and could tell from her expression that she was equally as lost as he was, and equally concerned. He took a seat beside her and looked across the desk at Professor Goodwitch.

"Is something wrong, Professor?" he asked, concern in his voice.

Glynda let out a sigh as she called up a mission report on her scroll. From that range, Qrow could make out a familiar face on the small screen.

"I'm…afraid that I have some bad news to give you both," she said, closing her eyes. "A short time ago, a mission report came into Beacon from Signal Academy. One of their Huntsmen instructors, Hugin Branwen, was brought into Signal Academy Medical Center, after being heavily wounded while a mission. He was administered emergency medical treatment, but I'm sorry to say that he was...pronounced dead at roughly seven thirty five this evening."

Qrow felt an odd lump forming in his throat. He began to focus every iota of his attention on the clock-tower gears rotating overhead, and his hands were slowly clenching down on the hand rests of the chair he was sitting in. How odd, he thought to himself. He always knew this day would come ever since his mom died. Why should it come as such a surprise to him now that his father would follow in kind?

"The exact details of the mission are still unclear," Glynda went on, remorsefully. "But it…doesn't look like there was anything the doctors at Signal could have done."

Qrow tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat, but it wouldn't go down. Why his father was still going on missions at his age was beyond him. He should have known something like this would happen. He should have known he'd slip up eventually.

"I'm terribly sorry," Glynda said somberly. "Both of you. I…realize this must be coming as quite a shock to you both. If either of you need to take time off from your classes, then please take as much time as you need. I'll be coordinating with Signal academy to make arrangements for…"

The Professor's voice tuned out in Qrow's head. He could feel his past slipping away from him. First his mom, now his dad, and soon, the team that had grown to love would be splitting up to go their separate ways. It was like he just wasn't fast enough or strong enough to accomplish everything he had to do before the world suddenly began catching up with him all at once. It was like everything that he had accomplished in his short life was slowly being devoured, and no matter how far he reached, he couldn't stop his time from slowly running out.

"Qrow…" his sister's voice broke his reverie as he felt her hand on his.

He looked up, startled by her touch. He had honestly forgotten she was even there.

There were tears in her eyes.

All of the sudden, he felt like dirt. He had been focused on his own feelings, and he hadn't even considered what this must have been doing to Raven. Raven had always been the stronger of the two of them, and now she was reaching out to him. And worst of all, he was convinced that the reason for this was because she knew that he needed her help in the wake of this news more than she did.

It was too much. It was just too much.

"I…I gotta go…" he said brusquely, pulling his hand out of her grip and rising out of his chair.

"Mister Branwen…" Glynda spoke out, concern in her voice as he turned to leave.

"Qrow!" Raven called out, snatching his wrist in her hand once again. "You shouldn't be alone right now."

"Yeah, well, maybe I _want_ to be alone!" Qrow snapped back at her, glared harshly. "You ever think of that, Raven!?"

Raven stared aghast at her brother, though she didn't let go of his hand. "Qrow…"

"Mister Branwen," Professor Goodwitch raised her voice. "I know this must be difficult for you, but-"

"I'm _fine_ , Professor!" Qrow shot back. "Thank you for letting us know about our father. Now if you'll excuse me…"

He yanked his hand out of Raven's grasp and leaped into the air, shifting into his bird form and taking off towards an open window.

"Mister Branwen!" Glynda called out in alarm.

Raven held up a hand as he flew away.

"Let him go, Professor," she said quietly. "He needs time…"

That was all Qrow managed to register before he was out of earshot and out of the clock-tower. He didn't know where he was going or what he was doing, he just knew that he had to get away from there. He couldn't be around anyone who was dealing with this better than he was. He just felt too ashamed of himself, too ashamed of his grief.

He was stronger than this! He should have seen this coming! He _knew_ that it had only been a matter of time. So why did it still hurt so much!? He knew that Raven must have been processing this just as he was, so why did she still look so calm? Even with tears in her eyes, she had managed to keep her poise! So why was _he_ acting like such a basket case? And why was he still making this about him, when he should have been concerned about his sister's well-being? No matter how he looked at it, all he could do was blame himself.

He flew around in circles, his wings eventually tiring in the cool night air, and he glided towards the campus courtyard. The sun had already set, and the evening sky was dark and empty. There wasn't a soul in sight as he shifted back to his human body, stumbling onto his feet as he struggled to put one foot after the other.

He just felt so stupid and sick! It was like he was a child again, like he had never even grown up in the first place. Like everything that he had accomplished here at Beacon wasn't worth anything at all.

Wiping tears from eyes that burned in anguish, he began kicking a trash can that was bolted to the cement.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he growled furiously to himself as his hot breaths came out in angry gasps. "Stupid old man! Why'd you have to croak now, huh!? Just had to go out there and prove you still had it, didn't you? Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

He continued to rage for a few moments more, before a voice finally caught his attention.

"Mister Branwen?" a low, calming voice reached out to him. "I'm sure that whatever you're going through right now, that trash can has played no part in it."

Qrow looked up, and to his surprise, he saw Professor Ozpin standing in the courtyard, facing the statue at its center.

So this is where he'd been, Qrow thought absently.

"Sorry, Professor," Qrow gritted his teeth, feeling foolish as he wiped his eyes.

Ozpin nodded companionably. "It's quite alright young man."

Qrow didn't want to have to talk to anyone right then, but he figured that it would be way too rude to run off on the headmaster of Beacon right that moment after his outburst. Besides, he was smart enough to know when he was too tired to fly straight. So instead, he wandered over to where the headmaster stood and lowered his eyes.

"So what are you doing out here, Professor?" Qrow sighed unhappily.

Ozpin lifted a metal flask – an odd departure from his usual coffee mug.

"Just paying my respects to an old friend…" the Professor said.

Qrow suddenly recognized where he'd seen that flask before.

"Wait…" he asked, befuddled. "You don't mean…my father…do you?"

Ozpin nodded. "Hugin and Munin Branwen used to be my teammates when I attended this academy as a student. They were some of my oldest and dearest friends."

Qrow blinked incredulously. He recalled his parents' mentioning they had a friend at Beacon, but it had somehow never registered that it was the headmaster himself. He almost couldn't believe it.

"Oh yeah?" he laughed, sardonically. "Who was your fourth teammate? My aunt Freya?"

Ozpin smiled. "Four-person teams weren't the standard practice back then. Although we did often work closely with Glynda and her team. Some of us drifted apart over the years, but your parents and I have remained friends ever since then."

Qrow shook his head in surprise. "I had no idea…"

Ozpin took a sip from the flask.

"Your father was a great man, Qrow," he said somberly. "You may not even realize _how_ great. He strived so hard to do what was right, and raise both of his children to do the same. When your mother passed away, it absolutely devastated him. But he still kept at it, even after all these years…"

Qrow shook his head, frowning.

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know, Professor," he said gruffly.

Ozpin smiled. "Yes, of course. I was just reminiscing."

He stared at the flask in his hands, his eyes lost in thought as Qrow stared at the ground uncomfortably.

"I've watched you and your sister grow from the first day you set foot in my academy," Ozpin went on. "Your father made me promise not to give either of you any special treatment, to treat you no differently than any of my students. And I have tried my hardest to do just that. But tonight…"

He lifted the flask and tipped a small portion out onto the ground.

"Tonight, we remember Hugin Branwen…" he said.

Qrow let out a long sigh. All of his memories of his father were of hardcore training and being showed up by his sister. He was out on missions for most of Qrow's childhood, but he had managed to instill a bit of wisdom into his head as a bow. Probably the most valuable lesson he had learned was to stay ahead of the curve, to always try to think three moves ahead. That is what made Qrow who he was, he was sure.

It seemed that in the end, he just hadn't been able to keep up.

"Here…" Ozpin said, offering the flask to Qrow. "I know you don't turn twenty-one for another few hours…but I think in light of recent events, I'd be willing to overlook this for tonight."

Qrow accepted the metal hip flask, turning the flask upward to take a long, hard gulp down, the warm liquid searing his throat and sending him sputtering into a coughing fit. He had never really liked the taste of alcohol, but that night, he didn't really care. Anything to make him feel something other than what he was feeling.

He wiped the tears from his eyes, and looking back at Ozpin, offering the flask back to him.

"Keep it," Ozpin said, holding his hand up. "It was a gift from your father. I think he would want you to have it."

Qrow nodded, studying the symbol on the leather strap. More and more of his fellow students were starting to wear symbols on their clothes, but Qrow had yet to decide on one. He wondered how this one would look on him.

"Qrow!" came a cry of distress.

He turned and saw a familiar white cloak coming towards him in the darkness as Summer Rose run up to him, throwing her arms around him and embracing him, tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Qrow!" she wailed sympathetically. "When Raven told us the news, I…I…"

Qrow held the girl in stunned silence, feeling the lump in his throat suddenly returning.

"Summer…" he breathed.

It took a moment to register what was happening. Here was someone with no connection to his father, and yet she was still so sad. It didn't even register that she would be concerned for his well-being. She had never expressed how much she cared for him this openly before. For some reason, it didn't bother him the way Professor Goodwitch and his sister's concern had been. Coming from Summer, it just felt genuine. He felt no shame from her. Only warmth.

Qrow looked up, and following behind Summer was Taiyang and his sister Raven. Tai had his hand on Raven's shoulder, and her eyes were still tearful. But they were both smiling at him.

"Qrow," Tai said softly. "I'm _so_ sorry about your father, man…that's the worst kind of news to get right before your birthday of all days."

Raven elbowed him in the rib cage and he flinched.

"I mean, uh…" he said, trying to amend his statement. "If you need anything…"

Qrow still had his arms around Summer as he wiped away a tear. He didn't realize that he was crying. His initial fear of losing his team after graduation had been off-set by the joy he felt being around them all like this. If he was grateful to his father for anything in the world, it was raising him well enough to get him to where he was now so he could have a team like this.

"Guys…" he choked, shuddering in grief. "Guys, can…can I ask you all something?"

Summer lifted her head up from his embrace to peer into his eyes, tears still clinging to her cheeks.

"What is it?" she mumbled.

Qrow stared down at Summer, his team leader, his guiding star. He looked over at Taiyang, his best friend, his constant rival. He looked to his sister Raven, his grounding force, his only remaining link to his past.

"This team we're on…" he spoke slowly and evenly. "This connection we have, this…whatever we all are together…"

Tai wrapped his arm around Raven's shoulder and nodded. "Yeah?"

Qrow hesitated, trying to find the words to say what he was feeling.

"When…" he stammered, trying not to cry as he spoke. "When we all graduate…when we all…go our separate ways…"

Raven and Tai blinked in surprise. Summer looked up at him, concern in her eyes.

"Qrow?" she asked sweetly.

Qrow swallowed and the tears began to win the battle.

"Don't…" he pleaded, shaking his head. "Don't let…what we have…slip away…"

He squeezes his arms even tighter around Summer and she returned the embrace.

"Don't let this slip away…" he begged. "I don't want to lose… _this_ …"

His team was around him. And in that one moment, everything was perfect. He had spent years with these three teammates, and the thought of losing them, even to their own hopes and dreams, terrified him more than anything. He had lost his mother. He had lost his father. And in a couple of months, he may very well lose his team. He would be alone. As much as he had craved solitude at the beginning of his tenure, now the prospect terrified him. He was not strong. Sure, he could hold his own in a fight, but when it came down to it, the courage to stand firm with his own beliefs with no one at his side, he had found quite unexpectedly, that he was a coward. He needed them. He may have been ashamed to admit it all these years, but he needed these people around him, now more than ever.

He needed Summer, and her steadfast resolve, her kind and generous heart, and her noble guiding light. He needed Taiyang, and his boundless energy, his infectious smile and his determined spirit. And damn it all, he needed his sister too, no matter how much she drove him up the wall. Raven was the last member of his family, the one person who had been there for him from the beginning. He no longer had a mother or father to run home to. If it ever came down to it, he knew she would be the only he could ever rely on. He had thought for so long that this made him weak. But having anyone to lean on at all, he realized, only made him stronger.

Within moments, his other two teammates had both wrapped their arms around him and Summer by extension.

"Qrow, you big dummy," Raven chastised, rustling his hair. "We're not going our separate ways!"

"Yeah!" Summer nodded vehemently, a tearful smile on her face. "We've got to stick together! Team STRQ till the end!"

"You're not getting rid of us that easily, pal!" Tai embraced him companionably. "You're stuck with us. We're not going anywhere, whether you like it or not!"

All at once, Qrow felt the tears overflowing as the warmth of his friends came flooding in from all directions. This is what he'd been missing all his life. This is what he had needed all along. The boundless energy that flowed into him seemed to make all his worries seem inconsequential. He would miss his parents; he always would. But he still had his team. And together, they were unstoppable.

"Thanks guys…" he breathed.

Professor Ozpin remained standing where he was, smiling contently.

"Beacon could always use more full-time Huntsmen teams" he offered. "Team STRQ will always have a home here at Beacon. For as long as you wish to remain. "

Qrow let out a breath. Surrounded as he was by warmth and family, he felt a weight leaving his chest that had been growing for longer and longer.

Yet somewhere in the back of his mind, something was troubling him…

 _"_ _Qrow…"_

Somehow, he knew that this feeling of contentment he felt would never last…

 _"_ _Qrow…"_

As much love and affection as he felt in that moment, it would only ever be downhill from there…

 _"_ _Qrow…"_

Nothing he did here would ultimately make a difference. It was only a matter of time before it all fell…

Qrow opened his eyes, and he was suddenly back in the present. He was a prisoner once again, trapped in the cellar of Beacon Academy, his aura restrained by an infernal collar, his arms and legs chained to the wall of what had once been a storeroom.

He could barely see anything, his eyes and mind still logged from sleep. He got the sense that somewhere in the room with him, there was someone else. There…a woman in red. Who…?

He looked up at his captor, ensconced in red silks, a fire glowing in her eyes as she smiled down at him.

"Qrow…" she breathed huskily. "You were dreaming…"

Qrow squinted as he tried to recall who this person was. He knew he had seen her before. But where?

"Such fond memories…" she purred, running a finger across his chest. "Dreaming of happier times, my pet?"

He looked down, realizing his shirt was missing, and the touch of a single fingernail was like fire on his skin. It did nothing to wake him further, and only sent him further into delirium, and it was like the room around him melted away. Only she remained. Her touch was tantalizing, but something about this woman was also sending alarm bells all throughout his mind. Whatever she was after, he realized unconsciously, it was imperative that she not get it.

"Heh…" he breathed defensively, his mind in a blur as he quickly thought up a retort. "Just remembering my last vacation. Ever been to Sandy Rock coast, south of Vale? Beautiful beaches…gorgeous women…"

The woman in red simply smirked in response.

"Cute. I think it's time you went back to sleep, Qrow…" she whispered, lifting a hand glowing with a golden flame and touching a finger to his forehead as she leaned in to whisper into his ear. " _Sleep…_ "

Qrow tried to fight the wave of somnolence that overtook him, but his eyelids felt like they each weighed a thousand pounds. And her voice and her touch, for all its terrifying essence, was just so _soothing_ …

"Sleep…" she commanded again. "And show me your dreams…show me what you know…about Ozpin…about the Maidens…and about silver eyes…"

Her voice was like a viper's kiss in his ear as he drifted off into his past once again.

"I want to know _everything…_ "


	65. Chapter 65

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 65

* * *

Professor Jasmine and Dora sat together in a bullhead as it flew over the kingdom of Vacuo, the light airship traversing the cityscape quickly as Dora watched the passing buildings below in fascination.

"This is so incredible," Dora exhaled in amazement.

Jasmine watched the girl with interest as she was reminded once again that, despite being a Guardian Maiden with access to untold powers, she was still a child of twelve.

"I suppose you wouldn't have much opportunity to ride in airships very often," she smiled, sighing wistfully.

Jasmine didn't mention that Dora had been unconscious for the duration of her last airship ride. After she had unleashed her furious sandstorm against the Grimm almost a week ago, she had been found unconscious laying atop the wall, and had been airlifted back to Shade. There she had woken, and been none too pleased to learn of her predicament and had nearly clawed her way out of the building. She had to be moved to a metal enclosure, and still she had somehow found enough sand to make her dangerous.

Things had quieted down since then, mostly since she and Ironwood had agreed to let Dora go back out into the kingdom, at least on a provisional basis. Ruby's pep talk seemed to have done the trick.

"You can see _everything_ from up here!" Dora exclaimed wildly. "I can hardly recognize it all! I think I see the market! And the fountain! And there's the slums over there!"

"Do your gifts not also allow you to fly?" Jasmine asked inquisitively.

"Just in short bursts," Dora admitted. "Never like this. It gets tiring if I try it for too long. I could never get this high up or fly this long without really pushing myself."

The Professor filed that away for later and glanced out the window. She had to admit, it was indeed nice to appreciate the view every once in a while. It was a beautiful city.

"There's the tree!" Dora stood up out of her chair, placing her hands against the window. "I can see the tree! It looks so different from up here!"

Jasmine peered down at what appeared to simply be a massive overgrowth. It was difficult to distinguish the banyan tree from the rest of the foliage growing throughout the slums – or perhaps, the foliage that spread throughout the cityscape was _all_ connected to the banyan tree. It was difficult to say.

"To think a single tree could stretch out across such an extent," Jasmine observed in awe. "And in the very heart of the kingdom at that."

Dora nodded vehemently. "This tree is our home. Its roots touch almost every part of Vacuo. The lost children need only to follow its roots, and they will always be able to find their way home."

"How very poetic," the Professor observed as the bullhead touched down one of the nearby rooftops.

The door swung open and Dora dashed out, followed by Professor Jasmine who hurried after.

"Now hold on, young lady," she called out to her. "Before you go rushing off, I want to make sure we are clear on the terms of our agreement."

Dora had run all the way to the edge of the roof, her toes sticking out over the edge, and had her arms held out wide and extended upward, her eyes closed as she breathed in the air around her.

"Mmmmmm…" she sighed deeply, tasting freedom once again. "Come on, Professor. Don't ruin the moment."

Jasmine sighed and stepped out over to the ledge. "Yes, it is a very lovely tree."

"Not the tree," Dora shook her head. "Can't you feel the sky? Can't you breathe the desert sand? Can't you taste the sunlight? I don't think I ever want to spend another _minute_ inside that crummy school again!"

The headmistress of Shade looked around her. They were in the middle of the slums, and every instinct in her head tingled faintly of danger from the riffraff running rampant all around them. The sun shone harshly down on them, making her yearn for shade, and the sandy streets below were caked with mud and filth. Whatever beauty Dora was witnessing around her, Jasmine was not seeing it.

"Perhaps it requires a more…experienced palate than mine," she offered diplomatically. "Regardless, I am needed elsewhere, so if we could go over our agreement once again…?"

Dora sighed hopelessly. "You'll keep a team of Huntsmen stationed here at the tree, another to follow me around to watch my every move, and several more scattered throughout the city with orders to keep an eye on the lost children."

"Yes," Jasmine nodded. "They've been specifically instructed not to interfere with your daily lives – meaning, they won't step in if one of you tries to pick someone's pockets, nor will they step in if the city guards should try to dispatch the kingdom's justice."

Dora rolled her eyes. "Right, right…"

"You also have your new scroll-band," Jasmine added as a reminder. "Since you like to stay light on your feet, I thought it might be easier to carry than a standard sized scroll. The model you're wearing is also solar-powered, so you won't even have to worry about charging it."

Dora tugged at the new wristband that was now affixed to her arm like watch. "You could have put a latch on this thing. It won't come off at all!"

Jasmine shrugged. "One of the general's stipulations, I'm afraid. He didn't trust you not to lose it, or leave it behind when you didn't want to be followed. Please understand, if you are ever kidnapped or taken from the kingdom, we need to be able to find you again. We will not contact you unless we have reason to believe there is danger in the area. And you may find that, if you are ever in a situation where you need our help, you will be glad to have this. There will always be someone on the other end in case of emergency."

Dora looked at the new accessory like one might look at a puddle of bird droppings that had just landed on their skin.

"Okay," she grumbled. "But I sure hope its waterproof. A girl's gotta take a bath every now and then."

"Of course it is," Jasmine nodded. "Now, you remember how it works?"

Dora nodded impatiently. "Yeah, just point and click, just like you showed me."

She stuck out her tongue.

"Guh…it feels like I'm still a prisoner with this thing on," she sighed.

"It certainly beats the alternative, my child," the Professor assured her. "There are people out there who-"

"Yeah, yeah, you told me a hundred times, I get it!" Dora groaned, exasperated. "By the way, I'm totally prank-calling whoever's listening in on this thing."

Jasmine massaged her forehead and let out an epithet in a language that made Dora's eyebrows rise.

"Whoa," the Summer Maiden mused. "I've never met anyone who knew the old tongue."

Jasmine blinked in surprise. "You know ancient Vacuan?"

"Yeah!" Dora smirked, and then rattled off a stream of ancient Vacuan that made Jasmine's ears turn red.

"Merciful heavens!" the Professor gasped. "Watch your mouth, young lady!"

"Heheheheh!" Dora snickered and jumped off the ledge. "See ya!"

Jasmine let out a breath as she watched her go, scampering and dashing from rooftop to rooftop.

"By the Gods," she exhaled. "I cannot believe that girl was chosen as a Guardian Maiden…"

She lifted her scroll to her face and called up a list of a four-man Huntsmen team.

"She's on the move," she instructed. "Keep her in your sights. We know the enemy is after her. It will only be a matter of time before they strike again."

The response was simple and immediate.

"Roger that!"

Jasmine sighed as she stepped back over to the bullhead waiting for her. She knew that she had done the right thing in letting Dora return to the streets where she belonged. As much as Ironwood wanted to keep her safe, the girl still needed a chance to grow and learn on her own, and in a place where she could be comfortable and free. The truth of the matter was, if Dora had not been out on the streets at the time of the last Grimm attack, Vacuo would have been finished. The kingdom needed her as much as she needed the kingdom.

It seemed, as ever, the role of Guardian Maiden was to give all that they had to offer.

But as far as Dora was concerned, she had just escaped from the belly of the beast.

"Hey, Boss!" one of the lost children called out to her from the treetops. "You're back! Hey everyone, the boss is back!"

Dora slowly made her way across the moss-covered roots lining the floor of the courtyard, the canopy of the banyan tree above forming a natural rooftop, leaking tiny trails of light through its branches, its vines trailing down to the mossy basin, burrowing deep into the rock and sand below. Littering the treetops, the lost children of Vacuo climbed and swung like monkeys, peering down to watch as their leader approached on foot.

"Damn right, pisspots!" Dora jeered back up at the chattering children. "Back and better than ever! I see you somehow managed not to burn the place down while I was gone. I guess miracles do happen."

The lost children began whooping and hollering as she trod her way with confidence towards the great trunk of the tree at the center of the courtyard.

"Lime! Coral! Gimme an update!" she shouted as she marched. "Was anyone hurt in that attack?"

"Town's gone to shit, Boss!" a frank reply came from somewhere up in the branches. "But we all present and 'counted for!"

"Any sign of Grimm?" Dora called out, not bothering to look up and keeping her eyes forward.

"Not since you whooped 'em good, Boss!" another kid shouted down.

Before Dora reached her destination, a young boy swung down from a vine, hanging upside down at eye level with the young girl.

"So Boss," the boy asked. "When you gonna tell us 'bout your little trip, huh? Learn anything juicy while you was up at that fancy-schmancy school building?"

"Cork it, Sandy," Dora admonished. "If I feel like filling you in, I will. Till then, piss off."

The boy rolled his eyes and climbed back up the vine.

When Dora finally reached the trunk of the tree, she climbed down between the nobs in its roots, squeezing her way through the tight crevices made by the giant interlocking vines, until she arrived at a small, sequestered chamber, built into the body of the tree trunk. The walls ran all the way up along the length of the trunk, going up as high as the entire tree, and the various cracks and crevices between the interwoven vines surrounding her made for a lofty, breezy little enclosure. A small wood bed-frame was laid out, a bookshelf on the far wall, with wooden tables and chairs arranged in a vague semblance of a small living area.

Dora breathed out a sigh of relief and dropped down across the bed, her arms splaying to either side. It had been a long week, answering stupid questions to the Shade Academy brass and getting poked and prodded by medics and other Huntsmen. It was as if everyone had wanted a crack at her, and if it hadn't been for Ruby's good word, Dora would not have tolerated it for as long as she had.

But it had paid off in the end. As much as she bellyached over it, she recognized that the Shade Academy Huntsmen could be useful. She had yet to encounter anyone she couldn't beat before. But her nightmares still haunted her from that day long ago, when the scary woman with black hair and the red dress had coming knocking at her parents' door. She had grown much stronger since then, but if what Ruby said was true, and her powers came from Summer, and if even Summer hadn't been a match...

A curious pair of eyes poked in from the crevice that server as her front door.

"Hey, um…Boss?" a little girl asked. "Got a minute? There's someone here who wants to see you."

Dora began flopping her arms and legs on the mattress. "Ughhhh…what now!? It feels like everybody wants a piece of me these days!"

Dora grudgingly got off her bed and followed the other girl out of the knobby crevice in the tree trunk and back out into the mossy courtyard, where the lost children of Vacuo were making a big commotion out of something or another.

"Alright, alright, what's all the fuss?" Dora demanded scathingly as she slithered out of the crevices in the tree trunk.

There was an older girl standing in the clearing, maybe sixteen or seventeen, it was hard to tell. She had mocha skin and green hair, and wore a tight fitting capri pants and a green tube top underneath a pair of shoulder harness, where Dora noticed a pair of bladed cycles lay sheathed behind her back.

The girl seemed to think Dora's arrival was some kind of a joke.

"You?" she demanded in disbelief. "You're the Summer Maiden? You've got to be shitting me."

Dora wrinkled her nose. She had been away from home for nigh on a week, and had been seriously looking forward to a nice long nap. And now this stranger had shown up out of nowhere and was apparently bad-mouthing her like she was a child. Dora had just about had enough.

"What do you want, lady?" Dora scowled, resting her hand on the hilt of her dagger. "You come here to pick a fight or something? Cause I've been itching for some action."

The green-haired girl held up her hands. "Wait, wait…sorry, I wasn't trying to be rude. You're just…not what I expected."

Dora snorted derisively, her followers tensing up around them as they stared in rapt silence, eager to jump in should a fight break out.

"Well, I didn't expect _you_ at all," she retorted. "So unless you got some sort of business with us, I suggest you make tracks. My boys are looking kinda feisty."

The girl glanced up at the children glowering down at her from the treetops, as if weighing her odds. If the prospect of fighting almost a hundred preteen street rats intimidated her at all, she did not show it.

"Alright," she said in a conciliatory tone. "I'll make this quick then. Word going around is that you own these streets."

Dora crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Yeah, what of it? You new around these parts or something?"

The other girl cocked her head. "Something like that. I know how these things work though. No one wants some wayward passerby squatting on their turf. So I'll put it to you simply: I want in."

Dora raised an eyebrow. "In?"

The girl held her arms wide. "Into this little...whatever you call it going on here. Your gang? Your posse? Whatever you want to call it, I want in."

Dora scowled. "Why?"

The girl shook her head. "Truth be told, I'd much rather carve out a niche for myself here in Vacuo, but that didn't strike me as particularly polite, and I'd rather not piss off a Guardian Maiden. So I thought I'd be civilized about it and work my way up the chain of command. I know how to take orders, so if you want to call the shots, go right ahead."

Dora crossed her arms. "And if I say no?"

The other girl smiled wickedly. "I can be very persuasive."

"Is that a threat?" Dora demanded.

"Not really," the girl shrugged. "I just thought you might like to know what you'd be turning down if you did..."

Dora began to wonder if she shouldn't give the signal for her followers to attack right then and there to get the jump on the intruder, but then right before her very eyes, the girl began to change shape, and suddenly Dora was looking at an exact copy of herself, staring back at her from across the courtyard.

Dora pursed her lips. "Cute trick…I've seen better though."

The Dora clone smirked back at her. "I'll bet…"

Then she disappeared.

Dora glanced around warily, keeping her eyes and ears pricked for any sign of movement. The warning came, however, from one of her followers shouted down at her.

"Hey, Boss! Look out!"

Dora flinched and whipped her hand up instinctively to catch the arm that was reaching out to touch her shoulder, clasping her fingers around the other girl's arm, which appeared to almost materialize out of thin air, the girl herself attached to it materializing with it.

The green-haired girl gave Dora a playful smirk. "Seen enough yet?"

Dora released the breath she had been holding as she slowly let go of the other girl's arm as she pulled away.

"You got some moves, I'll admit," Dora allowed, grudgingly.

The other girl crossed her arms. "So what's it gonna be?"

Dora considered her options. The lost children of Vacuo were just that - children. The girl was almost a grownup. Even if she trusted her not to try to usurp power, which she didn't, it would dangerously shift the power dynamic amongst her followers. As she herself had said, she could be very persuasive. What was to stop her from inciting a coup?

"Who are you, anyway?" Dora demanded slowly as he followers watched nervously from above.

The girl with the green hair crossed her arms.

"Emerald Sustrai," she smiled.

Dora nodded. "And you know I'm the Summer Maiden?"

Emerald nodded. "I used to run with a different crew. They had a…vested interest in the Guardian Maidens."

"So how do I know you're not still with this crew?" Dora demanded. "The professors at Shade warned me that there were people after me for my powers. How do I know you're not one of them?"

"Because if I was, I wouldn't be telling you about it," Emerald said tersely. "Look, I'll tell you everything I know, but only if you let me into your crew. I'm not looking for much - just your blessing to go pick pockets with the best of them. I work better on my own, so if you don't want me working alongside your crew, then I won't. You don't even need to worry about accommodating me; I'll find my own place to rest my head."

Dora raised an eyebrow. The opportunity to learn more about her Maiden powers was certainly a tempting one. The professors at Shade hadn't actually been able to tell her much that she hadn't already gleamed on her own. Perhaps this Emerald could provide her with something more concrete.

"Alright," Dora finally nodded. "I'll let you in on a trial membership. We'll see if you're everything you're cracked up to be."

Emerald nodded congenially. "Glad we could reach an understanding."

"I'm thrilled," Dora said dryly. "Now…start talking."


	66. Chapter 66

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 66

* * *

General James Ironwood gazed out towards the Huntsmen before him. They had been students once. But no longer. Now, they were some of his most reliable special operatives. They had proven themselves in Vale, and again in Mistral, and here again in Vacuo. While much of their success had been a matter of simply being in the right place at the right time, the fact remained that when the time had come to act, these individuals had not hesitated.

Team CFVY had gone to great risk in boarding the captured airship to prevent the assault on Vacuo, and were to be commended for surviving in the hostile streets of Vale for as long as they did. Their news of Glynda's continued survival and leadership was also heartening news, as well as invaluable intel. Their tenacity and quick thinking may have prevented a Grimm airdrop over the kingdom, which the forces of Vacuo would simply have been unable to counter. Even if the crash of the airship had resulted in a breach of the city walls, it had ultimately funneled the Grimm into a choke point, allowing them to be contained. And Team CFVY had certainly stepped up to the plate in containing them.

Team JNPR had made the ultimate sacrifice in losing one of their finest members in the assault on Vale, and deserved admiration in soldiering on in spite of it. They had persevered once again in Mistral, and now again in Vacuo, and had even gone up against their own comrade, somehow brought back to Remnant as some form of Grimm harbinger. Not only had they faced down a foe who had been terrorizing the countryside and had even bested the headmaster of Haven, but they had successfully driven it off not once but twice, it seemed. The team's connection to the Grimm harbinger could not be overlooked, nor could their resolve in taking her down, which made Team JNPR invaluable.

And through it all, Team RWBY had remained strong, serving as a backbone against which both teams could rally towards. Ruby Rose's particular leadership and understanding of her teammates' capabilities made her an effective operative. She had lead the remnant of Team JNPR, and the estranged members of her original team had each demonstrated singular accomplishments in their own right. Were it up to Ironwood, he could see any one of the members of Team RWBY leading a team of their own, but instead, the team as a whole seemed to be the gravitational center around which the other two teams were drawn, and in doing so, had also thrived.

James pondered momentarily over his assessment of his operatives, and realized that his view may have been colored to a degree by Professor Jasmine's words on the matter of faith. Realistically, he knew that Ruby and her extended team had not been under his command for very long. Hell, Coco Adel's team had only just enlisted this week. Apart from Weiss Schnee, none of the Huntsmen in this hall owed any particular allegiance to Atlas at all. Realistically, the general knew that he had dozens of other battle-tested and qualified Atlesian operatives to turn to.

None of these other operatives, however, had marched into the containment unit of a Guardian Maiden and talked her down from a hostile force into an asset. Or drove off a Grimm harbinger who had once been a Maiden candidate. Or penetrated the Grimm blockade and brought news of Mistral's fate to Atlas. Or brought down a captured Atlesian frigate teeming with Grimm. There was a reason Professor Ozpin had seemed particularly interested in Ruby and her friends, and while Ironwood may spend the duration of this war pondering the exact nature of his interest, he would be a fool not to go on a little faith with the girl and her friends.

"Huntsmen," he said by way of greeting as he stared down the three teams before him in the main hall of Shade Academy. "Thank you all for coming. I realize the last week has been particularly strenuous."

Ruby and the other Huntsmen exchanged spurious glances. It was clear that many of them wanted to ask what the purpose of their meeting was, but the group seemed to have acquired enough in the way of decorum to abstain from doing so.

"As you are all hopefully aware," he continued, clasping his hands as he walked, Professor Jasmine and Winter Schnee standing behind where he strode "The world of Remnant faces a preternatural crisis. We face an unknown enemy who goes by the name of Cinder Fall, who seems capable of bending Grimm to her will. She has also conscripted the White Fang to her cause as well. She seems to be leveraging her forces in an effort to go after the Guardian Maidens, as well as to topple the kingdoms of Remnant. At this time, it is unknown which of these two aims comprises our enemy's primary objective, though it is entirely likely that the two are tied to one another."

There was another shuffling of feet, and Ironwood wondered idly if everyone in the room had been on the same page until that point. He knew Professor Jasmine had explicitly told Ruby Rose about the Maidens, and he had told Winter Schnee, and by extension, many other members of the team had followed suit. He knew revealing such a well-kept secret went against everything Ozpin had taught them, but they were running out of options. And out of Maidens.

"One of these Maidens is confirmed dead," he went on. "The Fall Maiden was killed in the attack on Vale. It is unknown what the purpose of this attack was, but we have yet to be able to confirm any transference of the Maiden's power. It is possible that the normal transfer did not occur, and that the Maiden's power was somehow stolen. The circumstances of the attack were highly unusual, however, and we have only hearsay to go on."

One of the Huntsmen, Jaune Arc, seemed angered by the general's words. Ironwood knew that the information he spoke of had come directly from this young Huntsman, and that he had been particularly close to the Fall Maiden candidate. Good, the general thought. Let the anger fuel him. With any luck, this anger would help him finally take down this harbinger.

"We have a number of unconfirmed sightings of the Spring Maiden somewhere in Mistral, however due to the communications blackout, we do not have any concrete data on this Maiden," he went on. "It is possible that she too may have been attacked in the confusion that swept Mistral during its collapse. If the enemy's MO remains the same as in Vale, it is likely that she would have been a target, as well as the Summer Maiden here during the attack in Vacuo."

At his words, Winter pulled up a dossier of Dora on the screen behind them, summarizing her age, vital statistics, and a description of her powers. Her profile picture involved her sticking her tongue out at the camera. Obviously, the girl had not been overly fond of the idea of being photographed.

"This brings us to our third confirmed Guardian, the Summer Maiden," Ironwood said. "I believe most of you have had the pleasure of meeting Dora. It is possible that the attack on Vacuo would have also involved an attack on her, however it would appear that the Summer Maiden beat the Grimm to the punch. The ensuing sandstorm that we witnessed represents the most powerful documented assault of any Maiden on record, albeit our records don't go back very far. It is possible that she may simply be undisciplined, and lashed out without any control or temperance. However, until we know more, we are treating her with kid gloves. She has been allowed to leave Shade, and is currently being observed in the slums of Vacuo. Professor Jasmine has her under twenty-four-hour surveillance in case of any attempts on her life."

Ruby Rose looked visibly relieved at that.

"Lastly, the Winter Maiden," Ironwood lowered his eyes. "Unfortunately, there have been no confirmed sightings of the Winter Maiden for many years. It is possible that she is simply in hiding, or that she was the first of our enemy's victims. Either way, she has not crossed our radar in over a decade, and that was before the blackout. Since we cannot confirm the status of either the Winter or Spring Maiden, we must operate under the assumption that Dora is the only Maiden left still in Remnant."

Most of the Huntsmen appeared deeply troubled by this pronouncement. Several exchanged worried glances. The only one who spoke up, however, was Yang Xiao-Long, still no less intimidating for her lack of an arm than she usually was.

"Is that all we have to go on, General?" she demanded, aghast. "Are you telling us that the only thing we can do now is protect Dora and hope for the best?"

Ironwood tried not to smile and validate her breach of protocol. While he would never admit it in a formal setting like this, he actually admired the girl's go-getter attitude. It made her a fine operative, and while it indicated that she was more of a risk-taker, it had still clearly served her well in life.

"Hardly," he admonished gently. "Though I admit, our intel isn't what it should be. Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch were the most familiar with our enemy and the Guardian Maidens, and would likely be able to tell us more. I think it's safe to say that this Cinder Fall is not working alone, and I am afraid that the theory that she is stealing the Maidens' power seems far too likely as well."

James massaged the bridge of his nose, regretfully.

"However, Ozpin hasn't been seen since the attack on Vale, and is presumed dead."

It hurt to say it, even now. Ironwood sorely missed his old friend. He could have really used his advice right about now. The old man had been a steadfast ally in some of his most trying times, and his counsel had been invaluable throughout the entire time he'd known him.

"He can't be dead, though!" Ruby spoke up insistently. "Can he?"

Ironwood held out his hand.

"Regardless of his status, the fact remains that he is not here," he said firmly. "We must act under the assumption that he won't be returning. Professor Goodwitch, on the other hand, is very much alive as far as we know. She is, however, ensconced in a hostile environment, with no feasible exit available. And even if she could be evacuated, if what Team CFVY reports is true, then she won't leave her post even if we ask her to. And in a very real sense, she is exactly where she needs to be. Her position may very well provide us with just the inside leverage that we need to retake Vale. No, what she needs – what we all need – is us to bring the cavalry to her."

It was the Arc lad who spoke up next.

"Is that the plan then?" he asked wanly. "Go storming into enemy territory?"

"In a manner of speaking," Ironwood said wryly. "The kingdoms of Vale and Mistral lie in ruins. It is my intention to retake them both. Unfortunately, the Atlesian fleet is spread too thin and is in no position to do so at this time. To this end, I am putting together a strike team, one that can operate largely independently from central leadership, one that can fight a war on an entirely separate front than the main Atlesian fleet. This would be a special team of operatives, capable of taking quick and decisive action where it is most needed, one that I can trust to intervene in the direst of circumstances."

James clasped his hands behind his back.

"I believe that each one of you would be worthy candidates for this program," he proclaimed. "Effective immediately, I am appointing your unit as the first Atlesian strike force. Ruby Rose will continue to lead, and will continue to operate under the oversight of Winter Schnee. You will be granted access to level seven security clearance, you will be given access to the best tech the kingdom of Atlas has to offer, and you will serve as the vanguard of our fleet, the tip of the spear, when we mobilize against the Grimm to retake Vale."

There was another murmur of shock and disbelief as the eleven Huntsmen and Huntresses all stared at the general, aghast. He could see the uncertainty in their eyes. Was he being serious? Weren't they all still children? How could he place this much responsibility on their shoulders? He knew that their faith would also be put to the test, same as his. This would be a challenge for all of them.

"What do you want us to do, General?" it was Ruby Rose who spoke up first.

Ironwood chest filled with pride at the determination in her eyes.

"The fleet around Vacuo has finally completed its humanitarian operations, and will soon be departing to Atlas, leaving a small contingent behind to bolster Vacuo's defenses," he explained. "When our fleet as regrouped within Atlesian airspace, we will begin preparation to mount an assault on the enemy controlled kingdoms. Your primary objective until this point is to gather intel on the enemy forces, as well as anything you can find on any of the remaining Guardian Maidens. Your secondary objective is to secure vital personal to further this end – this includes any of the refugee Huntsmen from Mistral or Vale that have survived the attacks."

One of the Faunus girls, Blake Belladona, appeared to beam at this prospect, as Ironwood suspected she might.

"Which of the two kingdoms are we going to try to retake first?" the other Faunus girl, Velvet Scarletina asked. "I don't know the condition of Mistral, but Vale is in incredibly dire straits!"

"My preference too is to hit Vale first," The general nodded. "But the fact of the matter is, we just don't have enough intel. We will be relying on whatever you can find to help us determine which of the two kingdoms poses the better target for our counterattack. Anything you find over the course of your mission could be information vital to the success of our fleet's future endeavors."

The leader of Team CFVY, Coco Adel, threw her hands up in disbelief.

"And how are we even supposed to gain this intel exactly?" she demanded. "We're Huntsmen, not spies."

"Leave that to me," Winter Schnee spoke up.

"You may not be spies," Ironwood allowed. "But you have the unique set of skills required to let you pass through and survive in the midst of enemy territory. This is not an enemy that you can subvert through trickery or guile, but with force. And none are more adept at employing force than Huntsmen. The fleet has been harassed by airborne Grimm, and my own soldiers are no match for Grimm on the ground. I need special operatives – Huntsmen – to do what my fleet and all of its soldiers cannot do, and that's to strike back against the Grimm when they strike at us, and to gain us some leverage to give us some kind of a foothold in our ever decreasing reach around the globe."

Winter clasped her hands behind her back. "In addition, Atlas tech will bolster these skills that you bring. A smaller team such at this can slip through enemy lines undetected, and can be provided with cutting edge technology much more efficiently than the entire fleet."

Yang put her hand on her hip. "You're using us as guinea pigs?"

"We will be testing some experimental technology, yes," Winter admitted. "But rest assured, the nature of this tech is well worth the risk."

Ironwood nodded approvingly at his operative. "With that in mind, Winter, the _Aeneid_ should be docked and has been modified per your specifications."

Winter smiled in scarcely concealed delight. "Thank you, sir."

Ruby scratched her head. " _Aeneid?_ "

"My sister's personal airship," Weiss explained, before fixing her gaze on the elder Schnee. "What sort of modifications?"

Winter returned her sister's gaze. "The _Aeneid_ stands ready to directly support the first strike force in its mission objectives. The ship has been equipped with an experimental stealth drive that should allow it to pass unseen amongst airborne Grimm, allowing us to breach enemy airspace undetected. In the event that the stealth drive should fail, the ship has also been equipped with an upgraded weapon system, allowing up to sixteen mounted gunner turrets to be operated either manually or through the ship's computer. The ship has been serving as a prototype of our mobile comm buoy system, and has a much greater effective comm range than most standard airships, although its range is still limited. And of course, the ship comes with the latest in personnel accommodations."

One of the Huntresses, Nora Valkyrie, practically jumped for joy.

"You mean we're getting our own airship!?" she blared enthusiastically.

"Temporarily," Winter interjected, pointedly. "On a provisional basis…but, yes."

Ironwood let out a forlorn sigh.

"You each have demonstrated singular bravery and tenacity in this conflict, and whether you appreciate this fact or not, the kingdoms of Remnant have great need of your abilities," he said forebodingly. "I'm afraid you now face even more challenges ahead of you. But you've all proven yourself under fire. I have faith in you."

He threw a glance back towards Professor Jasmine.

"I have faith in all of you."

Jasmine returned his glance, curiously.

The general returned his gaze to his new team.

"You have your assignment, Huntsmen," he said succinctly. "Your airship is ready and waiting for you. I'll be waiting to hear your first mission report. Happy hunting."

Each of the Huntsmen snapped to attention and Winter Schnee stepped forward.

"Alright then," she declared. "First Atlesian strike force, move out!"


	67. Chapter 67

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 67

* * *

 _Seventeen years ago…_

Qrow was staring down at his newborn baby niece. Yang Xiao-Long. She had her father's hair and her mother's eyes, and a combination of both their temperaments. Qrow wasn't sure what she'd be like when she grew up, but at barely three months old, she was a little ball of energy, a fidgety little thing who was awake and alert at seemingly all hours, and never seemed interested in sleep. She didn't cry unless she didn't get what she wanted, whether that was food or a burp or a diaper change. But as soon as her needs were met, she was back to being all smiles and gurgles.

"Awww, look how cute she is…" Qrow said fondly as he reached out with a finger, letting the infant squeeze the proffered digit within her miniscule grasp.

She had the grip of a fighter already.

"You say that now," Raven said, holding the child in her arms, dark circles laying deeply set under her eyes. "Wait till she's waking you up at 3 AM, demanding to be fed. Honestly, if I had known she'd be this much of a handful, I'd…"

"Oh, you know you don't mean that," Taiyang said with a laugh. "Don't listen to her, she hasn't gotten proper sleep in weeks."

"That's because you sleep like a log!" Raven criticized harshly. "This baby screams loud enough to wake the dead! I've never seen anyone manage to sleep through such a litany before!"

"Yes dear," Taiyang admonished softly as he took the young infant from her mother's arms and began cradling her himself and speaking to her in a cutesy voice. "Awww, there's my little troublemaker. Are you keeping mommy from getting her beauty rest?"

Taiyang started making googly faces at his daughter and Qrow laughed softly.

The three of them were gathered back at Beacon Academy. It had been over a year since they'd graduated. In that time, they had gone on many adventures together, both near and far. Taiyang and Raven had gotten married, and soon after, a baby girl had been born. Qrow never ceased to be amazed how fast Tai seemed to move, or how willingly Raven always seem to go along with his every whim. Either that, or Qrow himself was just slow to get going when it came to every aspect in life.

No sooner had his niece been born when Qrow and his team had received a summons from Professor Ozpin, however. The headmaster of Beacon had been a consistent mentor in their lives long after graduation, and always had their best intentions at heart. So for him to call upon them at such a time must have meant that the need was urgent.

So here they were, sitting in the lobby of the main hall at Beacon, waiting for Ozpin to meet them. It was the middle of summer, and the school was largely vacant, which left the large, opulent waiting area all to themselves.

"It's good to see you both again," Qrow smiled. "Summer and I miss you out in the field."

Raven dragged her fingers through an unkempt mop of ebony hair.

"After what we've been putting up with, fighting Grimm is going to be a _vacation_ by comparison," she groaned as her husband continued to coo at their child. "I seriously hope Ozpin's got something good lined up for us."

Qrow raised a concerned eyebrow.

"Are you sure you're ready to get back into it, Raven?" he asked.

Raven gave her brother a sour look.

"Oh, don't you start," she glowered. "You're about a hundred years too early to be worried about _me_ , little brother!"

He smirked back at her. Were Raven in any other position, he might have risen to her baiting, but haggard and bedraggled as she was, he knew she was simply putting on a brave face.

"Just don't over-exert yourself to try to prove you can still handle yourself out there," Qrow warned. "Tai and I are _both_ aware of how tough you are. There's no need to go overboard."

Raven looked like she was about to retort, but right at that moment, Yang began bawling vehemently in her father's arms.

"Ummm…" Taiyang called out anxiously. "Honey? What's she want?"

Raven sighed and went over to fetch her daughter.

"Ohhh…here," she scooped the crying infant up into her arms and took her over to a corner of the room to feed her.

"Heh," Taiyang wiped the baby slobber from his fingers on his pants. "I can never tell what that kid wants when she's upset."

Qrow crossed his arms nonchalantly. "Still hard to imagine you as a father, mister playboy."

Tai smirked back at him. "You said something similar at my wedding, as I recall. And yet here we are, me a daddy and you a lonely bachelor."

He threw a leery smile in Qrow's direction.

"Speaking of which…" he smirked. "You and Summer have been gallivanting off all on your own while me and Raven have been home with the baby…"

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Don't even start…"

Taiyang threw his arms out.

"Oh come on, man!" he groaned. "You've been holding a torch for years! When are you gonna tell her how you feel?"

Qrow sighed. "Look, it's complicated, alright? Can we just drop it?"

"Alright, alright," Taiyang shrugged. "But you're running out of time, man. So…did Oz happen to mention _why_ he wants us here?"

Qrow shook his head. "Afraid not. He just said it was important."

Taiyang crossed his arms, eyebrow raised. "He _does_ know we just had a baby, right?"

"Yeah," Qrow nodded. "He even mentioned it in his message."

The other man frowned. "That's a bad sign."

"Yeah…" Raven chimed in, wiping baby Yang's face with a handkerchief, her top still unbuttoned from feeding her baby. "It must be serious if he's asking for us in spite of knowing that."

Qrow looked away uncomfortably from his sister's exposed cleavage. "Um, Raven…? You mind fixing your top?"

Raven scowled at him. "Oh, grow up, Qrow! They're just tits!"

"Yeah, but they're my _sister's_ tits!" he groaned. "It's weird and unsettling to see them out and about like that."

"Yeah, and so perky now too!" Taiyang added, wrapping his arms around his wife from behind and giving her a playful squeeze. "One of the side benefits of having a baby."

Raven's scowl only grew as she glared back at the man, her baby still swaddled in her arms.

"Taiyang Xiao-Long, I swear to God, will beat the living hell out of you if you don't cut that out, right now!"

Before the argument to escalate into violence, a familiar voice cleared their throat from across the vacant lobby area.

"I…hope I'm not interrupting," Professor Ozpin said, half-jokingly.

The three teammates turned to see the old man standing by the entrance, having just stepped into the building.

"Hey Professor!" Taiyang called out to him. "Long time no see!"

"Hey old man," Qrow nodded as he and Tai stood in front of Raven to give her some modesty as she quickly adjusted her buttons and then turned to reveal the baby girl in her arms.

"Oh, how sweet," Ozpin smiled warmly. "This must be little Yang."

Raven nodded. "Oh yes. She's going to grow up big and strong just like her mommy."

Taiyang grinned. "You mean just like her daddy."

"Please, no," Raven groaned. "She might inherit your brains too!"

Qrowed smirked as Ozpin chuckled at the repartee.

"I'm glad to see that you and your baby appear to be in good health, Raven," he said sympathetically. "I deeply regret having to call on you so soon after your baby was born, but I'm afraid something important has come up."

Qrow and Tai both nodded gravely as Raven clutched her baby closer as the young thing continued to squirm in her arms.

"What is it, Professor?" she asked in trepidation.

Ozpin looked around the lobby, before his eyes fell on Taiyang.

"I'm sorry," he said sternly. "But I'm afraid that what I have to say is for Qrow and Raven alone."

Qrow flinched. That _was_ technically what the message had said, but wherever Raven and her baby went, Tai would not hesitate to follow.

"What is this, some secret cult meeting?" Taiyang asked, grudgingly.

"Taiyang, please," Ozpin insisted, no nonsense in his voice.

Tai sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll hold Yang while you three go off and do…whatever it is."

Raven passed her baby along to her father and followed the Professor towards the elevator. The sleek car glided smoothly up the tower towards Ozpin's office, where the three of them slowly filed out and into the wide open space beneath the clock tower.

 _Yes…this must be it…_

What Ozpin told them next would change their lives forever. Qrow and Raven listened in rapt fascination as he spun a familiar tale of four sisters and an old wizard. A fairy tale they had all grown up hearing, but the twist came when he told them that it was no more imaginary than they themselves were.

 _No, no, no…I want to hear the words…_

Ozpin cleared his throat.

"I mentioned to you before that your parents and I were on the same team together," he said slowly. "We fought side by side, and trusted one another as comrades in arms. What I didn't tell you was the grander purpose that would fall upon our shoulders."

Qrow and Raven exchanged odd looks. What exactly was going on here?

"What I am about to tell you both can never leave this room," Ozpin cautioned. "Hugin, Munin and I were entrusted to a secret of utmost importance. It is imperative that I have your complete trust if we are to proceed."

Qrow felt something tighten in his throat. There was no going back now.

He and his sister both nodded.

"The Guardian Maidens are very real," he explained. "They walk the very world we live in, bringing order and stability to the land. Once, a long time ago, every man, woman and child knew of their existence. But after an eternity of conflict, it was decided that their existence be kept from the public eye, allowing them to work their wonders in secret."

Neither Qrow nor Raven reacted with the disbelief they both felt. They trusted Ozpin implicitly, and he did not appear to be one to joke about such matters.

"When a Maiden dies, her power passes onto another candidate," he went on. "How this happens is unclear, but the candidate is always a young maiden, usually one who is in the Maiden's thoughts at the time of her death."

Qrow held up a hand.

"Wait, wait, wait..." he said. "I'm confused...can we go back to the part about why you're telling us all this?"

Ozpin let out a sigh.

"It was not by accident that the two of you found your way into my school," he explained. "Your parents had always intended for you to inherit the burden that they had so dutifully carried. It is for this reason that your training under your parents has been so severe over the years. The two of you have been groomed to take up the torch after they passed on."

"What torch?" Raven demanded.

"The responsibility of safeguarding the secret of the Maidens," the professor elaborated.

Ozin took a sip of coffee. Qrow found himself longing to pull out the flask he now kept in his left breast pocket, but he abstained.

"Of course, as we know, your parents' time came far too early," Ozpin said grimly. "From that day forward, it then fell to me to decide when to reveal their plans to you. I had every intention of waiting for as long as I could, and let you both live out your lives the way you chose to…but I'm afraid that we have all run out of time."

Ozpin went on, detailing how he and Professor Goodwitch had been keeping an eye on the Guardian Maidens throughout Remnant, and -

 _Stop being so vague. Give me the details._

"-But we have reason to believe that a new threat has emerged," Qrow said somberly. "Or rather…a very, very old threat has re-emerged."

"What kind of threat?" Qrow asked slowly.

Ozpin sighed. "Qrow…I wish I could tell you everything. But there are things even I cannot divulge for fear of-"

"That's not fair, Professor," Raven interjected. "You brought us here and swore us to secrecy, expecting our full cooperation. If you intend to bring us in on your little secret, you need to trust us too."

Ozpin shook his head. "It's not a matter of trust, my dear, it's a matter of liability. Some secrets simply cannot be kept when spoken aloud. Suffice it to say, Professor Goodwitch and I can no longer do this on our own. We have seen many students pass through our doors, but none more qualified for this position than the two of you. Now will you help us or not?"

 _Damn, clever old man…_

Qrow and Raven exchanged another glance.

"What about Taiyang?" Raven asked.

"And Summer?" Qrow added.

"I'm afraid this must be kept a secret, even from your team," Qrow said sternly. "For their protection, as much as yours. If any of you are captured, the fewer of you who know the truth, the safer the Maidens shall be."

Raven pursed her lips. "I don't like the idea of keeping secrets from my husband…"

Qrow scratched his head. "Where are these Maidens, anyway? If they're so important, shouldn't you be keeping tabs on them?"

 _Yes, where indeed?_

"We have not been in the habit of tracking them," Ozpin explained. "They go where they are needed. No one takes kindly to surveillance, and while we are all on the same side, we have no control over the Maidens' movements. Up until this point, we have been making an effort to stay on their good side and watch from the sidelines. We have no wish to antagonize them, or make their lives more difficult than they already are."

"But now?" Qrow asked wryly.

"But now, as I said, a new threat has emerged…" Ozpin sighed. "The Summer Maiden has been-"

That's when the nevermore crashed through the rafters, interrupting the conversation.

 _What!?_

Qrow and Raven drew their weapons and leaped towards the Grimm, while Ozpin simply stood still and watched his two star pupils perform.

 _This…this can't be right…_

"Raven, flank left!" Qrow called out as he extended his scythe.

"I can handle myself!" Raven shot back, drawing a vibrant red blade from her sheath.

The nevermore screeched as it flapped about in the confined space, knocking giant gears out of place and causing the entire clock-tower to shudder and thrum like a bell as Qrow and Raven ran up the walls on either side of the Grimm, weapons at the ready.

"Now!" Qrow shouted, as he leaped towards the nevermore, snagging its neck beneath the blade of his scythe.

"Haaaaaayagh!" Raven crowed as she leaped towards the beast from the other side, her sword closing the gap made by Qrow's scythe, forming a giant scissor blade that lopped the nevermore's head clean off.

The creature let out a defeated screech before its head was sheared off and its remains tumbled to the ground, the two Huntsmen landing feet first on either side of it.

 _How in the world are you…?_

Raven was the first to stand, smiling back at her brother in admiration.

"Not bad, Qrow," she beamed. "You've come a long way since you were just a little thing."

Qrow smirked back at her. "Someone had to pick up the slack while you were home lying in bed."

Professor Ozpin gently applauded the two of them softly.

"Well done, you two," he nodded approvingly. "I dare say, you are both the finest students I've ever trained…"

 _Alright, that's it! Stop!_

Time seemed to slow to a stop, and Qrow looked around at the strange simulacrum of the world around him. All around him were elements that he knew, but none of them fit quite right.

 _Now, we're going to try this again. And this time, we're going to get it right._

Time seemed to rewind itself back to the moment before the nevermore showed up.

"…Up until this point," Ozpin was saying, "We have been making an effort to stay on their good side and watch from the sidelines. We have no wish to antagonize them, or make their lives more difficult than they already are."

"But now?" Qrow asked wryly.

"But now, as I said, a new threat has emerged…" Ozpin sighed. "The Summer Maiden has been-"

The elevator door suddenly whisked open, and Taiyang came bursting into the office.

"Tai?" Qrow asked, aghast.

"Taiyang!" Ozpsin exclaimed. "Did I not explicitly tell you-?"

"No time for that!" the young man shouted. "Take a look at this!"

He gestured behind him, and his young daughter, now somehow suddenly closer to two or three years of age, slowly but steadily taking her first steps on her own two feet.

"Look at that!" Taiyang shouted, fatherly love in his eyes. "Isn't she adorable!?"

Raven and Ozpin both let out a deep, frustrated sigh as Qrow just shrugged helplessly.

 _I grow tired of these games, Qrow. Now show me what you know!_

Qrow watched as time rewound again, and they were once again where they had been moments before.

"…Up until this point," Ozpin was saying, "We have been making an effort to stay on their good side and watch from the sidelines. We have no wish to antagonize them, or make their lives more difficult than they already are."

"But now?" Qrow asked wryly.

"But now, as I said, a new threat has emerged…" Ozpin sighed. "The Summer Maiden has been-"

The elevator doors swung open again, and this time, Hugin and Munin Branwen stepped through the doors.

"Mom!?" Qrow gasped out loud. "Dad!? You're alive!?"

"Yes son," Hugin Branwen said proudly. "Now we can be a family again."

He and Raven both ran over to them and threw their arms around them both.

 _Okay, enough! Enough!_

The world seemed to fall away, as Ozpin, Raven and the headmaster's office around them faded into nothingness. All around them was a white empty void, and soon the woman in red emerged, seemingly out of nowhere, stepping across a blank, empty floor towards Qrow.

"You're altering the memories," Cinder said bluntly. "Trying to hide what you know. Who are you protecting, Qrow?"

Qrow smiled innocently at the woman in red. "Sorry, lady. Guess my memory's just not what it used to be."

Cinder shook her head, smiling confidently. "Then I suppose that we'll just have to do this the hard way…"

She stepped towards him, and Qrow tried to retreat, but his feet were rooted in place. He tries to swing at her, but his arms felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. In this dreamscape, he was her plaything, as powerless as a puppet in its owner's hand. All he could do was stand there as she sashayed towards him, placing a single deadly finger upon his forehead.

He suddenly flew backward as if he'd been shot in the head, and as he recoiled with a jolt, he found himself stumbling through an open field of golden high grass. He glanced all around him as he saw a war torn landscape of an ancient battle, rusted and broken turrets, tanks and machines of death and destruction lay scattered around him.

Qrow flinched. He knew this place well. This was another memory, many years down the line.

"Why are you showing me this?" he felt himself asking out loud.

"Because you need to see," came a voice, only it wasn't Cinder.

It was Ozpin. The Ozpin from his memories. Just as he'd said in this moment of his past.

"What you see before you is the result of a history of conflict and violence," Ozpin explained. "I want you to remember what you see here today, Qrow. Remember that what we do, as Huntsmen, as protectors of this world…that it's possible to lose sight of what we do in the name of accomplishing this goal. How easy it is to turn to such brutality…"

Qrow knew what was going to happen next. Ozpin turned to him and spoke.

His lips moved, but his voice was silent.

Qrow suddenly felt a powerful hand grip the back of his head, forcing him down to his knees.

"Let him _speak!_ " Cinder's harsh voice tickled his ear.

Qrow gasped as he felt an immense pressure begin to constrict his entire body, squeezing him and forcing the air out of his lungs until he was seeing stars. He finally buckled under the immense pressure, and his focus wavered.

"Qrow…" Ozpin's voice could be heard once again. "I'm not going to be around forever. Many before me have carried this particular mantle. And many more after will too, if I have anything to say about it."

Qrow was barely able to lift his eyes to see his old teacher. He did not react to the presence of the woman in red, invading his dreams. The old man simply spoke somberly as he had in memory.

"I am hoping that you, Qrow, will be able to carry on my work when I am gone," he said. "I know it is a heavy burden to bear, my friend. But there is no one I would trust with this task more than you."

Qrow's eyes fell.

"Hmmm…" Cinder mused behind him. "Looks like the old man had big plans for you, Qrow. It's too bad those dreams will never bear fruit now. With Ozpin lost in limbo, and his disciple safely in my holding, he has no more cards left to play. His only move now…is to lose."

With a powerful yank, Qrow was suddenly lifted off his feet by a tug to the back of the collar, and he twisted through the air, landing roughly on his knees.

He regained his footing, and stood up, this time, he was back in Ozpin's office, with the headmaster at his desk, Glynda, and the other headmasters standing around them – Ironwood, Jasmine and Lionheart.

"Four kingdoms," Ozpin spoke. "Four Maidens. The people in this room are the only ones who know the truth. We must take it upon ourselves to protect these Maidens, no matter where they go."

Ironwood nodded his head. "I understand."

Jasmine inclined hers. "I shall not fail you."

Lionheart, on the other hand, seemed entirely disinterested. He stood tall and regal, his coat lined with fur, his bronze hair flowing down his back as he crossed his arms.

"Count me out," he said gruffly. "I don't want any part of this."

Ironwood held out a hand, contritely. "Thaddeus…"

"Even if what you say is true," the headmaster of Haven said as he frowned. "You're talking about myths and magic and things that are way over our head. Even if I believed a word of it, this isn't our responsibility."

He turned on his heels with a flourish of his long coat, making his way for the door.

"You can play your little game of swords and sorcery on your own time," he growled. "I'm going back to Mistral."

Ironwood reached after him, but Jasmine put a hand on his arm and shook her head.

"He has made his decision, James," she said. "No sense in forcing it."

Ozpin steepled his fingers at his desk.

"Still, this does complicate matters," he sighed. "The Maidens are spread far enough as it is. Lionheart was our key to the eastern regions. Without him on board, the entire eastern continent falls beyond our scope. As far as we know, the Spring Maiden still makes her home in his lands."

Ironwood straightened his posture. "Atlas still stand with you as well, Ozpin. My teams are…"

His words faded out again as his lips continued moving.

"Qrow…" a familiar voice pressed against the back of his neck, and he felt a tightening around his throat as Cinder's power constricted around him once again. "What did I tell you…?"

Qrow tried silencing his memories a moment longer before he lost control once again, and Ironwood's voice rang clearly for all to hear.

"…My teams are tracking the Winter Maiden through the northern reaches as we speak," he reported, assuredly. "She was last spotted north of Atlas, in the frozen wastes."

The tension released from Qrow's body and he fell to his knees, gasping for air, the phantoms around him heedless of his struggle.

"Ahhh…perfect…" Cinder smiled, as the memory faded around them. "The regions north of Atlas. I have everything I need now on the Winter Maiden…"

She leaned down to place her hand on Qrow's shoulder as he struggled to stand.

"That leaves just one last piece to the puzzle…"

Qrow's heart sank in his chest as he found himself in a hotel room. It was one of the mainstays of a Huntsman's lifestyle when visiting other kingdoms and villages. Usually they were relegated to camping under the stars, but every so often, they got a warm bed to sleep in.

There was a single wooden door leading out into the hallway. It was a door that Qrow knew all too well. A knock came from the door, and he instinctively rose to answer it.

But then he stopped, realizing exactly what would follow.

"Answer it," Cinder's voice commanded.

Qrow felt the familiar pressure building up around him, compelling him forward. Pain racked his body as he struggled against the urge. It was like trying to hold back the sea tides, propelling him forward through space against which he had almost no ground to stand upon.

But he resisted.

The knock at the door sounded once again.

"I grow tired of asking, Qrow," Cinder's voice sounded deadlier than ever. "The memory cannot proceed unless you answer the door! Now answer it!"

Qrow winced under Cinder's compulsion, but all he could think about were the people he would be letting down if he gave in. He had let down his team, he had let down Ozpin…he would not let his family down too!

The door knocked again, and the pressure built up strongly enough to force Qrow to his knees. But while he may have been powerless to stop his memories from playing out around him, the woman in red could not compel him to take action on his own.

Not when that action would compromise everything he'd fought for.

Cinder stepped around him, staring down at his quivering form with impunity. The walls and ceiling around them began to fall away. The bed disappeared, and the space around them became a blank, featureless void. All that defined his reality in that moment was this one, single door.

But he would not budge. This was far too important.

"I've searched your feelings, Qrow…" Cinder whispered cruelly. "Everything you know about Silver Eyes begins right here, once that door opens."

She waved her hand, gesturing towards it.

"So I will ask you one last time…" she growled. "What lies beyond this door?"

Qrow took a deep breath, steeling himself.

"Go to hell…" he breathed.

Cinder let out a frustrated sigh.

"You know, I've been more than reasonable with you, Qrow," she mused, chidingly. "In fact, I daresay that I've been rather kind. I've let you relive the glory days of your youth in more detail than anyone has ever had the opportunity to. "

She smiled down at him, wickedly.

"And what glory days they were!" she purred seductively. "You've lived quite a life, Qrow Branwen. A life so full of memory. Full of misery and sorrow…"

She reached down and touched his chin, lifting his face up to look at hers, her eyes locked on his.

"Shall we relive some of those sorrows together?" her voice was like a scathing barb. "Let them torment and consume you endlessly, until all you can recall are the mistakes you've made and injustices wrought upon you and those you love?"

Qrow grit his teeth, as his mind immediately filled with all the possible contenders Cinder had in mind for him to relive.

When the world around them went black, Qrow thought for sure that he was about to subjected to his worst nightmares come to life. Instead, when he opened his eyes, he found himself back in the storeroom in the basement of Beacon, shirtless, collared and chained to a wall, his body drenched with sweat.

Had Cinder released him from her spell?

As he blinked, bleary-eyed, casting off the veil of sleep, he tried focusing on his surroundings. Before him, the woman in red held a scroll to her face, a look of annoyance in her eyes as she glared at the person on the other end.

"This had better be important…" she was saying bitterly.

The voice on the other line sounded cocky and assured.

"Oh, it is, trust me," the male voice said. "He's back."

Cinder's eyes widened.

"I'm on my way," she said as she slammed her scroll closed, slipping it into a pouch on her belt as she cast her eyes back at Qrow. "I'll be back in a little while to finish what we started, my pet."

She waved a single finger at him.

"Don't go anywhere."

Qrow glared back at her, his arms still bound in chains, and didn't deign to comment.

Cinder simply smiled as she stepped through the store room door, closing it behind her.

Qrow was left with that muddy feeling of having been woken in the midst of deep sleep, and so was yet unable to focus. In his mind, he was still reliving everything he had just experienced. Moments from his past, stolen to further the agendas of his enemy.

But he knew that it was not by mercy that he was spared this small reprieve. Cinder had been called away for a very specific reason.

And even in his dream-addled state, he had a pretty good feeling that he knew exactly who the woman in red was going to see.


	68. Chapter 68

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 68

* * *

Nebula Violette and her team had been keeping track of a small group of lost children for several days. It was an assignment that had seemed to them a grievous misuse of their time and abilities, but Professor Jasmine's orders had been explicit. She had not explained _why_ she needed more than half of her Huntsmen teams keeping an eye on the riffraff of Vacuo, just that it had been a crucial mission for the future of Remnant, somehow.

What the professor had neglected to tell them, however, was that the lost children of Vacuo had neither been informed of this arrangement, nor were they particularly averse to preying upon their own watchers. It was not a very common occurrence; in fact, Nebula had not heard of any of the Huntsmen teams being targeted thus far. But it seemed that Team NDGO was just unlucky today.

"Get back here, you thief!" Gwen Darcy shouted, leaping into hot pursuit.

It was a deceptively beautiful day in the slums of Vacuo, and the four girls had been resigned to another day of mindlessly babysitting a group of street rats, when Octavia had suddenly noticed that her wallet was missing. Dew and Gwen had both checked their pockets and found that they too had been robbed, and before Nebula had even checked her handbag, she had noticed a suspicious looking girl with green hair darting out of view.

The entire team had given chase, but the girl was a slippery creature, seemingly disappearing and reappearing at will, and no one on Team NDGO seemed capable of pinning her down.

After the thief had seemingly made her escape, she finally sequestered herself off in a small corner of the slums, hunkered behind a dreary looking back alley to hide away until her pursuers gave up and left the area.

"Man," Emerald exhaled in exhaustion. "Those guys seriously do not let up…"

She leaned her weight against the sandstone wall she was hiding behind and tried to catch her breath. She had needed to use her semblance several times in rapid succession to give her pursuers the slip, and it had taken its toll on her aura. But for all that, she had four separate wallets to sift through for any cash or other valuables.

She was just about to sit down and go sorting through her loot, when a voice suddenly caught her by surprise.

"Get anything good?" a familiar voice asked.

"Gah!" Emerald nearly had a heart attack as she flailed away from the voice, dropping her holdings and drawing her weapons.

Precariously balanced in a crouch at the very top of her knobby wooden bo staff, Dora was giving the green-haired girl a curious look as she inspected her findings. She looked completely unperturbed at Emerald's reaction to her interruption.

"Don't scare me like that!" Emerald barked angrily shoving her weapons back into their holsters. "I almost shot you!"

"You'd have missed," Dora rolled her eyes sardonically. "So what do you think you're doing, anyway?"

Emerald grumpily collected the four separate pocketbooks she had acquired from the ground where they had been dropped.

"Just what I said I'd be doing," she explained off-hand. "Carving out a niche for myself."

Dora looked bored as she rested her chin on her fist, her elbow positioned on her knee as she continued to crouch atop the tip of her bo-staff, seemingly perfectly balanced.

"Well, you're being a dumbass about it," Dora said flippantly. "You never try to pick a Huntsman's pockets in Vacuo. Everyone knows that."

Emerald threw the Summer Maiden a weird look. "Why the heck not?"

"For one thing, it's bad karma to bite the hand that protects you from creatures of Grimm," Dora rattled off idly. "For another, they're usually way too savvy. Anyone who knows anything in Vacuo knows that you always keep a decoy wallet or two in case of a pickpocket."

Emerald felt her heart sink as she suddenly ripped open the pocketbooks in her possession, and found them to contain a grand total of about ten lien divided amongst them in loose bills and change. One of the wallets was just flat-out empty.

Emerald felt like she had been punched in the gut. "Are you serious? All that hard work for _this!?_ "

Dora just shrugged. "That's what I've been tellin' ya. Huntsmen make terrible marks. Oh, and the third reason you don't go after Huntsmen? They don't tend to give up easily."

That was about all the warning Emerald got before a hail of throwing daggers suddenly came flying at her, landing in the sand at her feet.

"Whoa!" Emerald back-flipped away from the attack just in time, as the four members of Team NDGO landed in front of her.

"There you are, you little thief!" the team leader shouted.

Emerald cursed and drew her weapons, throwing the four stolen pocketbooks to the ground.

"Fine!" she growled back. "Have your stupid wallets back! They're worthless anyway!"

The purple-haired leader shook her head, leveling her crossbow at Emerald. "Not good enough, sweetheart. We're taking you in."

The green-haired girl gritted her teeth. "Don't you have anything better to do? Like go find some Grimm to kill?"

"Trust me," the raven haired girl with the throwing daggers rolled her eyes. "We'd love to be doing just that. But our orders are to keep tabs on you guys. We're willing to look the other way on a couple of petty crimes, but if you're gonna make _our_ lives more difficult, well, you'll be just as safe behind prison bars as out on the street."

Emerald's eyebrow rose just a hair's breadth. Why was Shade keeping tabs on the lost children of Vacuo?

She didn't have time to ponder the implications of this, however, as the blond haired Huntress began twirling her spear, kicking up the air currents with her semblance and causing a small whirlwind to form around the lot of them, encircling them all and effectively cutting off Emerald's escape from the small back alleyway.

Emerald shot a glance at Dora, who looked positively bored.

"Don't suppose you'd care to _help_ me with this, do you?" she demanded.

"Nah," Dora said, picking her nose. "You got this."

Emerald growled in frustration before making a furious dash towards the girl with the spear, intent on knocking her weapon out of her hands and hopefully dispelling the whirlwind. The redhead with the twin knives moved to block her approach, deflecting her swing with a parry, before slamming her blade into the sand, releasing a shockwave which sent Emerald tumbling backward.

Emerald regained her footing, but once again was forced to leap away from a hail of throwing daggers. She back-flipped and cartwheeled away, before one of the leader's crossbow bolts neatly pinned her leg to the ground through the hem of her pant leg.

Emerald let out a grunt of anger as she yanked at the crossbow bolt.

"Come on, Dora!" Emerald glowered. "I'm outnumbered here!"

Dora seemed content to continue to watch. "You should have thought of that before you tried to pickpocket an entire Huntsman team."

One of the members of Team NDGO threw a questioning look at Dora.

"What do we do about her?" the redhead asked the leader.

"Leave her be," the purple haired girl replied. "Orders are specifically to let her do as she wishes."

Emerald ground her teeth. It was like all five of them were taunting her! Dora could have _easily_ gotten her out of this mess, and was deliberately choosing not to, just to teach her some stupid lesson! It was maddening!

She finally managed to tug her leg loose from the bolt, leaving a sizeable rip her pants. She weighed her options as she cast her eyes around. The winds around them were too strong for her to try to break through, and there were too many enemies for her to use her semblance on, even if she strained herself.

She had no choice.

"Alright, fine!" she shouted out loud. "I promise, I won't pickpocket any more Huntsmen! Happy now!?"

Team NDGO exchanged confused glances with one another, while Dora gently dropped down from her perch atop her knotted bo staff, catching it in her hand as it tipped over.

"That's all I wanted to hear," Dora smiled, before her eyes began to glow.

With a whoosh of power, the tornado surrounding them was blown away with a powerful gust of wind centered around the Summer Maiden, causing all four members of Team NDGO to stagger backwards.

"What the heck!?" The blond Huntress gasped, her semblance broken.

Dora practically skipped over towards Emerald, who was bracing herself against the powerful gale-force winds that were kicking up all around her, protecting her eyes from the sand grains hurdling through the air.

"Sorry to dine and dash, ladies," Dora quipped, eyes still glowing, as she grabbed Emerald by the back collar of her jacket. "But we gotta get going!"

With an abrupt yank, Emerald was whisked off her feet as Dora lifted the two of them up with a powerful gust of wind, carrying them both skyward, as she leaped and bounded from rooftop to rooftop, her wind-born Maiden powers lending her preternatural speed.

By the time they reached the banyan tree, Emerald looked more than a little frazzled.

"Sheesh!" she grunted, stumbling precariously on the uneven mossy terrain of the courtyard that made up the lost children's home. "What's your problem, Dora!? I could have _died_ back there!"

Dora crossed her arms sternly. "You came to _my_ town, asking to carve out a niche for yourself, and you agreed to follow _my_ rules. Do you think we manage to evade Shade's Huntsmen by picking _fights_ with them? You don't last long out here if you don't pick your targets more carefully than that. I don't make these rules to be petty or selfish, I make them because _that's_ the way life is here, and when you don't follow those rules, _my_ people suffer the consequences."

"How was I supposed to know!?" Emerald threw up her arms in disbelief. "It's not like there's a checklist or something! Do you punish every one of your followers for every little oversight like this?"

"Only when they're so stuck in their own ways that they can't see past their own nose!" Dora shot back.

A sizeable crowd of onlookers had begun watching the exchange from up above in the trees as Dora waved her arm out towards the kingdom.

"What if I hadn't been out there?" she demanded. "I can't hold your hand while you learn the ins and outs of Vacuo! You need to start thinking about more than your own damn self in the here and now! Your actions have consequences, you moron! You're part of a team now, whether you like it or not! And you don't just put _yourself_ in danger by doing something stupid, you're putting every one of _us_ in danger too! And if you're too _stupid_ to get that - or you just don't _care_ \- then there's _no_ place for you in this town!"

Emerald was taken aback. Here was this little girl, who was more than five years her junior, telling her off like she was a spoiled child or something! It was absolutely infuriating! And it was far too familiar!

It reminded her all too much of home…

Emerald did not get a chance to think of a rebuttal when one of the lost children climbed down a vine towards Dora.

"Hey boss!" the dirt-covered little girl spouted through a buck-toothed mouth. "Got a 'spicious character y'oughtta see!"

Dora rolled her eyes. "What is it now? Ain't Vauco already filled to bursting with suspicious characters?"

"Yeah, I know, Boss," the other girl replied, still upside on her vine. "But this one kinda looks like a Huntsman, y'know? An' he ain't no Huntsman from Shade I ever saw! And worst part is, he says he was looking for _you!_ "

That got Emerald's attention. It caught Dora's attention too.

"What's he want?" Dora asked grimly.

"Dunno, Boss," she replied. "My boys and I hauled outta there PDQ. Last we saw, he was in the south side ghetto."

Dora cracked a smile.

"Seems everyone's got my number these days…" she said, no nonsense in her voice, before turning to the rest of her followers up in the high branches of the banyan tree. "Alright ya morons! We're gonna go check this guy out! I'll go see what he wants, but I need a team to cover me in case he turns out to be a handful!"

She began pointing fingers up at her followers..

"Chip, Tan and Olive, you're with me!" she called out. "Scotch is on patrol in that area, so Cherry, go back him up! Brass, you're on lookout duty until I get back! Let's get a move on people!"

Emerald watched in thinly veiled fascination as the entire population of the banyan tree began to mobilize, as what appeared to be a haphazard, rag-tag group of disorderly thugs and street urchins moved in such an orderly fashion as to put the most stouthearted military general to shame.

"What about me?" Emerald asked. "What should I do?"

Dora strapped her bo-staff to her back and threw Emerald a disinterested look.

"Do you feel like following orders?" she asked bluntly.

Emerald rolled her eyes at the question.

"Ugh," she grunted. "Sure, fine."

Dora nodded brusquely

"Then come with me," she said. "Maybe we'll finally be able to put that power of yours to some use…"


	69. Chapter 69

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 69

* * *

Pyrrha sat in a meditative sitting position on the floor of the Shadowglass as she contemplated what information she had gathered. It had been over a week since she had so much as _heard_ from Cinder. Before Pyrrha had gone full Grimm, Cinder would pass through the remains of Ozpin's office at least once a day, if not to send her on some horrid mission, then simply to torment her. But it seemed Cinder had either grown tired of taunting her, or she simply had other things to occupy her time at the moment. It could also be that Cinder was merely playing more mind games with her, trying to drive her mad from solitude.

That, or what Pyrrha had revealed had troubled Cinder more than she realized.

Asha'ella. She was not sure where the name had come from. It was a word that had sprung to her lips as soon as she had laid eyes on Cinder. It meant nothing to Pyrrha, but the other woman seemed to identify with it sure enough. Pyrrha's thoughts were a haze of mystery; memories seemed to be swimming through her brain, ideas and images that were foreign to her, knowledge that couldn't possibly be there that would come and go as it pleased.

Faces of Maidens long past…

A child cloaked in red…

Fire…

A long, dark pool that seemed to stretch out forever…

Knowledge without form or context, useless in its obscurity. Pyrrha clenched her brow as she wracked her brain, trying to get her swimming mind to cooperate. It had been days since she had returned from limbo, and she could still not piece together what had happened. It was as if she had experienced something on the subconscious level, of which she could only feel the lingering effects. Like a dream whose emotions still remained in spite of having no recollection of the events recounted.

Pyrrha _had_ meant every word she had said about her friends, however. That had all come from her. She had every faith that they would either be there for her if and when she escaped, or that they would avenge her if she died. She had no notion or control over the state the world would be in when the day of Cinder's reckoning came, but she knew with absolutely certainty that as long as one of her friends drew breath, then it would come eventually.

In the meantime, there was her current predicament to consider. Cinder had left her basically unattended for days on end, with only the slumbering dragon and the great red nevermore for company. For the first few the days, the massive Grimm that had been her infernal mount had spent its time healing from its wounds from the previous battle, but now it spent most of its time roosting overhead, its head tucked beneath its wing.

Pyrrha knew that Cinder could monitor anything through the Grimm's eyes, so the fact that it was spending at least half of the day hiding its eyes was suspicious. Did Cinder want Pyrrha to try something? She dare not attempt anything overt for fear of waking it. And so she bided her time, and resolved to wait it out, spending her endless hours contemplating the endless void of her ethereal thoughts.

One thing she was quickly learning about her predicament was that she did not seem to require food anymore. Or sleep. While she tired, it seemed that slumber would not take her. She wondered if this was an effect of the Shadowglass, the circlet around her head, the Summer Maiden's power, or if that was just the way her artificially created body worked now. Either way, if she were to perish, it was some small relief that it would not be through starvation.

She reached out and placed a tentative hand on the Shadowglass, her barrier from the outside world. It felt like little more than cool glass, yet it was the only gateway through which she could ever interact with the world. All around her, the broken walls of Ozpin's office lay, as the world seemed to fall away into nothing beyond their border. Through the Shadowglass, she could see evidence of the world beyond these shattered walls, but within, this small reflection was her world. She could even step to the far side of the Shadowglass and peer through the other direction, but nothing she ever did seemed to affect the infernal artifact in the slightest.

She had tried breaking it several times, and had all but dented her sword in the process. It was clearly made of something sturdier than ordinary glass. Cinder seemed to treat the Shadowglass with kid gloves in spite of this, however. It was clear that it had come to her from somewhere, that there was someone else working behind the scenes, and that Cinder was simply the forward facing agent in all this. Pyrrha had yet to glimpse the one who truly held her strings.

"Miss Nikos…"

When she heard a voice, she almost couldn't be sure she'd actually heard it. It'd been so long since she'd interacted with anyone that she couldn't dismiss what she'd thought she'd heard as just another fleeting memory. But the voice once against prompted her attention.

"Miss Nikos…"

She looked up from her cross-legged position, and still could not be sure she wasn't simply imagining what she was seeing.

The figure stood beyond the white expanse of the mirror world, gazing out from across the void at her. His was a face she had seen in many of her memories, and also many faces like his. It was hard to tell. Could it truly be him?

"Professor?" Pyrrha spoke out, her voice dry and scratchy from disuse.

The old man nodded gravely.

"I had feared the worst, my dear," he sighed somberly. "I am glad to see that all is not yet lost."

Pyrrha blinked, her mind still somewhat fuzzy. How could Professor Ozpin be here? She had spoken to him before, but then…

Her heart leaped into her throat when she suddenly recalled the last time she had seen him.

"How do I know it's really you?" she demanded, the sudden surge of adrenaline granting her lucidity.

Ozpin nodded. "I understand your concern, Miss Nikos. Cinder's illusionist is not much for words, however. And even _she_ could not reach beyond this veil…"

He gestured to the white expanse that surrounded them.

Pyrrha did not answer, her eyes fixed on the old man, studying him. His face carried a whole new context for her now, as if she was recognizing him for the first time in her life, despite having known him for over a year.

He let out another sigh.

"We've been working together for the last short while, attempting to strengthen your aura," he explained, as though teaching a class. "And now I sense that you've been touched by the other three Maidens in your journey through limbo. I believe this may be one of the last opportunities that we have to act."

Pyrrha shook her head, disbelieving. He clearly knew things about her that only Ozpin could know. But that still did not explain what he was saying.

"What are you talking about, Professor?" she asked. "Act how? "

Ozpin reached his hand out to her.

"You must bridge the gap, my dear," he explained. "Stretch out with your aura. Connect your aura with mine. I am powerless as I am now, as are you. Only together do either of us stand a chance of escape."

Pyrrha blinked, trying to wrap her head around what he was saying.

"Connect our aura?" she asked in stupefaction. "What does that mean?"

Ozpin shook his head.

"It is as you learned beyond the veil, my dear," he smiled. "All aura is aura. Our semblances might be as different as night and day, but beneath that thin veneer, we are both two living things, each of us bound by aura. And aura will always recognize itself. If you can break down this barrier, my dear, you can connect your aura with mine. And we will both be all the stronger for it, strong enough perhaps to break these shackles."

As his words rang clear to her, Pyrrha tried to think back to his teachings, to what he had told her about the nature of aura. The memories were as vague as they were vast. It was as if the universe were trying to tell her the same thing over and over again, in so many voices as to make it unintelligible.

"Within you now swims not one, but _two_ auras," Ozpin continued, stretching his hand towards her. "You have the strength, Miss Nikos. Use it. Reach out…"

Pyrrha held out her hand, eyes closed in concentration as she tried to remember what he'd said to her that day.

 _"You are more than this shell…"_

She tried listening to the voices inside of her, trying to make sense of the cacophony. It was a symphony of sound and a whirlwind of madness stirring beneath the surface, but through it all, there was sense to be made.

 _"You are aura, the living energy of the planet…"_

Deep within her body, she could feel the barest hint of her suppressed power. It was a power that she had been cut off from since that fateful day when it had all gone down. But it had never been snuffed out completely.

 _"Life itself interplays with this aura, mixing, and creating new life…"_

As before, her aura resisted her, as if it had been reduced to sludge rather than the vibrant essence that it was. It melted in her hands as quickly as she seized upon it.

"You do not need to bring it out completely, my dear," Ozpin said, guiding her mind. "Just the smallest fraction will do. Once the barrier is breached, the rest shall follow."

Focusing on the sound of his voice, Pyrrha urged her aura outward, drawing the faintest trickle out from the deep, dead wellspring of her soul.

 _"This can lead to conflict as one form snuffs out another…"_

That tiny wisp, but a thin minuscule tether, slowly edged its way to the surface, a filament of power stretching out from the very tip of her index finger.

Ozpin's eyes widened. "That's it…"

Pyrrha clenched her eyes as she focused everything she had one maintaining that one single strand as it extended outward.

 _"Alternatively, it can lead to a merging; rather than quashing those weaker forms, a greater form may consume a smaller form to become stronger…"_

The thread of black and gold aura slowly extended outward towards the divide that separated Pyrrha from Ozpin, feeling its way around like a vine searching for a branch of a tree. Standing across from the Huntress, Ozpin began extending his own aura outward, a whitish green energy surrounding him, expanding out from the palm of his hand as his own aura moved towards the divide.

 _"Or…perhaps the two forms may find common ground and unite as one, the two becoming stronger than either alone…"_

Ozpin's aura seemed to come up against an invisible wall, as it flattened and pressed against the barrier between the two worlds. Only Pyrrha's bright black and gold filament continued onward, edging ever closer to her teacher's, until finally, the barest hint of contact could be felt.

Pyrrha's eyes flew open as their auras touched. It was like two droplets of water merging on the surface of a still glass. Once the surface tension was breached, the two began to flow into one another, until it became a cascade. The thin wisp of energy coming out of her became a tendril as her aura was drawn out of her. His own aura rushed in to compensate, and the combined force of the two began to lift more and more of her power to the surface.

All the sudden, she was ablaze with power, her aura flowing out through the palm of her hand like a blast of energy, gushing out towards the barrier between her and Ozpin. All the while, his own flowed back, creating a feedback loop as the power grew and grew, their hands coming ever closer together.

She was more than Pyrrha Nikos now. She and Ozpin's auras had combined, their power unifying as one. Ozpin's aura was a wellspring of power the likes of which she could scarcely imagine. It was a power that nourished her own, bringing out her full potential, like water nourishing the roots of a tree. The binding of power transgressed worlds, and was more powerful than any barrier ever could be.

Both of them were stretching towards one another, their arms held ever outward to cross the threshold of limbo. The veil between them began to weaken, and the distance between them became smaller and smaller. Until finally, their hands touched, and he gripped her hand firmly in his own. She felt a slight tug as he used her footing to anchor himself, and with a great heave, he pulled himself out of limbo and into her world.

"Professor!" Pyrrha shouted in amazement, as she suddenly felt the warmth of human contact for the first time in ages as he landed on his feet before her.

Without even hesitating, she threw her arms around him, weeping for joy.

"I knew you could do it, Miss Nikos," he said warmly, his hands on her shoulders. "I knew you had the strength within you…"

Pyrrha felt tears of mirth falling from her eyes as she felt the first glimmer of real hope emerging for what felt like an eternity. Relief poured through her body, and her mind began to race at the possibilities before her. They would still have to escape the Shadowglass, but with their auras merged, they were stronger now than either had been on their own.

Now, at long last, she had a chance.

That was her last thought before that tiny glimmer of hope was yanked from her grasp.

Without warning, their auras were suddenly cut off. All of the sudden, she was just Pyrrha Nikos once again, and she suddenly felt unbearably frail.

"Professor…?" she gasped in fright, staggering back and looking up at the old man as he appeared to be suspended in mid-air.

The aura surrounding him was not his own, but a familiar golden aura, one that extended through the air, through the Shadowglass. Pyrrha's eyes followed the tentril of golden light, and then her eyes widened as her heart sank in horror.

Cinder Fall was standing across the threshold, smiling cruelly, eyes glowing with the twin butterfly crests of the Spring and Fall Maidens' power. The font of energy was so intense that it extended from her hand right through the Shadowglass, and enveloped Ozpin's entire body, encasing him within her power.

Pyrrha shook her head in disbelief. How!? How had Cinder found them out? She hadn't been up here in days! Pyrrha looked around frantically until he eyes fell on an ornate, white wrought-iron armchair, and a familiar girl with pink and brown hair, lounging languidly within it, legs crossed in relaxation.

Pyrrha's fear turned to terror. That girl and her chair hadn't been there for the entire week that she'd been left alone, had it? How long had she been sitting there for? Had she been there all week long, hidden from view? Surely her semblance couldn't have kept her hidden for days on end!

Then she looked up at the great red nevermore. It had been roosting atop one of the remaining pillar this entire time. Occasionally it would stir awake, its cold red eyes piercing and gazing down at her. But occasionally, it would sleep, burying its head beneath its wing and hide its gaze. Had this simply been a ruse to allow Cinder's lackey to sit and watch her in the event that Ozpin should reappear? Had this minion and the Grimm been taking turns, keeping surreptitious tabs on Pyrrha this whole time?

Pyrrha felt sick.

"No, no, no!" she cried, reaching out to Ozpin.

But as soon as she touched him, there was a fearsome jolt of power in her system, Cinder's aura blasting her with all its force, frying her nerves and sending her flying backwards in a slump, pain lancing through every fiber of her being! The power of two Maidens was far too much for either of them to contend with, it seemed, as Cinder drew her prize towards her, peering at him through the Shadowglass.

"Finally returned to pay me a visit, I see," she teased, clucking her tongue disparagingly. "It would seem that not even the grave can hold you, old man…"

Ozpin only stared back at the woman, completely trapped within the grasp of her power.

Pyrrha slowly got to her hands and knees, her body wracked with pain. She was still in shock at having her aura forcefully separated, and every cell in her body seemed to be screaming from Cinder's assault. But even as sweat and loose strands of hair hung across her face, she gritted her teeth and slowly lifted her head to see.

Cinder user her power to draw Ozpin closer and closer to the inner surface of the Shadowglass. As he touched the glass, the entire mirror started to glow as he slowly began to pass through the barrier. Cinder held out her arm towards him, dragging him almost gleefully towards her with her power, like siphoning blood from an open wound.

"Professor…" Pyrrha gasped, managing to lift one trembling hand to reach out towards him as she gasped, her body still gripped in the throes of pain.

She was too far away to reach him however, and before she could even get to her feet, Cinder had withdrawn the former headmaster of Beacon from the Shadowglass, and held him aloft before her, eyeing her prize with a look of absolute joy on her face.

"You have no _idea_ how long I've been waiting for this…" she said breathlessly, clenching her fist and closing her eyes, as if imagining the months and months of planning that had led her to this moment.

Pyrrha began to crawl on her hands and knees, her body quivering and unsteady as she made her way towards the Shadowglass. It was difficult for her to see at this range, but the look on Ozpin's face wasn't one of anger or fear, but of disappointment. Of pity.

"So you have decided to be a puppet after all," he said in resignation.

Cinder's joyful smile became tinged with anger.

"I will no longer be beholden to _anyone_ , old man!" she spat, reaching out to seize the Huntsman by the collar, staring into his eyes with her piercing yellow gaze. "Not to her…and _certainly_ not to you!"

Ozpin slowly shook his head.

"The die has already been cast, my dear," he said solemnly. "But never forget that _you_ are the one who cast it."

Cinder's upper lip curled back in anger.

"No, old man," she said viciously. "It was _you_ …"

Pyrrha continued to crawl towards them until she finally reached the barrier of the Shadowglass, still on her knees as she placed her hands against the glass to steady herself.

"Professor…" she said in a quavering voice.

If her body had not resisted slumber so stubbornly, she would have likely passed out from the pain.

Cinder only then seemed to pay the Huntress any heed.

"Watch carefully, girl…" she said, fixing Pyrrha with a heartless gaze. " _This_ is the way the world ends…"

She lowered her grip, her power bringing Ozpin to the floor of the ruined office, before suddenly pressing down on him until he was forced to his knees.

Pyrrha's eyes widened in horror.

"No…" she breathed in terror.

Ozpin simply gazed back up at the woman, a peaceful look in his eyes.

"I was always proud of you…" he whispered.

Cinder's eyes flared up in rage.

" _Liar!_ " she screamed, grabbing him by the hair and forcing his head down.

Pyrrha clenched her hands into fists and began pounding them weakly against the Shadowglass.

"No!" she wailed, helplessly. " _Stop!_ "

Cinder's fury knew no bounds as she leaned in to speak in a raspy voice into Ozpin's ear.

"They say the Wizard is timeless…" she hissed. "Deathless…"

With a yank, she pulled him back upright and twisting him around to face Pyrrha, gripping his shoulder viciously as he slumped helplessly within the throes of the Maiden's power.

Pyrrha watched as Ozpin lifted his eyes towards her, his spectacles askew as a weak smile came across his face.

"Let's test that theory, shall we?" Cinder suggested.

And then she plunged her hand through his back, her fingers emerging from his chest in a bloody mess.

Pyrrha watched helplessly in horror and disbelief as Ozpin's mouth began to drip red with blood.

"You…have the strength, Miss Nikos…" he gasped with his last breath, eyes lidded. "Use it…find…him…"

Cinder withdrew her bloody hand, and Ozpin's limp form fell to the floor as the darkness claimed him, his body already disintegrating into a cloud of ash.

Pyrrha's scream might have been heard echoing from across the Emerald Forest to the peaks of Mountain Glen. The rage that filled her heart made her numb to anything else. It overshadowed the despair of losing her last vestige of hope, of losing the only person who had been her friend over this long, torturous journey, of the pain that still gripped her body. At that moment, Pyrrha knew not the love and joy of her friends from Beacon, or the virtue of upholding her duty as a Huntress, or the hope of ever being free again.

In that moment, all Pyrrha felt was rage, and all of it directed towards Cinder. How dare she dangle Pyrrha's hope before her only to snuff it out when it was two inches from her face? How dare she steal away her future, her autonomy, and all that she had ever known, all for the sake of what? Fulfilling some destiny that Cinder didn't even care for? What was it all for!? What was _any_ of this for!? Why must Pyrrha continue to bear the burden for one who held nothing sacred but her own misguided ideals?

Pyrrha felt a fire welling up inside of her as she scrambled to her feet, slamming her fists into the Shadowglass.

BAM!

" _YOU MONSTER!_ " she screamed, punching the Shadowglass over and over again.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Cinder seemed only amused by her flailing.

"Shout and scream all you like my dear," she shook her head. "Stoke that fire and burn it to the ground. All that shall be left is despair…"

Pyrrha did not relent. She kept pounding the glass, over and over again, burning hot tears streaming down her face.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Why!?

 _Why!?_

 _WHY!?_

What was it all for anymore!? What was she being punished for!? What iota of sense did _any_ of it make!?

BAM! BAM!

Cinder sighed again.

"Did it hurt?" she taunted coyly. "Did it hurt to watch your old teacher die out here, cold and alone? Did it hurt to watch, unable to do anything to stop it?"

Pyrrha kept punching the glass until her fists bled, her eyes and teeth clenched in fury as she slammed her knuckles into the thing that separated her from her revenge.

" _You_ …" she breathed furiously, her aura billowing up around her like a flame. " _You MONSTER!_ "

She punched the glass again and again, her aura pouring out of her like a roaring inferno.

Cinder's eyes began to flicker, and a twinge of fear crossing her eyes as she watched Pyrrha's aura light up like a wildfire.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Cinder took a step back when she saw the first cracks begin to form, her brow narrowing in disbelief.

"No…" she shook her head.

Pyrrha continued to rage, her aura billowing up around her, lending strength to her blows, heedless of the pain of her bleeding fists and her pain wracked body. She punched the Shadowglass over and over again, sparing no concern for the damage it was causing her. She didn't care. She didn't care about anything anymore. All she knew was fury at the unjustness of a world that would continue to torment and destroy the people she most cared about, all while those that perpetrated those injustices stood by idly, reaping the benefits without pity or recourse.

CRACK!

Pyrrha continued to wale upon the Shadowglass, pounding it with her fists as more cracks began to form

"Stop it!" Cinder shouted angrily.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Pyrrha did not relent. She did not desist. She did not stop until her fist broke through the Shadowglass with a furious shatter, the entire glass surface of the mirror breaking into a million pieces.

KRRRSSSSSHHHHH!

As Pyrrha plunged through the opening, her whole body came tumbling through to stand shakily outside the shattered remains of the Shadowglass.

Cinder stood, staring aghast as Pyrrha stood before her, shuddering in fury as she stared back at her, Ozpin's remains already drifting in the breeze, the girl with the pink hair standing off to the side in stunned silence.

" _You…_ " Pyrrha wheezed, out of breath as she glared at Cinder, her hands dripping with blood, her whole body shaking from the exertion. " _You…monster…_ "

Cinder stared down at the shattered glass shards on the floor, then back up at Pyrrha, and then back to the remains of her artifact at their feet.

"No…" Cinder gasped in astonishment. "What have you _done!?_ "

Pyrrha simply stood there, glaring back at Cinder in fury. She knew she was no match for her, not with the power of _two_ Maidens coursing through her veins. But Pyrrha didn't care. She charged ahead, screaming, her voice raw with anguish.

She didn't make it two feet before Cinder has her suspended once again with her aura, lifting her high up in the air as Pyrrha flailed angrily.

" _Monster!_ " Pyrrha coughed, choking on the dryness of her own throat.

Cinder gritted her teeth in aggravation she lifted her hand, her eyes glowing with the Maidens' power.

"Do you have any idea what you've _done!?_ " she demanded, gesturing to what had once been the Shadowglass.

Pyrrha did not react. She couldn't. She was completely drained of strength. Her body hung limply in the air, coughing and gasping for breath as she simply hung suspended within the woman's grasp.

"I don't have time for this…" Cinder growled, before waving her hand dismissively. "Sleep."

Pyrrha began to feel wearier by the moment, the aches and pains in her tired body slowly adding up, until her consciousness began to flicker.

" _You…_ " Pyrrha breathed, before unconsciousness claimed her, her sleepless mind veiled in a forced slumber.

Cinder wasted no time in stringing Pyrrha up against the pillar upon which the great red nevermore still perched. With the Maidens' powers, she began lifting stone and warping the elements to suit her needs, the loose steel beams that once held the tower aloft bending to her will. The solid steel bent and twisted like plastic, until it had wrapped around Pyrrha's arms and legs, tying her limp body to the column, leaving her hanging like a crucifixion

One more thing, Cinder thought, as she reached into a pouch at her hip and withdrew a small metal collar. Lifting it up until the air, her power surrounded the device and lifted it out of her hands, floating up towards Pyrrha's neck, fastening it to her body to stifle her aura in case she should wake.

No need to take any chances with this one. But that was all she had time for. This mess would now require her full attention.

"You there!" Cinder threw a glance up at the great red nevermore. "Keep an eye on her."

The Grimm's head rose from beneath its wing, and it ruffled its feathers, clacking it enormous beak in response.

"And you!" Cinder turned an eye towards Neo. "Clean up this mess."

Neo, who had been staring aghast at the exchange and keeping her distance until the struggle was over, nodded and acquiesced, timidly hurrying over to the Shadowglass, fearful of any reprisal, and began delicately picking up the glass shards.

Cinder was not happy. Not at all.

"I've got a call to make," Cinder said, stepping away and marching towards the stairs. "Our benefactor will not be pleased to hear about this…"


	70. Chapter 70

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 70

* * *

The _Aeneid_ was a thing of beauty. Over a hundred feet in length, with a wingspan of nearly two hundred feet, the ship could carry a small army. Four pivoting wings extended from the fuselage, two above, two below, each one ending in a long deadly dust cannon. The long flowing ornamental banners that had decorated the outside during the Vytal festival had been stripped off, in favor of a more militaristic appearance. Lining the chassis now were a number of smaller mounted dust turrets, each one capable of both manned and unmanned combat.

That was just the exterior. When Ruby Rose got a good look inside, she let out a sound that one would normally associate with small birds. The ship had been a luxury liner in its heyday, and while much of the garnish had been stripped in the name of militant efficiency, the furnishings, upholstery and lavish carpeting absolutely screamed wealth, with everything either a pristine white, rich mahogany, or gold trim.

On top of the finely furnished undercoat, this was a machine that was purpose-built for war. It may have had the dressings of the Schnee Dust Company, but it was Atlas tech through and through. The shimmering white hull had been reinforced with heavy armor plating, and its engines upgraded to top-of-the-line dust boosters. The ship was capable of supersonic flight while not fully loaded, and near-sonic when at maximum capacity.

The main cabin sprung off from the cockpit, the main viewport of the ship stretching out widely overhead, well past the cockpit area and into the cabin, letting in an abundance of light. The transparent viewport was formed by a transparent aluminum alloy compound, lending it even greater strength than standard plexiglass. Four pilot seats lined the cockpit area at the ship's nose, gunner seats lined the port and starboard walls, and the main cabin was stocked with crew essentials, such as a galley and larder, a common sitting area, and a strategic operations console that rose up from the center of the floor.

As far as capacity went, the _Aeneid_ had a passenger/cargo cabin along the ship's belly with space for over eighty people and a lift capacity of over a hundred tons. This was in addition to the cockpit and the main cabin, with four primary crew quarters with four bunks each leading through the back of the ship, the engineering quarter, and a lavish captain's quarters stationed in the dorsal hull.

"You and your teams can set up in here," Winter Schnee directed as she finished up her tour of the airship, gesturing to the crew cabins.

Four sets of doors, two across from each other, lined the hallway running down the center of the ship, leading away from the main cabin and towards engineering in the rear. Each cabin was lined with four bunks on one side of the room, two desks built into the opposite wall, and a chair at each desk. They were somewhat cramped, but each cabin had a large porthole letting the occupants get a view outside, and they were still brightly colored and well lit.

"I call top bunk!" Ruby yelped, sticking her tongue out at Yang as she ran in.

Yang just shrugged as her sister ran past her, Weiss following afterward.

"Hey, you got top bunk at Beacon!" Weiss complained. "Give someone else a turn!"

"No way!" Ruby snickered. "Team leader, I get dibs!"

Weiss began complaining even more loudly and Winter let out a sigh as the other two teams slowly filed into their cabins.

"Now before you get settled Ruby, let's go over some basic protocols," Winter said sternly.

Ruby was hanging upside-down from the top bunk with Weiss pulling at her hair.

"Yeah?" Ruby asked awkwardly as Weiss quickly stood upright and straightened her hair under her sister's scrutiny.

Winter clasped her hands behind her back as the Huntsmen each poked their heads out to listen.

"We'll be operating under a similar model as before," Winter explained. "I maintain discretionary command, however this is still your team, Ruby Rose. As such, where this ship goes and what operations it performs will ultimately fall to you. As I'm the one who is most familiar with this ship, however, I will also be its pilot of the duration of the mission. And since Weiss is the only one of you with any flight experience, I would also highly recommend assigning her the duty of co-pilot whenever I am unavailable."

Ruby nodded, looking at Weiss. "That sounds fine, right?"

Weiss nodded. "It shouldn't be a problem."

Winter nodded and continued.

"You are all the ship's crew now; all other crewmembers have disbanded, so all shipboard operations fall to each of you," she explained. "The most important function is engine maintenance, which can be conducted whenever we make port in Atlas or Vacuo. However, in the event of an emergency out in the field, engine repair will be up to you."

Coco and Velvet flinched as they recalled how well their engineering experience had gone on the Atlesian frigate.

"I don't think _any_ of us are trained in engine repair, ma'am," Velvet raised her hand sullenly.

"Then you'll just have to learn," Winter said sternly. "The computer handles most of it, and I've made all the training material available on all your scrolls. Ruby, I'm expecting you to handle the dispensation of all crew responsibilities amongst your teammates. I've sent you a list of all the required functions. This includes stealth systems…

Ruby threw a glance at Blake who shrugged and nodded.

"…Weapon controls…"

Ruby smiled at Yang who clenched her fist in delight.

"…Sonar navigation monitoring…"

Ruby looked at Fox. He just smirked.

"…Cargo management…"

Ruby glanced shyly at Yatsuhashi, who closed his eyes and nodded acceptingly.

"…Shield controls…"

Ruby elbowed Jaune, who just sighed and scratched his head.

"…Electrical controls…"

Ruby grinned at Nora, whose eyes lit up in delight.

"…And ship's cook."

Everyone looked at Ren, who crossed his arms, nodding confidently.

Weiss nodded succinctly. "Well, with Winter and I as pilot and co-pilot respectively, it appears as though we each have our duties."

Coco and Velvet looked confused.

"Wait, but that just leaves…" Velvet started.

"Engine maintenance," Ruby nodded brightly. "It's a big job, so I figured both you and Coco should handle it together."

Coco scratched her chin ponderously while Velvet's ears drooped.

"Whaaaaat?" she whined. "B-b-but…but I'm _terrible_ with engines!"

"Oh, that's not true," Coco said confidently. "You handled that Atlesian frigate wonderfully."

"You call that wonderful!?" Velvet gaped in astonishment. "We deliberately caused it to crash!"

"And we succeeded, didn't we?" Coco grinned. "Don't worry, I'll teach you what I know."

As Velvet lowered her head in resignation, Weiss held up a finger.

"What about you, Ruby?" she asked pointedly. "What are _your_ shipboard duties?"

"I imagine I'd be in charge of…what, tactical operations?" Ruby threw a questioning glance at Winter. "Or would it be…mission control? Command oversight? Ooh, how about…operations management!"

"You are the commander of this ship," Winter said brusquely, "And so are responsible for monitoring all shipboard functions, delegating additional responsibilities and triaging your crew where possible. You are also in command of all combat operations while on or off the ship. Oh, and one last thing…"

Winter glanced at Yang, Coco and Blake.

"While the shipboard weapon systems are fully operational, I am aware that some of you are in need of new weaponry for ground missions," she said with the type of smile on her face that someone made when they knew they were about to make someone else's day. "The engineering quarter boasts a full weaponry bay, locker and workshop with numerous-"

There was a sudden gust of wind, and suddenly Ruby had been replaced by a flurry of red rose petals. Moments later, a loud squeal of delight could be heard from down the hallway where the engineering ward lay.

Winter blinked in astonishment. "I…wasn't aware that Ruby also needed a new weapon."

Yang just smirked. "She doesn't. She just wants to admire the weapon bay."

"Yang! Yang!" Ruby's voice sounded from down the hall. "You've got to _see_ this!"

Yang sighed and walked down the narrow hallway towards the engineering ward, which opened up to the only area they'd seen to lack any sort of windows. The room was instead bathed in pale fluorescent lighting to reveal the ship's main engine turbine, and the room's walls were lined with panels and switches.

Ruby had sequestered herself off in the corner, where the workbench, tools, a locker filled to the brim with weaponry, with several spare weapon parts hanging across the wall and stashed in various concealed bins.

"Look-look-look!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly. "They've got so much stuff! Yang, can we live here!?"

Yang put her hand on her hip. "It looks like we might be doing just that for the next while, Ruby."

Ruby scratched her nose, blushing shyly. "Oh…right."

Winter entered after Yang, followed by Blake and Coco, who each inspected the walls of the engineering ward. Velvet came wandering in too, although her gaze was mostly focused on the massive engine turbine, and the prospect of having to manage the enormous engine sank in all at once.

"Bloody hell…" she whispered in awe, mostly to herself.

Winter cleared her throat.

"As I've mentioned," she said, sounding slightly boastful, "This ship holds some of the latest in experimental Atlas tech. Combine that will a full weapon's locker, heavy dust munitions, and every hand-sized tool imaginable, you should be able to put something together that'll suit you well out in the field."

She threw a glance at Yang.

"We even have the equipment needed to fit you with a new prosthetic, agent Xiao-Long, although we don't have much in the way of prosthetic enhancements…"

Yang just nodded, busying herself looking at the wall. "Hmmm…"

Winter glanced up at where Yang was looking, and saw what appeared to be the core component of a heavy artillery cannon hanging by a series of straps and taking up space along the majority of one of the walls.

"Oh, that," Winter shook her head. "That's actually a spare for one of the ship's main guns in case we ever need to replace one."

Yang's mouth curved into a smile. "You don't say…"

Winter did not seem to think much of Yang's response, and looked over to Blake, who was inspecting a pair of thin, black blades.

"Those are carbon nano-filament blades," Winter explained. "Very expensive, but _very_ sturdy. They're as tough as diamond, and sharp enough to cut through solid steel."

Blake pursed her lips. "Hmmm…"

"What about this thing?" Coco called out from the other side of the engineering ward.

Winter stepped over to inspect the Huntresses findings, and found a cylindrical glass tube fill with transparent liquid, and a floating ball of what appeared to be liquid metal.

"Oh, that hasn't been tested yet, so I can't recommend it for field usage," Winter explained, a note of concern in her voice. "They're a collection of tiny remote controlled constructs called nanomachines. They were originally designed for construction purposes, but they were requisitioned for the war effort, and fused with dust particles. We're still working on a suitable method of deployment…"

Coco continued to gaze curiously at the floating ball of nanomachines. "Interesting…"

She threw Velvet a curious smile, as the Faunus girl glanced back at her, and then at the nanomachines. It seemed the two of them were on the same wavelength.

Winter left the Huntresses to think on ideas for their new weapons and went over to where Ruby stood, still gawking at the racks of weapons and weapon parts.

"Ruby," she said simply. "The more we linger here, the more time our enemies have to prepare. We should proceed to the main cabin to begin our preparations."

Ruby nodded. "Right!"

The Huntresses each walked back through the main hallway, gesturing for the lingering Huntsmen setting up in the crew quarters to follow them. The team proceeding out into the main cabin, where Winter called up a holographic map of Remnant on the main projector console at the center of the room, where the entire team gathered around.

"We're ready to head out, Ruby," Winter said simply. "What's our heading?"

Ruby blinked in surprise, pointing a finger at herself.

"You're asking me?" she said, completely confused.

Winter took a breath.

"Ruby," she said slowly. "You're the commander of the _Aeneid_ now. Where this ship goes and what she does is up to you. I can only advise you and offer my recommendation. But this is your team, and their lives were entrusted to you. The decision ultimately rests on your shoulders."

The other Huntresses turned their attention away from the floating holographic map of the globe and looked at their team leader wit trepidation.

Ruby swallowed slowly.

"Well guys…?" she said helplessly, looking around. "I'm open to suggestions."

"Vale is in desperate need of our aid," Velvet chimed in. "This ship has stealth technology. We should scout ahead and get an assessment of the situation on the ground in Vale. Maybe even provide aid."

"What about Mistral?" Blake chimed in. "Team SSSN and the other Huntsmen from Haven still haven't been accounted for. We need all the allies we can get, and we could be the only hope for the surviving refugees from Mistral."

"I'm…sorry to say this, Blake," Velvet said nervously. "But we don't even know if Team SSSN or _anyone_ near Mistral are still alive!"

"Then we _have_ to find out!" Blake cried, a bit more strongly than anyone expected, causing the rooms' occupants to flinch.

"But Blake…" Velvet said worriedly, gesturing to map, seemingly unphased by Blake's outburst. "Mistral's on the other side of the world!"

"So's Vale!" Blake countered. "So's Atlas for that matter!"

"But think of how much time we'd spend trying to track them down!" Velvet said, tears welling in her eyes. "We might spend days or perhaps _weeks_ looking for anyone, and Professor Goodwitch and the rest of _our_ teachers and classmates have been holed up in enemy occupied territory for long enough at it is! Blake, we can't just abandon our friends and family!"

"Team SSSN are our friends and family too!" Blake shouted back. "And they don't even have the benefit of teachers with them! They're all out there, _by themselves_ , and the longer we wait…"

"Okay, enough!" Ruby shouted over the din, holding up her hands.

The two Huntresses stopped their shouting and took a moment to catch their breath.

Ruby took a breath as well, a helpless look on her face, before turning to look at Winter.

"Wint – err, Ma'am?" she asked. "What's your tactical assessment? Do we stand more to gain by scouting out Vale, or by trying to recruit more allies by searching Mistral?"

Winter crossed her arms as she considered the glowing blue-green orb hovering before her. "We stand to gain either way. Any intel, good or bad, is better than no intel at all, which makes Vale the more certain gain. However, it _is_ enemy occupied territory, and even with the ship's stealth drives, Grimm have effectively locked down the skies in that area. It would be a dangerous mission, one that would certainly benefit from more allies."

Ruby nodded as Blake and Velvet remained silent.

"What's your assessment of the chances of survival of our fellow Huntsmen out there?" she asked.

"The students from Vale have the benefit of instructors, who are full Huntsmen," Winter nodded discerningly. "Their chances of survival are by the far the greatest."

Blake clenched her fists. "So that just means that the survivors from Mistral are in greater need!"

Winter sighed. "I have to be honest, Agent Belladonna – the chances for your friends from Mistral surviving until this point are very, very slim. It is likely that they are already dead."

Blake stiffened, her brow knitting in anger.

"You're wrong!" she cried, before running out of the engineering ward and towards the crew cabins.

Yang followed after her, giving Winter a passing glance that was neither approving nor disapproving, and hurried off towards the crew cabins.

"General Ironwood's not planning to make a push for Vale just yet, right?" Ruby massaged her forehead, doing her hardest to put her friends' misery out of her head for the time being. "We have a few days at least?"

"If not weeks," Winter said, back to attention. "He does not want to risk leaving our allies at risk to a flanking attack, so he won't issue an attack order until the comm buoy system is operational. Once we establish even marginal communication between Atlas and Vacuo, we can begin to coordinate our assault much more effectively. Atlas' fleet combined with Vacuo's Huntsmen will give the Grimm something to think about."

Ruby nodded. "Then we need to put the time we've got to good use…"

She studied the map of Remnant, her eyes narrowing as she held out her hands, forming a picture frame with both thumbs and forefingers as she stared through it.

"Hmmm…." she mused contemplatively. "I think I have an idea…"


	71. Chapter 71

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

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Chapter 71

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If Glynda Goodwitch had to choose an ideal learning environment for her students, a post-apocalyptic warzone would not have been her first choice. Even she had to admit, however, that the students under her charge had risen to the task most spectacularly.

She wasn't _quite_ old enough to remember the Faunus war firsthand, but she'd seen her share of action in the field as a Huntress fighting Grimm. She'd seen bloodshed. She'd seen casualties. But never anything like this. It really was starting to feel like the end times. If the people of the world ever managed to recover from this crisis, it would go down in history as the greatest catastrophe in Remnant since the Great War, if not worse.

Yet it was in the darkest moments that people were at their finest it seemed. In the midst of all this loss and misery, there was still the potential for courage and nobility, and that usually went a long way.

"We need backup!" Glynda called out, waving her riding crop to cast a shield over team CRDL crowding around her, weapons bared at the horde of Grimm surrounding them. "Port, Oobleck, anybody! We need backup _now!_ "

A few days ago ago, the Grimm had brought down the radio tower that allowed them to connect with their scrolls, effectively cutting off the resistance's short-range communications on top of the CCTS blackout. This would not only significantly reduce their effectiveness as a resistance, but it would also hamper their ability to coordinate with any incoming rescue attempts from outside of Vale once they got within range.

The teachers from Beacon had put together a plan to retake the scroll towers in order to bring them back online. They knew it had been a trap going into it. Whoever was controlling the Grimm knew that the resistance needed those comm towers online. The Grimm had been positioned all around the thin, wiry radio tower on the edge of town, waiting for an attack.

The plan had been a simple one – the typical response was to send two teams to go in, and have one divert the Grimm away from the comm towers while the other went in to make repairs. Professor Port's genius idea was to send in _three_ teams – one to be the first diversion, and one to be the _second_ diversion when the Grimm wizened to their plan, and then to send in a _third_ team to go in and make the repairs.

The plan worked only too well. Oobleck's team had managed to get into the comm tower without any hassle, while Port and Goodwitch's teams remained outside, harassing the Grimm.

Except the Grimm seemed to not even care about the team infiltrating the tower. Their entire aim, it seemed, had been to reduce the Huntsmen's numbers. They didn't seem to care if the tower came back online at all. The enemy could always bring the tower down once again to draw out the resistance. No, it was clear to Glynda now that the sole aim of the Grimm was to take out as many members of the resistance as possible with this venture.

And there was an additional wrinkle – the comm tower was located rather close to the edge of town nearest to the now defunct Merlot Industries headquarters. Which meant that the resistance wasn't merely dealing with ordinary Grimm. Scattered amongst the creatures were green-tinted mutated Grimm, those creatures that were the byproduct of a terrible experiment gone horribly wrong by the industrial super-giant.

These mutant creatures could spit acid and breathe noxious fumes, making close-quarters combat nearly impossible. And Team CRDL specialized in close-quarters combat, which left them at a severe disadvantage. Every time one of the Huntsmen in training would attack one of their pursuers, even when their blows struck home, they would recoil in pain as the creature's toxic expirations steadily ate through their aura.

Glynda was actually impressed with how much Team CRDL's teamwork had improved since they'd first enrolled. They were supporting each other instead of fighting against each other, and they were approaching the enemy exactly the way they had been taught to do in her combat class. They needed a lot of refinement, but the fundamental foundations were all there. Had they been dealing with ordinary Grimm, she was confident that Cardin and his team could have eventually fended off even this number of attackers.

But not these mutants. Their makeup changed the entire dynamic of the fight, and while Team CRDL had the basics down, they had never been the most adaptable team at Beacon. The most adaptable Huntsmen had gone in with Oobleck to restore the comm towers. Now Glynda's team was being whittled down by every little attack, with no way of counterattacking, and Glynda's options were limited by the team's unilateral combat style. Soon, the entire team had all but drained its aura reserves, and Glynda was burning through her own aura at an alarming rate trying to keep her students safe, and was firing off dust rounds to compensate.

By the time she'd used her last dust round, she saw how clearly outmatched they were.

"Fall back!" she commanded, toppling over a pile of rubble with a wave of her crop to block the pursuing Grimm. "Team CRDL, fall back!"

Cardin and his team did not hesitate to follow orders as the team retreated. Unfortunately, the only direction available to them was the direction _away_ from Vale, and more importantly, the rest of the resistance, and into the mountainous region of the Emerald Forest.

And the Grimm would not be deterred for long.

"Here!" Glynda called out, drawing the boys' attention to a rocky outcropping that wasn't quite a cave. "Regroup over here!"

Team CRDL followed after her, ducking behind cover, several of them simply collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

"What are we going to do?" Sky asked, leaning his hand against a rock. "We're never gonna outrun that many Grimm! And they're just gonna keep pushing us further and further away from Vale!"

"We've never trained against this type of Grimm before either," Dove added. "We have no idea how to fight these mutants!"

"Calm down you guys!" Cardin barked impatiently. "We're not going to get anywhere by panicking."

"Who's idea was this, anyway!?" Russel Thrush demanded, sitting with his legs splayed out on the dirt. "Why do we even need this radio tower so badly anyway?"

"Look, we've already been over this," Cardin shook his head. "Without that communication tower, we might as well be sitting ducks. The whole resistance would be a bust. We wouldn't even be able to call for help when it finally comes."

" _When_ it comes!?" Sky glowered. "Who are you kidding, Cardin!? There's nobody coming for us! We've been holed up in Vale for _months_ without any sign of a rescue! Face it - we've been written off!"

Cardin seized his teammate by the collar and fixed him with a hard stare.

"Well, what else should we do!?" he demanded in a low, gruff tone. "Just give up? I'm not giving up here, man! Not without a fight!"

Glynda said nothing as the team blew off steam behind her while she focused on keeping a lookout, peering out from behind the outcropping. While she scanned their surroundings, she idly noted how much progress Cardin in particular had made since the resistance had formed. He had been a regular bully in his first year at Beacon, and Glynda had not had much confidence in the boy's leadership abilities. But since joining the resistance, he had started to demonstrate more and more care for his fellow teammates, and that seemed to have lent him some empathy towards those outside of his team as well. It had broadened his outlook, allowing him to gain new perspective on the situation they were in, and in so doing, had affected his entire mindset as a Huntsman.

And that made him a better leader.

"Alright," Glynda announced. "We seem to have lost them for now. But stay hidden."

"What were those things, Professor?" Dove Bronzewing spoke up. "We've never encountered anything like that in the field before."

Glynda adjusted her glasses to disguise her own exhausted expression.

"Professor's Port and Oobleck would know more than me," she explained. "The two of them oversaw a student mission to Merlot Industries that uncovered the existence of mutated Grimm. We don't have any real intel on how they were created or what their capabilities are, but we had believed them to be contained at the time. Clearly, with the fall of Vale, that is no longer the case."

Russel wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "Man, those things give me the creeps! Just being near them was like wading through a swamp…"

Cardin placed a companionable hand on his teammate's shoulder.

"We can try to figure out what they are later," he said brusquely, before turning to his teacher. "What's our next move, Professor?"

Glynda nodded approvingly.

"First, we should take stock of our current condition," she said, withdrawing her scroll. "How is everyone's aura doing?"

One glance at her scroll told her everything she needed to know. All four of them were in the red zone, below twenty percent, Cardin lowest of all. He had taken quite a few hits as he'd yanked his teammates out of harm's way. Glynda's aura wasn't doing much better – around thirty-five percent, well into the orange level. She had used her semblance more times in rapid succession than she had since becoming a teacher. They would each need at least half a day's rest to be back at full strength, which was time they did not have.

"How many stimulant packs do we have left?" she asked.

Cardin reached into a pouch on his hip.

"Just one," he said drearily, knowing it wasn't going to be enough. "I've been saving it."

Glynda nodded. It was time to make a choice.

"Let's consider our options then," she advised. "We're all low on aura, and the mutant Grimm are still out there. We won't be able to stay hidden for long, so we'll need to keep moving. It's too dangerous for any of us to engage with them head on, so our best bet is for me to continue to shield you while you retreat further into the forest. With any luck, you'll be able to take the long way around and make your way back to Vale before nightfall."

Cardin blinked at her in astonishment. "While you do what? Cover our escape? Against those _things_ out there!?"

Glynda frowned, giving Cardin a look that broached no argument.

"It's our best bet, Mister Winchester," she said stoically. "I won't have any of you dying on me today."

Cardin stared back at her in disbelief.

"Professor, the resistance can't afford to lose you!" he shook his head. "You and the other two teachers are the only full-fledged Huntsmen we have left!"

Glynda scowled sourly at him.

"This is not open for debate, Mister Winchester!" she glowered. "Now-"

GYAAAAARRRRRGH!

The sound of a hissing creep interrupted them and Glynda shoved Cardin away just in time to avoid a sizzling wad of acid that landed right where he'd been standing. She then pivoted on her heel, and struck the Grimm with a burst of aura, sending it flying backward.

"Go!" Glynda ordered, as the team got to their feet. "The rest will have heard that!"

More roars echoed through the forest as the team flew down the long sloping hillside, barreling over rocks and through trees, tumbling as they slowly fled the area, heading deeper and deeper into the basin of the forest.

"There!" Glynda called out, pointing ahead of them towards a deep gorge. "We can lose them in the ravine!"

Already the grunts and growls of approaching Grimm were audible behind them as the team stumbled through the woods, making their way farther and farther down the hillside as it grew steeper and steeper, the basin stretching out at least two hundred feet below them.

Glynda lead the team along the edge of the ravine, the steep, narrow path forcing their pursuers to line up one at a time, many of them slipping off the path and tumbling down the rocky gulch to plummet to their doom as they tried to barrel past one another. Green tinged beowolves spewing toxic fumes and equally noxious green creeps clamored over loose rocks and twisted roots to reach their prey, and ended up pushing each other and tumbling down the ravine.

Glynda allowed an iota of hope to enter her mind as she ushered Team CRDL ahead. This setup might just work. She could hold her ground here, and the students could get to safety. If she took the stimulant package, her aura might even be boosted for long enough to allow her to put up a good long fight too.

She thought back to her time at this school. Working with Professor Ozpin and his team, everything they had accomplished with the Maidens. It had been a largely thankless job, but she was proud of her accomplishments all the same. And through it all, she could at least be content with the knowledge that her students would be getting out safely.

There were worse ways to die.

"Keep going!" she shouted to the students ahead of her as she turned and planted her feet to face the approaching horde. "Get back to Vale and find the resistance! I'll…"

Her voice caught on her throat. Somehow in all the chaos, she had managed to lose track of Cardin. He was at least ten paces behind her down the narrow path alongside the ravine, and he wasn't advancing any further.

Was he injured? His aura had been the lowest of the team.

"Come on, Mister Winchester!" she called out. "There's no time! You need to get back to your team!"

Cardin didn't move. Instead he lifted his mace, channeled the last of his aura into his strength, and slammed it as hard as he could into mountain path before him, crushing the crumbling stone face, and causing a landslide as he jumped back, the ground before him giving way as it tumbled down the ravine, splitting the path between him and the rest of his team.

"Mister Winchester!" Glynda cried out in alarm, as she backed away from the ledge that now separated them, as she frantically tried to formulate a plan in her head to get him out of there. "What are you doing!?"

Cardin just offered a cocky smile.

"Get my team out of here, Professor," he called out to her, before slipping the aura booster package out of his pocket. "I'll hold them off."

Glynda's eyes widened. She had completely forgotten to take the booster package off of him. Her jaw hung open as she realized what he was doing.

"Mister Winchester!" she cried out in alarm. "Cardin, stop! You can't hold them by yourself!"

"Maybe not…" he grinned, before plunging the stimulant package into his leg. "But I can take as many of them with me as I can…"

The approaching growls suddenly gave rise to a flood of green-tinged Grimm, each one stumbling over one another to get to their prey. The poison spewing beowolves and creeps came at the Huntsman like a tidal wave of toxic sludge, an avalanche of green and black.

Cardin's aura flared as the serum flooded his veins, and he began to swing his mace, the dust gem at its tip glowing brightly as his weapon struck with the force of a wrecking ball. With each swing, handfuls of Grimm plummeted off the sides, but with each swing, more of them got within range, and began spraying him with toxic fumes.

Within moments, he was choking, his vision narrowing from lack of oxygen, his lungs willing with noxious gas.

"Mister Winchester, you _have_ to get out of there!" Glynda screamed in protest, lifting her riding crop to shield him.

"No, professor!" the Huntsman cried out, catching his breath as the shield pushed the Grimm away from him. "I'm staying right here! Stay with my team! Get back to the resistance!"

"Not without _you_ , Cardin!" Glynda objected. "I'm _not_ losing any more students!"

"Don't be a fool, professor!" Cardin shouted back, eyes watering from the stinging fumes. "I'm expendable! You're _not_!"

"Cardin…" Glynda shook her head, her aura in the red zone.

As her shield wore off, Cardin faced off against innumerable mutant Grimm, each one an abomination against anything nature had intended, their fangs dripping green sludge as their bodies oozed viscous puss, their teeth bared as they began to rush him anew.

"The resistance still needs it's leader, Professor!" Cardin declared, lifting his mace into the air, pointing the wicked head downward as the gem in its tip began to glow as he funneled every last drop of his aura into his semblance. "Take care of my team for me!"

With that, he slammed the head of his mace into the ground, sending a seismic shockwave through the earth. Glynda was thrown backwards as the side of the ravine exploded with the force of an earthquake. As she climbed back to her feet, she saw the entire pathway on the other side of the ledge where Cardin was standing suddenly give way. Within moments, the scads of mutant Grimm that had been dogging their steps were tumbling down the side of the rocky gorge, as Cardin Winchester fell after them.

" _Cardin!_ " Glynda screamed in disbelief.

She tried to reach out with her semblance to try to catch him or even slow his fall, but she was just too drained, and the aftershocks from his seismic attack made it impossible to gain sufficient concentration.

"Professor!" Dove and the rest of the team called out to her from farther up the pathway. "Come on! We have to go!"

Glynda was too stunned to move, staring down at the destruction and devastation that her student had wrought, and the sheer number of Grimm that had been brought down by his attack. The entire side of the ravine looked to be coated in toxic green sludge, which was slowly corroding the landscape.

Cardin Winchester was nowhere to be seen.

"Professor!" Dove called again.

Glynda gritted her teeth, a terrible pang of anger and guilt gripping her heart as she finally turned to go, running up along the path and out towards the Emerald Forest as the resonance of Cardin's sacrifice finally shuddered to stillness.

Glynda would question herself for days afterward, constantly replaying the scene in her head, trying to figure out how she could have saved him. There was a time when Cardin had not shown a care for anyone but himself. How had he come so far in such a brief amount of time? And why was it that only after becoming so selfless must he give his life in such a selfless fashion? It seemed that in the face of chaos, even the faintest of human spirits could find courage in their hearts. It was only in the face of such horror, it seemed, that man could truly find his nobler self.

And he could be so noble indeed.


	72. Chapter 72

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

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Chapter 72

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When Qrow looked up, he was suddenly back in Ozpin's office. His first thought was that he was back in the dream, and that Cinder was once again making him relive his memories. But if that were the case, how was he even able to think it? He had needed to force his mind to circumvent her will without it consciously registering. Was this simply a new tactic? Either way, he did not trust the appearance of Professor Ozpin before him.

Although he did look somehow older than he ever had before.

"Hey old man," Qrow said nonchalantly disguising his suspicion. "What's going on?"

Professor Ozpin didn't even acknowledge him at first. He was staring out his window, down at the horizon below, as if admiring the landscape for the last time. It took him a moment to turn around and finally face his old student, and when he did, he held his arms out wide, cane in hand.

"I wanted to apologize to you, Qrow," he said slowly, eyes closing in reflection. "When I made you into my apprentice, I had never intended it to be such a burden. I had known the need would be great and the tasks trying, but I never imagined how great the personal cost might be. We both knew the life we lead is a dangerous one, but…well, it's never easy to lose family, is it?"

Qrow said nothing. He was trying to recall exactly when it was that he and Ozpin had ever had such a conversation. He couldn't recall the exact context, nor the subject matter being discussed, apart from what had been stated. One moment, he had been lying strapped to a wall in the sub levels of Beacon, and next, he had been facing his old teacher.

"We both knew this day would come however," Ozpin went on, returning his attention to the skyline. "I tried my best to prepare, as did we all. I just hope that it will be enough."

Qrow didn't want to say anything that might divulge more information to his captors, so he held his tongue.

"I'm only sorry that you had to be subjected to such horrors," Ozpin lamented. "What's been done to you is unconscionable. It isn't anything that anyone should be made to endure. I hope you can forgive me for my absence in all this, and hope that you understand just how proud I am of how strong you've remained thus far."

Qrow shook his head in disbelief. None of this was lining up. Even had this been a memory, it didn't make any sense. Ozpin was talking about things that had never occurred in the past. If anything, he seemed to be referring to the present.

"What is this?" Qrow asked suspiciously.

Ozpin turned once again to face his apprentice, lifting the cane up and offering it to Qrow with both hands.

"This is goodbye, Qrow."

Qrow's eyes widened in realization. This wasn't a memory! This wasn't the past! This was happening right now!

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, agitation growing. "What do you mean, goodbye?"

Ozpin's expression was unreadable. "I mean that it's time that I passed the torch along."

Qrow gazed down at the old man's cane, and his eyes became wide as saucers. He started shaking his head.

"No," he declared. "No, no, no! You can't leave, old man! I still need your help!"

Qrow took several steps back, as if recoiling from Ozpin would somehow free him of the responsibility he was foisting upon him.

"I'm already gone," Ozpin explained gently. "This is just an echo of the knowledge I left behind. It's all there for the taking, Qrow. You only have to grasp it."

Ozpin raised the staff for Qrow to take.

Qrow shook his head violently.

"No!" his brow furrowed in sorrow as he resisted the urge to cry. "Ozpin, I…I can't! I'm not ready!"

"None of us are," Ozpin smiled sadly. "All we can ever do is simply try our best. And I've seen your best, Qrow. You're the greatest student I've ever trained. It's why I chose you."

Qrow struggled to hold back the tears. He didn't deserve to cry. He had let his friends and his family down so many times! He didn't deserve to even bear the burden he was being offered.

"There are only so many outcomes we can control, Qrow," Ozpin explained. "No one is so powerful as to hold dominion over every happenstance. What we _can_ do is inspire the _people_ around us to believe in us and trust in our judgement."

Ozpin held out his cane towards Qrow's chest.

"It doesn't matter what you can or cannot do by yourself, Qrow," he said confidently. "What matters is that there are people out there who believe in you."

Ozpin removed his glasses, staring at his old friend with fondness.

"As do I," he said.

The tears won the battle and Qrow reached out and grasped his cane, clutching it firmly in his hand.

"I won't fail you, Oz," he promised, tears in his eyes.

Ozpin smiled as he disappeared.

"I know…"

Qrow blinked and he was suddenly back in the cellar of Beacon. He was still bound and chained, his aura locked behind a collar.

But Ozpin's cane was still in his hand.

He didn't hesitate. How or why the weapon had found its way from where he had dropped it on the other side of the planet were unimportant. With a swing and clang, he had freed himself from his chains, landing uncomfortably on his feet.

He was shivering and malnourished, and knew that he wouldn't last long in a fight were he found. He found his jacket and cape crumpled on the floor, and shoved his arms back into it for warmth, though he knew that wouldn't do anything for how low his aura was.

But he also knew this school, and where to hide. He slowly made his way out of the cellar, quickly figuring out that he was in the basement of one of the main lecture halls. The halls and corridors were deserted, and as he peaked outside, the walkways and gardens were equally uninhabited.

He wasn't sure what his chances were beyond the city walls on foot, but he was much more confident in his ability to survive against Grimm than his chances with Cinder should she find him. And he still had this damn collar on his neck, so he couldn't even transform until he found some way to remove it.

Then, a thought seemed to enter his head, seemingly unbidden.

Pyrrha.

The last time he had seen her, she had been pinning him to the ground with her giant bird. As he looked around, he eventually found it, perched atop Beacon tower. Pyrrha would surely be up there, and she would be…

He hesitated. What could he do for her in his position right now?

No…that wasn't the point. She could help him. They could help each other.

But how? How did he know that? The more he thought, the more ideas seem to come flooding into his mind. Visions and memories from an old life, a life that he had never lived.

Ozpin…

He had said that it was time to pass the torch. When Cinder had probed his memories, she had seemed satisfied with the notion that this meant figuratively. But Qrow had a suspicion that Ozpin had meant it in a much more literal sense.

Ducking into a restroom for a quick spell, he glanced at himself in the mirror, and stared in dumbfounded silence.

His hair was now silver gray, just as Ozpin's had been.

He stared down at the staff in his hands, trembling in awe as he began to realize just what had happened to him.

Ozpin hadn't been training him as his apprentice…he had been training him as his _replacement!_

Qrow had become the Wizard!

As the cogs finally clicked in his head, a universe of information suddenly opened up to him. He peered back into the recesses of his mind, and discovered the stored information of lifetimes upon lifetimes, stretching back for hundreds of generations! It was nearly impossible to decipher, but it helped explained where these unchecked thoughts and ideas were coming from. At the forefront had been Pyrrha Nikos, and…something about conjoining aura.

He wasn't entirely sure what this all entailed, but he knew that he had to move quickly. The knowledge of the Wizard would steer him true, but if he was captured or killed, it would all be for nothing.

Ozpin hurried his way over to Beacon tower, taking the long spiral staircase winding all the way up the tower. It was exhausting with his aura so low, and he was beyond starving, but somehow he managed to make it to the top. Catching his breath before clearing the final landing, he stepped out into the office space that now served as the roof of the building.

 _TSEEEEER!_

The giant Grimm roosting at its top let out a screech of alarm as the great red nevermore hunched down and quickly lunged towards Qrow.

Qrow lifted Ozpin's cane, and before the giant bird had made it halfway to him, it suddenly halted in place, frozen in time.

Qrow gazed at the cane in awe. He had never seen such a powerful time dust ability. Unless…it wasn't dust at all. So many questions, and none of them forthcoming, particularly with the frozen grimace of a lunging Grimm still paralyzed in mid-attack, glaring at him menacingly.

Qrow scoffed and walked on past the Grimm, determined to figure out the answer later, and finally finding the towers occupants.

The forlorn form of Pyrrha Nikos lay strapped to a wall like a martyred heroine. And a small girl in Victorian clothes, her hair color split down the middle between pink and brown, stood guarding her.

Qrow knew he was in no shape to fight, but the way the little girl was staring at him gave him an idea. He narrowed his eyes and gave the girl a hard stare as she gazed back at him, nervously glancing between him and the giant frozen nevermore overhead.

"You know who I am?" Qrow asked menacingly.

The girl nodded slowly.

"Then you know what I can do," he continued. "And what I'm here for."

The girl nodded again, seemingly petrified by fear. Or just mute. It didn't matter to Qrow, as long as she didn't attack.

"Why don't you go tell your master I'm here then," he said, gesturing to the stairwell behind him. "I'm sure she'll want to hear all about it."

The girl swallowed hard before nodding once, waving her parasol and vanishing within the blink of an eye.

Qrow exhaled. He wasn't sure if his weapon could have worked on two targets, but he knew that his time was now limited.

He stepped over to the pillar upon which the great red nevermore had been perched, and looked up to see Pyrrha Nikos, hanging pitifully, bound like a puppet. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew that whatever control Cinder had over her was not currently in effect, though he couldn't be positive that she might not seize control again somehow.

Either way, it was a disgrace what had been done to the young Huntress. It was time to turn the tables.

"Hey kid," he called up to her. "Wake up. We haven't got a lot of time."

Pyrrha's eyes flickered open, before slowly focusing on him, bleary and confused.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Qrow let out a sigh.

"We met before, actually," he explained, touching his silver hair. "I just…look a little different. Call me Qrow. I'm…well, I _was_ Professor Ozpin's apprentice."

Pyrrha's expression saddened, looking defeated. "Professor Ozpin…"

Qrow let out a sigh. It seemed that she too had been close to the professor and was still feeling the impact of his death.

"Anyway," he shook his head, clearing his mind. "I'm here to get you out of here."

Pyrrha narrowed her gaze.

"I don't believe you," she said sourly. "That's impossible. This is just another one of Cinder's tricks. It always is."

Qrow furrowed his brow. "Look kid, I don't have time to get you on the same page right now. Now what were you an Ozpin working on? Something about…aura linking?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "I don't know…"

Qrow tensed. "Whatever it was, you have to do it again. With me."

Pyrrha's expression soured.

"Why?"

Qrow tilted his head back and stuck out his neck, lifting a hand to push up the collar around his neck with his thumb.

"Because we both have these stupid aura suppression collars on us, and if we link our auras, it might just overload them both."

Pyrrha looked incredulous. "Is that even possible?"

Qrow shrugged. "It's all we've got right now. We're both stuck here unless we do something. We can help each other here."

Pyrrha studied the man suspiciously. Qrow could tell she had been broken, her hopes dashed again and again. His offer must have seemed too good to be true. Were he in her position, he doubted he'd have accepted so easily.

But finally, she acquiesced.

"Alright," she said.

Qrow lifted his hand, trying to bring his aura to surface. The collars made it difficult, but not impossible. While his semblance was beyond his grasp, his aura itself still lingered beneath the surface. His own aura may have been weak, but he sensed that there was an even greater aura merged with his own. One that was far more vast than anything he had ever imagined.

Pyrrha's body began to glow, a black and gold energy pattern enveloping her body. Qrow reached out with his aura to touch hers, just as Ozpin had done not long ago. While the collars were designed to suppress one's aura, it seemed more geared toward restricting the use of semblance and the application of aura to enhance one's own body. But there were as many uses of aura as there were uses for one's own hands, and this was an application that had never been documented before.

Even without the collar, it felt unnatural. One's aura belonged to one's self. To share it with another seemed wrong, somehow. But these were desperate times. And soon, he felt the brush of her aura against his own.

"That's it…" Qrow nodded, straining to maintain the connection as he felt the immense power of the Fall Maiden slumbering within her. "Keep it up…"

He tried to put more and more of his aura into the connection, but he was still so weak, and the collar was hampering him significantly. It wasn't going to be enough if he was just using his own aura.

But then he felt something else stirring beneath the surface. It wasn't his aura, it wasn't Pyrrha's, and it wasn't the Fall Maiden's. If anything, it felt like Ozpin's.

"Professor…" Pyrrha called out through strained teeth.

"Keep going, kid," Qrow commanded, reaching deep within himself, desperate not to let the old man's presence slip away. "Don't stop!"

It was an odd feeling, someone else's aura within you. It was weird enough dealing with trying to link his essence to a teenage girl that he barely knew, but that her aura was linked with the supernatural essence of a Guardian Maiden made it all the stranger. For his own teacher to be thrown into the mix as well…

But he held on. And as he did, he felt something crack.

He looked down, and saw the broken metal clasp of the aura suppression collar laying in pieces at his feet. And all at once, his aura was moving freely once again.

CLANK-CLANK.

He looked up, and saw that Pyrrha's collar had been broken as well. And what was more, her ornate bronze circlet had also fallen from her brow, leaving her hair loose and unkempt. As he glanced down back at the artifact that fallen from her forehead, he felt the urge to back away.

He wasn't sure why, but something about that bronze circlet bothered him even more than Cinder.

His attention was torn away, however, when he heard the sound of twisting metal, and looked up to see Pyrrha using her semblance to rip the metal bindings holding her in place, and dropping to her feet, her sword and shield in hand, having been magnetically drawn to her all in one swift movement.

The girl had been down, but she had certainly not been out.

"Where is she!?" she demanded, sudden energy and anger in her voice. "I'll kill her!"

Qrow held a hand out.

"Are you going to throw away everything that Ozpin died for?" he asked forebodingly.

Her eyes darted back up to his, and Qrow was struck by how sad they looked. Was there anything left of this girl's innocence? How much of her had been broken by Cinder's influence? How she was even standing right now was beyond Qrow's comprehension, but he knew that they both still had a far more important role to fill.

"We have information that our friends _desperately_ need," he explained. "Information that could turn the tide of this war. If we die here, it'll all be for nothing."

Pyrrha's eyebrows raised. "What information?"

"No time to explain," Qrow shook his head. "We have to get out of here."

"How?" Pyrrha demanded incredulously. "This place is crawling with Grimm. Are we going to fight our way out?"

She gestured to the floating form of the great red nevermore, still frozen in time.

"Are you going to suspend _every_ enemy we encounter in time like this?"

Qrow shook his head. "No. I doubt I can do this to more than one enemy at a time, and even this will eventually wear off. But I do have a way out of here. I just need you to link our auras once again."

Pyrrha gave him a suspicious look. "Why?"

Qrow held out his hand. "Link with me, and I'll show you. Now hurry up, it won't be long before she returns."

Pyrrha gritted her teeth, but finally sheathed her weapons and reached her aura out to him. It was much easier without the collars around their necks, and within moments, they were joined.

"Good…" Qrow nodded. "Now, watch me very carefully…"

Pyrrha stared in astonishment as Qrow shifted into his bird form, a black shape standing on the ground at her feet.

"What?" she blurted, utterly confused.

 _'_ _It's my semblance,'_ he called out to her through the mental link. _'It allows me to shift forms like this. And now that our auras are linked, so can you. Now hurry – we haven't got much time! They're on their way!"_

Already he could feel the approaching darkness as Asha'ella drew near. And his hold over the great red nevermore was starting to slip.

Pyrrha flinched in agitation. "I-I…what!? _How!?_ "

 _'_ _Just do it!'_ Qrow commanded, flapping his wings as he took to the air. _'Use my aura and shift forms!'_

He could feel Pyrrha struggling with his commands, and he mentally chastised himself for being so blunt with his instruction. It was difficult to explain a semblance that he had known all his life and came as naturally to himself as breathing. It was like explaining color to a blind person.

Then he felt the great red nevermore beginning to stir as it slowly began to move again.

 _'_ _No time, kid!'_ Qrow flapped his wings, flitting towards the edge of the tower, away from where the dragon slept. _'Follow me!'_

Pyrrha hesitated as she watched Qrow fly off, but then the great red nevermore finally landed roughly on its feet behind her and turned to let out a fearsome cry.

 _TSEEEEER!_

Pyrrha took off in terror, barreling to the edge of the tower, following Qrow as he cleared the ledge.

 _'_ _Don't think!'_ Qrow commanded. _'Just fly!'_

Pyrrha took a running leap off the edge of the tower, the great red nevermore charging behind her, before she began tumbling downward. She was falling straight down as Qrow dove with her, the great red nevermore already diving after them both.

Even for a Huntress, the fall would be fatal.

 _'_ _FLY!'_ Qrow commanded.

He could feel Pyrrha reaching out with her aura in panic, and Qrow reached back to her, putting as much of his dwindling aura into her as he could.

Finally, something clicked. It was as if she was using her own polarity semblance. Only it wasn't her aura being funneled into it, but Qrow's. The dichotomy had at first made no sense to her, but it just needed a slight adjustment in perspective. It was like using her polarity to lift herself into the air. Only instead of grasping whatever metals she was wearing, she was enveloping her whole body.

And the aura was slowly transforming her into a small but brilliant red bird.

 _TSEEEEER!_

The great red nevermore was right behind them both, and the ground was becoming dangerously close.

But then Pyrra opened her wings.

CRASH!

The two smaller birds, lighter and more agile, managed to pull up in time, flitting between the ruined buildings and pylons littering the ground below. The great red nevermore had not fared as well, crashing into one of the student dorms below as it tried to maneuver after its prey.

Qrow and Pyrrha flew up and away from Beacon, rising high into the sky, leaving Beacon, Vale and the great red nevermore in their wake.

 _'_ _We made it!'_ Qrow hollered for joy over the mental link. _'We actually made it!'_

Pyrrha was silent for a moment as she slowly acclimated to her new form.

 _'_ _I can't believe it…'_ she said softly into Qrow's mind. _'I'm actually flying!'_

Qrow felt a surge of pride and warmth at the shared emotions over the aura link.

 _'_ _It's pretty amazing, isn't it?'_ he said, smiling internally. _'I never get tired of doing this.'_

 _'_ _How is this even possible?'_ Pyrrha asked as the two of them flew. _'How can you use someone else's semblance so easily?'_

 _'_ _You call that easy?'_ Qrow joked, letting the red bird in his wake ride his updraft.

 _'_ _How does this form even work?'_ Pyrrha asked, still in awe at her feathery body. _'How long can we even stay like this?'_

 _'_ _As long as you can maintain the connection with me,'_ Qrow cautioned. _'This is a surprisingly low-intensity form in terms of drain on my aura. As long as we can stay conscious, we can fly all day if we want. We'll have to eat and sleep eventually of course, but as far as my semblance is concerned, our auras are one. We're each functioning as if our total aura pool has been effectively doubled."_

 _'Aura linking_ _…'_ she thought to herself. _'Does anyone else know how to do this?'_

 _'No,'_ Qrow admitted. _'It's a lost art. And one that could change the entire landscape of this war. That's why we have to reach our allies as soon as possible. We have make this ability known to as many Hunsmen as we can. Because if linking two auras is enough to let us overpower the suppression collars, imagine what linking three or more could do!'_

 _'Three? Or more?'_ Pyrrha asked incredulously. _'Is that even possible?'_

 _'It's like the old man said,'_ Qrow explained. _'All aura is aura.'_

Pyrrha was silent again for a few moments as she sorted through her thoughts.

 _'_ _Ozpin…'_ she said in a lamenting voice. _'He really is dead, then?'_

 _'_ _Yeah…'_ Qrow said gently. _'And it turns out it's more complicated than just that. Like I said, I was his apprentice. And it looks like I inherited his power, just as you might have inherited the Fall Maiden's power.'_

 _'_ _Inherited?'_ she asked, blithely. _'From Ozpin?'_

 _'_ _That's how I found you,'_ Qrow went on. _'The Wizard's power isn't exactly the same as the Maiden's. It's more knowledge than anything else. I'm still sorting through it all, but it's coming to me in bits and chunks. Just like I imagine some of the Maiden's shared knowledge is coming to you too.'_

 _'_ _Right…'_ Pyrrha said, as if the pieces were coming together in her mind. _'Somehow I…I just know things now…'_

 _'_ _It's a weird feeling, and an even weirder predicament,'_ Qrow offered. _'And it's one that that woman would never have hesitated to take advantage of, which is why I had to get you to safety first and foremost.'_

Pyrrha did not seem to react to the implication that it was the Maiden's knowledge and not her own life that Qrow was saving with this rescue. The gravity of her situation had long since sunk in. Now she was dealing with it as maturely and professionally as anyone could, given the circumstances.

 _'_ _Asha'ella,'_ Pyrrha said, recalling the name of their enemy. _'Who is she?'_

Qrow pondered the question as an old tale sprang to mind. One that he had no recollection of ever hearing, but one that he could now recite from memory just the same.

 _'_ _She's the daughter of fire,'_ Qrow explained. _'The living embodiment of tragedy. Creation and destruction swim together in her midst. Long ago, Mother Earth and Father Time gave rise to life on this planet. Without Time, Earth had no need to create, and without Earth, Time had no substance from which to build. All life stems from this union of two incompatible opposites. But you can't merge two such opposing forces without consequences. She's the byproduct, the unavoidable pariah for all the destruction that could have resulted to stifle our creation. She carries with her all the destructive energy of her mother, and the creative power of her father. The force of stagnation that is Earth, and the force of change that is Time. The result is fire.'_

 _'_ _Must you speak in such riddles?'_ Pyrrha demanded impatiently.

 _'_ _Look, kid, I'll be honest,'_ Qrow admitted. _'I'm as lost in all this as you are. I'm just going by whatever snippets of information I can gleam from this void. The Wizard has been reincarnated for millennia, spanning back hundreds of incarnations. That's hundreds of lifetimes of memories that I have to sort through, and things get distorted and twisted going back that far. I'm doing the best I can here.'_

 _'_ _Then where are we going?'_ Pyrrha queried as the two of them flew together.

 _'_ _Safest place I can think of,'_ Qrow reasoned. _'I've been out of it for a while, so I have no way of knowing the state the world's in. Mistral's in shambles, and I'm not really confident in Vacuo's chances in this war. That leaves only one kingdom left.'_

The two birds rose above the cloud line as they flew off towards the horizon.

 _'We're going to Atlas.'_


	73. Chapter 73

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 73

* * *

The last survivors of Mistral were at the end of their rope. Food reserves were dwindling, the two remaining doctors were stretched to their limit, and the few remaining Huntsmen weren't able to keep the population safe within the ruins of Havensfall. Every attack resulted in injuries, and casualties were inevitable. Morale was breaking down and leadership was beginning to waver. Even the Huntsmen, charged with protecting the people of Remnant, were beginning to lose hope.

Then came one of the worst attacks since the stampede.

"Huntsmen!" Sun cried out. "On me!"

There were roughly a dozen Huntsmen left in Havensfall. Many citizens had chosen to break off from the group and take their chances on their own, and some Huntsmen had gone with them, either to protect them, or to try to save their own skins. Nobody thought that the deserters would make it. Team SSSN was the only full team remaining – all other teams had disbanded and broken off, the remnants who chose to fight joining up with Team SSSN.

Which left Sun Wukong directly responsible for the lives of about a dozen Huntsmen and over sixty civilians, nearly eighty people in all, including his team. The stress was beginning to show.

"Form up!" he called out to his teammates as the Grimm began surrounding them. "Argent! Jubilee! Guard our left flank! Ash, Jewel, guard right! Card, Wilder, Onyx, Blaze! Watch our backs! Team SSSN, with me! Keeps your heads up people!"

Team SSSN took up position just beyond the front entrance of Havensfall, while the other three groups guarded the ruined village from the other cardinal directions. It was little more than a formality, as the gates to the village were held together with little more than shoestring and prayers, and the walls were mostly in shambles. Still, they provided the dwindling group of civilians within a modicum of protection as they huddled together in the only surviving shelter, a cabin whose walls consisted primarily of loose boards and rocks.

It was the dead of night. Sun was feeling the weight of many more sleepless nights on his brow as he held his bo staff at the ready position. He had long since run out of dust ammo for his guns, and he couldn't remember the last time he hadn't been hungry. His body just didn't have the energy for any more fights. He hid his weakness, but his team knew him all too well.

"Hey man, you good to fight?" Neptune asked surreptitiously as they squared off against what looked to be no less than a hundred Grimm.

"I'll be fine," Sun assured his teammate, keeping his eyes on the approaching Grimm, breathing heavily.

Neptune looked unconvinced, but he didn't have the chance to press his team leader further, as the Grimm began to charge.

"Hang on, man," he said, gripping his halberd firmly. "This is gonna be rough…"

The Grimm slammed into the line of Huntsmen like waves against the rock. Sun's weapon could only really be used to stun his foes, and while Neptune's halberd was still sharp, it had lost its dust-enhance keenness. So their primary role now was redirecting the Grimm into Scarlet and Sage's blades. But for every beowolf, ursa and creep that they took down, it seemed that there were a dozen more to take their place.

"Fall back!" Sun cried as the Grimm began to overwhelm them. "We can't let them get past us!"

"Sun!" he heard a shout from their left flank. "We're losing ground over here!"

"My partner's down!" a cry of distress came from the right. "Need backup!"

"They're coming in from behind!" someone from the rear team exclaimed.

Sun gazed around him as every single Huntsmen in their group was being pushed back and overwhelmed by Grimm. It was a losing battle, and everyone seemed to know it. The shelter at the center of the village behind them was less than fifty feet away from the nearest Grimm.

"Fall back!" Sun hollered, desperation evident in his voice. "Everybody, fall back! Protect the civilians!"

The four teams retreated to the inside of the village, many of them dragging fallen teammates by the shoulders, some with tears in their eyes. The remaining Huntsmen formed a circle around the civilian shelter, the whimpering of children audible within.

"Don't give up!" Sun cried, sounding like he was pleading with himself more than anyone else. "We'll make it through this! Just don't give up!"

The Grimm began crawling over the remains of the walls, flooding into the village ruins in droves. Most of the village had already been picked clean twice over, but still there were Grimm who went rifling through empty cabins and piles of rubble, scrounging for anything resembling life. The momentary distraction provided the Huntsmen with precious seconds to regroup.

"How bad is it…?" Sun asked Doctor Nikos, who had come rushing out of the civilian shelter at their approach to tend to one of the fallen Huntsmen.

The older woman simply lowered her eyes and shook her head, the young Huntsman's head in her lap. The boy looked no older than seventeen. The Huntsman's partner standing over him began to weep.

Sun took a steadying breath

"Thank you, doctor," he said as he returned his gaze to the approaching Grimm. "Please go back inside now. You've done all you can."

Athena Nikos shook her head and withdrew a surgeon's knife from her pocket.

"You're very brave, young man," she said somberly. "But if this is to be our last stand…"

She gripped the knife firmly in her hand and turned to face the Grimm.

Sun shook his head. "You'll die!"

Athena smiled, and behind her, more civilians emerged from the shelter, some carrying kitchen knives, frying pans, wrenches and rusty pipes, and many more armed with nothing more than sticks and stones.

"Then we'll die fighting," Athena said resolutely as her husband stood at her side, pen knife in hand.

Sun had to stop himself from breaking down into tears. He had failed! He was supposed to lead these people to safety, and he was about to watch them all die! And worst of all, they were each taking their lives into their own hands at the very end. They knew the end was coming, just as he did.

It was too much. It was all just too much.

"Hey, man," Neptune said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We're gonna get through this."

Sun took a steadying breath and turned his attention to an ursa that let out a roar of challenge as it spotted them.

"Damn right, we are!" Sun shouted angrily, tears in his eyes, before thrusting his bo staff into the air, shouting defiantly at the Grimm. "You hear that!? You want us!? Come get us!"

The ursa and over a dozen beowolves let out a roar of aggression and began to charge.

There was the faraway sound of an engine roaring.

And that was when the skies lit up from the spotlights of an airship hovering a hundred feet overhead, shining down searchlights all across the ruined village.

The Grimm were halted in their tracks but the sudden surge of light, and the Huntsmen all froze in stunned silence.

"What!?" Sun gasped in confusion.

Then the thunderous noise of heavy turret fire began to rain down on the approaching Grimm.

RATATATATATATATAT!

The Grimm began to scatter as the smallest among them started to fall, the largest roaring in pain and anger at the sudden unexpected counterattack.

The airship hanging overhead shone a spotlight on the crowd of survivors, slowly descending to within thirty feet in the air, positioning itself between the civilians and the wave of Grimm that had been halted by the gunfire.

Sun, the Huntsmen and every civilian who had taken their lives into their own hands all staggered backwards in astonishment and awe as three teams of full armed Huntsman dropped down from the airship and began attacking the Grimm.

"Form a defensive perimeter around the survivors!" a familiar high-pitched female voice called out. "Yang, Nora, Coco, vanguard position! Weiss, Jaune, Velvet, Yatsuhashi, guard the flanks! Blake, Ren, Fox, with me!"

Sun and Neptune both watched in awe as a blonde, a brunette and a redhead landed before them, all of them familiar.

"Sun!" Neptune shouted in joy, grabbing Sun by the shoulders. "Look! It's Team RWBY! And JNPR! And CFVY! All our friends from Vale! They're here!"

Sun was too stunned to reply. He had been ready to face death square in the eye, and within moments, salvation was raining down upon them, lighting up the darkened skies.

Nora withdrew her grenade launcher and began pelting Grimm with pink exploding heart rounds.

"Yeah!" she crowed triumphantly. "Eat this!

Yang wore several pieces of machinery now. Lifting a thin but sturdy looking mechanical arm, she grasped what appeared to be some sort of oversized heavy artillery cannon strapped to her back with a thin string of belt cord that looked better suited for an Atlesian Paladin than a Huntress. She gripped the impossibly large weapon with her mechanical arm, swinging it over her shoulder, before leveling it at her enemies.

"HAAAH-YAGH!" Yang cried, unloading a heavy repeating blast from her artillery cannon, taking out Grimm by the truckload, her weapon looking ridiculously unwieldly on her shoulder.

Coco, by contrast, had what appeared to be a small handbag, even smaller than her normal weapon, from which she withdrew a sizeable golden handgun.

She lowered her glasses and gave Sun and his team a cheerful wink.

"Take a breather, guys," she grinned. "The cavalry has arrived."

She began to unload round after round upon the Grimm, and everywhere her shots landed, whether they struck their targets or not, the ground seemed to erupt into a swarm of tiny little machines that slowly increased in size and began building themselves up into what appeared to be small mounted turrets.

In her other hand was an open scroll which she tapped with her finger, and the half dozen or so turrets automatically targeted the nearest Grimm, and began to fire.

RATATATATATATATAT!

Sun and Neptune were still watching in stunned silence as the three Huntsman slowly took down what must have been more than a hundred Grimm, all in a matter of seconds. All around them, more Huntsmen were mopping up the now fleeing creatures. As they looked back to the people they were protecting, Weiss, Jaune, Yatsuhashi and Velvet had the surviving refugees surrounded, and were guarding them from all sides.

"Weiss!" Neptune called out in relief.

And as Sun scanned his surroundings and saw the scattering Grimm being picked off one by one, his eyes fell on Blake.

She moved like the wind, two long thin blades in either hand. She flitted through the shadows, this way and that, outpacing the fleeing Grimm's speed twice over, her swords faster than lightning as she blazed right on past each of them, before sheathing her swords, the Grimm behind her each falling to the ground.

It was only then that he realized that she wasn't wearing her bow.

Sun had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. Blake moved with confidence and with poise, and Sun couldn't help but feel that part of that was because she could now move freely without being judged by her heritage. He was aware that around her, Ruby, Ren and Fox each giving equally impressive performances. But at that moment, Sun could only see Blake.

When her eyes finally met his, her shoulders dipped as she smiled with relief.

"Sun…" she breathed, shaking her head in disbelief. "You're alright!"

Sun ran up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Blake…" he exhaled, his whole body shivering in exhaustion. "My god, you're a sight for sore eyes…"

Blake looked down at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You look terrible," she whimpered. "I figured holding off an entire horde of Grimm would be nothing for you, but it looks like they did a real number."

Sun shook his head at the joke. "Well, normally, yeah. But you know, I had to keep my team in line too, so…"

The three Hunsman teams seemed to have finished securing the area, and the airship touched down in the clearing at the center of town, a tall stately woman in white stepped out.

"Okay everyone!" she called out, commanding the attention of the refugees. "There's room enough for everyone in the cargo hold! Food and medical supplies will be distributed accordingly! Please bring everything you can carry with you, and proceed into the ship in an orderly fashion!"

Sun watched with palpable relief as the people he had been protecting for the better part of a month each collectively hurried towards the sleek white airship, many carrying children in their arms, as well as assisting the sick and the elderly. Sun and his team hurried over to help the two doctors Nikos with the worse of them. Blake seemed only too happy to lend a hand.

Behind them, Sun could hear Neptune and Weiss talking.

"So this is where you've been hiding," the girl noticed.

"Yeah, well, you know me," Neptune said nonchalantly. "Can't give up on a lost cause."

" _You_ had me worried half to death!" Weiss accused, grabbing the boy by the ear. "Do you have any idea the affect you have on other people, Neptune!? Have some consideration for the people that care about you!"

Neptune winced and leaned over in the direction she was pulling.

"Ow-ow-ow!" he whimpered helplessly. "Hey, come on, Weiss! What was I supposed to do? These refugees needed me! My team needed me!"

Blake and Sun exchanged an amused smirk as they carried some crates filled with the doctor's medical, and their mutual expressions only worsened when they saw each other's faces and they both began snickering surreptitiously at the exchange going on.

"Well…" Weiss's demeanor finally softened. "I suppose this all was rather noble of you, so I guess I can forgive you."

She released her grip on the boy's ear and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

Neptune stiffened under the treatment and blushed sheepishly.

"Eh-hehehe…" he smirked.

"Awww…" Sun grinned at Blake as he whispered to her conspiratorially. "Aren't they so cute?"

Blake blushed at the implication. "A little…"

Weiss gestured to the ship. "Now hurry up and get yourself checked out on the ship. We've got a triage unit set up in the cargo bay, and afterward, get yourself something to eat. You look like you haven't seen a decent meal in days."

Neptune nodded obediently as he moved to follow her instructions.

"Yes ma'am…" he said dutifully.

Blake smiled as they each made their way onto the ship.

"He's learning," she noted to Sun.

As the surviving refugees and Huntsmen filled the cargo bay, Sun eventually ran into Ruby, who pulled him aside as he was assisting in the cargo bay.

"Sun," she told him kindly. "Every refugee I've spoken to tells me that it was _your_ team that kept them alive all this time. Is that true?"

Sun winced at the implication. He was no hero.

"We didn't save nearly as many as there were to begin with," Sun lamented, as their two respective teams began to collect around them. "We started out with over three hundred survivors, and now we're down to less than eighty. And half the people we lost are the ones who lost faith and left to tackle the wilds on their own. If I had been a better leader..."

Ruby clenched her fists. "But you _are_ a better leader! You guys held out for nearly a month! Look at all the people you _did_ save! All these people are alive thanks to your efforts!"

Neptune clasped him on the shoulder as his team stood by his side, reassuringly. But Sun was unconvinced.

"If I was any sort of leader, I wouldn't have let those smaller groups break away to begin with," he shook his head.

"You can't convince everyone to believe in you, Sun," Blake chimed in, as she and her team gathered around Ruby. "All you can do is save the people you can."

"I couldn't have saved _anyone_ without my team," Sun looked at his teammates, before turning his attention back to Ruby. "And we'd have been lost if you guys hadn't showed up when you did."

"The doctors to," Neptune nodded. "They saved our skins more than once. I just wish we could have protected that girl."

Ruby's eyebrows rose. "What girl?"

Neptune lowered his eyes. "There was a very peculiar Huntress who showed up here out of the blue one day. She had this…semblance or something that let her grow crops really fast."

"Crops?" Weiss asked, curiously.

"Yeah," Sun nodded. "It gave us a fighting chance, and for a while, I thought we would all make it out alive. But then, that…that woman from the Vytal tournament…Cinder I think? She showed up one day and took her out right in the middle of a Grimm stampede."

"Wait, _Cinder_ was here!?" Ruby's eyes widened. "W-When? W-What did she do exactly?"

"About a week ago," Neptune groaned. "And I couldn't tell _what_ she did to that girl after shooting her down. But she did _something_ to her. I mean, she was right in front of us! We were twenty feet away, and we couldn't do a damn thing to stop her!"

Ruby took a step forward, catching their attention.

"What was her name!?" she asked urgently. "Did you learn the other girl's name?"

"Vera," Sun answered for him. "Her name was Vera."

Ruby immediately withdrew her scroll and punched in someone's contact information, before Winter Schnee's face came up.

"Ruby," her voice responded. "What is it?"

"Ma'am!" Ruby asked hurriedly. "Do we have a list of names of known Guardian Maidens?"

"One moment…" Winter replied as she accessed the databanks.

"Guardian Maidens?" Sun asked Blake.

"Long story," Blake said.

"Wait, we're still in _scroll_ range out here?" Neptune asked Weiss in bewilderment.

"It's this ship," Weiss explained. "It acts as a giant comm tower. It was originally used to prototype the comm buoy system. All your scrolls should be working in here - once they're powered, at least."

"Got it," Winter's voice finally returned to Ruby's scroll as the rest of her team waited with bated breath. "We all know the Summer Maiden is Dora. I couldn't find anything on the Winter Maiden, but the Fall Maiden is identified here as Amber, and the Spring Maiden is identified here as Vera."

The team took a collective sigh of despair.

"Ma'am," Ruby replied grimly. "You can update the Spring Maiden's status to KIA. It was Cinder. We think whatever she did to Amber, she might have also done to Vera."

There was a pause on the other line as Winter took that in.

"Understood," she finally replied.

Ruby closed her scroll and massaged the bridge of her nose.

"Well, crap," Yang chimed in.

"Looks like we lost anther one," Jaune bemoaned.

"This means the Winter Maiden is the only one left unaccounted for," Ren stroked his chin.

"I just hope Dora will be safe back in Vacuo," Velvet added.

Sun, Neptune, Scarlet and Sage each exchanged a confused glance with one another.

"Okay, seriously," Sun asked. "What are you guys talking about?"

Ruby gave Sun and his team a despondent look.

"You guys…might want to come upstairs with us," she said wearily. "This might take a while…"


	74. Chapter 74

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 74

* * *

May Zedong had never encountered a more slippery foe in her entire career. She and her team had been assigned by the headmistress of Shade to keep tabs on a particular target, and she was having the hardest time keeping an eye on her. One would think it be easy enough for a Huntress with the semblance of x-ray vision to track down a single target wandering the streets of Vacuo, but the task was proving more difficult by the day.

On this day in particular, the target – a child of twelve by the name of Dora, and a local folk legend by the sound of it – seemed to have gathered a following of sorts, and was moving together with this cadre of street urchins, all of them between the age of either and fifteen. A number of other Huntsmen were suddenly involved in the pursuit, each team keeping an eye on a particular group of kids. The Huntsmen were all native to Shade, and knew how to blend in with the crowd, so they did not give their presence away to all but the keenest observers amongst the crowd. However, that did nothing to assuage the fact that such a large gathering of lost children, combined with such a large gathering of Huntsmen, could only spell trouble.

Then again, everything had spelled trouble since that fateful day during the Vytal festival.

"May, do you have eyes on the target?" Brawnz' voice sounded in her earpiece.

"Negative," May replied in disappointment.

Through her scope, she could see just about every one of her classmates on the field. After free-running to a decent vantage point, she had pinpointed the location of each of her teammates, and no less than a dozen other Huntsmen within the immediate vicinity. There were an equal number of street urchins running through the slums, seemingly meandering and heading in no particular direction, but May could clearly see them all forming a single, coherent pattern, moving towards the south side ghetto the slums.

She refocused her attention on the south side, and found something she almost couldn't comprehend - a familiar face, standing in the midst of a dark, narrow alleyway. It was a face that took May a moment to place, but one that she recognized from the Vytal tournament as one of the combatants. She couldn't remember her name, but she knew that the green-haired girl must have some purpose here.

This notion was solidified by the fact that right next to her was her mark, Dora.

"I've got her in my sights, Brawnz," she reported curtly, moving to get a better angle.

"Copy that," her team leader called back to her from the ground. "Stand by."

May's eyebrows narrowed. Who was this green haired girl, and what was her interest in Dora, she wondered? She zoomed in on her scope to get a clear view, but couldn't make out what they were doing or even what they were looking at. They appeared to be speaking to someone in particular, but she couldn't see who.

"Moving to a better position," she reported as she shouldered her rifle.

"Copy that," came the reply. "Get as close as you can, but do not engage."

May pursed her lips. She had to get closer for her directional mic to get within range. Twirling her sniper rifle, she used it to rappel off the roof, skidding down the surface towards the terraced rooftops below, lending her a path to get closer. As her terrain leveled out, she brought up her scope again to zero in on her target.

She could see who they were speaking to now – a cloaked man with bandaged arms and legs, his hands held out to either side, as if to indicate he was unarmed.

The girl with green hair drew one of her weapons, a long thin curved sickle, which she brandished at the man, who held his hands up defensively. He then slowly lowered his hood, revealing a head of silver hair and a cocky smile, and the girl with green hair lowered her weapon.

"Be advised," May whispered into her throat mic. "I got two marks alongside the target. One female, green hair, medium height; one male, gray haired, tall; both armed. I think I recognize them both from the Vytal festival."

"Acknowledged," Brawnz replied.

They began talking again, and May edged ever closer, activating the directional microphone on her gun as she got within range of their conversation.

"…Thought I'd find you here," the young man was saying, his voice catching in May's microphone and feeding into her earbud.

"What are you doing here, Mercury?" the green haired girl demanded forcefully.

The man, Mercury, just shrugged his shoulders. "Just following orders. I was actually hoping I'd find you eventually though. I kinda missed you."

"Yeah, well that makes one of us," the girl shot back, keeping her weapons drawn.

Dora just looked confused by this exchange.

"Who is this Emerald?" she asked the girl with green hair. "You know this guy?"

The girl, Emerald it seemed, just crossed her arms.

"Remember when I mentioned I was part of another crew before I came here?" she explained. "Well, this jack-ass was on my old crew."

Mercury winced as if he'd been hurt.

"Awww, come on," he smirked playfully. "We had a few good memories, didn't we?"

"Yeah right," Emerald retorted, keeping a snarky attitude.

May felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing on edge. While it wasn't apparent in their manner of speech, both this Mercury and this Emerald character were displaying open hostility. The way Mercury kept his weight balanced on the balls of his feet, the way Emerald squeezed her weapons, the distance between them both and the way their eyes never left each other.

May was positive that a fight was about to break out.

"Want me to clock him one good for you, Emerald?" Dora offered smugly.

Emerald shook her head. "Better let me handle this, Dora. You ought to get your people out of here. This isn't your mess."

"Not a chance," Dora countered. "You're on _my_ crew now. The lost children protect their own."

Mercury smiled sweetly. "Such a sweet kid you've found, Em. I think I might just cry."

"Stuff it, Merc," Emerald shot back. "You never answered my question. What are you here for?"

The young man gestured to Dora.

"It's simple, really," his lips curved into a smile. "I'm here to bring in the girl."

May flinched when she heard that.

"Looks like the male might be hostile," she breathed into her throat mic to keep her voice hidden from detection. "Moving to sniping position."

"Acknowledged," the reply came.

May lined up a shot as Emerald seemed to bristle at the implication of what the man said.

"You?" she guffawed. "Bring in a Maiden? By _yourself?_ "

"Fat chance of that," Dora replied, crossing her arms, not appearing to be intimidated in the slightest.

Mercury shook his head. "Not by myself. You're going to help me, Em."

Emerald took a step back. "What are you talking about?"

"You're going to help me capture the Summer Maiden," Mercury replied, matter of factly.

Dora seemed to tense at that. May debated whether she ought to aiming her gun at Mercury or at Emerald first.

"And why would I do that?" Emerald asked haughtily.

"Because deep down, you know we're the winning side," Mercury smiled, shaking his head. "You're a survivor first and foremost, Emerald. Whether you choose to accept it or not, your best chances of survival are _with_ us, not against us."

"You don't know that!" Emerald gritted her teeth.

"But _you_ do," Mercury sighed. "This isn't me twisting the truth or anything, Em. This is objective fact. Cinder is _going_ to win. One way or another, with or without either of us. And if I were you, I'd _much_ rather be on her good side when she does."

His voice took on a more compassionate tone.

"She misses you too, you know," Mercury said in a sympathetic tone. "We both do."

"You're lying!" Emerald sneered. "You sold me out! And she tried to kill me for it!"

"You know how angry she gets," Mercury shrugged playfully. "She has a tendency to overreact, is all. And I'm sorry for reporting what you did, but if I hadn't, she have just tried to kill us _both_. And I'm not as slippery as you are. But if you show up with the Summer Maiden in tow…think how happy she'd be. She'd take you back in a heartbeat."

"There's no guarantee of that," Emerald rolled her eyes. "And that's even assuming that I could take her in a fight."

Dora flinched and gave the other girl an astonished look. "What!? Emerald, you're not taking this guy seriously, are you!?"

"She may be powerful, but you're more experienced," Mercury smiled charmingly. "And you _know_ how well we work together."

Emerald arched her eyebrow at her old partner. He may have gotten on her nerves, but she couldn't deny that they had fought well together. Moreso than she ever had with Huntsmen.

"Cinder needs your help, sweetheart," he smirked cavalierly. "She knows how good you are. She'd have to be crazy not to want someone with your skills. Besides, you already have such a rapport with her. What do you _really_ know about the Summer Maiden here? Anything at all?"

Emerald cast a glance at Dora, who was staring back at her worriedly.

"Emerald…?" she asked.

"What do you say, Em?" Mercury smiled playfully. "It'd be just like old times."

Dora's eyes narrowed as Emerald turned away from her.

"You do make quite the appealing offer," Emerald returned the smile that Mercury gave her.

"Emerald!" Dora cried. "What are you doing!?"

Emerald let out a sigh as she walked over to stand beside Mercury.

"Sorry Dora," she smirked despondently. "Gotta go with the winning team…"

May tensed as she saw the odds slowly beginning to stack against them.

"Now it looks like both the male _and_ the female are hostile," she reported. "Should I take the shot?"

There was no response. May pressed a finger to her earbud.

"Brawnz, are you there!?" she hissed.

She dared a quick glance down to the streets below, but couldn't see her team anywhere. Cursing, she turned her attention back towards her target. Before her, Emerald and Mercury squared off against Dora, who raised her hands defensively.

"Emerald, don't do this!" Dora called out to her. "I don't want to hurt you!"

Emerald and Mercury just smirked at one another.

"So what's the plan?" she asked. "Just wing it and see what happens?"

"Oh ye of little faith," Mercury smiled, raising a hand as if to signal someone. "If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's to always bring backup…"

Without warning, the alleyway was suddenly filled to the brim with White Fang, as random pedestrians suddenly donned masks and withdrew weapons, leveling them at Dora.

Dora flinched and looked around, drawing her bo staff.

"White Fang!" May hissed into her microphone. "We've got White Fang here! Brawnz, do you read me?"

"We noticed, May!" Brawnz' voice sounded over the comm. "Hang tight! We're pinned down over here?"

"Where?" May said without flinching, getting a bead on the number of White Fang in the area - at least two dozen, probably more. "Do you need me to come back you up?"

"We got this!" he replied. "Our classmates are here too. Just hold position and keep your eyes on the target. Keep me posted if anything changes."

"What about the White Fang?" she demanded.

There was no response, and May cursed. She wanted to go back and help her teammates out, but she knew her mission. She refocused her scope on the exchange going on with Dora and the others.

"White Fang, huh?" Emerald commented idly. "I thought they were out of commission."

"A minor setback," Mercury explained. "They're like roaches. Squash a few and dozens more take their place."

Despite being clearly outnumbered, Dora didn't seem worried in the slightest as she held her bo staff planted in front of her.

"You may be able to take me down, but you'll never catch the other Maidens," she jeered.

Mercury let out a laugh.

"Oh, quit your posturing, you brat," he guffawed. "We've already taken down two of them. You'll be the third. And Cinder's already closing in on the forth one up north."

"Whoa…" Emerald's eyebrow rose. "You guys _have_ been making progress."

"We missed you, Em," Mercury shrugged. "But the show must go on."

May kept her rifle trained on the nearest White Fang, and was surprised when she saw a young child start harassing them. The White Fang attempted to struggle, when two more children came out of nowhere, and jumped on them, taking them down. They beat the White Fang until they stopped moving, and then they hurriedly moved on without leaving so much as a trace.

What in the world was going on here?

"So I guess it's off to Atlas after this then?" Emerald asked.

"Actually it's even father up north than that, if you can believe that," Mercury smirked, before turning to eye her up. "I hope you packed something warm to wear."

"Very funny," Emerald snickered.

Dora still did not seem intimidated as she stared the other two down. The White Fang, however, were beginning to drop like flies. Everywhere May looked, two or more lost children of Vacuo ran up to each member, and quickly overpowered them with superior numbers and quick, agile movements.

And for some reason, neither Dora nor her two attackers seemed to be paying the White Fang any mind.

"Brawnz," May breathed into her microphone. "What's your status?"

"Well…" her team leader's voice sounded over her earbud. "We _were_ being pinned down by White Fang. But they seem to have let up."

May inhaled slowly as she peered back at the narrow alley in her scope. Something wasn't right here.

"What's farther north than Atlas anyway?" Emerald pressed curiously. "Are we going swimming to find the last Maiden?"

"Just about," Mercury shrugged. "Apparently there's some caves and wellsprings up there that the boss wants to check out."

The last of the White Fang was being taken out left and right up around them, as children sprung up seemingly out of nowhere to take out the combatants surrounding them, and none of the others seemed any the wiser for it.

Mercury turned his attention back towards Dora and cocked his head towards Emerald.

"How about we save this conversation for _after_ we've dealt with the Summer Maiden though, huh?" he snorted derisively.

"Alright, fine," Emerald said, holding her swords at the ready. "Just give me a few more seconds while the lost children finish mopping up the White Fang."

Mercury's eyes suddenly widened.

"Think we got all we need out of him?" Dora asked haughtily.

Emerald grinned. "I think that's everything Cinder would trust him with."

Mercury stared back and forth between the two girls in disbelief.

"But…wait, I…" he gaped in confusion, before turning around to face the bodies strewn behind him, as if he had not seen them until that point. "The White Fang was…"

Then he turned to face Emerald.

"You…"

Emerald smirked back at him.

"You think you know me so well, Mercury," she jeered. "But I know you even better. And I know how much that ego of yours likes to be stroked. Just how willing were you to believe I'd just jump ship, drop everything I had going for me, forgive everything you and Cinder had ever done to me, and just come crawling back to you? Just like that?"

Mercury glared in anger, looking a lot less secure in himself. Dora and Emerald just looked smug.

And May was totally confused. Had Mercury seriously not seen all the White Fang being taken out around him? Either way, Emerald seemed to have been in cahoots with Dora the whole time. Now it was just a matter of seeing whether or not this Mercury character would be willing to try his luck against two girls who could clearly handle themselves.

Clearly, he was not.

"I won't forget this, Em," he said coldly as he turned his back on her. "I gave you a chance, and you threw in my face. It'll be the last chance you'll ever get."

May lined up a shot on Mercury's receding form.

"Hostile male is on the move," she reported. "Target is unharmed. Do I take the shot?"

"Negative," Brawnz replied. "Keep the target covered until we get the all clear."

"Understood," May confirmed.

As Mercury disappeared, Dora and Emerald exchanged a worried glance.

"This is bad," Dora said. "I don't know much about this Maiden crap, but if they've already taken out two of them…"

Emerald gave Dora a sympathetic look. "You sure you don't want to go into protective custody or something? I mean, I don't trust the Man any more than you guys, but at this point…"

"No," Dora shook her head. "I still have a job to do. If I let them keep me from looking out for my family, I'd be better off dead. Still, I should at least tell Jasmine about this. She'll want to know about their plans for the last Maiden."

"Jasmine?" Emerald asked.

"The headmistress of Shade," Dora explained.

"You're on a first name basis with the headmistress of Shade Academy?" Emerald smirked.

"Don't make me laugh," Dora groaned. "I just refuse to call her 'Professor.' She ain't no professor of mine."

She began tapping her fingers on some sort of device on her wrist, probably a scroll.

"Good performance back there, by the way," Dora commented. "I almost expected you to actually switch sides."

May smiled to herself as she peered through the lens of her scope. She had been convinced of that herself.

Emerald laced her fingers behind her head as she and Dora marched their way out of the ghetto.

"So did I…"


	75. Chapter 75

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 75

* * *

Ruby sat on the lower bunk in her cabin aboard the _Aeneid_ , looking out the porthole at the skyline outside. The window was made of a transparent aluminum alloy compound, and was sturdier than the bulkheads around them. Through it, she could see a glimpse of sunlight, yet be spared the whipping winds of the air outside the ship as the _Aeneid_ flew hundreds of miles per hour above the cloudline.

It was a distorted outlook, she realized. Letting one get a glimpse of something without seeing the true dangers it represented. Such an outlook might make someone underestimate the difficulty they might face traversing such wilds, misjudge how horrible or painful it might be to step out into the abyss.

Her eyes were red and swollen, as she went over the plan in her head, over and over again. Where had she gone wrong? She had thought the plan had been perfect. And now they were flying back to Atlas with their tails between their legs.

It didn't make any sense. The Grimm had just been too much for them to contend with. The stealth systems had maintained long enough for the first airborne Grimm to slam directly into them, completely by accident the skies were so packed. The air above Vale was clouded with flying black wraiths, like vultures, and the _Aeneid_ couldn't even get close enough to the kingdom to reach Vale airspace. The Huntsmen under her command had given it their all, but they were inexperienced with _Aeneid's_ weapons, and the ship hadn't even been able to get close enough for a landing.

In the end, they had managed to reach Professor Goodwitch by scroll, and the resulting conversation had concluded on one simple plan of action.

Fall back. Retreat. Come back with the Atlesian fleet. That was their only recourse now. For as densely packed as the skies had been, the land was ten times worse. Glynda had reported on their losses. The Huntsmen had taken the news hard.

Some more than others.

The First Atlesian Task Force had not suffered any casualties, and hadn't even taken significant damage. But the fact remained that it had still failed its mission. It seemed that even with the most advanced warship the kingdom of Atlas had to offer, Ruby had still managed to fumble the task of leading the Task Force completely.

She didn't want to have to face any of her friends ever again.

There was a knock at her cabin door.

"Ruby?" a voice called out from through the door. "Are you…are you in there?"

It was Jaune.

Ruby thought about not answering. She had given each of her teammates a list of very tedious and important sounding tasks to perform so that she could be spared their words of sympathy. Her second real combat sortie as commander of the first Atlesian task force.

What a joke.

"Can…can I come in?" Jaune's voice sounded from the other side.

Ruby took in a breath.

"It's open," she finally said with an effort.

The door slowly opened and Jaune peeked his head in.

"Hey…" he said softly, smiling sheepishly in that way he always did. "Just…wanted to check on you, see how you were doing."

Ruby tried not to be angry about that.

"Thanks, Jaune," she made herself say. "That's sweet of you."

Jaune didn't seem entirely convinced.

"Listen," he said, taking a seat opposite where she sat on the bunk. "What Velvet said down there…"

"She was _right_ , Jaune," Ruby said, turning away from him, refusing to let him see the pain in her eyes. "If we had gotten to Vale sooner…"

"There's not much difference two days' time would have made," Jaune reasoned. "Most of the casualties happened weeks ago."

"Not Cardin," Ruby shook her head. "We could have saved him."

Jaune was silent for a minute.

"At least we got within communication range," Jaune tried to lighten the mood. "We got word from Professor Goodwitch, and now we can relay the news to the general and-"

"That's not the _point_ , Jaune!" Ruby turned to face him, anger in her eyes. "Don't you _get_ it!?"

Jaune was taken aback. "Ruby…what's…?"

"I made a decision, Jaune!" Ruby trembled. "I _actively_ decided to go to Mistral _first_ , and come back to Vale second. I _chose_ to do that. And because of that, Cardin and three other Huntsmen are _dead_."

Jaune winced at the implication she was making.

"I might as well have killed him myself," she said sullenly, lowering her head so her eyes disappeared behind her bangs. "Just like Pyrrha."

Jaune inhaled and shook his head.

"Ruby…" he furrowed his brow. "You can't keep beating yourself up over every little mistake you make."

"Nobody else is going to," Ruby threw him a dirty look. "You all keep treating me with kid gloves every time I do."

"Ruby…" Jaune shook his head.

"It's true!" Ruby blared. "All of you act like I'm a just child who's a hair's breadth away from screwing up all the time! And every time I do, it's like you're worried that I might break or something if you call me on it! So _none_ of you do!"

Ruby hung her head in her hands.

"I may be your leader, but I'm still just me," she sighed. "If _I_ don't hold myself up to a higher standard, then who will?"

Jaune took in a deep breath. He was really no good at these pep talks. But he knew he had to try.

"Ruby…" he shook his head. "I know you know how much the rest of us depend on you…"

Ruby snorted in agitation. "No kidding. Thanks for the reminder."

Jaune was not deterred. "…And the reason for it is that…well…I don't think _any_ of us think we could do what you do. Not really. Not as well as you do."

Ruby seemed unconvinced. "Weiss sure does. Heck, Weiss used to call me on _all_ my failures, before I became the leader of more Huntsmen than I could count on one hand."

"But not anymore, Ruby," Jaune reasoned. "She's a not blind. She knows how much work you put in, and she sees what a good job you're doing. We all do. And so none of us give you a hard time because…well…slip-ups happen. And none of us would have done any better in your position."

"You would," Ruby pouted. "Pyrrha always said you'd make a great leader. And now look at you – trying to cheer up your own team leader after just one failure. What a joke right?"

Ruby let out another sigh.

"I should just quit while I'm ahead."

Jaune shook his head.

"No, Ruby," he frowned. "Look, you're going to fail a lot before things work out."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Ruby demanded.

Jaune continued, undeterred. "Even though you'll probably fail over and over and over again-"

"Seriously," Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Not helping."

"-You _have_ to try," Jaune said, standing up to look down at her. " _Every_ time. You can't quit because you're afraid you might fail."

He jutted his thumb at his chest.

"Take it from someone who's failed more times in his life than probably anyone on this team," he smiled. "You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take…or something like that. If you don't try, you'll never fail. But you'll also never succeed. And Ruby…"

He placed a hand on her shoulder while she looked solemnly up at him.

"Look at all the times you've succeeded," he reminded her. "Team SSSN and over sixty refugees are alive now because of you. Your decision may have cost us four Huntsmen from Vale, but it saved more than ten times that number in Mistral."

Ruby felt the tears rising anew.

"Some of those Huntsmen from Vale were our _friends_ …" Ruby's lip began to quiver. "Our classmates, kids we used to have _lunch_ with in the cafeteria…and Velvet…"

"They were Velvet's friends too," Jaune nodded, taking a seat on the bunk next to her. "And she's probably hurting just as much as the rest of us. The only difference is, she's not a team leader, and doesn't need to stay as strong all the time. You are."

Jaune squeezed his leader and partner by the shoulder.

"You made the right decision, Ruby," he assured her. "It may have been a shit call, but…when it came down to it, your decision saved the most lives."

Ruby slumped against his shoulder, still appearing somewhat grumpy.

"Sacrifice a handful of innocents to save dozens more…" she muttered. "I guess _this_ is what the general meant when he called it the 'brutal calculus of war…'"

Jaune cringed. "Oh man, I _hate_ calculus…"

Ruby rolled her eyes as she used his body as a backrest. "Oh, Jaune."

Jaune let out a soft chuckle, before smiling again.

"Oh," he said. "You'll never believe who I found down in the passenger hold. The two doctors from Mistral who were helping the refugees? They're Pyrrha's parents!"

Ruby blinked, completely taken out of the moment.

"Really?" she asked. "Did you…talk to them at all?"

"Yeah!" Jaune smiled brightly. "How could I not?"

Ruby appeared fearful. "What…what did you tell them?"

"Nothing they didn't already know," Jaune nodded. "That their daughter was the bravest and noblest Huntress I've ever known, and that I was forever grateful for the things she taught me."

Ruby turned to give him a worried look.

"You didn't tell them about…?" she asked, tremulously.

Jaune shook his head, knowing exactly what she was referring to.

"No," he said coldly. "And I'm not going to. They deserve to remember Pyrrha as she was. The way _I_ remember her. Not as that _thing_ …"

Ruby nodded, slowly mulling the issue over in her head.

"I…guess that makes sense…" she said, worriedly. "I feel bad, keeping the truth from them."

"What good would it do to tell them now?" Jaune asked. "It would just make them worry. Besides, we don't even know the whole truth yet. Maybe once this is all over, I'll tell them what happened. But for now…it's better that they don't know, and focus on keeping as many people alive and healthy as they can."

Ruby nodded somberly. Jaune really was a great leader, even if he didn't see it that way.

"Thanks for coming to check on me, Jaune," Ruby said, quietly. "I know I was in a bad mood and being a bit of a grouch, so…thanks. I feel a bit better now."

Jaune smiled and place his hand on her head, rustling her hair like her uncle used to do.

"Anytime, Ruby," he smiled.

She smiled back at him, and there was a moment for a time where the two of them simply said nothing, and remained like that, leaning against one another.

Ruby couldn't be sure if she'd ever felt more at peace in her life than in that one moment.

Then there was a ringtone on Ruby's scroll, and she flailed as she fumbled to open it up.

"Wahhhhh…" she stammered as she finally opened the device, revealing her commanding officer's face. "Yes! Winter! Ma'am! Yes! What is it?"

Winter was as placid as ever on the screen.

"Ruby," she said by way of greeting, her eyebrow arching surreptitiously. "Am I…interrupting anything?"

Ruby glanced back at Jaune, who was still leaning into her shoulder, and her face suddenly turned red as she abruptly shoved him away.

"Uh-I-I-uh…" she stammered, flailing her arms in a panic, before reorienting the scroll back in an upright position. " _No!_ We're not doing anything! We're - _I'm_ …not doing anything…"

Winter fixed Ruby with a deadpan stare while Jaune remained prone on the floor.

"Right," Winter said after a moment. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that we are coming up on Atlas now, and will be docking shortly."

"Oh!" Ruby stammered, before turning her attention to the wide porthole along the bulkhead.

Coming into view just off the horizon was the tall, glimmering kingdom of Atlas, its towers and skyscrapers glistening in the late afternoon sunlight.

"We're almost there already!" she beamed.

"Yes," Winter's voice sounded from the scroll in her hand, which she still dangled at about hip level. "If I could have your attention once again…"

Ruby blushed again, once again bringing the scroll to eye level. "Right! Sorry!"

"If you could please make sure that your team is prepared to disembark," Winter continued. "We will begin the offload procedure for transferring the refugees to the Atlas rehabilitation services."

"Right," Ruby saluted, before shutting off her phone.

"Ow…" Jaune grunted, still sitting awkwardly on the phone.

"This is no time to be lying around!" Ruby said, back to her usual pep as she offered a helping hand. "Come on, Jaune! Let's go!"

The _Aeneid_ docked shortly thereafter at the Atlesian military docking station, having received priority clearance, letting it pass ahead of several other airships waiting in line. One of the perks of being part of a strike force, it seemed, was circumventing a lot of red tape.

After spending a few minutes checking in with the Atlesian port authority for the process of immigrating the refugees from their cargo hold (Team SSSN and the Doctors Nikos had elected to go with them), Ruby and her team were hastily escorted to General Ironwood's office.

When the finally reached the pristine white office, he abruptly got to his feet.

"First Atlesian Task Force, reporting in sir," Ruby announced as she saluted.

"Ruby," the general called out to her, pressing a button on his translucent desk that slowly tinted the windows, his expression unreadable. "So glad you all made it back. The intel Winter has provided me regarding your last two missions has already given us much to think about."

Ruby stood up straight as her team lined up in order behind her.

She tried not to imagine what the general must think about her last combat mission.

"Thank you, sir," she replied professionally.

"Before we get to that, however," he said, taking a heavy breath, "There's somebody you should see…"

He pressed a button on the desk that opened up a side door to a brightly lit and luxurious looking waiting room, filled with sterile white couches, beverage vessels, and other various amenities.

"Or rather," Ironwood amended himself. "Two somebodies."

Ruby and her team peered into the waiting room, where the two figures stood up from where they were sitting.

Ruby's eyes widened with delight.

" _Uncle Qrow!_ " she cried out in mirth, lunging at the gray-haired man, throwing her arms around him.

Yang was rushing in on them a half a second later.

"Uncle Qrow!" she wailed, throwing her arms around his waist.

"Oof!" the older man grunted as he was tackled, laughing jovially as his nieces embraced him. "Hahahah…easy, easy there you two…I'm glad to see you too…"

While the little family was reunited, however, another family of sorts was also being reunited after many, many months apart.

Jaune's mouth had gone completely dry. His palms were sweaty and his skin was suddenly clammy, his heart thundering in his chest. At his side, his two teammates stared in equal parts disbelief and amazement.

Standing before them, next to Ruby and Yang's uncle, was Pyrrha Nikos, her hair and clothes unkempt, her skin paler than normal, but otherwise perfectly radiant in all her glory, her weapons set aside by the couch.

She fell to her knees.

"Jaune…" she sobbed, tears welling up in her eyes. "Ren, Nora…"

Her hands came to her mouth to stifle a gasp as her tears began to overwhelm her.

Jaune took a step. And then another. Neither of his teammates dared approach any further than he did as he extended his hand, reaching out towards her hesitantly.

"Are you…?" Jaune stammered, not trusting his eyes or his heart. "Are you really…?"

"It's her, kid," Qrow said simply, his two nieces practically swaddled in his arms. "Nothing left of Cinder's influence there. She's the real deal."

Jaune reached out to her with both hands, trembling and shaking, approaching as delicately as possible, as if in the presence of precious glass.

"Pyrrha…" he quavered, tears welling up in his own eyes as he touched her shoulders.

He too fell to his knees, collapsing onto the impeccable tile floor, and his arms came around her to embrace her as tightly as he could, pulling her into his arms with the grief of a hundred sleepless nights, the pain of a future loved and lost, a heart so broken and battle worn as to have forgotten what he had ever been fighting for.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha wept, falling into his arms, her countless tortured nights still fresh in her memory, the fear and anguish of never even imagining this moment to come, her pain and guilt of having played such a part in their misery and strife still haunting her to that very moment.

"Pyrrha!" Nora hollered, throwing her arms around them both and bawling like a baby. "Pyhraaaaa!"

"It's so good to have you back!" Ren said, embracing the two of them from the side opposite Nora, tears trickling down his face as well.

"Pyrrha…" Jaune wept, blubbering like an idiot and burying himself within her arms. "I thought I'd never see you again…"

Pyrrha's tears turned to mirth at the abundance of warmth and affection surrounding her. But try as she might, the words simply would not come, and her tears choked out anew, as she whimpered and emptied herself into the embrace. It was a moment she felt she had no right to enjoy, but had longed for so poignantly for so long. She was terrified that it was all just another dream, that she would wake up to find herself once again within Cinder's clutches. But the love and cherishment she felt in that moment was too rich and compelling to deny. And so she wept anew, surrounded by friends and warmth, unable to do anything but cry.

Here she was, once again in the arms of her team, her friends, her partners, her family. And standing above them, the rest of Team RWBY and her friends from Vale were all gathered, offering her their feelings of joy. It was like getting a second chance. A chance to tell them all the things she had forgotten to say, to share all that she wanted to share, to thank them all, to apologize, to tell them how much she loved them. More than anything, she wanted them all to know how much it all meant to her, how the prospect of that very moment in time was all that had saved her from losing herself. That the love of one simple honest soul was the last thing standing between her and oblivion.

And all she could do in that moment was weep.

"I knew you were still alive!" Ruby squeezed her uncle's arm. "I just knew it!"

Qrow rustled her hair. "Can't keep an old dog down…"

Yang playfully punched him in the shoulder with her new mechanical arm.

"Sure could have used you out there!" she grinned. "I had to fight the leader of the White Fang all by myself! What's the matter? Couldn't handle him on your own?"

Qrow just smirked as he tapped his knuckles against her mechanical arm.

"Says the kid who needed Atlas to stitch her back together," he laughed back.

Yang's smile only grew.

"I'll take Atlas tech over your dumb advice any day, you useless old man."

Ruby tightened her embrace around his arm.

"Awww, be nice, Yang," Ruby pouted. "He's been through a lot."

Qrow put on a mock sad face.

"That's right, Yang," he said, hamming it up. "You ought be more considerate to your elders."

Yang crossed her arms. "Especially when they can't even keep track of their own weapons."

"Qrow," General Ironwood cleared his throat, interrupting the childish antics. "Could we…?"

"Right," Qrow said, straightening his back. "Much as I hate to break up the reunion, I'm afraid we have a lot to discuss. Pyrrha?"

The estranged member of Team JNPR slowly raised her head from where she knelt, still clutching her partner in her arms, who was looking up at her in confusion.

"Right…" she breathed, stroking Jaune's face, before slowly rising to her feet. "It'd so good to see you all again. I…I can't _begin_ to express how sorry I am…"

The rest of Team JNPR stood as Teams RWBY and CFVY gathered around them.

"What happened to you?" Jaune asked suddenly.

"Yeah, we all thought you were dead," Nora added.

"What did Cinder _do_ to you?" Ren asked.

"And how did you escape?" Jaune shook his head in disbelief.

"And when did you two cross paths?" Ruby asked, pointing at Qrow.

"And what happened to your hair?" Yang said, reaching up to tussle her uncle's mop of silver hair. "It hasn't been _that_ long since you've been gone…"

"Hah-hah," Qrow retorted back at Yang.

"Everyone," Pyrrha repeated, recapturing their attention. "I'll get to your questions in due time. But first…"

She turned her eyes to meet everyone else's face in that room. She wanted to savor this moment for the rest of her life, because she knew that from that day forward, it was only going to be downhill.

"…I have something _very_ important to tell you all…"


	76. Chapter 76

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 76

* * *

Cinder steeled herself as she lifted the hand-sized Shadowglass from a bedside table in the bedromo she had taken occupancy over at Beacon. Two such artifacts had been delivered to her that day along with the full sized piece in Ozpin's office. The one was in her possession, and the other had been sent off with the leader of the White Fang and been subsequently lost when he had dropped off the map. All attempts Cinder had made to contact him through it had been met with darkness.

She had used the Shadowglass on a number of occasions to contact her master (whom she had affectionately referred to their underlings as their "benefactor"), and every time she had, it had been a ballet of diplomacy, speaking in half-truths and veiled threats. She supposed it was a necessary act to perform – far better to be vague and leave something unsaid than to be explicit and reveal far too much. The fact that the old woman tolerated it told Cinder that she too had an angle to play, which only solidified her resolve to continue to do so.

This time, however, there would be no getting around it.

"A thousand apologies for my interruption, Master," she spoke gravely into the mirror. "I have urgent news."

She had taken up residence in one of the instructor's dormitories. She wasn't sure who had lived there before, but she had impeccable taste. The furnishings were lacquered elm, the sheets lily white and carpets pristine and ornate, the whole room trimmed in lace. Cinder sat comfortably, draped across the queen sized bed, her legs propped up as she held the Shadowglass to her face.

A moment passed, and then the stone faced white witch appeared, her cold dead eyes bespeaking the utmost patience with her disciple, a façade that betrayed none of the wicked power hidden within.

"What news do you bring to me, dear one?" Salem's voice was like a glass shard.

Cinder sat up and took a breath, deciding to open with the bad news first.

"I regret to inform you that the Shadowglass has been destroyed," Cinder reported, lowering her eyes.

The disappointment in Salem's eyes could not be mistaken.

"That leaves only the one in your hands then?" she chided. "Seeing as how your pet Faunus has run off with the other."

Cinder nodded. "It does, I am afraid."

Salem's mocking expression belied the disdain hidden beneath.

"And pray tell," she said in a patronizing tone. "What has…"

She hesitated when her attention seemed to shift to someone standing behind Cinder. When Cinder turned to see who it was, she saw Neo entering the bedroom, her head lowered in admonition.

"And what is this?" Salem asked, expectantly.

Cinder bared her teeth at the girl, who withered beneath the scrutiny.

"Just another one of my little helpers," Cinder mouthed, glaring harshly at the girl. "One who clearly has little regard for privacy…"

Neo continued to lower her eyes, clearly conflicted between obeying her master's explicit instructions and keeping her informed of critical events.

"If she has come to speak," Salem offered sardonically. "Then let her speak."

Neo looked up, curiously.

"Hmph," Cinder scoffed. "This one _has_ no words to speak."

She gave Neo another hard stare that broached no argument, and the girl withdrew.

"No matter," Cinder said, returning her attention back to her master. "I have far more urgent matters to discuss with you."

"Yes indeed," Salem shot back. "Such as exactly _how_ you managed to let the precious Shadowglass be destroyed so recklessly."

Cinder actually smiled at that. "You may not be so disappointed, Master, when you learn the truth of the matter…"

Salem's eyebrows rose. "Oh? I await your explanation, Cinder."

Cinder's face was calm as a stone cold pond.

"It was broken, Master," she said plainly. "In an altercation with Professor Ozpin."

Salem's eyes widened in anticipation.

"The Wizard has returned?" she asked with scarcely contained excitement.

"Even better, my Master," Cinder's smile only widened. "I killed him myself."

Cinder expected Salem's face to be a mask of delight. The news should have thrilled her, to learn that her old enemy was no more. Instead, her eyes were narrowed in anger.

"Care to repeat that, child?" she asked slowly.

Cinder felt like a cold hand was gripping her by the throat. This was not what she had expected from her Master at all. She must very lightly indeed.

"I…killed him myself, Master," she said, more slowly. "I thought you would be pleased."

"Pleased!?" Salem demanded, her lip rising in a hideous snarl. "Did I not _specifically_ instruct you to keep the Wizard detained!?"

Cinder thought quickly. She could still use the story she had invented to explain the destruction of her master's toy.

"I attempted to do so, Master," she said. "But your Shadowglass could not contain him! It shattered in a matter of moments."

"And so you took it upon yourself to end his life, then and there!?" Salem demanded in outrage. "He can transfer his power, you imbecile! Just as the Maidens can! Now he has doubtless found a younger and more virile host, and is more powerful than ever!"

Cinder remained silent. She knew she had made a grave mistake. But even if she could go back and change it, it had been a crucial step in her plan. And so she said nothing.

"I took you in, Cinder," Salem shook her head. "I gave you everything. I made you what you are. And you repay me with insubordination?"

A dangerous choice of words. Cinder had to stem this wound quickly.

"Master, I-"

"Silence, whelp!" Salem's voice took on an acidic tinge. "Speak out of turn again, and I will silence you permanently."

Cinder held her tongue. She was not entirely sure if her Master could make good on that threat, but she was not inclined to find out.

"I am seeing a distressing pattern emerging here, Cinder," Salem said menacingly. "If I cannot count on you follow my very _simple_ instructions, then how am I to trust you with the power of the Maidens, I wonder?"

Cinder said nothing.

"Luckily for you, we can still recover from this unfortunate little incident," Salem continued. "How goes your search for the remaining Maidens?"

"My agents are in Vacuo tracking down the Summer Maiden as we speak," Cinder replied curtly, her rage scarcely contained behind her voice. "We've also learned the location of the Winter Maiden, and are in the midst of planning our approach."

"Very well," Salem said dismissively. "I expect this to be the last time we have to have such an unpleasant discussion again, my child. I will be _most_ disappointed indeed if this does not turn out to be the case."

The venom behind those words was almost palpable.

"Yes Master," Cinder said, her mind already focused on her next move.

Salem's face disappeared, and Cinder released a breath. That had nearly been a disaster. She returned the Shadowglass to the nightstand, and slowly rose to her feet.

She turned, and saw Neo, standing quietly in a corner of the room, as if awaiting her permission to approach.

"What!?" Cinder suddenly snapped, marching over to where Neo stood. "What are _you_ looking at!?"

Neo met the woman's gaze, seemingly unable to decide whether to remain standing or to flee.

She did not seem to arrive at her decision quickly enough for Cinder, however, as woman in red lifted her arm into the air and backhanded the other girl across the face.

"Don't you _ever_ interrupt us like that again!" she hissed, her eyes flaring gold.

Neo flinched from the impact and took a step back, her hand coming up to nurse the red welt that had suddenly sprung up on her cheek from where she had been struck. A trickle of blood ran down from her lower lip where it had been cut against her teeth. Her eyes narrowed, and she stared back at Cinder in silence, breathing heavily as the sting of the blow still flared.

"The next time it happens," Cinder seethed, her golden aura flaring around her "I won't be quite so gentle. Now get out of my sight!"

Neo grimaced back at the woman, her face tight with pain, as she hurriedly turned and ran out of the room, her reason for being there long forgotten.

Cinder stormed from the bedroom like a hurricane, marching her way back up to Ozpin's office. It was no sense, lashing out at underlings who were just following orders, she knew, but her frustration at her own failure to anticipate her master's ire had needed an outlet. It was purely psychological, she knew – she still felt powerless in that woman's presence, and so she thrived on power over others herself.

And it was not like she wasn't already aware of what her underling had barged in to tell her. She had not needed her to do anything, which is what made it so much more frustrating.

Stepping out into the empty office, she scanned the skies for any sign of birds, Grimm or otherwise. The two of them were probably long gone by this point, her great red nevermore now patrolling the skies.

She stepped out to the edge of the tower and peered off into the distance.

"I'm taking an awful risk by letting them go, you realize," she said out loud, arms crossing with disdain. "This had better be worth it."

Another woman stepped out from behind one of the pillars, seemingly out of nowhere. She too wore red, but her hair was a long, brilliant silver.

"The pool does not lie," she said simply. "Your harbinger shall return in time. And when she does, the dragon shall wake."

Cinder pursed her lips in agitation as she gazed down at the statuesque Grimm still clinging to her tower.

"It's been months," she said impatiently. "How much more time does this slumbering beast need?"

The other woman's expression was neither happy nor sad. She remained completely neutral as she spoke.

"Just as hope ignites strongest in the face of fear, so too does the worst fear take hold in times of hope," she said.

Cinder snorted derisively. Why must this woman constantly speak in riddles?

"And what, pray tell, does that mean?" she demanded.

"Just that," the woman replied. "One cannot appreciate joy without sadness, nor sadness without joy. One is meaningless without the other. Spend too much time dwelling on misery, and its potency begins to fade."

She nodded at the distant shape of the great red nevermore, still circling the tower along with the thousands and thousands of regular nevermores, gryphons and other winged Grimm.

"So let them taste hope," she said. "Let them taste joy. Let them experience that which was denied to them. Their pain will be that much more exquisite when that hope is snatched away from them."

She turned to face the petrified dragon.

"And when that time comes," she promised. "The true harbinger shall be revealed…"


	77. Chapter 77

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 77

* * *

Qrow dried his hair as he stepped out of the sterile white bathroom – or, as the Atlesian military referred to it, the lavatory and bath facility. Regardless of how pompous the title, Qrow could not deny the satisfaction of having his first real shower in weeks, having been a prisoner of Cinder's care since he had run afoul of the White Fang during his escapade through Mistral. His stubble had also grown out quite a bit in his weeks on the road, and getting a proper shave in had been a necessity as well. So for once in his life, his face was actually clean shaven, though he doubted it would become a trend.

His clothes had also been steam cleaned and pressed while he had washed himself, which was a service that he would also not deny the value of. Everything in Atlas may have been automated, but he still had to admit that for all that, it was still fast, prompt, and thorough. Even the buttons on his jacket had been mended, and he had to concede that his cape had never been so neatly ironed before.

As he emerged from the lavatory, however, he saw a familiar face waiting for him in the hallway of the Special Operatives ward in the Atlesian Citadel with her arms crossed impatiently.

"You're late," Winter Schnee said accusingly. "I have better things to do than having to go find you when you pull a disappearing act."

"Sorry," Qrow winced, waving her off. "Had to get cleaned up. A couple weeks in the field and another week as a prisoner of war tends to leave an unpleasantness on a man's body."

"I should think that would be par for the course for you, Mister Branwen," Winter jeered snidely.

"Oh, but the lady doth have teeth," Qrow smirked as he began to stroll casually down the hall, despite their lateness, Ozpin's cane in hand.

Winter scowled at him as she followed after him towards the Spec Ops training rooms.

"Why must you be so impossibly infuriating?" she demanded, brow furrowed.

"Why, Winter, whatever you do you mean?" he asked, smugly as he walked.

"That's _Operative Schnee_ to you, Mister," she corrected brusquely as she marched beside him, arms rigid at her sides, her hands balled into fists. "And what I mean is that you've been gone for nearly a month and then you show up out of the blue with almost no warning or explanation!"

"Wasn't exactly my choice, you know?" he said coldly. "Maybe you forgot the whole 'prisoner of war' thing, but it wasn't like I was on vacation for the last few weeks. Some of us have been making _actual_ progress in this war. What's Atlas been doing? Polishing its armor?"

"For your information," Winter retorted, "Atlas has been doing plenty! We've negotiated an alliance with Vacuo, we have all but finalized a system of communication that may very well circumvent the communications blackout, we formed a special strike team – a strike team that your _nieces_ happen to be a part of – and thanks to the efforts of those Huntsmen, have managed to thwart the efforts of the enemy to capture yet _another_ Maiden."

Qrows eyes widened.

"So Jimmy finally brought you into the inner circle, huh?" he asked, looking surprised. "Hmmm…I guess that's to be expected with everything that's been going on…but still…"

Winter narrowed her eyes. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Qrow crossed his arms. "Oz kept this group exclusive for a reason. World leaders and original members only. Heck, the only reason Glynda and I know is because of family connections. If word of this mess with the Guardian Maidens got out, it could cause a panic."

"I think the threat of global annihilation has already done that," Winter shot back. "Besides, you will recall that I'm with Spec Ops. The general trusts me with confidential military intel on a daily basis. Do you really think I don't know how keep a secret?"

"Could you?" Qrow stopped and turned on her. "Could you keep a secret, Operative Schnee? When your enemy is peering inside your head?"

Winter halted as he turned to face her. "Inside my head? What are you talking about?"

Qrow took a step towards her, and another. Winter felt her pulse quicken.

"You think you're dreaming," he elaborated. "Reliving some of your most cherished memories. When really, it's your enemy, peeling back the veil of your subconscious and burrowing into the deepest recesses of your mind."

Winter took a step back as he continued approaching her, until her back was against the wall.

"Nothing you have is yours," he continued. "Nothing you have is sacred. It doesn't matter if you're strong, they'll use any moment of weakness they can find from your past. It doesn't matter if you're military trained, they'll go back to a time when you were just a child, and all you knew was fear."

He rested his hand on the wall over her shoulder as he leaned into her, his eyes taking on a menacing look as she gazed up at him.

"They attack you where you're most vulnerable," he continued. "Use your greatest shames against you, and make you think it's all just your mind playing tricks on you, until you don't even trust your own damn brain anymore. That sound like fun to you?"

Winter was staring at him wide-eyed, as his eyes took on a manic air to them. Qrow spoke with the deep, frosty air of someone who had lived through hell, and was only too happy to share what he'd glimpsed with a naïve observer.

Winter let go of the breath she'd been holding and pushed him away from her with her hand on his chest.

"You don't know many Schnees then," she said stoically as she marched past him. "We are first taught strength from the moment we can walk, and we have _nothing_ that we are ashamed of. And our greatest bastion of strength has _always_ been our minds; Schnees have always had the gift of a keen intellect."

She marched down the hallways as Qrow sauntered after her.

"Perhaps to you, such mental trickery seems impressive," Winter declared haughtily. "But we Schnees have always been a bite above."

Qrow shook his head as he marched along with her towards the training room.

"Falling back on old habits, Operative Schnee?" he asked smugly. "Hiding behind your family name can't save you forever."

"I've made my way on the strength instilled in me by my family," Winter declared unfazed. "Simple as that."

"And I'm sure your sister would agree with that like the good little Schnee that she is…"

Winter said nothing. She couldn't say anything. All she could think of was what her sister had told her, about the Faunus, and how ashamed she was of the role their family had played in their strife.

She stole a glance back at Qrow. Her initial reaction to him, as with most everyone before, was that he ought to be the one falling in line behind her. As a Schnee, she naturally assumed the leadership role to anyone but those who had proven their utmost valor and dedication, like the general. This was partly why Qrow confounded her so much. Not only did he brazenly step out of line and thumb his nose at her with agitating frequency, but he appeared to have the mettle to back it up. Anyone who had ever acted up at her before had been swiftly dealt with in the past. Her swords were sharp and her glyphs were powerful, and she had never been challenged by someone who she could not intimidate or strong-arm into submission.

Except for Qrow.

"Is that why you delight in infuriating me so?" she finally asked, turning on him. "Because I'm a Schnee?"

Qrow let out a snort. "It certainly doesn't help. You rich types are all the same – you think you own everything, when all you really do is inherit it from your parents."

Winter held her nose up. "Well, do yourself a favor, and take your head out of your ass. The Schnee family isn't going anywhere, and in case that backwater brain of yours hasn't registered this already, we happen to be very much running things here in Atlas. Let's not forget, _you're_ the one who came to _us_ , bleeding and broken with the Fall Maiden candidate in tow. When the cards were on the table, _we_ were the ones still standing while _you_ could barely limp home."

Qrow only smiled as Winter stared him down, jabbing her finger at his chest.

"So you can take that misguided sense of self-righteousness and _stuff it_ for all I care," she sneered. "If you're going to continue to be a thorn in my side, then you're free to take your leave anytime you desire, and I would take it as a kindness if you did. We're here to get the job done, Branwen, so you can either get on board or pack it in."

"The 'Fall Maiden candidate' has a name, you know?" Qrow glowered back at her. "Her name is Pyrrha Nikos. And don't get all high and mighty just cause Ironwood finally let you in our little secret. The peaks and valleys of family fortunes don't amount of a hill of beans in the long run. You think the Grimm care if you're rich or poor when you're lost and alone in the woods? Your life can be snuffed away just as easily as mine. At the end of the game, the queen and the pawns all go back into the same pine box. And that's what you Atlas folks just don't seem to get."

Winter exhaled through her nose as she leaned in close to him.

"Believe whatever you want, Branwen," she sneered. "But _this_ queen isn't planning on going into a box just yet. I've got many more games left to win."

She shoved her way past him, and opened a door leading into the training room.

"And your opinion of me matters about as much as that ruddy old cape of yours," she finished.

"Hey," Qrow snorted as he followed her in. "I like this cape…"

Inside the Atlesian Special Operative training rooms, Ruby and her entire team sat in silence as Pyrrha stood in front of them all. She had her sword and shield on her back, but with her circlet missing, her hair was let down, giving her a more mature and womanly appearance. The room they were in was sparse, wide open and brightly lit, the floors padded like a dojo. Jaune Arc had trained in such a room not long ago when he had learned his semblance. And now it seemed that they would all be learning something new once more.

"Hi uncle Qrow!" Ruby whispered as she waved at the old man from where she sat.

He smiled and made a goofy face at her, to which she replied with a goofy face of her own.

Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY were presented and account for, as was Team SSSN, which had already enlisted with Atlas. It would take a while for Sun's team to receive the special accommodations afforded to Spec Ops, but Ruby had been adamant that they be allowed onto her team, and it was even more important that they be present for what Pyrrha had to tell them.

"It's called Aura Linking," she was explaining to them all, standing over the fifteen Huntsmen who sat in attendance. "When Professor Ozpin found me imprisoned at Beacon Academy, he taught me how to _merge_ my aura with another. This allows for two beings to share an aura pool, essentially doubling their strength, as well as share in each other's semblance. It's ultimately what allowed me to escape Beacon."

That seemed to cause a stirring amongst the crowd.

"Merge your aura with another?" Ruby asked, flabbergasted.

"How is that even possible?" Weiss gaped.

Pyrrha took in a deep breath, as if she was recalling a dream she once had.

" _All aura is aura_ ," she explained. "When we began life on this planet, all aura used to be one. As it split off from itself to create new forms of life, those forms began to differentiate themselves from each other – humans, faunus, animals, trees… But at their core, the aura within all living things is still fundamentally the same. Aura will always recognize itself, and so any being with aura should be capable of conjoining their aura with another, if so driven."

Yang raised her hand.

"So linking aura makes you stronger?" she asked curiously. "Wouldn't both people still only have the same amount of aura they started with?"

"Yes and no," Pyrrha shook her head. "While the total reserve doesn't increase, each Huntsman or Huntress has access to about twice their usual allotment of aura at any given moment. Our auras do replenish over time, and our abilities can be strengthened by our aura. During aura linking, spikes in aura could occur twice as often, and be twice as powerful for individual abilities."

She placed her hand on her chest.

"For instance, once linked, I could lift move twice as much metal as I normally could with my polarity," she elaborated. "Whoever I was linked with might feel momentarily drained as I did, but our auras would quickly reach equilibrium afterward and neither of us will have ultimately lost all that much."

Ruby raised her hand.

"So…can anyone do this with anyone else?" she asked meekly.

"In theory," Pyrrha allowed. "I've only linked my aura with two others, and never seen it done with anyone else before. But perhaps a demonstration is in order…?"

She nodded to Qrow, who took his cue to step forward. He winked at Winter, who rolled her eyes as he wandered over to Pyrrha and stood next to her.

"Thank you, Professor Branwen," Pyrrha nodded.

"Please, it's just Qrow," he shook his head.

Pyrrha nodded. "Right. Qrow. I'm sorry. Anyway…"

Refocusing her attention, she returned her eyes to the Huntsmen in the room.

"Watch carefully…"

The two began to radiate as their auras rose, as small wisps of each began to reach out towards each other, until they touched, and the black and gold aura began to congeal with the pure white.

Qrow then lifted Ozpin's cane, opened his hand, and the cane began levitating over his palm, ensconced in a black aura.

That got a reaction from the Huntsmen, particularly from Qrow's nieces.

"Ooooh…" Ruby and Yang both exhaled in awe.

"It takes some getting used to, using a semblance you're not familiar with," Qrow said as the metal cane danced in the air over his fingertips, held aloft by the power of magnetism. "The original user of any semblance is naturally going to be more skilled with it. However, depending on how much time you felt like putting it, you could get in enough practice time with any one particular semblance enough to get good at it, as long as you're linked with that person while you train."

Qrow lowered his cane, and their auras both subsided.

Jaune raised his hand excitedly. "Wow! Can we try it?"

Pyrrha nodded with a gentle laugh. "Yes, of course. That's why we brought you here, after all. It may take a while at first – it took me months to figure it out. But if even one of you can get it to work, then it'll be worth it."

"I believe it may also be possible for three or more people to link auras as well," Qrow added. "If a Huntsman's power can be boosted through aura linking, it's important that we capitalize on this ability as soon as possible. It could very well be our greatest weapon against the Grimm."

He crossed his arms and smiled at his two nieces.

"And I can't think of any better group of Huntsmen and Huntresses to try it out first."

Pyrrha nodded happily. "Now then…who wants to go first?"

A number of hands went into the air, including Ruby, Yang and Jaune. As loathe as she was to show any favoritism, Pyrrha found herself immediately going to Jaune. If felt right, she thought, that their auras be linked. If she would try this with any one of her friends, Jaune should be the first one.

"Jaune, why don't you come up?" she smiled.

Jaune nodded and gingerly got to his feet, standing next to Pyrrha, blushing as he neared her.

"Hey Pyrrha," he said, suddenly shy.

She simply smiled back at him.

"Try to relax, Jaune," she said, reaching out to take his hands in hers. "Remember what I taught you about aura. Focus on it, and try to bring it out."

Jaune nodded and closed his eyes, his body glowing a pale white as his aura resurfaced. His aura shimmered around him like a white hot fire that blazed as bright as hot steel. Pyrrha was stunned at how quickly and strongly his aura had emerged. He'd been practicing, she realized, and had gotten a _lot_ stronger and far more adept with his aura since she'd last known him. She wondered idly if he'd found his semblance yet.

A memory flashed in her mind of fighting against him while under Cinder's thrall, and she immediately quashed the mental image. No more. She would not think about that here, not now, and preferably not ever.

"Focus…" she repeated, more to herself than to Jaune. "Try to extend your aura out as far as it will go. Reach out towards me."

Jaune's body continued to glow, while Pyrrha's own shimmered a dynamic black and gold.

"It…feels kind of weird…" Jaune said with his eyes closed.

"You're sensing my aura," Pyrrha explained. "It's…gone through some changes lately. It may be unfamiliar to you at first. But it's still me, Jaune."

She prayed to whatever god would listen that she was right.

Another few minutes passed, and finally Jaune let out a breath, his aura significantly drained from the exertion.

"I don't think this is working…" he breathed.

"It's alright," Pyrrha smiled sweetly. "It takes time. And trying it for the first time in front of a crowd may not be the most conducive to a productive exercise. Perhaps we can try again later…when we're alone?"

Jaune blushed. "Yeah…maybe…"

"Just remember to go easy on her, tiger!" Yang seemed unable to resist a comment.

Now it was Pyrrha's turn to blush as Jaune quickly pulled away, clasping his hands together and staring at the floor as several Huntsmen in the room got a chuckle out of their embarrassment.

"Maybe pick someone who actually knows how to use their aura properly?" Weiss commented from the sidelines, attempting to get back on track.

"That's certainly worth a try," Pyrrha nodded. "Why don't you come up, Weiss?"

Jaune hurried back to his seat as Weiss got to her feet and walked daintily up towards where Pyrrha stood.

"Just stretch out with my aura then?" she asked, clasping her hands together before her, staring straight at the wall at the back of the training room.

"Yes," Pyrrha nodded as the two stood side by side and began to glow.

Their auras began to expand and resonate, Weiss's pure white aura stretching out in all directions. She slowly began directing it towards Pyrrha, but the two wisps could not seem to make contact.

"Ugh, why isn't this working!?" Weiss demanded after a time.

Ruby snickered in the crowd, and Weiss threw a glare at her.

"You think _you_ could do any better?" she demanded. "You don't even know you're _using_ your aura half the time!"

An idea popped into Pyrrha's head.

"Actually," she suggested, her aura dissipating. "Someone who uses their aura more instinctively might be just the trick. Ruby, could you come up here please?"

Weiss glanced back and forth between the two of them, flabbergasted, before crossing her arms in disdain.

"Fine," she muttered as she sat back down.

Ruby snickered again and jumped up to join Pyrrha at the front of the training room.

"Just as before," Pyrrha explained. "Focus your aura onto me."

Ruby nodded and closed her eyes, her body slowly engulfed in a reddish glow.

Pyrrha stretched out with her aura, and touched her aura to Ruby as she did the same.

"That's it!" Pyrrha nodded. "Now just reach out to me and…"

Pyrrha and Ruby's eyes both flew open at the same time as they both inhaled sharply.

"Whoa…" Ruby said, staring at her hands. "I feel…I feel _incredible!_ "

Pyrrha blinked in surprise as she stared at Ruby, aghast.

"Ruby, you're…" she breathed in disbelief. "You're a natural!"

Qrow crossed his arms from the back of the room.

"That's my girl," he grinned, giving Winter a playful smirk.

Winter just scowled.

Ruby grinned as she experimentally lifted Crescent Rose, before the entire weapon became engulfed in black aura, and soon the customizable high caliber sniper scythe lifted into the air and unfurled into its full blade form and began twirling through the air.

"Oh-hohohoho, man!" Ruby gasped in awe as she lifted her weapon with nothing more than the power of magnetism. "The things I could _do_ with this power…"

Pyrrha stared at her hands, before clenching her fists and disappearing in a cloud of rose petals. She appeared at the other end of the training room, slowly staggering to a halt.

"Whoa!" she breathed, catching her balance as the whole room gasped at the sight. "Ruby, you are _fast!_ "

Ruby touched her chest as she blinked in confusion.

"I felt you do that," she breathed. "It was just a little dip in my aura, but it was there."

"You _felt_ that?" Pyrrha asked in astonishment.

"Yeah?" Ruby said meekly. "Why, is that bad?"

Pyrrha looked back at Ruby in amazement.

"Ruby, I don't know what to say," she shook her head. "I'm not the one who should be teaching aura linking to anyone…it should be _you!_ "

Weiss crossed her arms, pouting.

"Beginner's luck," she commented, dismissively.

"Oh, I don't think so," Pyrrha said. "Ruby, why don't _you_ try it with Weiss?"

Both girls appeared surprised by this idea.

"Me?" Ruby asked.

"Her!?" Weiss guffawed.

"Come on," Pyrrha asked. "Humor me."

Ruby shrugged and stepped over to where Weiss stood as the other girl stood.

"Okay," Weiss muttered, eyeing Ruby nervously as the two of them joined hands. "But I don't see how this is could go any better with…"

The two of them began glowing as their auras radiated and resonated, white and red congealing almost instantly.

"What the…?" Weiss stammered at the sensation, taking a sudden step back.

She stepped a little faster than she meant to, however, and took off in a cloud of red rose petals, stumbling as she landed halfway across the floor, just barely retaining her footing.

"Y'okay, Weiss?" Ruby called out to her.

"Fine…" Weiss stammered in awe at her own two feet. "I'm fine…"

Ruby giggled as a glyph appeared beneath her feet and began to revolve as she stretched out with Weiss' aura.

"Cool..." Ruby grinned in amazement. "Now I can use glyphs!"

"That's…" Winter gasped in disbelief. "That's impossible!"

Qrow crossed his arms, smirking back at her.

"Still think all Schnees are a bite above?" he grinned.

Winter gritted her teeth but said nothing.

Ruby went around the room and began trying to link her aura with other members of her team. She linked with Blake, and could suddenly create shadow clones that disappeared in a flurry of petals that let her move even farther than before. She linked with Yang, and her sister practically demanded she let her use the speed boost whenever she rode her motorcycle. And linking with Jaune allowed Ruby's scythe to glow a brilliant white, as for a brief moment, it became an unstoppable cutting tool.

Qrow went over to stand next to Pyrrha with his arms crossed.

"Well, they seem to be getting the hang of it," he muttered under his breath, watching his nieces get to work. "So, what do you think?"

Now that many of the Huntsmen had experienced the effects of aura linking, they were trying it with their other teammates now. Some of them had better luck than others. Blake and Yang linked to each other just fine, but Weiss and Jaune both had trouble linking with anyone except Ruby. Nora and Ren seemed to catch on pretty quickly, as did Sun and Neptune. Coco couldn't seem to link with anyone at all, even Ruby, until Velvet tried linking with her after Ruby showed her, and the two of their auras finally conjoined after a lot of frustrated cursing.

Ruby was helping all of them, however. She had caught onto the art of aura linking like she had been born to it. Perhaps it was her natural talent as a silver eyed warrior, Pyrrha reflected. Either way, Pyrrha was glad that she would be able to pass the torch along to Ruby, as she did not fancy herself a particular skilled teacher.

After all, it seemed that it was Ruby and not Pyrrha who had finally taught Jaune to use his semblance.

Pyrrha smiled inwardly. And if she had held back a little with Weiss in order to bring her down a peg as revenge for breaking Jaune's heart all those months past, well, no one would ever be the wiser for it.

"I think we have a lot more left to do…" she said.


	78. Chapter 78

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 78

* * *

Blake had sequestered herself in one of the Special Operative training rooms. More than a dozen practice dummies stood throughout the room, the metallic mannequins spread out in a random pattern, and one by one, she was darting out of hiding to strike at each of them in turn. After each strike, she would leap out of her shadow clone, and strike at the next target. It was tiring work, but she was getting better at using her semblance offensively, winding up her strike while keeping her presence hidden within the shadow clone until the last possible moment.

Her new weapons were formidable indeed. She missed her Gambol Shroud, but the twin swords she had acquired from Spec Ops were light and deadly, allowing her to attack faster than before. They were also the ideal length and weight for her, and fit well in her hands (almost as if Winter had somehow predicted she would choose them). But for all that, they lacked the versatility that Gambol Shroud had provided. Without a transforming weapon, Blake could not adapt to her surroundings as she could before. They had only one function – to cut until there was nothing left to cut. They lacked the personality of her previous weapon, bearing a machine finish that made them seem cold and unfeeling. They did not even have room for dust rounds.

Perhaps she needed another weapon after all.

Her ears twitched beneath her bow as the door swung open, and her partner strolled into the training room.

"Hey Blake!" the blond Huntress called out to her cheerfully. "Getting some training in?"

Blake nodded, straightening her stance and holding out her swords before her.

"Still getting used to my new weapons, I suppose," she said, eyeing the thin, lithe pieces of carbon nano-fiber.

Yang observed the twin black swords ponderously.

"Are they working out for you?" she asked.

Blake frowned. "I…I don't know. They're _good_ , but…they just…don't feel like they belong to me."

Yang put her hands on her hips, before scratching her head.

"Well…maybe they just need a personal touch…" she recommended.

Then she got a sneaky looking smile on her face and reached out to pluck at the bow in Blake's hair.

"Hey!" the Faunus stammered as Yang untied her bow with a quick snatch.

Yang smirked as she removed to the bow, letting the girl's catlike ears twitch free.

"Here…" she said, tying one of the bows to the handle of one of the blades. "Your last weapon had that black tether on it, right? Maybe this will make it feel more like it belongs to you."

Blake blushed as she rubbed her furry black cat ears, pouting at Yang.

"You shouldn't do things like that without asking," she said, pursing her lips. "What if someone else comes in?"

"Oh relax," Yang sighed. "I'm not gonna out you; we're all alone here. Besides, you didn't wear that ribbon all the time we were in Vacuo."

Blake sheathed her swords at her hips, untying the ribbon from the hilt of the one sword and tied it back into her hair, covering up her ears once again.

"Vacuo's a _bit_ more progressive when it comes to the treatment of Faunus," she said simply. "We may be Spec Ops, but I'm still a Faunus in the middle of Atlas. We have enough problems to worry about without some random passerby deciding to give us a hard time because of my heritage."

"Fair enough," Yang shrugged. "Still, you ought to give your new weapons a personal touch, something that makes it feel like they're yours."

"It's a good idea," Blake nodded, drawing one of her swords once again. "But it can't be the ribbon from my hair."

"If you need another black ribbon, I'll buy you another black ribbon, Blake," Yang offered sardonically. "They're not that expensive."

"No," Blake shook her head. "I mean, it needs to serve a purpose. It can't simply be ornamental."

Yang shrugged. "If you say so."

"What about you?" Blake asked. "I'm not the only one with a new weapon."

Yang stretched out her new mechanical arm. It was lighter than her previous one, metallic and unfinished. It offered no transformation, but she wore her Ember Celica about the wrist just the same. Her newly acquired artillery cannon lay resting against the wall of the training room by the door.

"I don't know," she admitted off-hand. "All that Weiss' sister had on the airship was the standard model. No bells or whistles or anything. It doesn't even have a grenade launcher!"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Oh dear. No grenade launchers. What _is_ a girl to do?"

"Right?" Yang asked, completely ignoring Blake's sarcastic tone. "I'm thinking about updating it."

"If it's not broken, why fix it?" Blake shrugged.

"Aww, you're no fun!" Yang whined, throwing her good arm around Blake's shoulders. "Come on! Let's see what we can find down in engineering! Maybe we can find something _practical_ for your weapon too while we're there!"

Blake winced as Yang practically dragged her out of the training room, scooping up her artillery cannon while she did.

"I guess this is my life now, isn't it…?" Blake sighed in resignation as Yang ferried her down the hallway.

"Don't be such a spoilsport!" Yang complained as she found her way to the elevator.

Blake continued staring in deadpan stoicism at the walls of the elevator as the two of them went down to the lower levels of the Atlesian citadel.

"Are you okay, Blake?" Yang asked. "I feel like this is a much bigger deal than it should be."

"Maybe it is," Blake said somberly. "I just…these new weapons may be powerful, but they were made by…by Atlas. If Adam knew…"

"What that bastard thinks about your life choices shouldn't even enter the equation anymore," Yang said stubbornly, crossing her arms. "He no longer has _any_ say over how you run your life, Blake."

"I know that," Blake sighed. "But I feel like ever since Gambol Shroud was destroyed, I've lost part of myself. And at the time, it was a part of myself I was ready to leave behind. I was ready to move on, but…now I feel like I have no idea what I'm moving on to."

Yang nodded slowly.

"Growing up is scary, Blake," she admitted. "Leaving behind the things we grew up with…it's hard to let them go sometimes. Even if the decision happens in an instant, it's still a process that you have to live with from that point onward. To plunge forward into an unknown future…it's scary. And the more you think about it, the harder it can get."

"How do _you_ deal with it?" Blake asked earnestly.

Yang stretched out her mechanical arm, opening and closing her fingers.

"I think of all the people who are counting on me to be on top of my game," she nodded fiercely. "Maybe it's the big sister in me, but I'm used to there being someone relying on me. Though now that Ruby's all grown up and leading her own entire strike team, there hasn't been much call for me to be the big sister nowadays."

Blake smirked sardonically as the elevator doors opened on the basement floor.

"Gee," she giggled as the two of them filed out of the elevator. "I'm glad I can stand in as your surrogate sister so you can have an outlet for your overprotective tendencies."

"Oh, it's not just you," Yang elbowed her partner good naturedly as they filed down the hallway towards engineering. "Besides, I never claimed to have gotten over anything. You being my partner helps me deal with a lot of my issues, just as I hope I can help you deal with yours. That's why I'm here, after all."

"Thanks, Yang," Blake sighed. "That's really sweet of you."

Yang grinned and smirked back at her.

"Besides," she scratched the back of her head. "Who ever said I was grown up anyway?"

Blake chuckled to herself as the doors to the engineering wing opened up.

"I'm telling you!" a familiar voice sounded from inside. "You don't need an upgrade!"

Blake and Yang walked into a sprawling workshop, full of heavy machinery and all manner of weaponry, ranging from handheld tools of warfare to mounted assault vehicles and decommissioned turret garrisons. The room opened up to a wide walkway that allowed for a dramatic view of the Atlesian mechanized armor unit assembly line. Beyond the walkway, Atlesian Paladins were lined up to receive repairs, their weapons, limbs and chassis' damages from successive bouts with hordes of Grimm hammering at the Atlesian boarder. And overhead, conveyor belts brought containers into and out of the workshop, each one filled with weaponry of one kind or another.

While there were a number of uniformed Atlesian soldiers throughout the room, the two girls' eyes were drawn to the two boys arguing in front of a weapon station in the center of the wing.

"I dunno, man," Sun was saying to Neptune. "If we ever run out dust rounds again…"

"Then your bo staff is still a perfectly functional bo staff!" Neptune shot back. "I'm the one whose blade is completely dependent on dust power to be reasonably sharp."

Blake and Yang walked over to the two boys, Yang throwing her hand up into the air.

"Hellooooo!" she called out in her trademark flourish. "Whatchu boys doing?"

Neptune and Sun turned to face the approaching Huntresses, and Sun's eyes lit up when he saw the Faunus girl.

"Oh, hey Blake!" he called out cheerfully. "It's so good to see you!"

Blake smiled warmly at Sun, waving shyly. "You too, Sun."

Neptune nodded in turn. "Ladies."

Yang gave her partner a catlike grin and threw an arm around her.

"Easy there, loverboy," she winked at Sun. "You're gonna make her trip and fall."

Blake blushed under the observation.

"Yang," Sun just nodded politely to the other girl. "What are you two up to?"

Yang held her hand like a visor over her eyes as she looked around the workshop.

"Just figured we'd drop by and see what sort of weapon upgrades we could find down here," she said by way of explanation. "From the sound of it, you two are doing the same?"

Neptune crossed his arms. "Well, one of us is."

Sun waved his partner off. "I'm just saying, what if we get stranded like that again? I need some sort of fallback plan. We both do."

Blake raised her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

Sun scratched his head uncomfortably. It was clear that he did not like admitting this in front of his friends, but his earnestness came out all the more because of it.

"Back in Mistral," he explained. "When we were looking after the refugees. I had enough dust rounds to last me a few battles. But we ended up getting stranded out in the middle of nowhere for almost a month. We would run into Grimm at least once a day, sometimes more. We were out of food, out of supplies, and out of dust. And because of that, my weapon was practically useless."

"Not useless, Sun," Neptune pointed out. "You can still knock a Grimm senseless. And swing hard enough, you could still cripple or kill one."

"Yeah, but it's still a liability," Sun countered. "We were low on food as it was. We all barely had enough energy to stand, much less fight. And I had to fight _that_ much harder to pull my weight. I was responsible of the entire village, and I couldn't even fight at the same level as my teammates."

He hung his head despondently.

"I don't ever want to feel _that_ helpless ever again."

Blake and Yang exchanged a pitying look.

"A lot of us use dust to a certain extent," Yang shrugged, trying to sound casual about it. "Any one of us could get stranded for a while and be up a creak as a result. That's just something we have to adapt to."

"Yeah, but I'm responsible for an entire team," Sun shook his head. "They depend on me. I need to be ready in case the worst should happen."

"Listen to you, being all responsible and stuff," Yang grinned playfully before winking at Blake. "This one's a keeper, Blake."

Blake shoved her friend lightly against the shoulder, before returning her attention to Sun's problem.

"What sort of upgrade were you thinking of, Sun?" the Faunus girl asked gently. "Couldn't you just carry more ammunition with you?"

"Yeah, but where do you stop?" Sun shrugged helplessly. "Plan for a day, and you could end up needing two days' worth of ammo. Plans for two days, you could end up needing three days' worth. So you keep more and more on you, and eventually all that weight slows you down, and you're not even fighting at a hundred percent anymore."

"So what will you do then?" Blake asked sympathetically. "Give up your weapon entirely in favor of something else that's more efficient?"

Sun nodded to Blake's twin black katanas.

"Seems to be working out for you well enough," he shrugged. "Those don't even look like they use dust at all."

Blake shook her head.

"That's actually why I'm here," she said. "These swords may be more efficient, but they're just…missing something. I came down here to see if there was something I could add to them to give them more personality."

Sun gave the swords a curious look. "Dare I ask what happened to your old sword?"

"It was broken," she said simply.

"Fight with her ex-boyfriend," Yang whispered none-too-surreptitiously. "It was a rough break-up."

Blake gave Yang a dirty look.

"Well, I can certainly understand how getting used to a new weapon might take some time," Sun shrugged. "I just wish a lack of familiarity was the worst of my concerns."

"Dealing with ammo shortages is just something you gotta deal with, man," Neptune patted him on the shoulder.

"Normally, yes…" a familiar voice caught their attention.

All four sets of eyes turned to see Weiss Schnee strolling into the engineering wing.

"Hey Weiss!" Yang waved.

"Yang," the girl nodded at her teammates. "Blake."

"Hey," Blake added.

"Neptune," Weiss then smiled at the blue haired Huntsman. "I got your message. I came as soon as I could. Now, I understand we're having concerns about dust ammunition?"

Sun blinked and then threw his partner a dirty look, realizing what he'd done.

"You rat!"

Neptune held his hands up defensively. "What!? You were having a meltdown!"

"I was _not_ having a meltdown!" Sun growled back.

"Gentleman," Weiss held her hand up. "If I could have your attention please…"

The Huntsmen and Huntresses watched as Weiss stepped over to one of the translucent white workstations, and typed a few digits into the keypad. A revolving shutter began cycling overhead, ferrying large containment bins into and out of the engineering wing on a conveyor belt along the ceiling until the desired crate arrived, and lowered down to the workstation on a tow cable.

"This hasn't _technically_ been released yet," Weiss prefaced as she typed in a complicated looking passcode into the locked crate. "But since we're Spec Ops, we get priority access…"

The crate opened, and Weiss withdrew what appeared to be an ordinary incendiary dust round.

"Mister Wukong," Weiss said politely. "May I see your weapon for a moment?"

Sun glanced at Blake, Yang and then Neptune, all of whom just shrugged, before he finally acquiesced, retrieving one of his nunchaku from its holster at his waist.

Weiss took one of the proffered weapon, holding one of the two pistols, the other hanging by the attached chain.

"Hmmm…" Weiss mused as she fiddled with the loading mechanism, before she finally uncoupled the barrel from the chamber slide. "Oh good, you _do_ keep it loaded."

"Well, yeah," Sun said indignantly. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Just making sure…" Weiss said idly as she slipped the cartridge from Jingu Bang, and replaced it with one of the incendiary rounds from the lockbox.

Weiss then handed the weapon by to Sun.

"How many rounds do you get with each of these?" she asked quizzically. "I'm guessing about twenty or thirty?"

Sun nodded, retrieving his weapon and giving it a curious look.

"Thirty," he confirmed. "Why?"

Weiss smiled as she twirled the supplanted dust cartridge between her fingers.

"You've now got three _hundred_ rounds in that weapon," she beamed proudly. "Congratulations."

Sun stared down at his weapon in astonishment.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked, wide-eyed.

Weiss held out a hand. "Well, we'll have to modify the firing mechanism so it doesn't expel the cartridge after each use. But essentially, yes. Each of these rounds packs in ten times the energy equivalent of normal dust. You basically get ten times the ammunition in the same amount of space."

Yang and Blake's eyebrows both rose in awe. Neptune clapped his partner on the back.

"Hah!" he crowed triumphantly. "How about that, Sun? Problem solved! Weiss, you are a _miracle worker!_ "

Weiss put on a dignified smile. "Well, I can't take _that_ much credit. I'm just the delivery girl. This is plain and simple Atlas tech, though the Schnee Dust Company does much of the legwork…"

Sun was still staring at his guns in amazement.

"Wow…" he breathed. "Atlas tech sure is something."

He looked up at Weiss, a look of concern on his face.

"Wait, shouldn't the entire team have access to this?" he asked.

"In due course," Weiss assured him. "It'll depend largely on the nature of their weapons, their firing systems, and their dust usage in general. It's a complicated process, and one size rarely fits all in this case. But as I'm sure you know, your weapon would suffer greatly in the event of a dust shortage, so Huntsmen like yourself would get the highest priority. I estimate our engineers could get you situated in a day or two."

Blake smiled and stepped up to Sun.

"Isn't that great, Sun?" she said. "You don't have to get a new weapon after all."

Sun grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah…" he said. "But what about you, Blake? You've still got to figure out how to make your weapons better suited to your style of combat."

Yang just sort shrugged. "I tried tying a ribbon to the hilt. It didn't seem to do the trick."

"Actually…" Weiss lifted a finger. "I've been thinking about that myself…"

Blake lifted an eyebrow as Weiss punched a new command into the workstation.

"You're kidding…" she said skeptically as she watched the conveyer belt bring a new containment bin into the engineering ward.

"Contrary to popular belief," Weiss said pointedly as she opened the new box. "I do try to look out for my teammate's best interests. Here…"

Weiss produced a slew of what appeared to be small, pocket-sized cylindrical detonators, each capped with a brightly colored button at the top.

"Dust grenades," she explained, handing them off to Blake. "Specifically calibrated to deliver smoke, flares and knock-out gas. I determined that someone with your hit-and-run style tactics would greatly benefit from a smoke bomb or a flashbang."

Blake accepted the proffered devices and examined them in her hands. They were black, with white, black and green buttons, each indicating their various purposes.

"Not sure what the best way would be to deploy them in combat," Weiss continued. "You could probably get away with just _throwing_ them, I suppose…"

Blake smiled, pocketing the explosive charges.

"I'll figure something out," she nodded. "You always give me the best toys, Weiss. Thank you."

"Of course," Weiss smiled, arms crossed. "Who do you think told Winter that you needed new weapons in the first place?"

"Hey!" Neptune called out from the next workstation over, having been wandering around in search of new equipment. "What about this thing?"

Everyone looked over to see what he had found, and saw the Huntsmen carrying what appeared to be a grappling line launcher attached to a long spool of mono-filament.

"That's one of the load-bearing lift lines for the storage crates up there," Weiss gestured to the storage containers being ferried to and fro on the conveyor belts overhead. "One of our boys tried to cobble it into a grappling hook of sorts. It didn't work out very well."

Neptune nodded and experimentally pulled the trigger.

BOOM!

A grappling claw deployed out the business end, and made it about ten feet before slumping to the ground. Neptune on the other hand was flung backwards across the room, landing a dozen yards away.

"Whoah!" he hollered, as he was thrown to the floor.

"Careful!" Weiss cried, hurrying over to him. "It's calibrated to lift upwards of five thousand pounds! That's why no one could ever get it to work!"

Blake and the others went over to check on Neptune, who Weiss was helping to his feet.

"Man…" Neptune groaned. "That thing packs a wallop."

"Hmm…" Blake mused, studying the grappling cable. "Can this thing be set to give slack?"

"Probably…" Weiss said, inspecting a bump on Neptune's head as he winced. "It would just be a matter of throwing a switch."

Blake pursed her lips as she stroked her chin ponderously.

"One more question…" she asked, turning to Weiss with a smile. "How quickly can it be reeled in?"

About an hour of tinkering later, Blake was back in the training room, with Yang and Sun watching from the sidelines. Weiss had taken Neptune to get his head checked at the infirmary, but the other two were watching as Blake squared off against innumerable training dummies, with two grappling spools and a number of dust grenades strapped to her belt.

The mono-filament wires were affixed to the ends of her sword handles, and with a flick of her wrist, she threw one of her swords across the room, embedding itself tip first into the far wall, the mono-filament wire still attached to the end, un-winding as it flew, and leading all the way back to the spool on her waistline. With a quick gesture, Blake activated the tow line, and the spool began to reel the wire back in, sending Blake zipping through the air in the direction of her sword was stuck at lightning speed!

As she went whipping past the practice dummies in the room, she drew her other sword, and dropped a number of grenades with her free hand. In the span of heartbeat, she had scored direct hits onto all of the targets she passed, and enveloped those out of her reach in a cloud of smoke, all before she so much as touched her feet back to the floor. With a quick yank, she removed her sword from the wall and drew her second sword, before gripping them both by the wires and began twirling them like a pair of deadly slings, letting out enough wire on each one to strike the remaining practice dummies with the blades on each end.

She moved like a dancer, her swords whirling around her like the rings of a celestial body. With each swing, her accuracy improved as she slowly managed to gauge the right distance with each wire. It was awkward to have to let out more cord using centrifugal force, and bring it in using the powerful motors in each spool, but she quickly got the hang of it, and before long, she was hitting every dummy in the room with a both swords.

When she had finished, she sent out both swords back towards the front of the room, using the spools to pull herself through the air at incredible speed, sending her zipping back towards the front of the training room where Yang and Sun were watching.

When she finally retrieved her swords from the wall and re-sheathed them, both the other Huntsmen began slowly clapping their hands.

"Impressive, Blake!" Sun called out.

"Yeah!" Yang nodded. "Those grappling lines work even better than your old tether cord! And now you have _two_ of them!"

Blake nodded. "I hope so. I got the idea from watching Penny, back when Sun and I first met. She used her swords in much the same manner."

She glanced down at the mono-filament spools on her belt.

"In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it's the exact same material she used."

Yang shrugged. "Well, Penny was made in Atlas. It makes sense their weapons might come from the same place."

"I guess so," Blake said, before raising her hands and grimacing at the red marks on her fingers. "The wire's murder on my skin though. I might need to add a set of proper gloves to my outfit in order to protect my hands. And maybe a mask for when I use the knock-out gas."

"Good idea," Yang nodded.

"Still, I think this definitely feels more like your fighting style, Blake," Sun nodded, crossing his arms in approval. "Versatile, unpredictable, and lightning fast."

Blake nodded, smiling bashfully. "Thanks, Sun."

For once, Yang didn't seem inclined to tease them for making googly eyes at one another. Instead, she just shrugged.

"So, whatcha gonna call 'em?" she asked off-handedly.

"My swords?" Blake asked, warily.

"Yeah," Yang nodded. "Gambol Shroud had a name. And your whole goal in developing these weapons was to give them more personality. I'd say you'd succeeded in that regard. So they should have a name too."

Blake drew her swords once again, studying them. She could barely see the microfilament connecting the blades to her belt. She would have to adjust her fighting style so as not to snag her weapons on the very wires they were attached to. Or maybe she could run them through her sleeves or use some sort of detachable mechanism. The sky was the limit.

The important thing was that with the retractable wire and the dust grenades, she could adapt to almost any situation, whether that was scouting, espionage, guerrilla warfare, or face to face combat. With these weapons now, she was a force to be reckoned with.

They were now finally hers.

"I don't know, you two," she smiled playfully, glancing back at the other two Huntsmen; arguably the most important people in her life right now. "Any ideas?"

Sun scratched his chin.

"Hmmm…" he mused. "They should each have some sort of meaning. Something that carries some kind of personal weight to you."

Yang snapped her fingers. "Hey, what was the name of that book you keep reading? The one about the guy with two souls?"

Blake blinked as she considered. "The…Man with Two Souls?"

"I think that was it," Yang shrugged. "Well…you've got two swords. Why not name them each after the two souls from the book? I mean, assuming they both have names…"

Blake considered for a moment, before her lips curved up into a smile. She drew her sword swords, and twirled them around with a flourish.

"Alright then, I guess it's settled," she said, bearing her news weapons for them both to see. "Say hello to Cassius and Jin!"


	79. Chapter 79

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 79

* * *

Neptune needed to learn when to keep his big mouth shut.

Now that he and his team were Atlesian Spec Ops, his genius of a team leader decided that they should take it upon themselves to upgrade their arsenal. After spending what felt like forever in the engineering ward, he had finally reached out to Weiss for a lifeline. She had arrived and somehow managed to convince his boneheaded team leader that he didn't need to completely rehash his arsenal just to accommodate the unlikely scenario of being stranded with sparse resources once again.

And then Neptune had somehow ended up being taken to the infirmary.

After being given a clean bill of health from the stiff laced Atlesian medics that staffed the Citadel infirmary, a number of questions had come up, including the nature of Neptune's pre-existing condition, as well as the doctor's note he had concerning medication for PTSD. That had resulted in a lengthy conversation regarding the events that had lead up to that moment in time, going all the way back to the fall of Mistral. During the span of this conversation, it had somehow come to light that, having been from Mistral himself, it also turned out that all of his worldly possessions had most likely been lost in the attack on the kingdom.

Weiss' solution? Go shopping.

"This doesn't feel like the time or the place for this…" Neptune pursed his lips as Weiss practically dragged him through the arcade style market spanning the central shopping district of Atlas.

Neptune was the picture of modesty, following along as Weiss thoroughly inspected the window exhibits of the various boutiques they passed along the way with a critical eye. He already had a number of bags in his arms, and while most of it was stuff that he needed, he hadn't been quite comfortable with Weiss paying for it all the way she had. And she was determined to furnish him with a brand new wardrobe on top of it all!

"Nonsense," Weiss stated flatly. "We've been training with aura linking for the past few days non-stop, and we not only deserve to take some time off, but it's also the healthy thing to do. And from what the doctors say, you could _use_ a distraction from all the day to day training. Atlas Special Forces gives us considerable compensation for our work, but there's no point to it if we don't go out and _spend_ some of it. And for all we know, all of this could be razed to the ground tomorrow, so we might as well enjoy it while it lasts."

Neptune glanced around at the crowds passing them by. The bazaar was dominated by rich Atlesian citizens dressed in their finest clothes. Looking at them as they went about their lives, you'd never guess they were in the middle of a crisis.

"These people have no idea, do they?" Neptune asked sullenly.

"You better believe they do," Weiss commented, still studying a plush white frock in the window before her. "These people don't have anything else, Neptune. When the world around you starts coming down, what else can you do but embrace the things in your life you feel most attached to?"

Neptune took another look around, and realized that Weiss was right. On the surface, this looked like an ordinary day at the shopping district. But the determined looks on the peoples' faces almost looked _too_ determined. Nobody tried quite so vigorously to enjoy their afternoon, not in such numbers. It was like everyone around them was actively warding off the idea of a war erupting around them by doubling down on the pleasures of aristocratic life.

"I guess not everyone can just drop everything and become a Huntsman…" Neptune realized.

"I'm sure _some_ of them wish they could…" Weiss said idly. "I know _I_ did."

Neptune studied the girl curiously as she focused her attention on window shopping. It was like watching a predator stalk its prey. While nothing about the frilly finery in the window meant anything to him, Weiss was clearly reading certain aspects of the display, carefully calculating for practically, durability, style, price, budget and a host of other factors.

To Neptune, it just looked like a shirt, but to Weiss it was clearly so much more.

Finally, she threw her hands in the air.

"This place is no good either," she declared outright. "I give up – I'm calling in backup."

Neptune's eyebrow rose. "Backup?"

Weiss tapped some keys on her scroll before sealing it back up and holstering it in a pouch on her belt.

"Someone who knows fashion better than anyone I know," she said sweetly.

Somehow that thought made him nervous.

"I thought we were shopping for _me_ here?" Neptune asked warily.

"We are," Weiss waved him off. "Trust me, you're in good hands. Now then, shall we get some coffee while we wait?"

Neptune sighed and followed Weiss out from under the glass and steel roof of the shopping complex and out onto a plaza, where a quaint little café stood on the edge of the arcade. Wrought iron tables and chairs painted white adorned the outdoor seating area, as they looked out onto the wide square before them, with an ornate fountain, crystalline statues, and pure white pigeons fluttering about the steeples off in the distance.

As skeptical as he'd been, Neptune had to admit that it was difficult not to take in a bit of the atmosphere around them. That was one thing that Atlas did exceptionally well. As much as he knew that they should be focused on stopping the Grimm, Weiss was right – it was good to get out and enjoy themselves every so often. Even if he felt like he didn't deserve it.

And it wasn't as if Weiss wasn't amazing company to be around. She was clearly at home here, and moved with a keen purpose that indicated that she was at the very top of her game, here amidst her element. That confidence and poise made her absolutely radiant to behold, and the more Neptune thought about it, the more he realized that this day wasn't going so badly after all.

As their servers set two cups of espresso before each of them and a tray of biscotti between them, Neptune glanced curiously at Weiss.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," he observed idly, turning on the charm. "But this feels an awful lot like a date."

Weiss took a sip from her espresso, and for a moment Neptune wondered if she'd heard him. When she finally put her cup down though, she turned her head to give him a pointed look.

"Do you want it to be?" she asked him, her expression unreadable.

Neptune resisted the urge to laugh. One thing he absolutely loved about Weiss was how well she handled herself in every social situation she found herself in. Even after a simple off-hand comment made in an attempt to disarm her, she had turned it around on him and suddenly put him on the spot instead. Every conversation with her was like a joust, and in every one of them, he found himself outfoxed. But he'd be damned if he didn't enjoy the challenge.

"Well, like you said," he smiled. "This could all be gone tomorrow. So why not enjoy it while it lasts?"

Weiss seemed perturbed by that, and for a moment, he'd wondered if he'd said the right thing.

"Neptune…" she said slowly, lowering her eyes. "Have you given any thought to the future?"

Neptune wondered where that question had come from as he slowly swirled the hot coffee in the tiny cup in his hand.

"What do you mean?" he asked uncomfortably.

"I mean…" Weiss lifted her eyes to meet his. "What do you planning on doing after all this is over?"

"All this?" Neptune asked. "You mean, the fight with the Grimm?"

"Well, no," Weiss shook her head. "That's a fight that will probably _never_ be over. But as you know, Mistral now lies in ruins. And even though we plan on retaking it, it could be _years_ before your hometown is livable again. Where will you go in the meantime?"

Neptune thought about that for a little while, and realized that he hadn't given it much thought. Up until a few days ago, he hadn't thought he'd make it another week, let alone another month or a year. Things had been pretty desperate in the ruins of Havensfall.

"I don't know," he admitted, sitting back in his chair. "Maybe I'll become a wandering Huntsman, roaming the land."

Weiss pouted her lips. "That's not funny, Neptune. I'm being serious here."

"Well then," Neptune shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I just don't know. It wasn't that long ago that I wasn't sure where my next meal was going to come from, if I'm being perfectly honest. Where I'd be in five years wasn't really high on my list of priorities."

Weiss reached across the table to take his hand in hers.

"I _know_ that, Neptune," she nodded sympathetically. "And I was _devastated_ when I heard. If I had known that you and your team were in such dire straits, I would have come _so_ much sooner. But I'm _here_ now, and I want to make sure something like that _never_ happens to you again. So I need to know that you're taking care of yourself, and have a plan in case you should ever find yourself on your own again."

With each word she said, Neptune felt an anger welling up inside him and he couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

"Why is everyone so concerned with me all the sudden?" he demanded, eyebrows narrowing. "I can take care of myself, you know. I'm not the one who needs help."

Weiss withdrew her hand. "Neptune? What are you talking about?"

Neptune groaned and turned away, tapping his fingers on the tabletop.

"I mean, first my partner wants to get better weapons, like the ones we have just aren't good enough," he said. "And now here you are, asking me if I have a plan for the future. Why does everyone just assume that I'm helpless the way I am now?"

"We don't assume that!" Weiss narrowed her eyebrows. "Don't say things like that!"

She grabbed his hand again, this time more forcefully.

"People care about you, you dolt!" she said angrily. "Sun cares about you! _I_ care about you! We worry about your safety and we want you to be alright! That doesn't reflect anything on your own ability to take care of yourself!"

Neptune stared at the hand that she held, and couldn't seem to imagine it not covered with blood.

"I don't deserve your generosity, Weiss," he muttered. "I'm not the one you should be worried about."

Weiss's eyebrows crinkled at that.

"Neptune, you're not making any sense…" she breathed. "What's wrong? You can tell me."

Neptune shook his head. "It's nothing."

"It's _not_ nothing!" she declared loudly, startling several other patrons around them. "Is _this_ …?"

She looked around warily, before lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Is _this_ what that treatment in the infirmary was for?" she hissed urgently. "Did something _happen_ when you were in Havensfall?"

Neptune tried to pull his hand away, but Weiss' grip was stronger than it appeared.

"I told you…" he growled harshly. "It's _nothing!_ "

Weiss scowled. "Well, this _nothing_ is having a remarkable impact on your life, and consequently those around you. Whether you admit it or not, something's wrong, Neptune. And I'm here to help you."

She reached out with her other hand to squeeze his arm.

"If you let me."

Neptune gave her a hurt expression.

"It's not that easy, Weiss…"

She took his hand in both of hers, clasping them both together before her.

"Try…"

Neptune's eyes went blank for a few minutes, as if he were reliving something in his mind.

"Neptune…?" Weiss asked, concern in her voice.

Neptune shook his head as his eyes refocused. There were tears in his eyes.

"Have you…?" he asked, haltingly. "Have you ever…watched somebody die, Weiss?"

Weiss stiffened and slowly shook her head.

"It's really creepy," Neptune said, shakily. "It's like…one minute, there's a living person in your arms, and the next minute…it's just a thing. Just another piece of matter. An object. No longer a person. No longer a…no longer a boy, who was only guilty of trying to stay alive…"

Weiss' expression softened. "Neptune…"

Neptune shook, his mouth cracking as his eyes continued to water.

"I tried to save this kid, Weiss," his said, his voice cracking. "I tried to stop the bleeding. He was so young, and he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He didn't do anything wrong…"

He turned his head up to face the Huntress who watched him tenderly as he poured his heart out.

"He didn't deserve to die, Weiss," he bit his lip. "But somehow, I'm alive right now, and he's not. I'm not…"

He shuddered and swallowed hard.

"I'm not the one…you should be worried about…"

Weiss got to her feet in an instant and threw her arms around him, bumping into the table and rattling the glassware, his chair skidding back a few inches from the impact. She didn't care. He hurting so much, and she just couldn't stand it anymore.

"Oh, Neptune!" she shook her head in frustration as she embraced him tightly. "Of _course_ I'm worried about you! You've been through such a terrible ordeal! That other boy may be dead, but _you_ have to live with that now! I can't imagine being in such a difficult situation and coming out unscathed!"

She pulled him even tighter into her embrace as she ran her fingers through his deep blue hair.

"It's not your fault, Neptune!" she whispered urgently. "And you have _every right_ to feel bad about what happened, but please understand, it's _not your fault!_ "

Neptune was still for several seconds as he tried to process what was happening. It was like he wasn't even really here, and he was watching himself from outside his own body. Why was he revealing all this about himself? His whole purpose here was to make himself more endearing and impress a pretty girl, not to reveal all his pent up guilt and self-doubt from a traumatic experience. That wasn't what he was supposed to be doing. No girl wanted to deal with a basket case who couldn't even handle his own emotional crap.

Then the tears came in earnest, and he threw his arms around Weiss Schnee and pulled her in close. He couldn't help himself. He had liked her from the first moment he'd laid eyes on her, and he had wanted this experience they shared to be a happy one, one that would leave her in awe. But instead, here he was, blubbering like a baby, and pouring his heart out to her. And for some reason, she was hugging him and he was hugging her back.

This wasn't how any of this was supposed to go. But he was more grateful to her in that moment for holding him than he had ever been in his life.

"I wish I could believe that, Weiss…" he whimpered, shaking his head sadly. "I really wish I could…but I can't."

Weiss shook her head again, stroking his back.

"Don't worry, Neptune," she said soothingly. "We'll get through this. I told you that I'd help you deal with this, and that's what I intend to do."

Neptune began laughing through his tears.

"Look at me," he jeered at himself. "I'm such a mess. Surely you don't need to be saddled with some pitiful lummox like me…"

Weiss parted from him, hands on his shoulder, and she shook her head kindly.

"Nonsense," she smiled. " _I_ decide whose burdens I shoulder, and whether they're worth shouldering."

She touched her hand to his cheek.

"You're important to me, Neptune," she said, wistfully. "And you've got _so_ many admirable qualities, whether you realize it or not. You're smart, you're brave, you're strong, you're charming, you're handsome, and…"

Weiss' cheeks began to grow a shade pinker.

"And to tell you the truth, I…I really like you," she said, bashfully. "And if that means helping you deal with a few post traumatic flashbacks, well, I'm willing to stick it out."

Neptune looked at Weiss like she was an angel.

"Really?" he asked quietly.

"Really," Weiss nodded. "And maybe I'm just being an overly-protective mother-hen with this whole 'wounded warrior' thing you've got going on, but…I think we can make this work, Neptune. I'm willing to try."

She glanced up at him shyly, as if she suddenly realized what she was asking of him.

"That is…as long as _you_ are too…"

Neptune's face was the picture of relief.

"Weiss…" he breathed in disbelief. "You have no idea how much I've missed you. How long I've waited to tell you…"

Weiss smiled, putting a finger to his lips.

"You don't have to tell me anything, Neptune," she said, leaning in closer to him. "I already know…"

Neptune's heart was in his throat as he leaned forward to kiss her.

Then suddenly, a familiar high pitched voice interrupted them both.

"Hi guys!" Ruby called out, suddenly sitting at the coffee table with them seeming from out of nowhere. "Whatcha doing?"

Neptune and Weiss recoiled from each other faster than a cat recoiling from water.

"Gah!" Neptune gasped, flying back into his chair.

" _Ruby!_ " Weiss exclaimed in exasperation, her hands in the air as she flailed back. "What in the _world_ are you doing here!?"

Ruby scratched her head. "Oh…heheh…you know…just…in the neighborhood…passing through…"

As Weiss began to glare at their team leader, Neptune brushed himself off and make himself presentable.

"Ahem…" he cleared his throat. "Hey Ruby. Would you be the 'backup?' that Weiss mentioned?"

"Um…backup?" Ruby asked, dumbfounded.

"Hardly!" Weiss answered for her, arms crossed. " _This girl_ wouldn't know fashion if it bit her in the behind!"

She turned her attention back to Ruby.

"What _are_ you doing here anyway?" she demanded heatedly.

Ruby touched her index fingers together. "Well…um…"

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Were you _spying_ on us or something?"

Ruby's eyes widen and she began stumbling over her words.

"W-What!?" she asked, trying to sound amused, but sounding more nervous than anything. "Pfff! _No!_ Why would I…why would I be…spying on…anyone…?"

Weiss and Neptune both raised an eyebrow.

"I dunno, Ruby," he asked skeptically. "Why _would_ you be spying on anyone?"

Ruby was looking more nervous by the second. "Well…I…I, um…"

"Well!?" Weiss demanded in aggravation. "Spit it out!"

Ruby began to get teary-eyed, before she ran up to Weiss and threw her arms around her.

"Oh, please don't leave us, Weiss!" she began to sob uncontrollably as she wrapped her fellow Huntress in a death grip. "Neptune, please don't take her awaaaaaay!"

Weiss and Neptune stared at Ruby, utterly flabbergasted.

" _What!?_ " Neptune guffawed.

"R-Ruby?" Weiss asked, sounding concerned for her partner, her arms around her shoulders.

Ruby sniffed as she tried to explain herself.

"I saw you guys talking, and…and laughing and being so happy together, and…" she murmured. "And I wanna be happy for you both, I really do! But I can't help it!"

She squeezed Weiss tightly around the shoulders, burying her face in her dress.

"I know once you start dating, that'll be it!" she wailed. "I'll lose my best friend forever! And I don't want that to happen!"

Ruby stared up at her partner, teary-eyed and remorseful.

"Please don't be angry!"

Neptune and Weiss exchanged a hopeless look of defeat.

"Oh, Ruby, you big dummy!" Weiss laughed in relief. "I could _never_ stop being your friend!"

Ruby wiped her eyes. "You…you really mean it?"

Weiss shook her head, looking down at her team leader in befuddlement. Ruby was probably the biggest conundrum she had ever met. She had had lead them all through hell and back, and yet underneath it all, she could still be such a child. It drove Weiss absolutely batty!

"Just because I like Neptune doesn't mean I like you any less, Ruby!" Weiss rubbed her head diminutively. "Don't be such a baby!"

"Yeah," Neptune added. "How could I break up Team RWBY like that? There's no _way_ I could tear you guys apart. Not after what we've all been through."

Ruby began to dry her tears and gave a nervous, pitiful laugh.

"Heh…" she exhaled in relief, eyes still red. "Wow, guys, I'm…I'm really sorry. I guess I just overreacted and…got carried away…"

Weiss shook her head in disbelief. "Honestly, Ruby…if you can't even deal with the prospect of your friends dating, how are you _ever_ planning to run your own strike team?"

Ruby shook her head, red-faced. "Heheh…still wrestling with that one, really…"

Neptune scratched his head. He supposed being in a relationship with Weiss meant being in a relationship with all of Team RWBY in a way. He supposed he could live with that prospect. He knew Sun wouldn't give up Blake without a fight, but hopefully Ruby and Yang would approve of them both.

The three Huntsmen were then suddenly interrupted by the honking of a car horn, and looked up to see the most luxurious convertible any of them – including Weiss – had ever laid their eyes on as it rolled up to where they were all seated at the cafe. The car was pure white with gold trim and filigree, its interior plush white leather, and it was driven by a familiar looking Huntress.

"Whoa…" Neptune stared, eyes wide.

"Is that…?" Ruby gasped in disbelief.

Weiss extricated herself from Ruby's grip as she waved to their friend.

"Perfect timing," she smiled in approval. "Thanks for coming, Coco."

The Huntress at the wheel leaned her elbow out from over the driver-side door.

"Hey there you guys," she smiled, lowering her shades. "Need a lift?"

Neptune's eyes widened in realization.

"Ohhhh…" he exhaled, looking at Weiss. " _She's_ your backup!"

"The boy learns," Weiss smiled, crossing her arms.

Ruby was still staring at the vehicle.

"Wow!" she gasped in amazement. "Where'd you get such an amazing car!?"

Coco shrugged. "Had it shipped over here a while ago when Vale collapsed. Atlas seemed like the best place to keep it. Haven't driven it in a while, so I figured I'd take it for a spin."

Neptune nodded. "Ah…I guess everyone deals with impending disaster somewhat differently."

"Wait," Ruby shook her head in disbelief. "You _own_ this car!? Where'd you get _that_ kind of money!?"

Weiss and Coco both raised an eyebrow at Ruby.

"Uhh…you _do_ know who she _is_ , right?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah?" Ruby asked blithely. "Our second year schoolmate, Coco Adel?"

"Right," Weiss nodded. "As in, _Adel & Formaggio?_ One of the most high-end clothing companies in all of Remnant? I think her family alone is worth almost as much as the Schnee Dust Company."

"Almost," Coco shrugged. "My mother wanted me to go into the family business, but I wanted to be a Huntress instead. This baby is one of their _many_ attempts at incentivizing me to change my mine."

She revved the engine by way of demonstration.

"I may have inherited my mom's love for fashion," she admitted. "But I inherited my dad's love of engineering and adventuring even more. So I built my weapon, enrolled at Beacon and have never looked back since."

Ruby was staring at her fellow Huntress in such awe that she practically had stars in her eyes.

"Whoa…that's _so_ cool…"

Weiss smiled knowingly.

"Well, be that as it may, she's still the foremost fashion authority out there," she said. "And I can think of no one else I'd trust to Neptune's wardrobe needs."

Neptune blinked in trepidation. "My what-now? We're still moving ahead with this plan?"

"Well, I agreed to help you, didn't I?" Coco winked. "So, to put it bluntly…"

She grinned mischievously and pointed her finger as Weiss and Ruby practically beamed with excitement.

"Get in losers! We're going shopping!"


	80. Chapter 80

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 80

* * *

Pyrrha watched in wonder as Jaune activated his semblance, swinging his sword as it began to glow like a white hot iron. It struck the target, a five-ton industrial smithing anvil resting on the floor that the two of them had requisitioned from engineering, and sent it flying across the training room, leaving a sizeable dent in the anvil (as well as the steel wall that it struck) in the process.

CRASH!

Both the room's occupants winced as the anvil struck the wall. Moments later, a service mech wheeled in automatically and began cleaning the damage and making repairs to the room straight away. Jaune, for his part, looked at his own sword in stunned silence, shrugging sheepishly at Pyrrha.

"I…I didn't expect it to do that…" he admitted helplessly.

Pyrrha's eyes lit up in awe as she rushed over to him, having stood back a safe distance for his demonstration.

"Jaune, your semblance is _incredible!_ " she declared as she took him by the shoulders, practically beaming at him. "I knew you had potential in you, but _this_ …this is more powerful than anything I've ever seen!"

Jaune smiled, blushing under the praise.

"Heheh…" he chuckled nervously to himself. "I guess I _have_ been training pretty hard…"

Pyrrha glanced at the site of the impact and then back to Jaune, seeming reluctant to let go of him, but her curiosity got the better of her as she went over to inspect the damage he'd done to the anvil and the wall.

"So you say Indominance makes you become an immovable object for a brief instant?" she said out loud as she touched the anvil, wincing and recoiling at the latent heat. "You know, there's a famous paradox of the immovable object and the unstoppable force. Have you heard of it?"

Jaune shrugged as he stepped over to her and listened as she worked out the details in her head.

"Sorta…" he replied. "Just that no one knows what would happen if one ever ran into the other."

Pyrrha stood up and began pacing about the training room, tapping her finger to her chin.

"Well, if you think about it, the two things are one in the same," she said, rattling off what she knew as if trying to solve a puzzle. "An unstoppable force is just an immovable object that's already in motion. So when you activate your semblance while your body's in motion, you also consequently become an unstoppable force."

She gestured to the bent and useless anvil on the floor.

"When you activate Indominance _while_ swinging your sword, for instance, your sword becomes _literally unstoppable!_ " she said with an incredulous laugh. "Whatever your sword can't _cut_ , it simply _shoves_ out of the way with sheer blunt force! Either way, the sword _doesn't_ stop moving – it _can't_. The object in its way is ultimately what has to give. No matter _how_ big or heavy it is."

Jaune stared at his sword in newfound amazement.

"Just how powerful is this thing?" he breathed in disbelief.

Pyrrha stepped over to him and put her hand on his chest.

"It's not the _sword_ , Jaune," she shook her head dismissively. "It's _you_."

Jaune blushed under the praise.

"Oh, stop…" he chuckled nervously.

It felt so surreal to be talking to Pyrrha like this again. He hadn't seen her for almost a year, and now she was back, speaking candidly to him just like they had in the old days. It was like she'd never left. It was unnerving! Even after a few days of training, he still hadn't quite adjusted to the feeling. Every time he looked at her, he didn't know whether to throw his arms around her, scream for joy, or run away in a panic. And he couldn't imagine she was handling the situation any better, though he'd never guess it by looking at her.

Running through these training drills and going through the motions of working together like they used to helped to ground them both. Which was probably why she was so insistent on doing so as frequently as they did. It also gave them plenty of excuses to spend time together, which suited him just fine. He had barely left her side since he'd arrived in Atlas, and she had made no attempt to push him away. Ren and Nora and Ruby and many of their other teammates had sought her out in on occasion to train with aura linking, and Pyrrha's attention had been called away during those moments. But for the most part, the two of them had spent every waking moment together.

Pyrrha's return hadn't exactly been smooth sailing for everyone. Word of the rogue Huntress had reached even Atlas' ears, so Pyrrha spent most of her time sequestered in the Citadel, lest someone on the streets recognize her. Jaune had tried to convince her to spend some time outside and get some fresh air, even if it involved wearing a disguise, but she didn't seem terribly inclined. Jaune had not tried to force the issue. Over the course of time they had spent together, Jaune had gotten bits and pieces of what had happened to her in the time they were apart. She wasn't sure how she survived the battle of Beacon, just that it had something to do with Cinder, her circlet and the strange mirror she had been trapped inside of, something she referred to as the Shadowglass. He had also learned of Ozpin's teachings, and that the secret art of aura linking he had taught her had been what ultimately allowed her to escape.

There were some parts to her story that he and the others didn't fully understand. Like how she was still connected to the Fall Maiden, or how Cinder had held sway over her, or how Ozpin's death had affected Ruby's uncle, but Jaune didn't force the issue with her. Ruby and the others had all tried pressing her for details, especially General Ironwood. When Pyrrha's intel had run dry, some of them had even asked Jaune if he could try talking with her about what she knew, since he spent the most time with her out of all of them. This was something he wasn't all too comfortable doing. He could tell that even _thinking_ about it clearly brought Pyrrha pain. So he allowed her time to adjust and acclimate to her new surroundings.

After pair of heavy service mechs had retrieved the anvil and left the training room, Pyrrha turned to Jaune and backed away from him, drawing her weapons.

"Come on," she beckoned with her shield. "I want to see how far you've progressed in your sword training."

Jaune shrugged and extended his scabbard out into its full shield form, bringing his sword up to face her.

"Okay," he nodded slowly. "But I haven't gotten _that_ good since we last trained together…"

Pyrrha smiled playfully, before lunging at him with her short sword, his shield coming up to block, and he riposted with a flick of his wrist, swiping at her with the edge of his blade. She dodged out of the way and squared off against him, putting her shield up with her sword raised overhead in a familiar defensive stance.

"Ok, Jaune," Pyrrha teased. "Let's see what you can do."

Jaune came charging with his shield, activating his semblance just as it made contact with hers. There was a bright flash of light as the two shields collided, and she was forced into a backwards roll. She regained her footing, swiping at his legs with her sword. Rather than dodge, however, Jaune just used his semblance on his shoes, and Pyrrha's sword bounced harmlessly off his brightly lit feet. And when Jaune's sword came down at her, she was forced to raise her sword, placing her hand on the blade to brace for impact as she blocked his blow.

"Not bad," she commented wrly.

Jaune didn't let the compliment go to his head. He withdrew in time to dodge her next attack, withdrawing to a safer distance as she approached. Saving his aura, he continued to avoid her attacks, blocking and parrying those that he couldn't dodge. Then came a strike that he couldn't block or dodge, and he managed to indominate his shoulder armor to absorb the blow in a shower of golden sparks, using the time he'd spared himself to press into a counter-attack.

Pyrrha quickly withdrew from his sword swing and smiled, catching her breath.

"Very good!" she commented, brushing her hair out of her face, clearly missing the use of her circlet. "You use almost the same amount of aura blocking an attack with your semblance as you do receiving damage, so rather than let it go to waste, you turn it into an opportunity to catch your opponent off guard."

Jaune nodded, taking mental notes for how to take advantage of this in the future. The wider an area his semblance covered, the more aura it used. But if he made the area affected too small, he risked the incoming strike hitting him in an unprotected area, which would effectively double the amount of aura lost in the endeavor. It was a delicate balance. He would have to experiment with indominating specific parts of his sword and shield, rather than the entire weapon. If he miscalculated an area on his shield, it would still block normally. And if he knew his sword strike would hit its mark, he could try indominating just its edge, ensuring a keen cut without expending quite so much aura.

As he thought about it however, he wasn't quite paying attention to Pyrrha, who managed to knock his shield away with a swift strike.

"Eyes on me, Jaune," Pyrrha warned, extending her sword into a lance to give her the range advantage.

Jaune took his sword in both hands and refocused his attention on her. This would take careful timing.

As she thrusted at him with her spear, he parried. As he did, he indominated his sword, knocking her spear back much harder than he ever could with his own strength, a blinding flash of light bursting as it struck. Pyrrha recovered quickly, however and thrust with her spear again. And again, Jaune countered with his semblance, knocking her back with a flash of light.

"You can't keep that up forever, Jaune," Pyrrha warned. "You have a good deal of aura, but it's not limitless."

Jaune deflected her once again, and again, she brought her spear back to bear in time to prevent a counter attack. The fourth time she struck, however, instead of parrying, Jaune dodged, instead turning to strike directly at her shield with his indominated sword. The force of the blow caught her so off guard that it struck the shield from her arm, sending Pyrrha toppling over.

"Whoa!" Pyrrha shouted in alarm.

Jaune widened his eyes, for a moment worrying that he'd hurt her. But she quickly recovered, grabbing her spear with both hands, a look of determination on her face.

"Don't hold back!" she crowed fiercely.

Jaune was panting for breath. He was burning through his aura like candy, and he was almost at his limit. But Pyrrha too looked like she was out of breath. He had never sparred with her in such a close match before. It almost seemed like it was too easy.

Jaune gripped his sword and prepared an overhead strike, making his attack as obvious as possible, hoping she would see it coming.

She did, and exhausted as she was, she finally employed her own semblance, and used her polarity to snatch the sword from his hands, sending it flying towards her open palm.

Jaune was thrown off balance, but he didn't need balance to employ his semblance. He indominated his sword as it flew, making it glow bright white. As Pyrrha caught the weapon by the handle, it continued to fly forward, an unstoppable force yanking her arm backwards and throwing her off balance.

"Whoa!" she cried as the sword continued to fly unimpeded through the air, dragging her along with it as it if weighed a thousand pounds.

Jaune saw his opportunity to strike, and he used his already tumbling forward momentum to tackle her, throwing her already teetering form to the ground, grabbing her own sword and resting the edge of her own blade across her neck where she lay on her back. His semblance wore off on the sword, and it clattered to the ground beside them with a crash.

Pyrrha's eyes flew open as she felt the cold steel of Miló against her skin, air rushing into and out of her lungs as she lay on her back with Jaune's body on top of hers. She blinked a few times, still somewhat stunned by his performance.

"Wow…" she breathed in disbelief. "Jaune, you've really improved…"

The corner of his lip rose as he stared down at her, before shaking his head, slowly getting off of her, standing up and offering a hand up.

"You were going easy on me," he said simply.

Pyrrha furrowed her brow as she reached up to take his hand.

"What?" she asked, confused, as she slowly got to her feet. "No I wasn't."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? That felt a lot easier than the times we've sparred in the past."

Pyrrha sighed as she adopted a grim expression.

"Technically…when we last fought…I wasn't in control of myself," she said darkly.

Jaune shook his head. "That wasn't _you_ fighting me. Not really."

"But it _was_ my skill being used," she countered, bitterly. "And what's worse…when I was under her control, not only was I _not_ holding back, but I was fighting without _any_ regard for my own safety as well. I was fighting in a way that _no_ sane Huntress would ever fight. I would never fight _anyone_ that hard normally. I don't think I even fought _Cinder_ as hard as I did as her thrall, and _that_ was the most desperate fight of my life."

"That wasn't _you_ , Pyrrha," Jaune shook his head vehemently. "As far as I'm concerned, the last time you and I ever sparred together was almost a year ago."

Pyrrha shook her head reassuringly. "Well…you've gotten a lot better in that time, Jaune. And also…"

Her expression fell as realization dawned on her.

"Well, loathe as I am to admit it," she said slowly, "I doubt I'm as good as I used to be anymore."

Jaune looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" Pyrrha said, shakily. "You've been training for the last year non-stop, whereas I haven't. I also haven't exactly been in…what you would call a _healthy environment_ for the past year either, so my strength has diminished somewhat. And also…well…"

She wrapped her arms around herself as she started to shiver.

Jaune's arms immediately came around her.

"Pyrrha?" he asked softly. "What's bothering you? Please, you can tell me."

Pyrrha bit her lip as she looked into his eyes as if begging for forgiveness.

"It's…it's just that…" she muttered shakily. "This isn't even my real _body_ anymore, Jaune."

Jaune's eyebrows narrowed. "What?"

Pyrrha shook her head.

"My real body was destroyed a year ago back at Beacon," she shuddered. "This one's just a copy. A fake. An artificial form created by the power of the Fall Maiden, or…maybe the power of the Shadowglass…or some combination of the two. I don't know. All I know is, it's not the one my parents gave me. It's not the body I was born with."

Jaune continued to hold her, though his eyes spoke only concern and hesitation. Pyrrha just leaned into his embrace, continuing to shiver and shake as the truth spilled out of her like so much water.

Her eyes remained closed as she held onto him for comfort. It felt good to be in his arms, and she longed for nothing more. But it felt wrong. It felt unfair to him, that he should hold such an abomination so closely. Everything she was now was a sin against nature. Her very existence spat in the face of everything the Maidens and the Huntsmen stood for. What right did she have to enjoy his touch in such a form?

Her attention was drawn back to him when he touched her chin, bringing her eyes to his own.

"Well, speaking as an outsider looking in," Jaune smiled, "Whoever made this body sure did a good job. It sure as hell _looks_ like it's you."

Pyrrha stared at him wide eyed as he brought his hand to her cheek, stroking his palm across her face.

"And it sure _feels_ like it's you," he added. "And it _sounds_ like you too."

Pyrrha quivered beneath his touch. "Jaune…"

He shook his head. "From what I can see, you're still _every_ bit the same amazing, powerful… _beautiful_ girl that I knew from before."

Pyrrha felt herself blushing and couldn't stop herself. "You just… _say_ these things, Jaune. Things I couldn't possibly believe…"

Jaune cracked a smile and adopted a joking tone.

"Well, would it help if I said it wasn't a _perfect_ copy?" he smirked, holding up a finger as if chastising her. "I mean, you're looking a lot paler than before. I know you spent the last year in some creepy mirror, but if you ask me, you should be spending more time out in the sunshine rather than holed up here in the Citadel."

Pyrrha shook her head, chuckling as Jaune took on the voice of a concerned parent. "Jaune…"

"And now that you mention it, you're looking kind of scrawny too!" Jaune japed, poking her in the ribcage. "Have you been getting enough to eat, young lady?"

Pyrrha burst out into laughter as she squirmed at his poking, swatting at him. "Ahahaha! _Jaune!_ "

Jaune grinned, shaking his head dismissively.

"Pyrrha," he sighed. "A body's just a body. It's the girl who lives in that body who matters to me…"

He took her hand in his, clutching between both hands as he stared into her eyes, smiling brightly.

" _That's_ the girl I fell in love with."

Pyrrha's cheeks were as red as her hair.

"My gosh, Jaune," she giggled shyly. "When did you become such a charmer?"

Jaune smirked. "Hey, I had my moments before, didn't I?"

"I suppose you did," she admitted, still smiling warmly.

Then her eyes lit up as a realization dawned on her.

"Hey!" she said in a delighted tone. "We should practice linking our auras. I know we were having difficulty before, but I've got a good feeling about it now."

Jaune practically rolled his eyes. "Aww… _more_ training?"

"Aura linking is different from sparring, Jaune," Pyrrha urged him on. "It requires compatibility of spirit, a special bond between the people linking together."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Well, how did you and Ruby's _uncle_ manage to pull it off?"

"It wasn't easy," Pyrrha shook her head. "But we had common ground. We were both prisoners, and we had both inherited an ancient power that neither of us fully understood. I'm pretty sure that it was _because_ of this power that we were able to link at all. If either of us had been out of touch with the the Maiden or Wizard within us, I doubt we could have linked at all."

She placed her hand on his chestplate.

"But the special type of bond required for aura linking…" she muttered shyly. "The kind that Ren and Nora have…or that Ruby shares with her whole team…that's something that you and I have…right?"

Jaune slowly nodded. "Well, when you put it that way…"

Pyrrha took his hands in hers, letting them rest at hip level.

"Come on, Jaune," she continued to urge him, giving him a playful wink. "I'll make it worth your while."

Jaune raised an eyebrow at that, but made no comment on her choice of words as he finally acquiesced.

"Alright," he allowed. "So remind me again how this works?"

Pyrrha squeezed his hands in hers.

"Just focus on your aura, Jaune," she instructed. "I know you can do it; you've been using your semblance with me all afternoon."

Jaune nodded, and slowly began to glow as his bright white aura began to radiate outward from his body.

"Okay, good," Pyrrha nodded as she too began to glow. "Now reach out and try to feel mine. It'll feel like two different auras intertwined, but it's still me. Me _and_ the Fall Maiden, I should say."

Jaune nodded and closed his eyes, his aura flaring outward and brushing against her own. It was almost like trying to apply his semblance to something outside his own body, which felt really weird. He couldn't imagine doing this with anyone else. With Ruby, it had been easy - she had practically done all the work for him. This time, it required effort. Every time he'd used his aura against another combatant in the past, their auras had naturally resisted one another. That was the whole point. They had been trying to force each other away. This was something different. It was a breaking down of defenses that honestly felt _wrong_ in a lot of ways. Doing it in front of a crowd before had certainly not helped. Having Ruby open the pathway first seemed to have made it a little easier. But while the two edges of his and Pyrrha's aura seemed to border on one another, they couldn't seem to ever actually touch.

Jaune's concentration began to waver, and Pyrrha took a breath.

"Okay, let's take a break," she suggested.

Jaune exhaled in relief.

"This is harder than it looks…" he sighed.

"It wouldn't be worth doing if it wasn't," she said.

Jaune looked down, feeling somewhat defeated. Twice now, he and Pyrrha had failed to link auras. Why had it been so easy with Ruby? Was he still nervous around Pyrrha? Or was it something else?

Staring down idly, he noticed that he and Pyrrha were still clasping their hands together. While the training had stopped, neither of them had seemed entirely willing to let go of one another.

An idea occurred to him.

"So…this joining of hands…thing…" he mentioned idly.

Pyrrha glanced down at their hands as she spoke.

"When linking auras, it's easier if there's some physical form of contact between the individuals," she explained simply.

Jaune hesitated for a moment longer before speaking again.

"Well…if physical contact helps us link," he stumbled over his words, his face coloring, "Then maybe it would help even _more_ if there was…I dunno… _more_ physical contact?"

Pyrrha's raised her eyes and stared at him, not expecting him to be so bold. He was looking away from her and blushing madly, and it had probably taken every ounce of his courage to make such a suggestion. Her lip curved into a smile as she felt heat rising in her cheeks as well.

"Alright…" she slowly said, stepping a little bit closer to him.

She let her arms slink up around his back, pressing herself against his chest and feeling his whole body tense as she wrapped herself around him, squeezing him tightly as her fingers dug into his back.

"There," she said softly as their auras began to glow once again. "Is that enough 'physical contact' for you?"

Jaune's stared down at her, red faced. She was looking up at him with a curious gaze, as if daring him to try anything further. He could practically feel her aura swimming around him, as his own no doubt enveloped her as well.

It was such a relief just to hold her again. But heaven forgive him, he wanted more.

"I was…actually thinking of something more like…this…" he said.

And then he leaned in to kiss her.

Her eyes widened in response. She was surprised, but she did not stop him. It felt just the way it had when they had first said goodbye. After the last kiss they shared, she hadn't expected him to ever kiss her again. There had been no time, no joy, no resolution. Just desperation and sadness. This time, they had a chance to explore those feelings, to realize just what it entailed. This time, they could finally take the time to indulge in one another and savor the depth of their feelings for one another. This time, they actually had time enough for love.

As their auras flared in response to the kiss, they could not help but wash over each other. As Jaune felt his mind swimming in passion, suddenly Pyrrha's aura was not only surrounding him, but empowering him, as if her aura was his to tap into, giving him twice the energy in his bones than he had before. Just as suddenly, she too was strengthened by the bond, her body and spirit bolstered by his rich and plentiful aura. As the two auras finally became one, the two of them finally felt whole again after so much time apart.

Innocence and circumstance had first brought them together. Destiny and tragedy had torn them apart. And now, hope and courage had seen them rejoined once more.

When their lips parted, Pyrrha was gazing at him in dearly, and wondering why she had waited so long, why she had let these feelings go unspoken for so much time. Every excuse she could think of was just that – an excuse. She had upheld her duty, and that had meant giving up on her life with Jaune and everyone else. It was unfair to her team, it had been unfair to him, and it had been unfair to herself. Even if it had been the right thing to do.

As if empathizing with her internal conflict, tears began welling up in Jaune's eyes.

Pyrrha blinked in concern. "Jaune…?"

All of the suddenly, he threw his arms around her, squeezing her to him as tightly as he could, nearly crushing her with his embrace. The days of pretending that nothing was wrong and that nothing hurt had finally broken his resolve. The time they had spent training together and acting as though everything was alright could be sustained no longer. His tears flowed openly and he poured himself into her, his grief, his loss, his loneliness. It all came spilling out all at once.

"J-Jaune!" Pyrrha gasped as he squeezed the air from her lungs. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head in disbelief.

"Why…?" he pleaded softly, his whispered breath touching her ear. "Why did it have to be you?"

Pyrrha felt tears welling up in her own eyes as well. She had a feeling she knew what he was getting at.

"Jaune…" she breathed.

"Why did you have to leave me like that, Pyrrha?" he demanded, shaking his head, eyes hidden behind tears and golden locks of hair. "Why did you have to push me away? Why did you have to be the hero? Why did you have to be so brave?"

"I…Jaune, I…" she whimpered, her heart breaking as she thought back to that day, when her world was falling apart all around her. "I'm…I'm _so_ sorry…"

Pyrrha closed her eyes, the tears falling in earnest now. She could remember it so clearly, the fear she had felt, the desperation, the anguish, the feeling of being trapped with no way out. The battle of Beacon had taken so much from them all, and the choice she had been left with had been the most difficult one of her life. She knew now that no matter how things would have gone, that she would always have made that choice. But that would never make it hurt any less to make.

"Why…?" Jaune was still shaking his head. "Why did it have to be _you_ …?"

Pyrrha shook her head.

"I don't know, Jaune…" she said slowly. "Maybe it was my destiny."

"According to _who?_ " Jaune wailed, burying his face in the crook of her neck. " _Who_ went and decided that _you_ had to be a sacrifice!?"

Pyrrha closed her eyes tightly. She had no answer for him.

"Next time…" Jaune breathed haltingly. "The next time there's a sacrifice play to make, I'm _not_ letting you take it! Next time…let _me_ be the hero, alright!?"

Pyrrha shook her head, her mind already inventing so many horrible possibilities for where this line of thought was taking him.

"Jaune…" she whimpered.

"I'll sacrifice myself if I have to, but I'm _not_ losing you again, Pyrrha!" he withdrew his head, holding her at arms' length and squeezing her tightly by the shoulders. "I can't! I _won't!_ "

Pyrrha wept as Jaune continued to ask the impossible of her.

"Jaune…" she shuddered.

"Promise me, Pyrrha…" he pleaded with her. "Don't ask me to live through another sacrifice…"

Pyrrha touched a finger to his lips. It broke her heart to know that this was a promise she could never keep.

"You know I can't do that, Jaune…" she said sadly. "The things I've seen…the things I've _done_ …I would _never_ wish that on _anyone_ in this world…least of all, _you_."

She reached out to him and cupped his cheeks in her hands.

"I would gladly relive it _all_ over again," she breathed through her tears. "I would gladly suffer the last year a thousand times over…if it meant sparing you or anyone else that same pain…"

Jaune reached up and squeezed one of her hands in his own, taking a deep and shuddering breath.

"Heh…" he exhaled. "I guess I should have expected you to say that…"

Pyrrha rested her forehead against his.

"Please don't worry, Jaune," she urged him somberly. "We can link now. My power is yours whenever I'm near, as yours is mine."

She held up her left arm, clenching her fist, her bracer glowing hot white as she tapped into Jaune's semblance.

"Together, we're unstoppable," she said fiercely.

Jaune hesitated, before reaching for his sword where it lay on the floor. Within moments, it was ensconced in a black aura, and slowly lifted off the ground, floating on a bed of magnetic energy over towards his hand as he clasped it.

He smiled at her.

"If you put it that way, I may decide never to leave your side," he said, only half-jokingly as he set his sword back down.

Pyrrha wrapped her arms around him once more, pressing herself into his embrace.

"I wouldn't have it any other way…" she said, kissing him again.

Jaune blushed as her hands came up around his head, her fingers tangling through his golden locks.

"Pyrrha…" he breathed euphorically, giving her a curious look. "What are you…?"

"Shhh…" she shushed him, adopting a more playful smile. "I _did_ say that I'd make our training session worth your while, didn't I?"

She closed her eyes as she kissed him again, this time much more passionately. Jaune felt every hair on his body stand on end, her lips like lightning on his own. Her fingertips pressed into his skin, her lithe form molding to his, her lips hungry for his own. He felt such need and such passion in her kiss, as countless days of hopelessness spent in isolation and fear slowly unwound inside her. Her pain reflected his own, and Jaune felt his own lost days spent in mourning come rising to the surface.

He remembered how lost he felt, how miserable, how cold. Learning that she had returned as some kind of phantom had only brought that raw pain to the surface. Each day after that had been torture, knowing that she wasn't truly dead. No matter how much his team had urged him, no matter how his logical mind told him, his heart had refused to let her go. Deep inside, he had held out the hope that this day would finally come. And now that it had arrived, he couldn't bear to hold it in any longer.

"I love you, Pyrrha," he blurted without thinking.

Pyrrha froze at his words, and for a moment, Jaune worried that he had said too much. She began to shake and shiver, her grip tightening around his body.

"Pyrrha?" he asked quietly when he realized she was crying.

She sniffed and looked up at him, her eyes already red from tears.

"I never…thought I'd see you again, Jaune…" she whimpered, her words coming out in soft, hitching gasps. "It hurt…it hurt so much…and every waking moment was like a _nightmare!_ "

Her words came spilling out all at once.

"I did her bidding…" she cried. "I hunted…I _killed_ …"

Jaune's heart broke the more she spoke, and the more she spoke, the tighter he held her.

"I was trapped and so alone!" she wailed. "A prisoner in my own body! There were days where I _pleaded_ for her to let me die! I didn't…I couldn't…I was so _lost_ , Jaune! It was a miracle that I wasn't simply driven _mad!_ "

She placed a hand on his chest.

"The only thing…" she said with a quavering voice. "The only thought that kept me going…was the hope that one day, I'd see you again…"

Jaune's eyes watered at her confession, brushing the back of his hand against her cheek.

"Pyrrha…" he breathed.

She threw her arms around his shoulders, squeezing him as tightly as she could.

"I love you, Jaune Arc," she cried, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "I can't even _begin_ to tell you how _much_ …"

Jaune's heart ached in his chest and he held his partner in his arms. He knew they weren't out of the woods yet. He knew there were battles left to come, challenges yet to face. Pyrrha may have escaped, but the monster who did this to her was still out there. As long as she was, the world of Remnant would be in danger. But as much as he longed to protect the world of Remnant, in that moment, the thought of making her pay for what she did to Pyrrha was so much powerful.

"Don't worry, Pyrrha," he said soothingly as he stroked her back. "I promise, I won't let anything come between us again…"


	81. Chapter 81

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 81

* * *

Nora stretched her arms high in the air as she and Ren meandered down the narrow corridor leading towards the training rooms. Life on the road had been tough, but ever since they'd enlisted with Atlas, the accommodations had been top notch. While airships and Citadel bunks were not necessarily the most spacious, they were certainly comfortable, at least for Special Operatives (which Nora had determined was the catch-all term for any official licensed Huntsmen or Huntress that worked for the state). At first she had been suspicious about the offer to enlist with Atlas. After all, why would Atlas extend such an offer to a couple of nobodies from Vale? Then Ren had reminded her that Atlas' entire mechanized troop base had effectively been neutralized by Cinder's virus. And while it may be possible that Atlas might someday reinstate the Atlesian Knights, for the time being, Atlas was hurting for Huntsmen. Nora and her team were accepted with open arms.

The fact that she had been tied to a team that had been made into the general's personal strike team was just a fringe benefit.

"It's so nice to have Pyrrha back," she commented happily.

Ren nodded as he strode beside her. "I still have trouble believing it. How does someone come back from the dead like that?"

Nora shrugged off his query. "I'm sure Ruby and Jaune will figure it out. Right now, I just want to spend as much time together as a team as we can."

"Right," Ren agreed. "Training with aura linking has opened up quite a few opportunities for us."

Nora winked at him slyly. "Yeah. Maybe _you_ won't get knocked out within five seconds of running into trouble with my aura boosting you now."

Ren did not rise to her baiting. "It certainly would improve our odds. Just make sure never to use my semblance when we're linked unless it's an emergency."

Nora nodded sullenly. "I know, I know, no need to keep telling me."

"I'm serious Nora," Ren pursed his lips. "There's a reason that I don't-"

"I know!" she intoned sharply, interrupting him. "I was there too, remember? The last thing I'm going to do is try for a repeat of _that_ incident…"

Ren wrinkled his nose, looking uncomfortable.

"I just worry about you," he said softly. "The idea of sharing my semblance scares me a little. I was taken completely off guard when it emerged. It could just as easily happen to you if you're not careful."

"I'll be careful, Ren!" Nora assured him maternally as she thumbed the switch to open the training room door. "You don't have to worry about…"

Her voice trailed off when she noticed that the room was occupied. By a Huntsman and Huntress pair that didn't seem to realize that they were being watched.

CRUNCH!

The door slid shut, and Ren glanced down at the thumb-switch that Nora had just keyed. There was a ring of cracks in the wall around it, and Nora's hand seemed to have slammed so deep inside the switch that sparks crackled around its broken exterior.

"Is…something wrong, Nora?" Ren asked, blithely.

Nora spun on her heel and fixed Ren with the widest smile he had ever seen her make.

"Hey Ren, I've got an idea!" she said a little too cheerfully. "How about, instead of training this afternoon, why don't you take me out for ice cream instead!?"

Ren raised an eyebrow, looking totally confused.

"But Nora…" he began, "We blocked off the whole afternoon for-"

He was halted in his tracks when Nora seized him by the hand, a manic look in her eyes.

"Ren, take me out for ice cream _right now!_ " she blared, yanking him away from the door and dragging him down the hall.

Ren quietly acquiesced as Nora sped him away from the training room, down the thirty-six flights of stairs, out the main doors of the Atlesian Citadel, and down the busy city streets until they reached the market district to find a food vendor stall.

Moments later, Nora was holding a giant waffle cone in her hands, stacked with no less five heaping scoops of technicolor ice cream, ranging in flavor from strawberry, peach, mango, raspberry and kumquat.

"Thank you, Ren!" she beamed gleefully as she dipped a spoon into the sweet confectionery and began shoveling ice cream into her mouth.

Ren sat across from her at a set of metal tables and chairs in the outdoor seating area of the market district, a single scoop of green tea ice cream in a small plastic cup in his hands.

"I suppose it's nice to take some time out from training," Ren admitted idly as he slowly nibbled at his ice cream. "We've spent so much time worrying about the Grimm and trying to master aura linking that we hardly get to do anything else."

Nora spooned an entire scoop of ice cream into her mouth.

"I know, right!?" she trilled happily, before wincing suddenly. "Nnnnnng! Ice cream headache!"

Ren chuckled gently. "Well, maybe you shouldn't eat so much at once."

"That's quitter-talk!" Nora grunted as she shoveled another scoop of ice cream into her mouth, grunting in pain. "Rrrrrnnnnng!"

Ren sighed wistfully. "You know, something that's supposed to be enjoyable shouldn't have to be this painful, Nora."

"Please, this is nothing!" Nora said to herself, stuffing another mouthful of sweet confectionery into her mouth. "Come on…work through the pain…work through the pain…"

Ren idly spooned at the creamy substance in his cup.

"Anyway," he said idly. "It was nice of you to give Jaune and Pyrrha some time alone."

Nora froze for a moment, before abruptly swallowing everything her mouth, before nearly choking and turning slightly purple and pounding her chest with her fist.

"Ungh!" she gasped. "Oh! Man! Ow! Blugh…"

Ren helpfully offered her a napkin which she gratefully accepted and wiped her face.

"So…" she wheezed, looking helplessly at him. "You saw them too, did you?"

"No," Ren admitted, shrugging slightly. "But it wasn't difficult to figure out based on your reaction."

Nora scratched her head bashfully. "Heeheeheehee…I guess I'm not very subtle, am I?"

"There's no shame in that," Ren shrugged, focusing on his bowl.

Nora seemed to hesitate, letting the tip of her ice cream cone rest atop the table they were sitting at.

"Do you think any of this will last…?" she asked lamentingly.

Ren glanced up at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Nora said, a sad look in her eyes. "I'm so glad that Pyrrha's back, and…and now, she and Jaune are just…so happy together…"

Ren nodded. "It is nice to have our team back together again. Ruby's a good leader, but team JNPR was never the same without Pyrrha."

Nora chewed on her lip. "But what's going to happen now? Cinder and the Grimm are still out there, and they're more powerful than ever! They tore us apart once before. What's to stop them from doing it again?"

Ren gave his partner a helpless look.

"Next time, we'll just have to be ready for them," he suggested. "We have to be."

Nora looked down at her melting ice cream.

"But what if it's not enough?" she asked sullenly. "What if we try our hardest, and they _still_ manage to tear us apart again?"

Ren shook his head. "Nora…"

"What if it's Jaune who's taken from us next time?" Nora demanded. "Or you? Ren, I…I don't know if I could be as strong as Jaune was all this time. I don't think I could…"

Nora dropped her ice cream on the hard metal surface, where it fell over and rolled around its cone, spilling ice cream everywhere, as she covered her face with her hands.

"I don't think I could _bear_ losing you like that, Ren…" she whimpered.

Her eyes lost focus when felt a slender hand reach across the table to clasp around hers.

"Nora…" Ren smiled, shaking his head. "I'm not going anywhere."

Nora glanced up at Ren, at the reassuring look in his eyes as he smiled at her, a look filled with care and confidence.

"And you're stronger than you think you are," he added, smiling wistfully. "You've been there for your team through every ordeal we've been through. We rely on you for so much. I know that I for one wouldn't be here if not for you, and really…you amaze me sometimes."

Nora found herself blushing. "Really?"

Ren reached out with his other hand to clasp her hand in both of his.

"I'm not the greatest with words, Nora," he said slowly. "So I don't say this as much as I should, but…"

Nora could have been imagining things, but she could swear that she saw his cheeks grow a faint red.

"If I'm being honest…" he said slowly. "I'd be far more lost without you then you'd be without me…"

Nora's eyes widened. "Ren…what are you talking about?"

Ren looked away, staring up at the citadel that still loomed over them like a tall arching monolith in the distance.

"You're much stronger than me, Nora," he explained. "Physically and emotionally. If I were to die tomorrow, you'd find a way to carry on. You'd take heart in the rest of your team and your friends, and you'd find the courage to keep soldiering on without me. But me…"

Ren rested his arms on the table in front of him.

"If the situation were reversed and _I_ was left alive after _you'd_ been taken away…" he said fearfully "I…I don't know _what_ I'd do, Nora. I'd…I wouldn't be able to do _anything_ …I would just… _stop_ …"

Nora wanted to say something, anything, as Ren spoke to her. Her mouth was hanging open and she felt like she was trembling, but she couldn't seem to find the words.

"I don't know how Jaune managed for so long," he continued. "Living without his partner like that. I can only assume that, deep down, he's just…stronger than I am…"

Ren raised his eyes to meet hers, and he too looked like he was trembling.

"You see?" he said, shaking his head. "This is why I don't like talking about this stuff. I hate having to imagine it. I don't want to imagine a world without _you_ in it, Nora. That would just…that would just be too sad…"

Ren probably would have gotten more out, but at that moment, Nora jumped out of her chair, knocking it over on the patio, and threw her arms around the boy, squeezing him tightly.

"Shut up!" she blubbered, tears in her eyes. "Shut up! Shut up! Don't _say_ things like that, Ren!"

Ren blinked and stared in stunned silence as she embraced him, earning them stares from the passerbies.

"You're not supposed to be the one to get all sappy on me!" Nora wept. "You're not supposed to make me cry like this!"

"Nora…" Ren stammered, evidently unsure what he did wrong.

"You're _wrong_ , Ren!" she declared angrily. "You're _not_ weak! And _I'm_ not that strong! I'd be _just_ as lost as you would be, Ren! Don't you _dare_ go thinking you can just die on me and that I'd be alright afterward!"

Ren's brows narrowed as he gripped her by the shoulders.

"Nora…" he said, shaking his head. "I wasn't suggesting that…"

"Then don't say things like that!" Nora whined, thrumming her fists into his chest. "You're just gonna make me worry about it more and more!"

Ren tried to smile and lighten the mood.

"Then maybe we shouldn't worry about hypotheticals and what-ifs," he said, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "Right now, we should just enjoy the time that we do have together."

He touched her chin, bringing her eyes up to meet his.

"You, me, Jaune, Pyrrha, all of us as a team…" he breathed gently. "You asked me if I think that any of it can last. And the only answer I can of is that…it will last as long as it can last."

Nora gave him a pitiful look. "But will it be enough?"

Ren shook his head. "Will anything ever be enough? Life is transient, Nora. All life is change, for better or worse. All we can do is enjoy what we have now, and find ways to move on when the time comes."

Nora withdrew from her partner, pouting somberly as she picked up her chair and sat back down. She knew he was right, but she was still unhappy about it.

"You're really not good at these pep talks, Ren," she stuck her tongue out and wiped her eyes.

Ren shrugged helplessly. "I told you, I'm not good with words."

Nora frowned and picked up her ice cream cone off the table, looking in dismay as most of its contents had melted and dribbled across the table.

"Mmmmrph…" she grumbled despondently. "And now my ice cream is ruined…"

"Here…" Ren sighed and offered a spoonful from his cup. "You can have some of mine."

Nora still looked unhappy as she opened her mouth to receive a bite of ice cream, before sticking her tongue out and making a disgusted noise.

"Ugh…" she groaned. "Who puts green tea in ice cream? Bleh…"

Ren gave her partner a wounded expression. "Is it that bad?"

Nora swallowed the bitter tasting concoction, and looked up at the boy. His kind and caring nature had been a constant in her life, and one that she would be loath to part with. He always looked out for her, whether she liked it or not. Even if the medicine he offered was a bitter pill to swallow, it was treatment that she would have to be a fool to turn down.

"Well…I guess it's not _so_ bad…" she allowed, opening her mouth for another bite.

Ren sighed and spooned another spoonful into her mouth.

"Happy to help, Nora," he smiled.


	82. Chapter 82

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 82

* * *

The Atlesian Citadel stood over eighty stories tall at the heart of the kingdom of Atlas. It towered over the rest of the buildings like a tall looming monolith. Every citizen of Atlas could peer out their windows, and position themselves relative to the Citadel. Even the SDC tower was dwarfed by the massive emblem of Atlas' government, academic and military might.

Encased within the tower were the kingdom's government offices, the military headquarters, the special forces unit, the main CCTS station (now virtually defunct) as well as the Huntsman academy. Adjacent to the Citadel was the main engineering and production facility for mechanized forces. The facility could ferry mechanized armor units directly in and out of the Citadel. Development had shifted towards manned units such as the Paladin class armor, ever since the Knight unit had become compromised. The kingdom's fleet also hovered all across the sky, some within the city limits, but mostly at its border, ready to repel anything that tried to enter Atlesian airspace.

Towards the top of the Citadel, near the now largely symbolic communication spire, were several lookout points, elevated platforms where agents and staff could step outside the Citadel and gaze out across the horizon and down upon the city. One of these platforms, protected by a tall, thick guardrail meshed with wire fencing, was occupied by a pair of Huntsmen that were taking the opportunity to catch up after a long time spent apart.

"So let me get this straight," Ruby said to her uncle as she leaned against the railing beside him. "You're…Professor Ozpin now?"

Qrow shook his head and reached over to grab her hood and tug it down over her face.

"Yeah, no," he said with a laugh as Ruby flailed. "I'm still me, kid. I just got a new job description, is all."

Ruby pulled her hood back so she could see again.

"Oh!" she said in understanding. "So you're going to be the new headmaster of Beacon?"

Qrow sighed and shrugged.

"Maybe," he suggested. "When this is all over, I suppose _someone's_ gonna have to run things at Beacon once we retake Vale. But more importantly…"

Qrow withdrew Ozpin's cane from the sheath behind his back.

"I'm the Wizard now," he said simply, staring at his teacher's old weapon.

Ruby gazed up at him curiously.

"The Wizard from the fairy tale?" she asked. "The one who gave the Maidens their power?"

"The same one," he nodded. "Apparently the Wizard's power is transferred from person to person, just like the Maidens. And I was just lucky enough to be Ozpin's chosen candidate."

Ruby studied Ozpin's cane, before turning her gaze back to her uncle.

"Why's your hair all gray now?" she asked bluntly. "I don't like it. It doesn't look like you anymore."

"Yeah…" Qrow sighed, reaching up to clasp a lock of his silver hair. "I'm still getting used to it myself. But I suppose there's no helping it. Just a side effect of inheriting the Wizard's power, I guess."

Ruby pursed her lips, evidently not quite satisfied with this answer, but her expression lightened after a moment's pause.

"Well, whatever this Wizard thing is, I'm just glad it helped you get away from Cinder," Ruby said forlornly. "You _and_ Pyrrha. I was worried sick about you, uncle Qrow! It was bad enough just thinking that Cinder killed my friend, but knowing she had you _both_ locked up and was messing with your heads like that is just…it just makes me sick!"

Qrow reached over and patted her head.

"Don't fret about it, kid," he said simply. "We're out now. Neither one of us was giving up without a fight. It just wasn't in the cards."

Ruby still looked forlorn, but her eyes lit up when another idea crossed her mind.

"So what can you do now that you're this Wizard?" she asked. "Can you use magic, like the Maidens?"

"Sort of," he allowed, re-sheathing his cane. "If the Maidens represent the primal energies of the world, the Wizard represents the passage of time along which those energies can act."

Ruby clasped the handrail in front of her and begun swinging her weight idly back and forth.

"So you can…like…manipulate time and stuff?" she asked as she dangled by her arms along the railing.

"A little bit," Qrow said as he turned to lean his back against the rail. "I haven't gotten a chance to practice much with it. Mostly it's just knowledge and wisdom going back thousands of years. Most of my time has been spent trying to sift through it all so I can figure out what to do next. A lot of what I've learned is kinda confusing and boring and wouldn't interest a kid like you."

Ruby pouted cutely. "I'm not a kid anymore, uncle Qrow! My team and I have been out on our own for most of the year! I lead my own strike force now!"

Qrow smiled, shaking his head with a sigh.

"You may be a leader, but you're still just a kid, Ruby," he said disparagingly. "You've still got a lot to learn, and a lot of mistakes to make before you learn them. Part of growing up and figuring yourself out is looking back and realizing what you've done right, what you've done wrong, and deciding how to live with both those things. Sometimes that'll involve making amends, sometimes that involve adjusting your priorities…but none of it will happen until you start getting some experience under your belt."

Ruby looked up at him helplessly.

"Uncle Qrow, I…" she stammered. "I _know_ I'm inexperienced. I _know_ I'm a lot younger than most of my teammates, and I…I _know_ I've been given more responsibility than most people my age. But…I just want you to know that I'm up to the task."

Qrow smiled. "I believe you are, Ruby. You know, your mother would be so proud of you."

Ruby smiled, beaming widely.

"Thanks," she grinned. "You know, we met the Summer Maiden in Vacuo. She knew my mother before…before she died."

Qrow nodded, his eyes glazing over as if peering back into his memories.

"Yeah…" he breathed. "Yeah, I think I remember her mentioning that kid a few times. Summer went on a mission there a while back, and saved a little girl and her family. Whenever she had time, she'd go back to visit Vacuo again just to see them. They were like a second family to her. Then again, _everyone_ your mom helped was like family to her. Her heart was just…"

Qrow turned to squeeze the handrail, closing his eyes.

"She had so much to give the world…" he exhaled sadly. "And was so ready to give all she had."

Ruby nodded, sighing despondently.

"I wish I'd gotten to know my mother a little better," she bit her lip. "I was so young when she died. It's like I'm only just beginning to understand who she was now that she's gone. I feel like there's so much more I could have learned from her…about the world, about being a Huntress, about the Maidens, and about these eyes…"

Qrow opened his mouth as if to say something, but stopped himself. He then let out a sigh, and shook his head.

"Your mother was a curiosity, Ruby," he finally said. "She lived by steadfast principles. She never held a grudge, never let anything hold her back, and never let anyone on her team do anything less than live up to our full potential. She brought out the best in all of us."

Ruby nodded, smiling fondly.

"When I was a little girl, she was always just 'Mom' to me," she nodded. "I knew she was a Huntress, but I never learned what that really meant until much later. I had no idea that she was _so_ many things to _so_ many other different people…and I could never have _imagined_ anything like her being a Guardian Maiden…"

"She was the best of us all," Qrow nodded sadly. "I know it's a lot to live up to, kid, but I really do believe you'd be doing her proud."

Ruby let out a sigh.

"Thanks uncle Qrow," she said, before biting her lip. "But…what about these silver eyes? I still have no idea how to use them or how they even work."

Qrow remained silent for a moment as he dug into more of his memories, his eyes taking on a vacant look. When he regained his focus, he blinked and shook his head.

"All I know is that it's a power based on the Maidens' magic," he said slowly. "An ancient power, a gift that the Maidens gave to the people of Remnant to protect them from the Grimm. As time passed, and we as a species passed on to each successive generation, more children inherited this power from their parents. But as we evolved, so too did the power the Maidens gave to us. Some children were born with slightly different abilities. And as the generations continued, our powers became so unique and distinct from one another as to be unrecognizable anymore. Until one day, our powers had become as unique as our names and our faces."

Ruby's eyes widened in realization.

"Semblance," she breathed in disbelief. "Silver eyes are…they were the _first_ semblance!"

Qrow nodded. "Those born with silver eyes are inheritors of the world's first semblance. Our semblances now are so wide and diverse as to be applied to any number of situations…but some would argue that they've also become more diluted, impure. Silver eyes indicate a purity of spirit, a direct bloodline connection to the first inheritors of the Maidens' gift. It was long thought that humanity had lost any connection to our ancestors of old, and that it was impossible for anyone to possess the silver eyed gene anymore…but clearly, you and your mother have proven otherwise. It must take a very specific set of genetic circumstances for someone to be born with this trait…but clearly it's still very much possible. And on top of that, silver eyes exhibit traits on top of your normal semblance. The two semblances have evolved to become so genetically distinct from one another that your body doesn't even consider them to be the same thing anymore."

Ruby pouted her lips. "But that still doesn't tell me how to _use_ it or tap into it or whatever! I've never been able to bring it out on command, and I've never been able to control it when it appeared! It's just sort of… _happened!_ "

Qrow shook his head. "No, I suppose not. I've only seen your mother use her power once, briefly. She didn't like to rely on it. I guess she wanted to get by on her own abilities or something. That would have been just like her. Either way, I'd guess that only another in possession of silver eyes would truly be able to teach you how to use them. And I don't know of anyone else in the world who has them."

Ruby grumbled in aggravation.

"Great…" she groaned. "So I've got one of the _coolest_ powers in the world, and I don't even know how to use it!"

"Maybe you'll figure it out one day," Qrow reassured her. "You just gotta keep at it."

Ruby continued to grumble. Qrow simply laughed.

"Hey uncle Qrow!" came a voice from behind them. " _There_ you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Ruby and Qrow turned to see Yang marching out the sliding glass door that lead from the Citadel to the observation platform.

"Hi Yang," Ruby said, trying to smile.

"Hey girl," Yang winked, hoisting a familiar looking weapon on her shoulder.

"Hey there, slugger," Qrow grinned as his other niece approached, glancing at the weapon on her back. "Is that what I think it is?"

Yang reached behind her back and withdrew Qrow's massive broadsword from over her shoulder, before presenting it to her uncle pommel first.

"Sure is," she nodded, smirking playfully. "Since you can't be bothered to keep track of your stuff, I went and gave that White Fang guy a good whooping for you. I wasn't about to let him keep it."

Qrow gazed oddly at his old sword, his jaw hanging somewhat slack as he looked upon it. As Ruby and Yang watched his reaction, both were surprised when he did not reach for it.

"Isn't that great, uncle Qrow?" Ruby offered, breaking the silence. "You've got your old sword back!"

Qrow blinked, as if woken from a stupor.

"Oh…" he exhaled, glancing at Yang and then back at his sword. "Right…Grímnir…"

He finally clasped his fingers around the handle of his weapon, lifting the blade up to look it over. He placed his other hand on the handle as well, straightening and adjusting his grip, as though re-familiarizing himself with the sword, turning it in his hands, feeling the weight in his hands.

Ruby glanced nervously up at him.

"What's wrong, uncle Qrow?" she asked, sounding concerned.

Qrow frowned, shaking his head in dismay.

"I don't know…" he said, gravely. "It's just a feeling I'm getting…"

Yang raised an eyebrow, suspiciously.

"What…sort of feeling?" she asked.

Qrow held the handle of his sword in one hand, the back of the blade in his other.

"The weird kind…" he said, an intense focus in his eyes. "Like this sword doesn't belong to me anymore…"

Ruby looked hurt. "What are you talking about, uncle Qrow? Of _course_ it belongs to you!"

Qrow narrowed his eyes.

"I…don't think it does anymore…" he shook his head. "I don't know if it's some wisdom passed on from the Wizard, or just my own neuroses eating me up inside…but either way, I don't think I can wield Grímnir anymore."

Yang and Ruby were both staring at their uncle aghast.

"But why!?" Ruby demanded.

"Yeah!" Yang added. "Are you hurt or something? Did Cinder do something to you while she had you locked up!?"

Ruby's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh no!" she said, a panicked look in her eyes. "I swear, uncle Qrow, if she's hurt you…"

Qrow held his hand up.

"Hey, relax!" he said urgently. "I'm fine, you guys. I may be a little worse for wear after the ordeal, but I'm still kicking. This is more about…moving on."

Yang gave her uncle a challenging look.

"Moving on?" she demanded.

"Yeah," Qrow said somberly. "I'm the Wizard now. I'm still a Huntsman, but I'm not the Hunstman I used to be. My role has changed."

He withdrew Ozpin's cane.

" _This_ …is my weapon now…" he said, before lifting his old sword. "This sword…should go to someone else…"

Ruby's eyes widened as her uncle held his sword out to her.

"You're…" she stammered, completely lost for words. "Uncle Qrow, you're…you're _giving_ me…Grímnir!?"

Qrow nodded somberly. "I am."

Yang's jaw dropped in response. "Whoa…score, Ruby!"

Ruby gazed at the clockwork weapon in amazement, wonder and joy in her eyes.

"But…but…" she floundered, too stunned for words. " _Why_ … _!?_ "

"You said it yourself, Ruby," her uncle said sagely. "You're not a kid anymore. You've earned this."

Ruby was still too shaken to respond.

"But…but what about _Yang!?_ " she blurted, looking at her sister for help. "She's the one who fought that White Fang guy for it! Doesn't _she_ deserve it more than I do!?"

Yang shook her head. "I don't use a scythe, Ruby. Besides…"

She swung a refurbished metal arm, this one prominently displaying her Ember Celica built into the wrist.

"I've already upgraded," she said with a grin. "Say hello to Ember Celica 2.0!"

Ruby had a panicked look in her eyes, too befuddled by the gift to even reach for it.

"I…I…" she stumbled over her words. "I…I can't! I…uncle Qrow, if _you're_ not fit to wield it, what in the _world_ makes you think _I_ am!? Besides, what about Crescent Rose!? I can't replace _her!_ How will that make her feel!?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Ruby, your weapon doesn't have any feelings one way or the other."

"Does too!" Ruby fixed her sister with a cold hard stare.

"Ruby," Qrow said calmingly. "I'm not asking you to wield Grímnir in battle. Not yet, anyway. Just…hold onto it. Keep it somewhere safe, until you're ready to use it."

Ruby gave the old man a curious look.

"Uncle Qrow?" she asked worriedly.

"Look…" he said with a sigh. "I haven't been there often enough for you. Either of you. And with my new responsibilities as the Wizard, there are going to be times where I'm called away again when you might need my help."

He took both his nieces by the shoulders, holding onto them both.

"I'd feel a whole lot better if _something_ of mine was keeping you two safe when I'm not there," he said, closing his eyes sadly. "Even if it's just an old sword."

Both girls seemed to get a little choked up at his words.

"Uncle Qrow…" Yang pursed her lips, her eyebrows knit in tension.

Qrow fixed the two girls with a forlorn expression.

"This is as much for my own peace of mind as it is for anything else," he sighed, giving Ruby a hopeful look. "Can you do this for me, kid?"

Ruby wiped the trickle of a tear from her eyes.

"Oh, uncle Qrow!" she sighed. "Of course I will! I'll keep your sword safe and sound!"

Qrow let out a breath of relief.

"Thanks kid," he said, fixing her with a kind smile. "Now listen carefully…this sword isn't like any other weapon either of you have seen."

Ruby gave him a curious look. "It's not?"

"No," Qrow shook his head. "My sister and I were both given special weapons by our parents, your great aunt and uncle Hugin and Munin."

Yang nodded. "I remember you told me about them once. They were Huntsmen too, weren't they?"

"Yeah," Qrow nodded. "And the weapons they gave us are known as Grimmslayers, which were supposed to be forged long ago by the first Huntsmen. According to legend, their steel was infused with silver dust which made them particularly lethal to anything so much as touched by the creatures of Grimm."

Ruby gave the sword a peculiar look. "Silver dust?"

Qrow just shrugged.

"I don't know if that's true or not, but what I _do_ know is that I've never had to sharpen it once in my life," he went on. "If the legend is true, there used to be twelve swords in all, but over time, they've been lost to history. Only these two remain, as far as I know…"

He placed a hand on his old sword, still in Ruby's hands.

"To me went Grímnir, the clockwork deathscythe…" he said soberly. "And to my sister went Midnight Dreary, the sword of many blades. We both trained vigorously over the years, but these swords are part of what made us one of the most effective Huntsmen teams in Vale."

"Midnight Dreary…right, my mom's sword…" Yang nodded to herself, before blinking in realization as a wave of guilt washed over her face. "Damn, that reminds me…Ruby, there's something I forgot to tell you…"

Ruby glanced at her sister. "What is it Yang?"

Yang tugged on her hair.

"I…meant to tell you earlier, but we've just been so rushed these past few weeks since I came back, and…there just hasn't been a good time…" she muttered. "But I can't keep putting it off, and now seems like as good a time as any…"

Ruby gave her sister a worried expression. "Yang, you're kinda scaring me here. Just tell me what it is!"

Yang sighed and hung her head.

"I found my mother," she said simply, looking at Ruby as if seeking her forgiveness. "I mean…my _other_ mother. She's alive, Ruby."

Ruby blinked in surprise.

"She is?" she breathed. "You mean…aunt Raven's still alive?"

Qrow scratched his head. " _Technically_ she'd be your step-mother, Ruby, but…yeah, she is."

Ruby ignored her uncle, her eyes filled with joy as she gleamed at her sister in delight.

"Yang, this is fantastic!" she beamed. "When did you find her!? What's she been doing all this time!?"

Yang bit her lip. "That's…the part you're not going to like, sis. I kind of found out all the way back in Vale, when we were on the train in Mountain Glen."

Ruby blinked in confusion. "You…you did?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah. After my fight with that girl with the pink hair. She…my mom saved my life."

Ruby shook her head. "But…Yang, why didn't you tell me then?"

Yang shook her head. "I was barely conscious when I first saw her, I didn't even think it was her at first. But then she…"

Yang clutched her mechanical arm with her good hand.

"She came to visit me when I was resting back home in Patch," she said forlornly. "She's the one who ultimately convinced me to come find you, Ruby."

Ruby's expression softened. "Oh, Yang…I wish you'd told me sooner."

Ruby threw her arms around her sister, who hugged her back, a soft expression on her face.

"I know…" Yang said remorsefully. "I just couldn't find the right time…"

Ruby withdrew and held Yang by the shoulders.

"We should go looking for her!" Ruby said, excitedly. "Maybe she's still out there!"

Qrow put his hands on both of their shoulders.

"Why don't you let _me_ worry about my sister?" he suggested. "You two still have an important job left to do. Ironwood's going to need you before too long, and you both could still use some practice with aura linking."

"Pfft," Ruby smirked. "Yang and I can link just fine!"

"Yeah!" Yang agreed, reaching out to put her hand on Ruby's shoulder, and before long, the two of them began to glow with a shared aura. "See?"

"With each other, maybe," Qrow nodded. "But what about with the rest of your teammates?"

"I can link with Blake pretty easily," Yang said.

"And Weiss can link with me," Ruby added. "And so can Jaune and Pyrrha and Velvet and…"

"But can you link with two people at the same time?" Qrow asked, interrupting her.

Ruby blinked. "What?"

Qrow grinned.

"I believe it might be possible to link three or more auras at once," he explained. "If two people linking can get a boost from their combined aura and allow both participants to use either semblance…imagine what would happen if you added a third member to the group?"

Ruby's eyes widened at the implication, and she shared a look with Yang.

"Do you think we could do it?" Ruby asked her curiously.

Yang punched a fist into her hand, a confident smile on her face.

"I think it's worth a try!"

Ruby nodded and looked at Qrow.

"Well, no time like the present," she reasoned, extending her hand. "Why don't we give a shot right now?"

Qrow glanced back and forth between the two Huntresses, before pointing a finger at himself.

"What, you two with me?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Sure!" Yang smirked. "We're family, aren't we? Should be easy for us!"

Qrow looked at his two nieces, both of whom were still linked together, and tentatively took Ruby's hand in his. He extended out with his aura, brushing across Ruby's aura, and was amazed by how strongly it reminded him of Summer Rose. She really did take after her mother it seemed.

He put the thought from his mind and tried to link with her. Aside from Pyrrha, he hadn't linked with anyone else before. It might have been a better idea to see how well he could link auras with Ruby or Yang individually, but his nieces were both headstrong, like their father, and neither were ones for beating around the bush it seemed.

However, when he tried to link with either of them, he instantly felt overwhelmed, like the radiant aura from the two combined forces was just too much for him.

"Hmmm…" he mused in consternation. "That's weird…"

Ruby and Yang both had their eyes closed in concentration, and Ruby opened one eye to look at him.

"Is it not working?" she asked.

"No, I think…" Qrow considered, pursing his lips in concentration. "The two of you are just _really_ powerful when you're joined like this. The Wizard's aura is substantial, but it's just not cut out for something like this."

"So, is this a bust then?" Yang asked, skeptically.

Qrow chewed on his tongue. He was not prepared to give up yet.

"Hang on…" he muttered in agitation. "I'm going to try something…"

He had been attempting to link with Ruby or Yang individually before. Each had been linked with each other, and every time he tried to open a passage to their individual aura, he received a backlash from the other girl who she was connected to.

But if he attempted to link to them both, simultaneously…

Qrow widened his attention, expanding his aura to fall over them both, and tried to connect to two different auras at once. It was awkward and cumbersome, fighting a war on two fronts. Both girls may have been linked, but the two of them were both profoundly different from one another. Yang took more strongly after her father, his hot headed and brash nature shining brightly through her. But Ruby was more like her mother, shy and kindly, but stouthearted and honest.

How Taiyang had managed to raise both of these girls after their moms had left was absolutely beyond him.

The flow of aura emanating from them both was overwhelming, but because he was linking to them both at once, he was able to funnel each pool of aura from one into the other in both directions. This created a feedback loop that allowed the link with one Huntress to feed into the other, just as they were feeding into each other through him. It was an overwhelming experience, and one that probably could not have managed with anyone else save for his own teammates.

But he loved these kids, and he would do anything to protect them. And so he stood firm as the link between the three of them final resolved into an outpouring of aura, the likes of which none of them had ever experienced.

"Whoa-ho!" Yang gasped out loud exuberantly, staggering from the force as all three of them glowed with power.

"Wow!" Ruby agreed, gazing at her hands. "It feels like I'm on fire!"

"I feel like I could fight for _days!_ " Yang crowed. "Or run across the continent! I've never _felt_ this energized before!"

Qrow smiled proudly.

"Amazing job, you two," he said, a soft expression on his face. "I knew you could pull this off."

Qrow watched as the two of them marveled at the raw power at their fingertips, as he too felt the energy they now shared. He had to agree that it was extraordinary.

But would it be enough to defeat the enemy? There was only one way to find out.

"Would either of you kids care to try flying?" he asked with a smile.

He would savor the delighted smiles on their faces for years to come afterwards.

A few minutes later, the three of them were in the air. Qrow had taken his traditional black crow form, while Ruby and Yang each bore a colored set of red and yellow feathers respectively. The three of them took off together, with Qrow guiding the two fledgling Huntresses under his wing.

 _'_ _Wheeee!'_ Ruby cried across the mental link as she flapped her wings, fluttering in delight. _'Hahahahahahaha!'_

 _'_ _This is_ amazing _, uncle Qrow!'_ Yang cheered as they flew in tandem. _'Is this how you get around all the time?'_

 _'_ _Usually only whenever speed or stealth are needed,'_ he mentally replied, soaring watchfully overhead. _'I don't really get to do this just for fun anymore.'_

 _'Oh, man, I never want to have to just_ walk _anywhere ever again!'_ Yang crowed. _'This is the_ only _way to travel!'_

 _'Yang, watch this!'_ Ruby shouted across the link, before banking into an aileron roll. _'Whoooooo!'_

 _'That's nothing! Check this out!'_ Yang retorted, before pulling a barrel roll, tossing and turning through the air. _'Whoah-ho!'_

The trio banked and swooped, soaring high above the towers of Atlas, the kingdom looming below like a city made of match sticks. The vehicles and pedestrians dotting the streets below looked like ants, walking to and from these matchsticks towers. And overhead and all around them, the Atlesian fleet made for an interesting obstacle course. The three Huntsmen in their bird form began to flap and dive beneath the titanic airships, which now seemed so much larger in their tiny feathery bodies.

 _'_ _You have to be careful in these bodies,'_ Qrow warned. _'They're not as a sturdy as your normal bodies. One stray round, a bad fall, or hell, even a larger bird or animal predator could easily take you out. These forms are meant for sneaking around, surveying the terrain, and making swift precise movements.'_

As he spoke, the two girls began to take faster and faster swoops, racing each other to see who could outpace the other. As Qrow followed behind them, he found himself falling behind, his larger body unable to keep up with theirs.

 _'_ _Hey, don't get too far ahead of me now,'_ he chastised as Ruby activated her semblance on top of Qrow's, granting her red bird form preternatural speed. _'We don't know how far our aura link can…'_

Before he even finished the thought, Ruby's bright red bird form disappeared in a cloud of rose petals and reappeared fifty feet away, still fluttering.

 _'_ _Ruby!'_ Qrow called out in warning.

She disappeared again, reappearing fifty feet farther out. This time, however, Qrow felt her aura grow faint a she suddenly lost control of his semblance as their auras became detached, and Qrow and Yang were abruptly left as the only ones sharing the link.

All of the sudden, Ruby shifted back to her human form. And she was still nearly two hundred feet in the air above the kingdom of Atlas.

"Yahhhhhhh!" Ruby cried out in surprise as she suddenly dropped out of the sky like a rock.

 _'_ _Ruby!'_ Qrow cried in alarm.

 _'_ _RUBY!'_ Yang shouted and dove after her.

 _'_ _Yang, wait!'_ Qrow urged across the mental link in alarm as he dove after her. _'Don't get too far ahead of me, or you'll change back too!'_

Yang wasn't listening. She plummeted downward, flapping her wings towards the ground to gain momentum as she hurled herself towards Ruby's falling form.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Ruby shouted, flailing her arms. She had left her weapons back at the Citadel, so she had no means to slow her fall, and the ground below was fast approaching.

 _'_ _Ruby!'_ Yang cried in alarm as she approached her. _'Link up! Link up with me!'_

"Yeaaaarrrggggghhhhh!" Ruby screamed unintelligibly. It wasn't even clear if she could see Yang at all, she was so discombobulated. The tiny people on the street had looked like ants before, but were not looking much, much larger than that.

 _'_ _Hang on, kid!'_ Qrow cried across the link as he dove after the two girls. _'I'm coming!'_

As he plummeted after his niece, Qrow shifted back to his human form, the winding whipping at his cape. He flipped in midair as he withdrew Ozpin's cane. With a wave of the metal shaft, he sent a pulse of green light which seemed to slow Ruby's descent, her flailing arms now moving much more slowly.

 _'_ _Uncle Qrow!'_ Yang called out in surprise.

Ruby's screaming voice began to take on an odd, deep tone, as if her voice was recorded and was played back in slow motion. She still thrashed about as if falling out of control, but her body now moved like she was moving through molasses.

Qrow too was slowing, as the two humans gently descended side by side towards the city streets, passing first the street lights and traffic signs, before Qrow's feet gently alighted on the concrete below, Ruby's slow moving body gently landing in his arms.

 _'_ _Uncle Qrow!'_ Yang shouted, as she fluttered down to the street, quickly transforming back to her human form, stumbling a bit from the unfamiliar transformation process, and staggering her way back to where her sister lay in his arms. "Ruby, are you alright!?"

Ruby's eyes seemed to struggle to track her sister's movements.

"Yaaaaaaannnnnggggg…?" she said deeply, with preternatural slowness.

Ruby still appeared to be moving in slow motion, her arms and body thrashing in labored motions, her voice an octave or two deeper than normal. But after a few moments, Qrow released the Wizard's semblance, and soon Ruby was moving and talking normally.

"Yang!?" Ruby blurted, quickly flailing out of Qrow's arms and landing on the ground. "Whoa!"

Yang helped her sister up as Qrow took a moment to catch his breath standing over her.

"Are you okay, Ruby?" he asked, concerned.

Ruby looked panicked up at her uncle, her body quivering from adrenaline.

"Uncle Qrow?" she blurted, looking confused. "I…I…yeah, I…I think so…"

Yang grabbed the young redhead by the shoulders, squeezing her tightly.

"Are you sure!?" she demanded, maternally. "You didn't break anything?"

"I'm fine, I…" Ruby stuttered, looking rattled but alive. "I'm fine."

Qrow released a breath of relief.

"That was _way_ too close," he commented grumpily. "The next time I tell you to wait, kid, do me a favor and _listen_ to me for once?"

Ruby scratched her head sheepishly.

"Ehhh…heheh…" she exhaled in relief. "Sorry uncle Qrow…"

Yang squeezed her sister preciously.

"Don't you scare me like that!" she growled angrily. "You hear me?"

"I'm sorry, Yang!" Ruby squirmed uncomfortable. "I won't do it again, okay? I promise…"

Yang and Ruby both took a breath and finally released one another.

"Good," Yang smiled.

"Alright now…" Qrow broke in. "Maybe we should finish this conversation _off_ the city streets?"

Ruby and Yang looked up, and only just then realized that they were right in the middle of a crowded intersection, dozens of cars ground to a halt heading in either direction, most of them honking their horns in aggravation at the traffic jam the trio were now causing.

Yang and Ruby exchanged a nervous glance.

"Uhhh…" Yang whispered. "Ruby? Show them your badge."

Ruby blinked in confusion. "Uhh…what?"

"Your Spec Ops badge," Yang hissed urgently. "Flash your badge. That should get us out of here without much fuss."

"Oh!" Ruby blurted, before fumbling for her wallet. "Right, umm…"

She pulled out her badge and held it high in the air.

"Atlesian Special Forces!" she called out in a tiny little authoritarian voice, looking around at all the people she could find, waving her badge vigorously. "Just testing out some…new…Special Forces training…stuff. Nothing to see here, folks! Go about your business and…yeah…"

That seemed to quiet most of the honking horns, and as Qrow and the two Huntresses quietly filed back onto the sidewalk, traffic resumed its normal course, allowing the three of them to proceed with their substantial hike back to the Citadel on foot.

"Well…" Qrow said idly as the tired Huntsmen trudged down the busy sidewalk back to their base of operations. "I'd say we learned some valuable lessons today…"

"Yeah," Ruby nodded vehemently. "Whenever you're linking auras, stick close to your buddy at all times!"

"Definitely," Yang nodded. "Still, we definitely proved that aura linking is possible with three people! Next time, let's try it with four!"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah! That way we could get all of Team RWBY to link up! We'd be unstoppable!"

Qrow nodded and laughed. "Now, now, hold your horses there, kiddo. I think you've still got a lot training to do before you're ready to tackle that. The only way I was able to link with you two is by linking with both of you at the same time. With four people, it'll be even harder. You'd basically have to do all that, _and_ have a fourth person form the link with _three_ people at once on top of it."

Yang put her hands on her hips. "We figured out triple aura linking easily enough. It shouldn't be too hard."

"We figured it out together cause we're family," Qrow pointed out. "Plus, I have the Wizard's semblance backing me up. I'd wager _he_ was the one who originally invented this technique in the first place. The three of us had an advantage that the rest of your team doesn't. You'll need to figure out a way to work around that when the time comes."

Yang wrapped her arm around Ruby's neck, mussing her hair with her other.

"Don't worry, uncle Qrow!" she smiled playfully. "I'll make sure she doesn't slack off."

"Hey!" Ruby growled, struggling against her sister's teasing. "Let me go! Yang!"

Yang just laughed as Ruby finally released herself.

"You can't do stuff like that to me anymore!" Ruby pointed her finger. "I'm your commanding officer now! I can assign you to sanitation duty any time I want!"

Yang held her hands up in mock fear. "Oooh, so scary Ruby. I'm shaking in my shoes over here."

"Insubordination!" Ruby's decree was as loud as it was cute. "I'll have you swabbing the decks for a _week_ for that!"

"Alright you two," Qrow chuckled. "Settle down. Just keep practicing your aura linking. And Ruby, don't be discouraged if you don't have all the answers to those silver eyes of yours just yet. I have a feeling the answers are just around the corner. They'll come to you one of these days."

Ruby nodded somberly. "Okay…"

Qrow smiled as he placed a hand on both his nieces' shoulders.

"Oh…" he said sternly. "And there is _one_ more thing you two can do for me while we're on the subject…"

Yang and Ruby gave their uncle an uncertain look.

"And that is?" Yang asked.

Qrow squeezed their shoulders roughly as he narrowed his eyebrows.

" _Call your father!_ " he said tersely. "The guy's been worried sick about you! I went to check on him a few times after each of you ran off, and he was practically in a tizzy! I did my best to stifle his concerns, but it's still been over two months since he's heard any news from either of you!"

Ruby and Yang both winced as they felt a wave of guilt wash over them.

"Ohh…" Ruby sighed. "Right…I guess I completely forgot to touch base with him after all we've been through…"

"How are we supposed to reach him?" Yang asked, helplessly. "The CCTS is still down."

"There's always the old fashioned way," Qrow crossed his arms. "The Atlesian fleet still supports a long range courier system with regular mail drops. As Special Operatives, you'd get priority access."

Ruby scratched her head. "You mean just write him a letter?"

"It might take a week or two to reach him," Qrow nodded. "But better late than never."

Ruby and Yang exchanged a determined look. It seemed like ages since the two of them had first left home as schoolgirls, setting off for Beacon with their sights on the future. Neither one of them could have imagined the journey ahead of them such as this one. And from the looks of things, it was shaping up to be a journey the two of them would never forget.

"Ok," Ruby nodded with a smile. "We'll do that."


	83. Chapter 83

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 82

* * *

Sun was genuinely impressed by how quickly Blake was adapting to her new weapons. She was able to take something that was more or less completely unfamiliar to her, and make it entirely her own. She could use both of her blades in a similar fashion to the way her sword and scabbard had been used on her original weapon, and now that they were both affixed to tethers, they were twice as effectively as ranged weapons, particularly now that she could recoil them with enough force to lift a tank.

And while this particular arrangement lacked any sort of firearm, she more than made up for it with her dust explosives. Her gun had never been a very effective tool, and even she would admit that she had used it more of a distraction or a deterrent rather than an actual means of dealing damage. With her dust grenades, she could be a much more effective guerilla fighter, allowing her to obscure her opponent's senses, stun them, or even knock them out entirely.

The smoke grenades in particular were extremely offensive to Sun's heightened Faunus senses. The fact that her arsenal was so effective on Sun as a Faunus was not lost on him. On the one hand, it held a grim reminder of the days when Atlesian riot police would stifle Faunus uprisings in the streets using such methods. The fact that Atlas had so many such weapons in reserve was most likely a holdover from that dark past. But the fact that Blake was not only choosing to use these weapons anyway also indicated that she had long since put such matters to rest, and also that she very well intended to use these weapons against other Faunus in the White Fang, if need be.

For neither of them were convinced that they had seen the last of the White Fang.

Either way, Sun had to admit that he was no match for her in the training room. Even with the extended dust round capacity that Weiss had provided for him, he was still a front-line fighter. Blake was just so much more versatile than he was, and could come at him from any angle she chose. He was fast, but she was faster. He was could throw out his attacks at lightning speed, but she was a god damned shadow! Fighting her was like fighting a ghost! It was like she could disappear at a whim! Even with four Via Sun clones, he couldn't land a single hit on her!

He was finally forced hold his hand up in defeat, gasping for breath as he dismissed his Via Sun clones.

"Hold up," he called out, huffing and puffing, resting his staff on the floor. "I need a break!"

Blake was also out of breath, but the look on her face made it clear that she was prepared to keep training.

But she seemed to take pity on him.

"Alright," she nodded, sheathing her swords. "I suppose I could use a break too."

Sun sighed in relief as he put away his staff and stretched his aching limbs.

"Whew!" he exhaled. "Man, I'm beat! How about we stop by the mess hall for a bite to eat? I'm starving!"

Blake rolled her eyes, but still seemed to be in a humoring mood.

"Sure," she said, shrugging. "As long as it keeps you from stealing your food."

"Relax," Sun grinned as the two of them filed out the door and out into the steel hallway of the Citadel. "As an enlisted operative in the Atlesian Special Forces, I actually earn a legitimate paycheck now. I'm a respectable member of society for once!"

"It's a miracle," Blake said dryly with a smile on her face, until her expression turned more serious. "It does seem like you're always hungry lately. Are you sure you're not overeating?"

Sun shrugged heavily. "Well, like I said, it wasn't long ago that I wasn't sure when my next meal was coming. I'm pretty sure I went into starvation mode for a while when I was in Mistral. I'm still kinda shaking it off."

Blake nodded. Starvation mode was a trait experienced by many Faunus that allowed them to prolong their metabolisms to sustain their bodies in times of low food intake. Their bodies would shut down less vital functions, and digest what food they could find much more quickly and efficiently. It could allow the energy from a single decent meal to sustain themselves for as long as a week or more in certain stretches, so long as they achieved adequate rest in between meals.

It was not the most pleasant of experiences, and usually left the Faunus rather vulnerable, as they could never function at peak capacity while in this state of being. It also had the added effect of making the Faunus feel particularly ravenous whenever food was actually available, especially after long periods of exertion, allowing them to eat far more than they usually could under normal circumstances. Blake had experienced something very similar when she'd been living on the streets of Vale after Beacon had collapsed.

"Well, the only remedy is to try to get back on a steady routine of three-meals-a-day," Blake said, paraphrasing her mother's words when she was a kid. "Let's get you fed."

Sun felt something warm glowing inside him as Blake lead him towards the mess hall. There were many traits that he admired in the young Faunus woman. The strength she held in her convictions, her prowess on the battlefield, her skill, her tenacity, not to mention her beauty. But that she could contain all that within her, and still have room in her heart for kindness and generosity as well struck him as particularly rare.

He wanted to protect her, but he also wanted to be protected by her. He wanted to fight at her side, and he wanted to run away with her as well. This was someone the likes of whom he could never find again in a million years. Someone who wasn't too proud to accept the help of others, but wouldn't hesitate for a moment to protect the people she loved. Someone who was kind and nurturing, but also strong and ferocious. She made for an amazing fighter, an amazing teammate, and an amazing friend. But for some reason, after her comment about keeping him fed, Sun was struck with the oddest feeling that someday, Blake would also be an amazing mother as well.

It made Sun feel all woozy inside. He knew he liked Blake, and was interested in a relationship with her, but these were thoughts on an entirely different level that he hadn't even entertained for himself at all. Maybe it was the global catastrophe they all found themselves immersed within that made him feel like they were running out of chances. Something about the end of the world tended to drive people to do drastic things.

But there were so many obstacles to overcome. There was basically no time at all between all their hours training and fighting the Grimm to pursue anything like romance. And with the looming prospect of calamity over the horizon, the despair carried with it made it seem like there was no hope at all for the future, and no point in pursuing any kind of serious relationship with anyone.

There were also differences between them both. They both hailed from different kingdoms and vastly different cultures. While they were both Faunus, the simian clans had historically never favored mingling with other Faunus, and the feline breeds had a reputation amongst his clan as being particularly unfriendly, so he couldn't imagine his family having anything good to say about Blake.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sun knew that these concerns were trivial and pointless. When had he ever hesitated over such minor details? Maybe, deep down, his hesitation came from somewhere else. Maybe it was the fact that Sun didn't actually know what Blake herself ultimately thought of him, and the idea of learning the truth of those feelings terrified him. When it came down to it, Sun was too much of a coward to just come out and ask her himself.

Her teammates might know, he figured. But that just introduced another possible complication in the mater.

"Hey guys!" came loud, familiar voice.

"Hi Yang," Blake smiled at her teammate and partner.

"Yo!" Sun waved.

The girl with the golden hair gestured in the direction the two of them were headed with a nod, her hands on her hips.

"Off to get some grub?" she asked.

"You know it!" Sun smiled.

"Care to join us?" Blake offered.

Yang glanced back and forth between the two of them, a catlike smirk appearing on her face.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to be a third wheel or anything," she said, grinning.

Sun chewed on his tongue. Ordinarily he would have appreciated the chance to spend more time with Blake alone, but in this particular case, Yang might be able to help him figure some stuff out.

"Oh, you wouldn't be a bother," Sun said, smiling between Yang and Blake. "Right?"

"Not at all," Blake affirmed.

Yang's grin widened, turning into a more genuine smile.

"Great!" she smiled, turning to march down the hallway alongside the two of them.

Sun listened idly as the two girls caught up on what the other had been up to lately. Blake told her partner about her training with her new weapon, and Yang in turn told Blake about hers. Apparently Yang had been spending time at the firing range, testing out her new weapon. Unlike her first prosthetic, Ember Celica 2.0 integrated into her right gauntlet, effectively transforming her previous weapon into something else entirely. Combined with her original Ember Celica on her left arm, she now had two different weapons on either arm.

As the three of them made it to the mess hall, which was essentially a glorified cafeteria decked out in the standard Atlesian brushed steel and polished glass, the Huntsmen made some selections from the buffet line. Sun idly glanced through the options. He tended to avoid anything cooked, as the kitchens in the Citadel had no concept of flavor and tended to boil the essence right out of their food. However, there was a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables the he helped himself to. The Citadel may have been many things, Sun reasoned, many of them unfavorable. But they did look after the well-being of its occupants, and that including providing nutritious fare, even if it wasn't always tasty.

"So have you decided if you're going to keep the artillery cannon?" Blake asked idly as they picked out a seat amongst the scattered guards, soldiers, and operatives, each wearing some derivative of the standard Atlesian uniform colors. "It's kind of cumbersome to carry around, isn't it?"

Yang nodded idly, sipping a drink from a straw. "I might keep it around for emergencies when we need some heavy firepower, but yeah, if I need speed or agility, I'll probably go without."

Blake cut into her fish fillet with a knife and fork. "Well, at least the _Aeneid_ comes equipped with rocket propelled lockers. Should be able to dispatch all kinds of field gear in a pinch."

Yang smiled at the thought. "Hey, that could work. I could be locked down in the middle of a firefight, and then boom, heavy weapon out of nowhere!"

Sun nodded, munching on a pear. "Why stop there? Why not have an entire arsenal at your fingertips at the push of a button? Pick whatever weapon you want for whatever situation you find yourself in?"

Yang flexed her mechanical arm. "Quality over quantity, Sun. Besides, not all of us can just pick up a new type of weapon and know how to use it right away. I'd probably be garbage with Blake's swords."

Blake smiled as she sipped her drink. "I don't know, that could be pretty entertaining to watch."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Not happening. I'd probably end up losing another arm."

Sun smirked. "Yang Xiao-Long, playing it safe? Will wonders never cease?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Can it, monkey-boy. I can still whoop you in a fight."

"I'm down," Sun smirked back. "Give me a time and place, and we'll go a few rounds."

Yang's grin widened as she planted her mechanical fist into the palm of her hands. "Oh, I'd only need _one_ round to deal with you, big guy."

Blake shook her head. "Ladies, you're both pretty. Can we simmer down now please?"

Yang let out a haughty laugh and threw her arm around Blake's shoulder, causing her to spill her drink.

"Oh, chill out Blake!" Yang grinned. "It's all in good fun!"

Blake scowled as her drink spilled, splashing across her lap.

"Yang!" she whined, holding her arms up, looking down in dismay.

"Oops!" Yang winced, reaching for a napkin. "Sorry Blake…"

Blake took the proffered napkin and shook her head as she got to her feet.

"I'll be right back," she said, making her way to the restroom.

As Sun watched her depart, he glanced back at Yang as she casually sipped her drink, and wondered why she hadn't gone with her partner to help her get cleaned up. Once Blake was out of sight however, Yang gave Sun a sidelong glance, and he suddenly wondered whether that spill had been entirely accidental or not.

"So…" she said conspiratorially. "We need to talk."

Sun nodded slowly, understanding her meaning. "Yeah…I guess we do."

Yang turned to him, her expression completely sober, her earlier levity entirely forgotten. It seemed that the tension that Sun had been feeling around Blake had been felt by Yang as well. He had been hoping to get a moment to ask the blond Huntress for her input, and it seemed that Yang had similar plans in mind.

"So I know you and Blake are pretty close," she said stoically.

Sun nodded. "I guess we are. We're not, like, dating or anything though, if that's what you mean."

Yang shook her head. "No. I'd know if you were. But you spend a lot of time training together, and she clearly appreciates having another Faunus around that she can relate to. You can both aura link pretty well too. Honestly, I can tell that she likes you a lot."

Sun's eyes lit up a little at that last part. "Really? Wh-what has she said about me?"

Yang smirked. "Oh, nothing much. She did, however, insist at _several_ points throughout our trip across Remnant that we should get back to Mistral and look for survivors. She didn't say it in so many words, but I'm pretty sure there was one particularly survivor she was concerned about."

Sun's throat went a little dry at that.

"R-Really?" he breathed, before catching himself. "I mean, uh…that's really…nice of her…"

Yang nodded knowingly.

"She's nice like that," she smiled. "She also recently got out of a pretty bad relationship, and doesn't need another jerk in her life."

Sun held his hands up. "I have no intentions of ever being a jerk, believe me. If I ever display any amount of jerkiness, it's only ever meant to be in good humor!"

Yang's unreadable expression did not abate.

"Blake's very important to me," she said, a hint of menace in her voice. "Me _and_ my team. My team of trained and fully armed Huntresses with few scruples when it comes to dispensing swift and immediate justice. You get me?"

Sun nodded slowly. He had been expecting some sort of talk from Yang, and knowing her, he should have expected it to come in the form of intimidation. But that did nothing to lessen the impact it had on him. Yang cared about her partner, and she clearly wasn't planning to pull any punches when it came to looking out for her.

Still, he was nothing if not determined.

"Loud and clear, Yang," he said, straight faced. "Now let me be clear to _you_ about something."

Yang's eyebrow rose. "Oh?"

Sun gave her a cold hard stare from across the table.

"If you or your team ever intend to dish out punishment on _anyone_ who so much as harms a hair on Blake's head," he said slowly, "You'll have to wait in line."

Yang peered back at the young man across the table, and saw absolutely no fear in his eyes.

She smiled.

"You'll do…" she said, getting to her feet.

Sun let out a quiet breath as he watched her collect her tray.

"Thanks for the ringing endorsement," he smiled, watching her as she stood.

"It's as good as you're gonna get," she shot back, not meeting his gaze.

Sun pursed his lips, as if sensing that she was still somehow unsatisfied.

"You know, it's funny…" he mused as he watched her, arching an eyebrow at her. "All the time you and Blake have spent together, fighting side by side and looking after each other…for a while, I almost wondered if _you two_ weren't the ones dating."

Yang still did not meet his gaze as she turned to go, though his words seem to make her pause her step briefly.

"Yeah…" she said quietly. "Funny."

Sun wasn't sure what to make of that as she disappeared out the door of the mess hall. It was not uncommon for partnered Huntsman to become partners in more than one sense of the word. Hell, if he had a lien for every time he'd heard a rumor about himself and Neptune, he'd be richer than the Schnees.

Still…Yang wasn't the sort to hold back. If her feelings for Blake went beyond friendship, she would have said something.

Right?

"All cleaned up," Blake's voice caught his attention as she returned to the table, before looking around. "Where's Yang?"

Sun looked up at her and shrugged. "Oh, she took off. Guess she had somewhere to be."

Blake arched an eyebrow suspiciously at the young Faunus. "That's weird…did Yang say anything to you before she left?"

Sun scratched his head sheepishly. "Well…she said…a few things…"

Blake's eyes widened. "Oh no…Yang didn't give you 'the talk,' did she?"

Sun gave her a helpless look. "She…might've…"

Blake sat down and buried her face in her hands, cheeks red.

"Oh my god," she sighed, shaking her head in despair. "I'm _so_ sorry, Sun! I'm sure she didn't mean any of it!"

Sun shook his head dismissively.

"No, I'm pretty sure she did," he laughed charmingly. "And I did to, when I told her that I'd never let anything happen to you."

Blake glanced from where she hid her face, cheeks still red.

"Wait…you…really…?" she stammered shyly, eyes wide.

Sun let out a prolonged sigh. It was time he stopped beating around the bush about this. If nothing else, Blake deserved to know how he felt, even if she did no reciprocate.

"Okay…look…cards on the table…" he said haltingly, his mouth going dry. "I…I really care about you, Blake."

She stared at the tray in front of her, glancing up at him briefly, before lowering her gaze once again.

"Really?" she asked.

"I do…" Sun nodded. "When…when we were stranded all by ourselves back in Mistral, I…I was afraid. For myself, and for my team, and for the people we were trying to protect. But what scared me the most…"

He reached across the table, taking her hand in his, and she looked up at him, blushing shyly.

"What scared me most, Blake," Sun said, "Was the thought that I might never see you again. And it made me realize…just how important you were to me, Blake."

Blake's lower lip quivered as she gazed back at him, her eyelids narrowing as if trying to hold back tears.

"Sun…" she whispered. "I…don't know what to say…"

Sun gave her hand a squeeze, shaking his head. Blake was quiet and reserved, and he knew that she might not have an answer for him right away. He knew that going into this. All the same, he was glad to have gotten his feelings out there.

"Well, don't say anything right now then," he smiled reassuringly. "Just…give it some thought. And tell me what you have to say whenever you're ready. We can just keep doing what we've been doing in the meantime."

Blake lowered her gaze once again, grateful for his understanding. For all his brash nature and fiery temperament, he could be surprisingly patient when required. It was refreshing not to have any immediate demands put on her for once.

"Okay…" she said quietly.

Sun released his grip and gave her a warm smile.

"Okay," he said in return.


	84. Chapter 84

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 84

* * *

Life right now was an exercise in the surreal for Pyrrha Nikos. Sleeping in a bed once again, eating regular meals, being surrounded by friends and loved ones…none of it felt real yet. For months, her reality had been a cold dark floor atop a ruined tower, no warmth, no comfort, with solitude her only companion. In a way, she had almost adapted to it – come to expect nothing but a harsh, cold reality that Cinder had subjected her to, day in and day out, and Pyrrha had steeled her heart in order to compensate for it.

It was only around the people she held dearest that she allowed herself to feel once again. She remained stoic and aloof when reporting to General Ironwood (who never seemed to tire of grilling her for information), training with Qrow (who seemed intent on furthering her understanding of aura linking), or interacting with the Citadel doctors and nurses (who had given her an extensive and recurring series of checkups upon her return). When she was with her team, however, particularly with Jaune, she suddenly felt alive again. Team RWBY was also a warm and welcome sight, and she was quickly getting to know Team SSSN and Team CFVY a lot better than she had as well.

Still, Jaune had become like a lifeline to her. Whenever she was around him, she could pretend like everything was normal again. Like she wasn't a failed candidate for a Guardian Maiden, like she hadn't murdered countless innocent lives at Cinder's behest, like she wasn't just a walking corpse living on borrowed time. With Jaune, she could just be Pyrrha. And that was something she desperately needed.

"Hey little brother!" a female voice sounded through the tinny speakers of a scroll. "We're glad you're not dead!"

Pyrrha peaked her head into the communal bunk that she and Team JNPR now shared within the Citadel. Jaune was lying on his bed, his scroll open, and watching what appeared to be a recorded message. Pyrrha could see several faces on the transparent screen, all of them blond haired girls. they must have been Jaune's sisters, she realized. He was listening to a message from home.

"Electra!" another more mature voice sounded, accusingly. "Don't say things like that!"

Jaune snickered to himself, apparently so engrossed in the message that he hadn't even noticed Pyrrha walk in as she curled up on the bunk across from him and watched him affectionately.

"Sorry Maia," the second voice said.

"Thanks for letting me have your room when you moved out!" a younger, more high pitched voice sounded. "I was sick of sharing a bedroom with Merope."

"Oh, shut up, Sterope!" another voice said angrily.

"Girls, please," the eldest sister said. "We've all missed you, Jaune. Things have finally calmed down for us here in the village. Alcyone just got accepted into Atlas Academy, and we're all hoping she can go once the roads and airways become safe to travel once again. On a related note, Taygete's wedding had to be postponed yet again, but she's thinking about making it a quieter and more small scale affair at this point."

"We haven't agreed on anything just yet!" another voice sounded from off screen, sounding somewhat frantic.

The eldest sister shook her head. "It's been quite stressful. But we all really appreciate your frequent messages back home letting us know you're safe. Dad was so proud when he heard about your semblance! And little Celaeno here was so impressed that she wants to be a hero someday too, just like her brother ."

"Maia!" a tiny voice whined in the background.

The eldest sister just giggled. Pyrrha nearly did too.

"Oh…" Maia said. "And there's someone else here I'd like you to meet…"

Jaune gasped out loud as he saw his sister lift a tiny baby boy up to the camera.

"Say hello to your uncle Jaune, Hermes!" Maia said, lifting her baby's arm up to wave at the camera.

"Awwww!" Jaune gushed out loud. "I'm an uncle now!?"

Pyrrha had to stifle a gasp of her own.

"Dias and I were hoping you could meet him in person," Maia lamented, as her baby babbled in her arms. "But we understand how busy you must be out there. You've got a team to look after and a world to save. We're all hoping you make it home safely."

"Yeah!" one of the other sister chimed in. "Don't die out there!"

"Electra…" Maia sighed.

"Just kidding," the other voice said with a laugh. "Love you, little brother!"

"We love you, Jaune!" one of the younger sisters cried.

"We love you!" more voices sounded.

"Stay safe out there!" another voice added.

"And come home soon!" came another.

"We can't wait to hear from you again, Jaune," Maia finished, touching her fingers to the screen. "Be safe. We hope to see you soon."

The screen stopped moving as the message came to an end, and Jaune touched his fingers to the screen, a tear in his eye.

"Hope to see you soon, guys…" he said softly to the still scroll.

Pyrrha felt her heart practically melting at the sight, and couldn't help the warm affectionate smile spreading across her lips.

"They seem like such a wonderful family…" she chimed in from where she sat across the room.

"Gah!"Jaune flailed, sending his scroll flying in the air, which he scrambled to catch several times as it came back down towards him. "Pyrrha! How long have you been there!?"

Pyrrha held her hands up, eyes wide as she suddenly realized how rude she must be appearing.

"I'm sorry!" she stammered. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop or anything! I was just coming in to check on you, and you were already in the middle of your conversation, and I didn't want to intrude…"

Her voice tapered off as he saw him blushing at her.

"Oh…" he faltered, not really able to meet her gaze as he scratched his head. "Yeah, well…those are my sisters for you. Bunch of rowdy girls who drive me crazy, and I love every single one of them. Even Electra and her morbid sense of humor."

Pyrrha's expression fell back into a warm smile. "Well, I'm glad you've managed to stay in touch with them, even through the blackout. We all deserve to see more friendly faces, and it's a nice reminder that there's still something waiting for us when we come home."

"Yeah…" Jaune mused, closing his scroll and pocketing it, a wistful expression on his face.

Then his eyes lit up as an idea suddenly came to him.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, turning to give his partner an excited look. "What about _your_ family, Pyrrha!? We actually brought your parents back from Mistral right before we arrived in Atlas! I got to talk to them on the ship and everything!"

Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock. With everything that had happened to her, she hadn't even had the time or heart to consider what her parents must have been going through when word of her death had reached them, much less how they must have been dealing with the Grimm crisis. All at once, all those emotions came flooding in like a tidal wave.

"My…my parents?" she asked, breathlessly. "They…made it out of Mistral?"

"Yeah!" Jaune cried excitedly. "Last I heard, they were working in one of the triage units down by the refugee camp, where Weiss used to work! We should go see them and let them know that you're back! They'll be so happy to see you!"

Pyrrha's look of pure relief suddenly melted away into an expression of horror.

"Oh…" she breathed, shaking her head. "Oh, no, that…that won't do at all…"

Jaune blinked, surprised, before holding his hands up defensively.

"Hey, it's okay," he said reassuringly. "If you don't want me there for it, I understand. You deserve to tell them in person and have that moment all to yourselves. I don't need to be there for that if it'd be too awkward or whatever."

Pyrrha shook her head again, sadly.

"No, it's not that Jaune…" she said, lower lip quivering. "It's just that…I can't face them right now. Not like this. Not after letting them think I was dead for so long. Not after they've already buried me and moved on with their lives. It wouldn't be fair to them."

Jaune gave her a hurt expression, not understanding.

"But it'd be even _less_ fair to them if they _didn't_ know you were back!" he reasoned. "You can't stay locked away in the Citadel forever, Pyrrha. Eventually word's going to get out. Do you want them to find out from some stranger that their own daughter is still alive?"

Pyrrha's heart withered under Jaune's words.

"But so much has changed since I last saw them," she shook her head, fighting back tears. "So much about _me_ has changed!"

"Is this about having an artificial body?" Jaune asked, sympathetically. "I already told it, that doesn't matter! And I can't imagine it mattering to the people who raised you - not if the alternative is death."

"But what about the fact that I've been a pawn of the enemy, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, lowering her head. "That I've been made to hunt down and _kill_ without mercy? People have already been talking about a rogue Huntress out there, Jaune. What happens when my parents find out that that rogue Huntress was me?"

"That wasn't _you_ , Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted, jumping to his feet. "Not really!"

"Yes it _was!_ " Pyrrha pleaded with him, holding her arms out to him. "These hands _right here_ have _slaughtered_ more people than I can count! How can I ask for my parents' forgiveness when my hands are covered with that much blood?"

Jaune reached for her, clasping both of her hands in his.

"They're just hands, Pyrrha," he said, quietly and reassuringly. "It's the soul of the person moving those hands that counts. If you had been in control of yourself, none of it would have happened. _That's_ all that matters, Pyrrha."

Tears flooded her eyes.

"I could have stopped it," she said, her voice quaking.

"What?" Jaune asked, confused.

"I could have asserted control and stopped myself from dealing the killing blow at _any_ number of times!" Pyrrha wept, burying her face in her hands, and by extension, Jaune's. "Just like I stopped myself from finishing _you_ off when I was first brought back…"

"So it's true…" Jaune's eyes widened in realization. "I _knew_ you were still in there, through all of it. I just _knew_ it!"

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes…and after I intervened that first time, Cinder knew. She _knew_ my weakness from then on out. She knew that all she had to do to hold sway over me was…to hold _your_ life in the balance."

Jaune's jaw hung open. "M-Me…?"

Pyrrha shuddered but nodded again.

"And from that point onward," she said wearily, "I could never bring myself to openly oppose her again. I was too afraid. Too afraid that any sign of resistance would paint a great big target on your back."

Jaune let go of her hands to stare at his own open palms.

"So I was…like a hostage…" he realized, putting the pieces together. "And because of _me_ …you couldn't fight back…"

Pyrrha nodded, eyes wet with tears.

"I'm sorry, Jaune," she whimpered. "I don't mean for you to shoulder my burdens…"

Jaune shook his head in disbelief.

"I…I understand…" he breathed in shock, still staring at his hands. "But…so many people lost…just so that _I_ might live? How…how can _I_ be… _worth_ all that? Pyrrha…"

She shook her head vehemently, getting to her feet to grab him by the shoulders.

"It's not like that, Jaune!" she said urgently. "I wasn't trading their lives for yours or anything like that! Honestly, I had no way of knowing whether anything I did could truly save anyone, or if it would just postpone the inevitable!"

Jaune stared back at her, still looking somewhat stunned. "Pyrrha…"

She released him and looked away.

"But by the same token, I had no way of knowing whether she _truly_ had any ability to target you, either," she bemoaned. "I should have had more faith in your abilities. If I had known than just how far you'd come…maybe I wouldn't have been so afraid for you…"

Jaune shook his head in aggravation.

"Ugh, this is _so_ messed up!" he growled. "Neither _one_ of us should be taking _any_ responsibility for _any_ of this!"

He grabbed her by the shoulders and Pyrrha stiffened, cheeks growing red.

"J-Jaune…?" she asked hesitantly.

"Pyrrha," he said, fixing his gaze upon her. " _None_ of what happened to you is _your_ fault…got it?"

Pyrrha tried speaking but her throat had gone dry. "I…I, uh…"

Jaune squeezed her shoulders.

"What happened to you was cruel and unthinkable," he said soothingly. "No one else could be expected to do _any_ better than you did in that situation. None of it's on you, Pyrrha, you understand? Everything that's weighing on you right now rests _entirely_ on that damn woman's shoulders."

Pyrrha's eyes flickered at his words. "Jaune…"

Jaune loosened his grip to release one of her shoulders, bringing his hand up to stroke her cheek.

"The Pyrrha that I know would _never_ do those things…" he shook his head. "Not if she had anything to say about it. That _thing_ that I fought…it _wasn't_ you, understand? It may have looked like you and fought like you, but that thing that Cinder sent after us had _no_ heart. It had _none_ of the things that made you _Pyrrha_ …okay?"

Pyrrha's lowered lip quivered, her eyes beaming. "Jaune…"

Jaune sighed as he straightened his shoulders, clearing his throat.

"Now, for the record, I still think you should go talk to your mom and dad," he said stubbornly, eyes averted as he reasoned with her. "But if you're just not ready to do that yet, then I'll respect your decision. Just know that…"

When he glanced back at her, Jaune was stunned for a moment as Pyrrha looked up at him, a misty look in her eyes. He was paralyzed by how beautiful she looked in that moment. The endearment and gratitude on her face, the soft need on her lips, the tremulous way she quivered in his arms left him absolutely breathless.

He swallowed hard, cheeks coloring, determined to finish his thought.

"Just know that…" he said, looking away shyly. "I'll be there for you. Whatever you decide."

Pyrrha bit her lip, leaning heavily against him.

"Oh, Jaune," she shook her head in quiet disbelief. "When did _you_ become the one who has to comfort and reassure _me_ all the time? Usually it's the other way around…"

Jaune scratched his head bashfully. "Well…I'm not gonna lie, I…I was in a pretty bad place after you left. I didn't have anyone to turn to, really. I just had to…grow up a little, I guess…"

Pyrrha's expression fell, her lips quivering. "Oh, Jaune, I…I'm so sorry. I never wanted to leave you like that."

Jaune nodded, wrapping his arms around her.

"I know I've said it a thousand times by now," he sighed, pulling her into a tight embrace. "But I'm just so happy you're back, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha practically melted into his arms, letting out a soft breath that came out more like a purr.

"You can keep saying it as often as you want, Jaune," she said, squeezing him in her arms. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing it."

Pyrrha never felt more alive than she did when she was with Jaune. With Jaune, she felt like she was safe. With Jaune, she felt like she was home. And right then, in his arms, she had never felt happier.

"I love you, Pyrrha," he said to her.

Her heart swelled at his words. That was something else she never got tired of hearing either.

"I love you too, Jaune."


	85. Chapter 85

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 85

* * *

Ironwood waited patiently as the now sixteen members of the first Atlesian strike force filed into his office. At first, he had been hesitant when Ruby Rose had requested the enlistment of Team SSSN into her force, but the young woman had been adamant. And the general had to admit that the act safeguarding an entire refugee camp for nearly a month was something that even his top operatives would have struggled with, given what they faced. So he had no real reason to turn down her request.

The part that still wasn't sitting too well with him was Pyrrha Nikos. While she had exceptional skill as a huntress, and he stood by his fellow headmasters in their decision to enlist her as the Fall Maiden candidate, what had happened to her in the events proceeding that decision was unprecedented, and in his honest opinion, created far too great a risk for her to be included on the team. Word had spread across the kingdom of a rogue Huntress, and it hadn't taken much deduction to figure out just who it had been, even before Ruby and her team had finally confided their findings to him (although the fact that they had not informed him of Pyrrha's reappearance straight away was enough to make him question their loyalty to a degree).

The top doctors in Atlas had looked her over, and found nothing wrong with her physically. And although her psychiatric evaluation had raised a few eyebrows, it was well within acceptable limitations, and many of his other operatives went well beyond the idiosyncrasies she was exhibiting, including several already within the strike team. Still, Ironwood was extremely wary of anything that could at any point have been described as "part Grimm." And the fact that she conducted herself with rigid professionalism every time she interacted with him just told him that she was an expert at controlling her outward appearance.

She was much more open and relaxed around her teammates, which was naturally to be expected, but Ironwood could not shake the suspicion that her presence here was not some elaborate trap. He could very easily see her teammates confiding information to her, before learning that she was some form of double agent for the enemy. A rogue Huntress was one thing, but one who was already ensconced within the walls of Atlas was quite another.

Ironwood had implored operative Arc to keep him appraised of anything she confided in him, but thus far, the young huntsman had not been entirely forthcoming.

The matter would remain unsettled, he conceded, as all but the last of his operatives filed into his office, and the general glanced at the chronometer on his scroll, wondering what was keeping Winter. She was usually as punctual as the clock itself, and it was unlike her to be tardy.

Moments later, however, she arrived, with a familiar eyesore in tow.

"I don't care _who_ you say you are now," Winter glowered bitterly as she hurried through the door. "You are not setting _one foot_ on my ship!"

Ironwood reigned in his sense of unease as Qrow Branwen followed her into the office. The aging huntsman had not been _specifically_ invited to this meeting, but given the circumstances surrounding his nature at this point, the general couldn't exactly turn him away either. Qrow's ties with Ozpin was a whole can of worms unto itself. While the general had respected Ozpin immensely, particular for his patient, understanding and reserved nature, Branwen exhibited _none_ of these traits. And now it seemed that all of Ozpin's wisdom, and indeed the wisdom of every Wizard before him, was now buried somewhere in Qrow's head. It was a disconcerting situation to contend with.

"First of all," Qrow countered, clutching Ozpin's cane in his hand, his silver hair a constant reminder of his status as the Wizard, "It's _Ruby's_ call who gets to come along with her on that ship, not yours. And secondly…"

He leaned in close to Winter, who stubbornly refused to budge at his invasion of her personal space.

"Whether you choose to accept it or not, Ice Queen," Qrow said smugly, "You _need_ me on this mission of yours. I can provide intel that could be _crucial_ to you and your operatives out there. And with the CCTS still down, none of you can afford to wait around for me to come find you and deliver some salient tidbit that could end up salvaging your entire operation."

As the two Huntsmen bickered back and forth, Ruby and her entire team threw their eyes towards one and then the other as they spoke.

Winter crossed her arms. "If your 'intel' is as helpful as you say it is, then let's have it! Why can you not give us what we need _now_ so that we need not be burdened by your presence later?"

Qrow scowled. "It doesn't work like that! It comes to me in bits and pieces, and usually without warning. I need to be there, in the present, where I can react to situations in real-time in case one of the Wizard's memories comes back to me."

"That sounds like complete and utter nonsense!" Winter rolled her eyes, before turning to Ironwood, pointing at Qrow. "General, you're not seriously thinking about trusting this man's…" she paused, searching for the right words to use, "… _psychic visions_ and _crackpot theories_ , are you?"

Ironwood opened his mouth to speak, but Qrow jumped in first.

"Call it whatever you want, but the Wizard's wisdom could very well _win_ this war!" he growled bitterly at the Schnee heiress. "It's unlocked a secret aura technique that's been lost for thousands of years, one that could turn the tide in the fight with the Grimm! Not to mention the Wizard's knowledge of the Maidens has been crucial in their discovery and protection throughout the years!"

Ironwood tried to get a word in edgewise, but Winter interjected first.

"Oh, a fine lot of good your 'wisdom' has been doing in keeping the Maidens safe these past few years!" she scowled bitterly. "Unless I'm mistaken, Branwen, two of your precious Maidens have already been confirmed dead!"

Qrow's eyes flared and he looked like he was about to spew a torrent of angry words back at her, when the general finally managed to step in.

"Schnee!" he commanded sourly. "That'll be enough!"

Winter stiffened and straightened her back, still breathing hard and clearly pissed off.

Ironwood turned to the other Huntsman.

"Qrow, you will kindly refrain from antagonizing my operatives," he commanded.

Qrow crossed his arms, looking away with a scowl on his face.

"She started it," he said, pouting childishly.

Winter's eyes flared.

"I will _end_ you!" she growled, fire in her eyes.

"Winter!" Ironwood called out, snapping her back to attention.

Ruby and Yang giggled to themselves. Weiss gave them both a dirty look, but held her tongue. Blake just rolled her eyes. Team JNPR, CFVY and SSSN did not deign to comment.

"Now then," Ironwood said, catching everyone's attention. "The reason I've called you all here is update you all on an important development."

The sixteen huntsmen and their two senior operatives watched as the general stepped over to his disk, calling up a translucent screen, the surrounding windows lowering to dim the light for increased visibility within the office.

Then, up on the projector screen, appeared a familiar face.

"James, are you reading me?" Professor Jasmine said through the screen.

Ironwood nodded. "Loud and clear, Professor."

Ruby and her team all exchanged curious glances as the headmistress of Vacuo appeared on screen, her mocha skin and ebony hair a stark contrast to the pale sandstone office she sat within.

"Professor Jasmine?" Ruby uttered in surprise.

"But she's still back in Vacuo, isn't she?" Yang asked.

"Indeed I am…" Jasmine said, after a brief pause.

"But the CCTS is still down!" Weiss observed, pulling out her scroll to check the news for updates, before looking at the general in surprise. "…Isn't it?"

"Yes," Ironwood stated plainly. "However, the Atlesian engineering department has finally managed to get a working variation of the comm buoy system in place between Atlas and Vacuo."

He gestured to the elder Schnee in the room.

"Winter, if you would please?" he asked.

Winter stepped forward. "Yes sir."

Winter pulled out her scroll and called up a digital image on the top corner of the translucent screen above Jasmine's face, displaying a small map of Remnant. Spanning across the map, between Atlas and Vacuo, was a series of images that appeared to be silhouettes of Atlesian airships. These airship images were connected by a single curved line connecting the series all the way from Atlas to Vacuo.

"Using a network of airships stationed at high altitude between ourselves and our sister kingdom of Vacuo," Winter explained succinctly, "We've established a working communication network that should offer the kingdom of Atlas the ability to once again exchange information with the kingdom of Vacuo. It's a temporary solution, one that will likely not be viable in the long-term, but for our purposes, it should offer us the edge we need to organize an effective counter-attack against the Grimm."

Ruby and her team inhaled, whistled and nodded in awe and fascination.

"That's about five thousand miles' distance," Blake observed idly. "How many airships does this take?"

"Each airship comes equipped with a specially designed long range transmitter, capable of a maximum broadcast range of two hundred miles in every direction," Winter answered. "We keep them within about a hundred and fifty miles of each other to be on the safe side, so the entire network consists of about thirty-five airships, with an additional twenty-five stationed at various intervals in the event of an outage at any one ship."

She smiled at her sister as she finished her explanation.

"The _Aeneid_ was actually one of the prototypes for this transmitter model," she said proudly.

"But Winter…ma'am…" Ruby raised her hand. "What about Grimm attacks? Aren't airships being brought down by airborne Girmm?"

Winter smiled. "Not at that altitude. Each of these transmitter airships was individually escorted by an armed cadre of warships to an altitude just at the maximum effective range of their dust engines. The air up there is far too thin for any wing-powered Grimm to reach."

She nodded to the face on the screen.

"We have our esteemed Professor from Vacuo to thank for providing the much needed fire support during the escort process."

Jasmine nodded after a pause. "Yes, the Huntsmen of Shade Academy are happy to assist with this cooperative effort."

"How are the airships being powered?" Weiss asked curiously. "Won't they run out of fuel after too long? Their dust engines are probably strained to the limit at those altitudes."

Winter nodded to the professor on the screen. "Professor?"

"That's the beautiful thing," Jasmine answered after a few moments, nodding her head. "Dust is less effective at those altitudes, but dirigibles do not require nearly as much fuel to maintain altitude. Atlesian airships are primarily powered by dust. But the airships of Vacuo still mostly rely on hydrogen gas. And Atlas has even been experimenting with solar powered generators, which have been powering the comm systems aboard the transmitter ships. Combine the two systems, and there is not a speck of dust consumed throughout the entire process."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Why's the Professor's voice all laggy? Can you hear us alright, Professor?"

There was another pause before the professor spoke up.

"A limitation of the comm buoy system, I'm afraid," she said somberly. "Our communications are somewhat staggered. Atlas' engineers have managed to keep this lag down to but a few seconds' time. Which is not bad, considering the message is being transferred through some thirty-five airships before reaching its destination."

"Thank you for the explanation, Professor," Ironwood stepped in, pressing a switch on his scroll that cleared the image of the comm buoys from the corner of the screen, letting the headmistress' face occupy the entire display once again. "Now then, I believe had some news for us?"

Jasmine's expression turned grave. "I am afraid so. We have reason to believe that the enemy has learned the location of the Winter Maiden."

Ironwood and Qrow both bristled at that.

"What did you say!?" the general gasped.

"I'm afraid it's true, James," Jasmine nodded gravely. "I've sent two of my operatives to assist you. They're the ones who learned of this matter firsthand. They should be able to provide you with support in locating her. We believe the Winter Maiden is located somewhere in the frozen arctic, north of Atlas."

Ironwood's eyes narrowed. Qrow's eyes, however, began to widen, as he took on a distant look, as age-old memories began flashing before his eyes.

"The frozen north," Ironwood mused. "That'll make things difficult…"

Ruby leaned in to whisper to Weiss. "What's in the frozen north?"

Weiss shrugged without looking at her.

"A lot of ice and snow," she whispered back, focused on the adults in the room. "It's an inhospitable wasteland, as far as I know."

As the general mused in agitation, Winter leaned in to speak with Jasmine.

"Time is short then, Professor," she said. "Those operatives you sent - what's their ETA?"

Jasmine glanced at a scroll on her desk.

"They should be arriving at Atlas any minute now…"

Winter nodded and called up a list of incoming flights on her scroll and found an inbound flight from Vacuo, calling up an image of a flotilla of Vacuan dirigibles on approach.

"They appear to be hailing us now," Winter said, calling up another transmission window to appear besides Jasmine's. "That's good. We'll need to coordinate our efforts to…"

Her voice fell off when she saw the two faces that greeted her in the transmission window.

"Dora!" Ruby cried out in excitement as she saw the familiar face appear, sitting in the passenger seat of the approaching airship.

"And Emerald!" Blake noticed, as she waved at the girl sitting next to her. "What are you doing on that airship?"

The twelve-year-old girl in the turban grinned widely and held up a peace sign with two fingers.

"Sup, bitches!?" she cried exuberantly.

Ruby gasped in astonishment.

"Dora!" she exclaimed. "Where did you learn such language!?"

She threw a pointed look towards Emerald, who just sat with her arms crossed, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Hey, don't look at me," she said, waving Ruby off. "She learned that on her own."

"I grew up on the street," Dora stuck out her tongue. "What do you want?"

"Professor!" Winter exclaimed in exasperation. "You sent the _Summer Maiden_ to Atlas? On an airship with this…this… _miscreant!?_ "

Emerald scowled at her. "Hey, who are you calling a miscreant?"

"I am sorry that I could not inform you all sooner," Jasmine said remorsefully. "It has become clear to me that my Huntsmen can no longer offer the Summer Maiden suitable protection. They were only barely able to safeguard her from a recent attack from the White Fang. I believe that she will be much safer in the care of your strike team."

"But Dora!" Ruby called out in protest, staring up at the screen. "What about Vacuo? What about your family? Don't they need you there?"

"The Prof can look after the lost children without me there," Dora said firmly. "All this Maiden stuff, though…it's just way over my head. This whole giant mess has come down on my family because of _me_. I can't just sit around and wait for it to hit us. I gotta take the fight to them."

Qrow and Ironwood both shared a glance at that comment. Ruby, for her part, just smiled in amazement. The little girl that had been like a little sister to her seemed to have grown up a little.

"Dora…" she said, smiling warmly.

"Besides," Dora said smugly, crossing her arms and throwing her head back. "I can still kick ass in a fight. You guys are gonna _need_ me out there!"

"What about you, Emerald?" Blake asked, looking up at the screen. "I thought this wasn't your fight? I'm surprised they even got you onto that ship - last I checked, you and airships didn't exactly have a great track record."

Emerald was still crossing her arms grumpily.

"Yeah, well, maybe you dumb-asses are rubbing off on me," she grumbled, red faced, before throwing an accusatory glance at Dora. "Besides, this little brat is _way_ too persuasive."

Dora just giggled at that.

"We'll meet you at the air strip then," Winter commented. "Be prepared to transfer aboard the _Aeneid_ as soon as you land. We have a lot of ground to cover if we hope to find the Winter Maiden before our enemies. We'll be setting out immediately."

"You got it it!" Dora smiled.

Emerald and the Summer Maiden nodded as their transmission ended.

"I will pray for a safe return," Jasmine added, before her transmission disappeared as well.

Qrow held a hand up.

"Actually," he said icily, stepping in front of everyone. "We won't have to cover much ground at all…"

Ruby and her team looked up at him curiously, and Ironwood threw him a suspicious look.

"Qrow…" he asked warily. "What are you getting at?"

Qrow turned his eyes to the general, glaring impatiently.

"Don't try to play dumb, general," he said, warningly. "You know _exactly_ what I'm getting at."

Ironwood glanced at Winter and then back to Qrow.

"I'm afraid I haven't the foggiest idea what you…" he started.

"The Winter Maiden!" Qrow spat angrily. "The frozen north! That's where she was fifteen years ago, and that's where she still is now! I wasn't able to put it together until just now, but now that my memories have combined with the old man's, it's become pretty clear to me just what's going on…"

He took a step towards the general.

"You _know_ where she is…" he hissed. "Don't you?"

The temperature in the room dropped substantially.

"Qrow…" Ironwood said slowly. "What are you talking about? I have no _idea_ where she is."

"But you know someone who does!" Qrow blared, shaking his head. "No more hiding it, Jimmy! You can't protect him anymore."

Winter glared at Qrow. "Branwen! Watch your tone around the general!"

"Stay out of this, Ice Queen!" Qrow barked at her, before turning his attention back at Ironwood. "Atlas has been in the pockets of the Schnees for too long, if you ask me. If that's the way you want to run your government, then that's fine with me! But when it starts affecting the safety of the entire world, then _that's_ where I step in!"

Weiss bristled at that. "Hey, what are you saying?"

Qrow didn't answer. Instead, he gave Ironwood a piercing stare.

"Call him," he said menacingly.

The general stiffened. "Qrow…I don't…"

Qrow slammed his hand on Ironwood's desk, leaning in almost threateningly towards Ironwood.

" _Call him_ ," he repeated brusquely.

Ruby and her entire team were staring in stunned silence. Winter glanced between Qrow and the general, as if seeking answers. When the general gave her a look that seemed to be pleading for forgiveness, Winter's confidence evaporated.

"General…?" she asked warily.

Ironwood let out a prolonged sigh as he placed a hand on his console, calling up another transmission window on his screen.

Before long, the white haired and mustachioed face of President William Eisenhardt Schnee appeared on the screen.

Winter and Weiss both straightened their backs automatically at the sight.

"Father…" Weiss muttered under her breath.

Ruby glanced between Weiss and the face on the screen.

"That's your father?" she asked obliquely.

Weiss didn't answer. She couldn't. Her father had already begun speaking.

"General," the president said tersely, sitting with his hands clasped over his desk. "I have several board members on hold for this call, so I will need to keep this brief if possible. What can I do for you?"

Ironwood let out another sigh.

"Sorry to disturb you, mister President," he said deferentially. "But there's someone here who would like to have a word with you."

Qrow took that as his cue to step forward, standing beside the general.

"Qrow Branwen," the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company nodded in recognition. "Your reputation precedes you. In other circumstances, I would say this was a pleasant surprise."

Qrow crossed his arms. "The feeling's mutual, mister President, _sir_. But right now, I've got a question for you."

William Eisenhardt Schnee opened his hands mockingly.

"The time that I've wasted with you here already is worth more than your entire school," he said, disparagingly. "But by all means, ask away!"

Qrow narrowed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing, his upper lip raising as he spit out his next words.

"I'll be blunt then, sir," he growled. "Where is she?"

William raised an eyebrow. "Whoever are you referring to?"

Qrow pressed his hands against the desk, leaning into to peer into the old man's eyes.

"The Winter Maiden," he hissed. "Where is she, mister President?"

Qrow's face was nearly red with anger as he seethed.

"Where…is _Crystal Schnee!?_ "

The Schnee patriarch's eyes widened in horror. The entire office was silent as the Huntsmen and Huntresses shifted in discomfort and concern as they all turned their eyes from the monitor towards the two young Schnee heiresses in the room.

Weiss and Winter, for their part, simply exchanged looks of utter disbelief with one another, before returning their eyes to their father's face.

" _Mom!?_ " they both gasped in unison.


	86. Chapter 86

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 86

* * *

Cinder had to admit, in spite of herself, there was a certain level of pleasure to be gained in watching Mercury squirm in discomfort, even if that sight came to her from the other side of a mirror.

"You really know how to pick a nice vacation spot," the assassin's son shivered, his nose and cheeks flushed red from the cold. "I think I might retire here when this is all over."

Cinder reclined languidly on the classy queen sized bed in one of the instructor dormitories. She had no way of knowing for sure, but she took pleasure in the thought that this bed might have belonged to Glynda Goodwitch at some point. It felt wonderful to take what was hers, to sully her purity so thoughtlessly, even with so petty an action. She knew the old bat was still slinking around somewhere in the kingdom. It made no matter to her – she had far bigger fish to fry.

Cinder did not allow her amusement to be known as she studied her subordinate's face in her hand mirror. Instead, she fashioned her mouth into a malicious sneer, giving him a clear sign of displeasure.

"If you have time to be glib, then you have time to be covering more ground," she said stringently.

Mercury exhaled, his breath turning into a white cloud of vapor in the frigid northern air.

"Hey, come on boss," he pleaded in agitation. "These legs weren't exactly designed for this weather. I've been up here for almost a week, and I've had to winterize my servos three times to stop them from freezing up!"

Cinder paused the requisite two seconds to give off the impression of considering his plea.

"Hmmm…" she mused. "If I recall correctly, you not only lost the Summer Maiden, but you also managed lose the last vestiges of the White Fang who were still loyal to our cause in Vacuo. You also failed to re-acquire our little street rat friend. All in all, I'd say you have some catching up to do. Think of this as an opportunity to redeem yourself."

Mercury glowered under her provocation.

"Cut me a break, will you?" he asked pathetically. "I found the missing Shadowglass, didn't I?"

Cinder frowned. She had not forgotten this little tidbit. Apparently Adam had either completely cut ties, or finally bitten the dust. Either way, the hand-mirror he had carried with him had been returned to her, which was a bit of good news for once.

"Yes, you did," she allowed. "And now you'll be putting it to good use. Count yourself fortunate that I have given you such an opportunity."

Mercury muttered something under his breath that sounded like a curse word.

"What was that?" Cinder asked calmly as she leaned forward menacingly.

Mercury fixed her with an unhappy scowl.

"I said, I bet Neo doesn't have to put up with this," he grumbled. "She gets the nice cushy job while I'm stuck doing the legwork."

Cinder smiled.

"She's keeping an eye out for our little friends," she explained like she was talking to a child. "Unlike you, she can hide her appearance. They would most certainly recognize that handsome smile of yours."

Mercury scowled. "She's guarding a frigging _spa!_ Probably getting her hair and nails done while she waits."

"It's the only transit point between Atlas and the frozen north," Cinder explained calmly.

"That's because there's nothing else up that far!" Mercury groaned. "Just some crappy resort for all the rich tight-wads to go soak their fat asses when they're not sitting on their fat stacks of money!"

"Yes," Cinder allowed. "Except our Winter Maiden also happens to be in the area. So that's where we're going to be spending our time looking."

Mercury growled and belly-ached a little while longer, and as much as an ear-sore as it was, Cinder allowed him the privilege of talking her ear off. It was important that her subordinates get a chance to vent every once in a while, even if she had no intention of doing anything about it. It was a preferable option over allowing a mutiny.

"The hell is the last Maiden even _doing_ up there, anyway?" Mercury grouched. "Aren't the Maidens supposed to be wandering the world and helping out all the poor souls in fear of the Grimm or something?"

Cinder sighed, her patiently finally wearing thin.

"That's an _excellent_ question, Mercury," she said snidely. "Why don't you ponder that while you continue your search and call me if you come up with anything?"

The young man bristled at that. "Hey, wait a minute Boss!"

"Sorry, dear, I have to run," Cinder smirked as she annulled the connection between the mirrors. "You know how much I love our little chats."

Mercury's scowling face disappeared, and Cinder set down her Shadowglass and pursed her lips. Time was growing short, and she was quickly running out of assets. Mercury had assured her that he could persuade Emerald to re-join their cause. And while Cinder had not been keen on the idea of trusting that little brat once again after she had shown such sympathy to their victims, Cinder had to admit that her skills had been useful. And Mercury was certainly a convincing actor. If anyone could have swayed Emerald back to their cause, it would have been him.

His failure had all but convinced her that the girl was a lost cause. And while he had managed to lose track of both the Summer Maiden and allow the remaining White Fang to be captured by the authorities in Vacuo, it had provided her with an interesting tidbit of information as well:

The Summer Maiden was now under the direct protection of Shade Academy. More importantly, it seemed, so too was Emerald. This was a fact that she could exploit.

Cinder slithered off of the pristine white bed, her heels clacking on the hardwood floor as she slinked out of Goodwitch's bedroom and made her way back to Ozpin's office. She had all but claimed the entire school as her own, and although the facility still reeked with the scent of Huntsmen, she had to admit, the thrill of the experience of traipsing its halls had dulled somewhat of late.

Perhaps it was time for her to step out and intervene more directly? It was not the first time she had entertained such an idea. Now that had not one but _two_ Maiden powers stored within her body, she was a force to be reckoned with. But she had not gotten this far by being careless – Maidens could still be killed, and so could she. And she must not allow herself to be compromised, no matter how small the risk. She had only allowed herself to leave the tower when acquisition of another Maiden could be certain. Only once she had acquired all four Maidens could she be sure that nothing was strong enough to oppose her. And even then, she must play it close to the vest.

Fortunately, she had a trump card that allowed her both the means of knowing where to go, and of reaching her destination in a timely fashion once she knew of it.

"Krymsen," she spoke a name out loud once she reached Ozpin's office. "I have need of your services."

There was a pause, and then seemingly out of nowhere, the silver haired woman in red stepped out from behind a pillar, as if she had always been.

"What do you wish of me?" the other woman asked simply

Cinder studied her absently as she spoke. Her gray-white hair was long and voluminous, flowing all the way down her back. Her garb was simple and drab, red with black accents, or perhaps black with red accents. She kept a long and ornate sword at her hip, on the hilt of which she near constantly rested her hand. And her eyes were the striking shade the color of blood - perhaps her namesake?

"Your predictions thus far have proven quite useful," Cinder began, stepping about the lookout point atop Beacon tower, peering at the Grimm that traipsed across the school grounds, and further out across the conquered kingdom of Vale. "They've enabled me to locate both the Fall and Spring Maidens. The other Maidens, however, have thus far eluded me, as they seem to have with you."

She threw a pointed look at the other woman.

"Pray tell, how can this be?" she asked bluntly. "That your pool does not see these other two?"

Krymsen's expression was blank and completely neutral.

"The pool does not lie," she explained once again. "It sees all, but it also chooses what to reveal. What I have told you is what the pool has given me. No more, and no less. I am no more than a messenger."

"Quite," Cinder nodded, expecting such an evasive answer. "And while I am not in the habit of shooting messengers, when the messenger does not deliver the message she is meant to give, such policies become much more fluid."

The woman did not react to Cinder's baiting.

"You may kill me and receive no future messages if that is what suits you," Krymsen explained calmly. "All I have given you is the truth. The pool does not lie."

Cinder frowned. The woman was more evasive than Salem had ever been, although this might be because her master had much in the way of power to throw around. Krymsen had come to her far earlier in Cinder's career, and had given her all that she'd needed to accomplish what she had so far. But Cinder was not one for sentimentality, something that she had established long ago. If Krymsen could no longer be useful to her, then she was disposable.

"I am not doubting the veracity of your words, my dear," Cinder smiled sweetly. "I am simply concerned with how little your words contain. Even the truth can be twisted into a flasehood given the right words. And I find your words…lacking."

Krymsen simply lowered her eyes.

"I am at your disposal," she said calmly. "What more would you ask of me?"

Cinder smiled. Now she was speaking her language.

"I am at an impasse," Cinder confided in her informant. "My prizes continue to elude me, and I am at a loss for how best to acquire them. All I'm asking for, my dear, is the best method you would suggest to go about doing so."

Krymsen said nothing for a moment. Then her eyes when solid white as they rolled back into her head, as if peering into a deep void within her own mind.

"All that you yearn for shall be yours," Krymsen's voice echoed hauntingly as she spoke, as if from a great distance. "A friend, a sister and a mother reclaimed. Steal from them these things, and all that you wish shall come in due course."

Cinder nodded, her whole body tightening with anticipation.

"When?" she asked vehemently. "Where? And how?"

Krymsen close her eyes, and when she reopened them, her blood-red irises had once again regained focus.

"That is all I am able to see," she explained remorsefully. "I would advise patience. Forcing meaning upon these glimpses is tantamount to folly."

Cinder chewed on her lip. Must she speak in such riddles? There were any number of interpretations to Krymsen's words, and if she was off on any of the details, she may very well botch this whole operation.

"I yearn for the days when you are useful once again," Cinder sighed, shaking her head dismissively. "Away with you."

Krymsen nodded her head and disappeared behind the pillar she had emerged from. Cinder did not bother checking behind the pillar to see where she had gone. She knew that as soon as she had disappeared from sight, she had disappeared completely.

Sometimes she wondered if she was going mad, if this messenger existed only in her own mind. She appeared only when Cinder was alone, and so far as she knew, no one else in her employ had so much as seen her. But her words had born fruit in the past, so madness or not, she would continue to make use of her. Her trustworthiness was contingent on her usefulness, as was everyone Cinder brought into her circle.

She wondered idly if Salem had any knowledge of the messenger.

Cinder dismissed the thought. It made no matter now. The question to ponder at this time was the one that must always remain at the forefront of her thoughts:

What was she to do now?

Fortunately, it seemed, her answer would come to her before long.


	87. Chapter 87

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 87

* * *

It was awkward meeting the president of the Schnee Dust Company in his home. The Schnee Manor sat squarely in the middle of the richest neighborhood in Atlas, which was saying something. The entire property expanded for acres in every direction, with statues and shrubberies decorating every corner, and you needed a vehicle to get from one end to the other in a reasonable amount of time. At the moment, Qrow, Winter, and Team RWBY all sat in a lavish sitting room drinking tea. Dora had come as well to weigh in on the subject of one of the Maidens, and Neptune had tagged along to offer morale support for Weiss. The room itself was larger than any house Qrow had ever lived in, and was so chalked full of plush black couches and chairs and pristine white coffee tables arranged in an impeccably symmetrical pattern, that it looked more suited as a conference hall for a university, all whites and blacks.

They had all been ushered into the room by a soft-spoken maid who had greeted them at the door. Two different maids had arrived shortly thereafter to deliver them tea and biscuits, both of whom remained tight-lipped throughout the entire exchange. When pressed for information about when the president would be greeting them, the two maids had simply apologized, and assured them that he would arrive shortly. It had not been obvious at first, but Qrow had a sneaking suspicion that underneath each of the maids' bonnets was a pair of Faunus ears. He had no way of telling without being rude, but he had developed a notion for spotting the tells of a Faunus' behavior, particularly in the presence of humans.

Blake's reaction to the maids also furthered his suspicions.

When the Schnee patriarch had finally arrived, Qrow waited the prerequisite amount of time to cover pleasantries before laying into him. General Ironwood had excused himself from the meeting after it had been arranged, stating that he had a battle plan to coordinate with the council of Vacuo. Qrow was not entirely convinced that the general had simply not wished to be present for the discussion out of discomfort. Not that he could entirely blame him.

As for himself, Qrow had no such scruples.

"So this the reason why Oz and I could never find the next Winter Maiden candidate," Qrow uttered in growing frustration, giving the elder Schnee a disgusted look as he paced about the sitting room. "The last Winter Maiden never died in the first place!"

William Eisenhardt Schnee was sitting with his arms crossed in one of the comfortable looking armchairs that littered the room, facing the rest of the room's occupants with a keen indifference.

"I will not have you referring to my wife in such a callous manner, mister Branwen," he said, although Qrow noticed that he did not deny his words. "Please take care how you speak."

Qrow scowled, clearly in no mood to temper his words.

"Father," Weiss spoken up, "I don't understand…"

The two Schnee girls were seated closest to the president, one on either side of him. Ruby sat next to Weiss, holding her hand in support. Neptune stood behind her, resting an arm on her shoulder. The rest of Ruby's team was positioned next to her, with Dora standing off to the side. Qrow noticed that the seat next to Winter was suspiciously unfilled.

"I thought mother died of an immune-deficiency disorder when I was just a baby," Weiss continued, a clear note of distress in her voice.

"That's what I was told as well, father," Winter added, an accusatory look in her eyes. "Is this not the case?"

The old man shifted uncomfortably under his daughters' collective gaze.

"That is not…entirely…inaccurate…" William said, seemingly at a loss for words.

He glanced up at everyone in the room, before his eyes fell upon Qrow.

"This is a private family matter, mister Branwen," he said sternly. "I would appreciate it if you and your associates could spare us a few moments."

Qrow crossed his arms stubbornly.

"You lost that right when you started keeping secrets that jeopardized the entire world of Remnant, mister president."

William narrowed his eyes. "Now just a moment here…"

"Father," Weiss spoke up. "Is it true? Is it true that mother was the Winter Maiden?"

William glanced down at his daughter. "I…that is…"

"Father," Winter broke in. "If mother _was_ the Winter Maiden, then the first Atlesian strike force needs to know about it. Our entire mission, and indeed the security of all of Atlas, depends on what you tell us."

She reached out and placed a smooth, thin hand on his wrinkled one.

"Please…" she said, a note of somberness in her voice.

The girl's father glanced down at Winter's hand, and back up into her eyes. He then drew in a breath as he clasped his hands together before his stomach, staring at the floor.

"I never wanted my dear Crystal to have to deal with the responsibility of being a Maiden…" he began, his eyes closed in reminiscence. "As you both know, after Winter was born, your mother was diagnosed with a T-cell deficiency. She saw the top doctors in all of Atlas, and she was given the best treatment available."

"She got sick?" Ruby blinked hesitantly. "But…she was a _Maiden_ , wasn't she?"

"Maidens can still get sick, just like anyone else, kid," Qrow explained quickly.

William raised his head and peered over at his youngest daughter.

"Afterwards, we were told that there would be significant risk involved if she should have another child," he said sadly. "But your mother was a brave and caring soul. She knew the risks. She wanted another child. We both did."

Weiss trembled a little. Neptune squeezed her shoulder.

"After you were born, Weiss," William said soberly, "Complications arose. Your mother became… _deeply_ ill. There was nothing the doctors could do for her. She just didn't have the strength to carry on. She would most certainly have died."

"Except she didn't," Qrow broke in.

Winter threw him a dirty look, but William simply nodded.

"No," he acknowledged. "At the time, Atlas engineering had just perfected its latest cryogenic stasis module. It had been tested, and was in full working order. It was a simple matter to procure one, and an even simpler matter to make arrangements for Crystal to be placed in suspended animation until such time as a cure could be developed."

Weiss and Winter were staring at their father in disbelief.

"You put our mother in cryo-stasis!?" Weiss blurted incredulously.

"You mean…" Winter breathed. "All this time…mother has been alive?"

"And for all that time, the world has been _without_ its Winter Maiden," Qrow fixed the old man with a dirty look. "She never died, and so she couldn't pass on her power."

William furrowed his brow. "I did what I thought was right for my family, mister Branwen! I dare assume _any_ among you would have the courage to do the same!"

He glared at everyone else in the room, many of whom simply lowered their eyes.

"Still…to think…" Weiss shook her head in awe. "Cryo-stasis…"

"Yeah," Qrow nodded. "A similar sort of technology that was used to keep the Fall Maiden alive. Turns out it had already been in use for over a dozen years beforehand."

Weiss gave her father a hurt look. "And you never told us _anything?_ "

The old man simply closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, my child…I had thought it for the best."

Weiss shook her head in disbelieve. This was just too much for her to take in.

"I don't understand," Blake interjected, tilting her head in confusion. "Crystal Schnee just… _agreed_ to do this? But she was the Winter Maiden, wasn't she?"

She gave a sympathetic look to Weiss.

"I mean…I know she was your mother, Weiss, and I'm sure she wanted to be there for you…" she muttered weakly, before turning her attention back to Weiss' father. "But she had a responsibility to the world of Remnant too!"

William lowered his eyes. "As I said…I never wanted that responsibility to fall to her…"

"But what did _she_ want!?" Winter spoke out loudly. "What did _mother_ think of all this!?"

The Schnee family patriarch stared back at his daughter with a stern look on his face.

"She was ill at the time," he reasoned stiffly. "She was not in her right state of mind. She was not fit to make such a crucial decision…"

"So you… _what?_ " Weiss demanded. "Made the decision _for_ her!?"

Weiss' father bristled at the accusation.

"It was for her own good!" William countered.

"Bullshit!" Qrow scowled angrily. "You forced a decision on her, mister president!"

"It was the _right_ decision to make!" the Schnee patriarch bellowed. "It was the _only_ decision!"

"How did you ever manage to _make_ her do this?" Yang asked in confusion. "I mean, we've seen Maidens out in the field before. Their power's incredible! No way someone could _force_ someone like that to do _anything!_ "

"Not if she was too sick to resist," Qrow sneered. "Like the old man said, she wasn't in her right mind, so she couldn't even say no."

He turned his attention to the president of the Schnee Dust Company.

"You did whatever you wanted without a single regard for her feelings, mister president!" he shouted. "The guardians of the Maidens may be responsible for their safety, but we _never_ imposed our will on them! We _never_ _forced_ them to do anything!"

"That's not the same!" William countered. "The Guardian Maidens-!"

"The Guardian Maidens are guaranteed full autonomy," came a small voice from across the room.

William and the others looked up to see Dora, the small dark skinned girl in her exotic garb, seeming about as out of place as any could possibly be at the heart of Atlas.

"I beg your pardon?" president Schnee asked.

"Something Professor Jasmine told me," Dora explained as she stood with her arms crossed, a disinterested look on her face. "Maidens get a lot of shit foisted on them for their whole lives. We're supposed to be responsible for the whole damn planet. The least you nitwits can do is let us make our own decisions for ourselves."

William furrowed his brow. "And who are you to speak of such things, child?"

Dora uncrossed her arms and jutted her thumb towards her chest, a defiant look in her eyes.

"I'm the _Summer Maiden_ , old man!" she declared proudly. "Your wifey's sister-in-arms, if you think about it! And I don't much care for the things I'm hearing here!"

Ruby held up her hands defensively. "Dora, please…"

Dora stared wide eyed at everyone else in the room.

"Are you all _hearing_ this!?" she demanded angrily, before turning her angry glare back at William. "I don't get all the details, but from what I'm getting, the Winter Maiden got forced into some sleeping tube instead of dying! If she can't die, she can't give her power to the next Maiden in line, and one of four Maidens is out for the count! And you have the _nerve_ to wonder why the world's gone to shit!?"

William jumped to his feet. "How dare you, child!? The world was in a state of _peace_ when this arrangement was made! There were three other Maidens out there, doing good works! The world didn't _need_ all four Maidens to sustain its balance in such a state of prosperity! Why should my dear Crystal need to be sacrificed? We had every reason to believe the world could have made do with _one_ less Maiden for a while…just until she got better. Surely…"

The old man glanced back and forth between his two children, Dora and Qrow, as uncertainty filled his eyes.

"Surely…" he breathed. "Surely, _one_ could be spared…just for a while…"

Qrow crossed his arms, a seething look in his eyes.

"So that _one_ got to be your _wife!?_ " he said slowly in scarcely contained rage, his voice low and threatening. "You thought that you and your family was just so damn _special_ that you _deserved_ the right to absolve your family of _any_ responsibility the Maidens represented? That your needs were just so _god damned_ _important_ that the _entire world_ ought to shoulder your burdens for you? Give up one fourth of its Maidens so that, what? So you and your kids could be spared a little heartbreak!?"

Ruby winced at her uncle's words. "Uncle Qrow…"

William Eisenhardt Schnee began to bristle under the accusations.

"Don't you lecture me about _heartbreak_ , mister Branwen…" he growled angrily.

Qrow's eyes widened in outrage as he clenched his hands into fists.

"What about the _other_ Maidens then, huh!?" he demanded, gesturing outwards with his hand, thinking of Summer. "You think _they_ didn't have families they wished they could go home to!? You think _they_ didn't wish they could just quit whenever things got tough!? It's too bad none of _them_ had rich families to bail them out! They didn't _get_ to throw in the towel! And because of _you_ , their jobs had to be _that_ much harder these past fifteen years!"

All three Schnees were taken aback by his words.

"Uncle Qrow…" Ruby breathed.

Qrow gnashed his teeth as he glared back at the old man.

"This why I can't _stand_ you Schnees!" Qrow fumed. "You put your own damn needs in front of _everybody else's_ , and you _get away with it_ because you have the money to make it happen! You think you're entitled to special treatment just because you're rich, and you make everyone else _suffer_ because you think you're better than they are!"

The Schnee patriarch began to seethe in return, a warning look in his eyes. "I think you've said _quite enough_ , mister Branwen…"

Qrow stamped his foot.

"Yeah? Well guess what, mister president?" he demanded haughtily. " _You_ set the world up for this disaster! _You_ took one of the Maidens out of play for fifteen years, and the other three Maidens weren't strong enough to compensate! And now the Grimm are knocking at your front door, and it's all because you Schnees couldn't be bothered to do your part to save the world!"

Qrow held his arms out wide, a look of contempt on his face.

"Congratulations, mister president!" he glowered. "Your arrogance has doomed us all!"

William Eisenhardt Schnee inhaled slowly, his eyes widening in outrage at the accusation.

"I want you _out_ _of this house_ , mister Branwen," he said in a deep, menacing tone. " _Now!_ "

At his words, a pair of doors leading further into the house swung open, and a pair of armed guards stepped into the room, standing ominously by the door. The entire room held its breath as Qrow stiffened, almost looking like he was about to attack the Schnee Dust Company president in his own home. But he finally turned and straightened his jacket.

"Fine," he sneered, turning with a flare of his cape to step towards the door, throwing a quick glance at his niece. "Keep me posted, kid. I'll find you later…"

Ruby watched as Qrow stormed out of the sitting room and through the opposite door, leading back out towards the main gate.

The room was silent for a moment. Then Winter Schnee got to her feet, fixing her father with a look of absolute _disgust_ , slowly shaking her head.

William fixed her with a wounded look. "Winter…"

Without saying a word, Winter turned on her heel and stomped towards the front door, hurrying after Qrow.

"Winter!" the Schnee patriarch called out to her.

Without responding to him at all, she marched through the door, letting it slam behind her.

The room was silent once again. Weiss was staring at her father in shock. The old man simply hung his head as he slumped back into his chair.

"Father…" Weiss said wistfully.

"It wasn't meant to go on for this long…" he breathed, heavy-hearted. "I knew that it could not last forever. The doctors assured me it would not be long before a cure could be found. A few years at most. They were so sure…"

Weiss bit her lip as she leaned over to clasp his hand in hers.

"Every year came disappointment," he sighed. "Another year gone by, another year that I was told to wait just a little while longer. Just one more year, and perhaps then, there would be a cure. Just one more year…"

Weiss squeezed his hand. "Father…"

Weiss's eyes narrowed, tears welling up beneath them.

"I can't blame you for wanting to keep mother alive…" she said slowly. "But…why keep it a _secret_ from me and Winter!? Surely she and I deserved to know the truth at the _very_ least!"

He shook his head. "I did not want to give you two false hope, my dear. It would not have been fair."

Weiss shook her head. "And _not knowing at all_ is any better!?"

William stared at his daughter in surprise. "Weiss…"

Weiss shook her head. "Father, do you honestly believe this is what she would have wanted!? Even putting aside her responsibilities as a Maiden…were she to wake up _today_ , perfectly healthy…what _then!?_ "

William blinked, too stunned for words. "I…"

"It's been fifteen years, Father!" Weiss cried. "Winter and I can't even remember what she _looked like!_ She would be an utter _stranger_ to us! Is _that_ what she would have wanted!?"

William slowly shook his head. "A chance to see you both, fully grown? A chance she would have never received otherwise? Do you know of a parent who would not give anything for this?"

Weiss shook her head.

"But to experience those years _with_ us…" she said somberly. "To grow up together, getting to know one another…wouldn't that have been better?"

William shuddered. "That…wasn't an option, my child…"

Weiss grimaced. "And this _was?_ "

Weiss' father inhaled as he turned to stare at the young woman.

"Weiss…" he whispered.

Weiss grimaced at her father in disbelief.

"If we had even _known_ about this, then Winter and I could have visited her while she slept, and at least gotten to _see_ her!" Weiss whimpered. "We could have fostered hope for a future together. But we've moved on with our lives now, and put her memory to rest. As it is now…there just won't be room in our lives for her!"

Weiss wiped her face as tears trickled down her cheeks.

" _Winter_ wouldn't be happy, _I_ wouldn't be happy, and there's no way _mother_ would be happy with the two us feeling like that," she cried. "You're the only one who thinks this is for the best, father. Can't you see how _selfish_ that is?"

William stared at his daughter in disbelief at what he was hearing. How had his little girl grown so much?

"Do you really think this is what Winter and I would have wanted?" she pleaded with him. "Is this really…what _mother_ would have wanted?"

William was at a loss. He had no answer to his daughter's words. He could no longer justify his actions, and the more he tried to think of a way to do so, the more foolish he felt for even trying. Weiss was right. She was right about everything. And he couldn't pretend to know what was best anymore when she had so elegantly summarized his folly.

A single tear trickled down her father's cheek as Weiss watched the Schnee family patriarch reach his decision, his eyes lowered in resignation.

"Your mother is being kept in an underground Atlas facility far up into the frozen north," he said, his head hanging in shame. "Seventy-five degrees and eighteen minutes north, thirty-three degrees and twelve minutes east."

Weiss and Ruby exchanged a glance.

"Father?" she asked curiously.

"It's an unmanned facility," he explained stoically. "Everything's completely automated. You or your sister's voice print and retinal scans will grant you all the access you need."

Weiss shook her head, confused. "I…I don't understand…"

The old man glanced up at her, broken and weary.

"Go, my child," he said simply. "You and your sister have my leave to go find your mother, and do whatever it is that you need to. If at all possible…see if you can amend the mistake I made all those years ago. Before it's too late."

Weiss clutched her hands together over her heart. Her father's words were the words of a broken man. Had her words stung so deeply? What had she done to him?

Then it hit her lack a sack of bricks. She was about to go find her mother. Her _mother!_ Someone she had thought dead for her entire life. Someone who had given her life so that she might be born. And if her fathers' words were to be believed…she would not be long for this world when they found her.

What would she do with those moments together? Would she still be able to talk or even think straight when she woke up? Would she wake up at all, after so much time in stasis? Would she and Winter be going up there to be reunited…or to bury a ghost?

She steeled herself as she spoke her answer.

"Thank you, father," she said plainly. "I will."

William Schnee attempted a fraction of a smile.

"If you…" he stammered, his body looking old and tired. "If you _do_ get to see her…give her my love for me, would you please?"

Weiss nodded, as Ruby gave her hand a squeeze, Neptune's hand on her shoulder.

"Of course, father…" she inclined her head.

Ruby nodded to Weiss and stood, gesturing for her team to get moving. As the Huntsmen began to vacate the opulent chamber, they glanced back at the Schnee Patriarch, once a living symbol of the power and fortitude of Atlas, sitting defeated and alone as he could not even muster the strength to watch them go.


	88. Chapter 88

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 88

* * *

Winter found Qrow exactly where she thought she'd find him – being thrown out of a bar.

"Whoa!" he blurted as he was flung from the premises, staggering and slurring his words as he stumbled back. "Hey, watch it!"

Winter had been marching up and down the neighborhood, checking traffic cams on her scroll for any sign of a disturbance and tracking the man's pattern until she had narrowed down his location to the city block. She stiffened when she caught sight of him, his loud brash nature causing nearby pedestrians to shy away, drawing an inordinate amount of attention towards him. He slowly regained his footing after having been being bodily shoved from a rather upscale looking establishment not far from where her family's manor stood, and turned to give the closed door a piece of his mind.

"Yeah, well, fine!" he bellowed angrily, thumbing his nose at the place. "I didn't want to drink your piss-water anyway!"

He straightened his jacket in an indignant huff, somehow without managing to make himself looking any less unkempt.

"Mister Branwen," Winter blurted, catching his attention before she could stop herself.

Qrow took a moment or two to focus his attention on the source of the voice, as if not recognizing her at first. Then his expression soured as his eyes narrowed.

"What do _you_ want, Ice Queen?" he asked bluntly. "You come here to tell me how I should have been nicer to your daddy?"

Winter felt herself getting instinctively defensive without even intending to.

"No," she scoffed, aghast at what a pitiful state the man was in. "I came here to make sure you didn't do anything _stupid!_ Like start drinking yourself into a stupor at two in the afternoon!"

Qrow couldn't seem to decide whether to agree or disagree with her assessment, before eventually settling on the latter.

"Hey, I'm a far cry from wasted yet, missy," he argued, giving her a dour expression. "And besides, I haven't had a drop in over a month before today! I'd say I've earned myself a drink or two."

Winter wrinkled her nose. "Or eight, judging by your stench."

"Oh, get off your high horse, Ice Queen," Qrow grumbled, turning to plod his way down the sidewalk. "I've held down much more than this before…"

He wobbled precariously, and Winter grabbed him by the shoulder to steady him.

"Mister Branwen, you're a mess," she criticized disparagingly. "Look at yourself!"

"I don't need you to lecture me, missy!" Qrow grumbled back at her, though he made no motion to break away from her – either because he was too uncoordinated, or he just didn't care. "Just leave me alone!"

Winter narrowed her eyes. Her better judgement was telling her to do just that. But she knew that if she did, there was no telling what trouble he might get into. Whether he would admit it or not, he was in bad shape. Confronting her father must have taken a lot out of him. That or he hadn't escaped Cinder's captivity unscathed. Either way, he could barely put one foot in front of the other. He needed help.

"You're the uncle of my strike team commander," she said stubbornly. "And you're the Wizard now, for whatever that's worth. You're also bordering on creating a public disturbance that very well might land you in a jail cell. I'm afraid I'm going to have to _insist_ that you come back to the Citadel with me."

Qrow pulled away from her, staggering as he did, and slumped against the nearest building and fixed her with a dirty look.

"You 'insist?'" he demanded haughtily, his voice cracking in barely contained laughter. "Oh! Oh, that is _rich!_ And what are you going to do if I say no?"

Winter did not react to his baiting. "Then I'll simply have to use force."

Qrow seemed to find that fantastically amusing.

"Ahahahahahaha!" he guffawed, still leaning against the building. "Oh, you've got to be _kidding_ me!"

"I assure you," she said firmly, still remaining rigid. "Of the two of us, you are the only one who would appear to be in a joking mood."

Qrow's mirth quickly subsided as he fixed his piercing red gaze upon her, causing Winter to hesitate. For all his drunken befuddlement, he still managed to make her freeze with those eyes of his.

"You do recall what happened the _last_ time the two of us got into a tussle…" he said with a teasing smirk.

Winter felt her calm demeanor beginning to strain against his unending mockery.

"As I recall, the match was cut short before it could be decided," she argued, leaning in closer to give him a defiant look. "And right now, you're not even in a fit enough state to be called a challenge."

Qrow's overconfidence was staggering as he jutted his chin out at her.

"Oh yeah?" he snorted, letting go of the wall to stand upright once again. "If you're so sure of yourself, let's see you put your money where your mouth is, Ice Queen! I'll put you in the _ground!_ "

Winter gave him an unamused frown, before taking a small step forward and placing her hand on his chest to casually push him backwards.

Qrow flailed as his sense of balance left him, and he toppled over backwards, landing unceremoniously on his backside with a grunt of discomfort.

"Oof!" he exclaimed.

He blinked in surprise as he tried to figure out what had just happened, and his eyes fell on a pair of white heeled boots at about eye level. He slowly raised his head to focus his eyes on Winter Schnee as she stood over him with her arms crossed.

"Are you quite finished?" she asked snidely.

Qrow wrinkled his nose and looked away, discouraged.

"Why can't you just leave me alone…?" he demanded quietly.

Winter had just about had enough.

"Because you need my help, you idiot!" she bellowed, thrusting her hand out towards him where he lay. "Your niece would never approve of me leaving you in such a sorry state! Now get off your ass and come back to the Citadel with me, before you somehow find a way to make an even _greater_ fool of yourself!"

Qrow flinched under her berating, glancing back up at her as she peered down at him. For a moment, he was completely unable to tear his gaze away from her hard blue eyes. He was expecting the anger and frustration, but there was something else there too.

Was it…was she… _concerned_ about him?

He tore his gaze away and reached up to take her hand.

"Fine…" he muttered a she pulled him to his feet.

Winter nodded as she whipped out her scroll with her other hand, keeping him steady as she quickly thumbed in a transit request. Within a minute, a sleek gray sedan pulled up to the curb next to where they stood, with Prometheus, her robot butler, at the wheel.

"Where to, ma'am?" the automaton intoned in its robotic voice.

"To the Citadel," she commanded simply as she opened the back door, helping Qrow slowly ease his way into a sitting position before lowering herself into the passenger seat beside him.

"Right away, ma'am," Prometheus nodded, its metal bow-tie spinning in confirmation.

As the car pulled out into traffic, Qrow rested his elbows on his knees, hanging his head between his legs, as if only just realizing how drunk he was.

"I don't get it…" he muttered grumpily. "I used to be able to put away _twice_ this much and still put up a good fight. What the hell's wrong with me?"

Winter exhaled with a shrug.

"If you truly haven't had a drink in over a month, it stands to reason that your tolerance would have gone down since then," she reasoned. "There's also the distinct possibility that all that drinking has finally taken its toll on you."

She allowed her lips to curve into a wry smile.

"That, or you're just getting old."

"Hah-hah," Qrow snorted sarcastically. "Kick a man while he's down, why don't you? Enjoy it while you can, Ice Queen. I won't be this much of a pushover next time."

"Oh?" she asked pointedly. "Does that mean you'll finally be giving up drinking after this little episode, mister Branwen?"

"Not likely," he shook his head, before fixing a scowl at her. "And stop calling me that, will you? It's weird to hear you keep calling me 'mister Branwen' all the time. Just call me Qrow!"

Winter crossed her arms and legs, leaning back against her seat.

"Fine then," she acknowledged, glancing out the car window and watching the buildings drift by. "So what exactly convinced you to jump off the wagon then, Qrow? Surely not your conversation with my father."

"If you want to even _call_ that a conversation," Qrow mumbled. "That was like arguing with a brick wall. Just a big damn waste of time."

Winter didn't say anything for a moment as she relaxed her posture a little. She had given the news of her mother a great deal of thought as she had searched the neighborhood for Qrow's whereabouts, and had already come to something of a conclusion on the subject.

"For what it's worth…" she said, slowly breaking the silence and clasping her hands in her lap. "I think that what my father did was selfish and short-sighted."

Qrow raised an eyebrow at that.

"Is that so?" he mused, rhetorically.

Winter nodded, focusing on her hands. "Growing up in that household, my sister and I learned very quickly not to question his judgement. Even when we _knew_ something he did was ignorant or questionable or just flat-out _wrong_ …as his daughter, I was never in a position to point it out."

She glanced back up at him uncomfortably. She really didn't like talking about herself like this, but after what she had just witnessed back at her family's manor, Qrow deserved to know her feelings on the matter.

"What I'm trying to say is…" Winter mumbled, cheeks slightly pink as she lowered her gaze. "…Thank you. For confronting him like you did. I…don't think I would have had the courage to do so myself. Not on my own, at any rate."

Qrow gave the Schnee woman a curious look. He was not used to seeing this side of her.

Winter waited for him to respond, but he just sat there, quietly studying her. Damn him, why wouldn't he say anything? She was telling him something this personal, and he didn't even have the decency to respond! She knew she was blushing, but she was still unable to meet his gaze. Those damn eyes of his could be so unbearably intense when he willed them to be.

"I'm surprised," he finally said after an infuriating amount of time had passed.

Winter narrowed her eyes, still focused on her hands, unable to bring herself to meet his gaze.

"Surprised?" she demanded. "Why? You don't think I'd ever openly defy my own father? Like I can't think for myself or something?"

Qrow held his hands up, shaking his head quickly. "No, no…nothing like that. I mean, I'm surprised because…well, I don't want to make any presumptions about your family or anything, but…"

He leaned over to peer at her, and Winter was finally forced to meet his gaze, and felt her cheeks growing hotter as she did.

"But what?" she asked hurriedly, confused by the expression she saw.

Qrow's eyes, normally as hard and as sharp as his sword, were as gentle and kind as anything she had ever seen.

"I just thought…that you'd want to see your mother again," he said softly.

Winter inhaled slowly. What did he think he was doing, exactly? Giving her such sympathetic words while looking at her with an expression like that…how was she supposed to react to that!? In her book, Qrow Branwen was a brash and boorish brute, undignified and uncivilized, the exact opposite of what a proper gentleman should be! How was it then that he could have such an effect on her!? How was it that he could be so…sweet?

Winter straightened her posture and cleared her throat, tearing her gaze away from the man.

"Don't get me wrong," she said, hurriedly. "I _do_ want to see her again. And I fully intend to do so, if at all possible. But not if it means putting the world in jeopardy! I have my pride as a Schnee, after all! If the world of Remnant demands such a sacrifice, then my honor requires that I see it through!"

Qrow let out a low, rumbling chuckle that slowly turned into a fit of laughter.

"Hahahahahaha!" he chortled. "Oh, you are _something else_ , Ice Queen. You know that?"

Winter pursed her lips, crossing her arms indignantly.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

Qrow shook his head dismissively. "Nothing, nothing…I just find the whole situation kind of ridiculous, is all."

Winter let out a breath in acknowledgement.

"Quite," she agreed, before giving him a discerning glance. "And must you continue to refer to me as 'Ice Queen' all the time? That moniker's grown rather stale by now."

Qrow smirked back at her.

"What, you want me to be a good little soldier and call you by your title and rank?" he scoffed. "Miss Special Operative Winter Schnee, ma'am?"

Winter crossed her arms. "It would be the proper thing to do."

"Yeah," Qrow wrinkled his nose. "'Cept I don't work for Atlas, and I'm not one of your soldiers. Your ranks and titles don't apply to me."

The Schnee woman rolled her eyes as she looked away. The car was approaching the Citadel.

"Winter then," she suggested, out of hand.

Qrow blinked for a moment, before slowly nodding.

"Winter," he said her name with a smile. "Well, I should thank you for giving me a ride back to the Citadel then, Winter."

He nodded to the driver.

"You _and_ your little robot butler up there."

Prometheus' metallic top hat automatically lifted and fell back onto its head, as if on some sort of piston.

"Much obliged, sir," it responded.

Winter nodded soberly. "You're welcome. Just try not to make this into a habit, if at all possible."

"I'll keep that in mind," Qrow smiled earnestly. "And…well, sorry for being such an ass today. Your father just kind of drives me crazy."

Winter glanced back at the man, wondering at just how they had both arrived at this moment together. When they had first met, she could not stand the man, and by all accounts, the feeling had been mutual.

But now…

Well, he was still a pompous ass. But she could tell that he had a sensitive side too. And the principles that he stood for…the way he fought to protect them could be downright inspiring, she had to admit. There was clearly more to this man than she had initially believed. And the thought of discovering just how much was…somewhat fascinating to her.

"Mmm…" she affirmed with a slight smirk. "Me too…"


	89. Chapter 89

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 89

* * *

Ruby stared up at the holographic monitor atop the strategic operations console in the main cabin aboard the _Aeneid_. Featured on the monitor were the faces of General Ironwood and Professor Jasmine, each gazing back at them all with the taciturn gravitas befitting the situation. The ship's main viewport, which stretched out overtop the entire cabin and normally acted as a skylight, had been dimmed to allow better visibility of the holographic display, lending the cabin a dark, somber mood. Surrounding the console were the four Huntsmen teams under Ruby's command. Their operations director, Winter Schnee, was also present and accounted for. Ruby's uncle Qrow, Dora and Emerald had also joined them, taking up residence in the cargo hold after the refugees from Mistal had cleared out. The Wizard and the Summer Maiden were standing around the console with the Huntsmen and Huntresses, though Emerald had not deigned to join in.

"I'm impressed that you got the Winter Maiden's location out of the president," Ironwood said, a hint of admiration in his voice. "Good work, Operative Rose."

"Thank you, sir," Ruby nodded slowly, glancing at her partner. "But it's really Weiss you should be thanking."

"Nevertheless, your team got the results we need," the Professor Jasmine affirmed.

"With that in mind, I have your next assignment," Ironwood said. "While the Atlesian Fleet rallies together with the Huntsmen of Shade, we need the First Atlesian Strike Force to go and secure the Winter Maiden."

Ruby exchanged a nervous glance with Weiss, before raising her hand.

"Sir, you _did_ receive our report about what we learned from Weiss' dad, didn't you?" she asked timidly. "The Winter Maiden is in suspended animation because of an _incurable disease_. If we try to wake her up…well…"

Ironwood let out a breath. "I understand that the situation is not ideal, but we're running low on time, and our enemy already has a head start on us. We have no assurance that the Maiden's condition will have any bearing on whether Cinder Fall will consider her an asset worth going after. We must seize this opportunity to act before the Winter Maiden falls into the enemy's hands."

Weiss wrapped her arms around her waist.

"So it's not that we're trying to _save_ the Winter Maiden," she said sullenly. "We're simply trying to ensure she doesn't fall into enemy hands. She's just an asset that we're trying to deny to our adversaries."

Ironwood nodded slowly. "I am sorry, my dear. But those are the terms we must operate under at this time."

"I hate to bring this up, considering who we're talking about here," Qrow spoke up from his spot in the corner, a bag of ice against his head, evidently nursing a colossal headache. "But there's a very real possibility that if and when we find the Winter Maiden, she…won't wake up at all. And the Winter Maiden's power will transfer to someone else, somewhere else in the world right then and there. And we'll be back to square one."

Weiss and Winter exchanged a furtive glance but said nothing.

"That's simply a risk we will need to contend with," Professor Jasmine interjected. "Whatever happens, we must ascertain the Maiden's condition, one way or the other. And we must do so swiftly, before our enemy has a chance to strike."

Yang slammed her first into hand, mashing her metal knuckles into the palm of her hand.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" she asked in a determined voice. "We got the airship prepped. Let's get this bucket of bolts moving!"

"There's a bit of a complication, actually…" Winter said, stepping forward to call up a map to appear on the main console, moving the general and headmistress' windows to separate corners of the display. "The frozen north is a frigid wasteland. The _Aeneid_ isn't equipped to handle temperatures in those extremes."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why not?"

Weiss let out a sigh. "Didn't you pay _any_ attention in dust class, Ruby? Dust engines need to maintain an optimal temperature for combustion. There are specialized vehicles with insulated dust engines that can handle it, but they tend to overheat in normal climes, so they don't come standard in most airships."

"And we don't have time to re-outfit the _Aeneid_ ," Winter said. "And all other airships that might have the right equipment are already outbound to rally with Vacuo. Our best option at this time is to acquire transport at Shiroyuki Springs."

A dotted line appeared on the holographic map, leading from Atlas to a small point just south of the northern lake.

Coco's eyes lit up. "Shiroyuki Springs? Score!"

Ruby scratched her head. "What's at Shiroyuki Springs?"

Weiss crossed her arms. "Only one of the fanciest resorts in all of Remnant."

"Out in the middle of nowhere?" Yang wrinkled her nose. "How do they stay in business that far up in the arctic? And with all the Grimm outside the kingdom?"

"Well, that far north, there's scarcely any life," Neptune pointed out. "No plant life, no wildlife; nothing for the Grimm to feed on. It's so desolate that there are hardly any Grimm in the area."

Jaune gave Pyrrha a questioning look. "Too desolate for the _Grimm?_ Who'd want to go to a resort out _there?_ "

"The resort rests on a natural hot spring," Weiss explained. "It's an oasis surrounded on all sides by a frozen wasteland. Almost impossible to get to by anyone without the means to cross the frozen north."

"Sounds expensive," Sun rolled his eyes, giving Blake a smirk. "I can already guess who their usual clientele might be."

"Probably rich kids with nothing better to do," Nora observed idly, before throwing Weiss and Coco a wayward glance. "No offense."

"None taken," Coco smirked.

" _Some_ taken," Weiss narrowed her eyebrows.

"Sorry," Nora grinned.

"So we're going to a hot spring resort in the middle of the frozen north?" Blake observed skeptically. "And we're just expecting them to have the means of transportation to get us to the facility where the Maiden is being kept?"

"Search and rescue vehicles equipped for hazardous environments, to be precise," Winter elaborated.

"I suppose the last thing _any_ vacation spot needs is a lawsuit from a rich, influential parent who finds out their kid got lost in the snow due to negligence," Pyrrha reasoned.

"Might be useful for tracking down the Winter Maiden in one of those," Ren added.

Ironwood and Jasmine's screens took back control of the display, overlapping over the map underneath.

"However you go about getting the job done is immaterial," Ironwood stated bluntly. "Just get it done, team."

Ruby saluted. "We will, sir."

Jasmine smiled, glancing over towards the general's window.

"Are you going to tell them, James?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Ruby blinked. "Tell us what?"

Ironwood sighed.

"I was going to wait until they got back, but now's as good a time as any I suppose," he said, before addressing the Huntsmen. "It's nothing major, just a change in your team designation."

Jasmine nodded. "Public opinions in Vacuo are that the term "strike force" is much too militant and brings to mind Atlas' checkered past. Such notions might undermine the relationship between our two kingdoms, particular if we are to work together to retake our sister kingdoms. To avoid this, we thought a rebranding might be in order, to better emphasize that the members of this team are indeed Huntsmen who have trained at our Huntsman academies."

Ruby glanced around at all her new teammates, getting curious looks from each of them. There were sixteen of them in all now. So many that she hadn't even learned all of their abilities yet. But they were still Huntsmen, and Ruby trusted them.

"So, like one of our team names, from back at the academy?" Ruby asked out loud, giving Weiss a helpless glance. "We had a hard time coming up with a name from just seven letters. What are you planning on, now that there's sixteen of us?"

Ironwood shook his head.

"Your teams have endured and survived some of the worst this war has had to offer," he said. "You've proven your dedication and loyalty, and I cannot think of a more qualified group of individuals for this mission."

"Team CFVY gave aid to the resistance in Vale, and prevented disaster from raining down on Vacuo as well," Jasmine said.

"Team SSSN served as the vanguard to keep the survivors of Mistral alive," the general said. "Team JNPR served on the front-lines of conflicts across the world of Remnant, and despite nearly losing one of their finest members, you've risen to the tasks set before you all the same."

"And Team RWBY was scattered to the four winds, each of you proving yourselves in your own way, only to come back stronger and more resilient than ever, to lead your comrades into battle," Jasmine finished.

"Team RWBY," Ironwood said. "Team SSSN. Team JNPR. Team CFVY. Four Huntsmen teams, all fighting under one banner."

"RWBY, SSSN, JNPR, CFVY," Jasmine pointed out, the letters appearing on the holographic monitor. "R-S-J-C."

"From this day forward," Ironwood smiled. "You shall be known as…Team Resurgence."

That got smiles from just about all accounted for. Team members started patting each other on the back as they exchanged smiles and high fives. Even Qrow and his massive headache couldn't help but grin just a little.

"Hell yeah!" Yang hollered, throwing her fist into the air.

"I like the sound of that," Weiss nodded in approval.

"It's got a nice ring to it," Blake smiled.

"Team RSJC," Ruby said quietly to herself. "I like it."

Ironwood nodded, smiling proudly.

"You have your assignment, Team RSJC," he said simply. "Go get it done."

The four team leaders, Ruby, Jaune, Sun and Coco each saluted.

"Aye-aye!" they cried.

With a nod, the screen went dark, the cabin lighting up once again as the main viewport overhead went transparent.

"Alright then," Ruby called out, a rush of adrenaline in her system. "Commander Schnee? Set our heading to the Shiroyuki Springs!"


	90. Chapter 90

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 90

* * *

The resistance had taken the news of their less than forthcoming rescue with mixed reactions. Some had taken the fact that Atlas had even _attempted_ a rescue effort as a sign of hope, that all they had to do now was wait for a larger force to come swooping in, and that all they had to do was hold out. Others, however, had seen the futile attempt at their salvation as a last ditch effort before being written off completely, regardless of whatever assurances Ruby and her crew had given them.

Still, Glynda thought to herself, to think that Ruby Rose had come so far as to be leading her own strike team…

A lot had happened this past year, she reasoned. Not a lot of information had been exchanged over the brief conversation she had managed over their scrolls, although she had managed to learn that Team CFVY had made it back in one piece. She was glad, at least, that the resistance had managed to get the scroll com towers back online, that they could receive such messages to begin with. If their luck held, it would allow them to receive the strike team when the final push came.

"Ma'am?" came the concerned yet still rapid voice of Professor Oobleck. "I'm sorry to bother you, but…might I have a word?"

Glynda looked up from where she was sitting. The resistance had needed to move its hideout three times in the past two months, as the Grimm expanded farther and farther out into Vale. Currently they were in another office building, this one connected to an underground parking lot that provided much in the way of places to hide in the event of prowling Grimm.

Glynda herself had taken up residence in what appeared to have, at one time, been a security office. The electricity in the building had long since gone out, but the resistance had managed to acquire a number of dust power generators, which their precious supply of dust crystals went to powering when needed. Strict rules were set in place about when and for how long these generators could be run in order to save power. Scrolls and light sources were charged during the day, which could only be run sparingly at night. And student Huntsmen were trusted to keep their scrolls charged in case of unexpected deployment, so that they could always be able to stay in contact with each other.

Keeping order and discipline amongst the Huntsmen had become significantly more difficult after her most responsible students had left. Team CFVY had always had a way of keeping order among the younger students. And while Team CRDL had been notoriously rambunctious, Cardin himself had eventually managed to become a stabilizing force.

That was until…

Glynda sighed, adjusting her glasses as she looked up from her scroll at the Professor.

"Yes, Bartholomew?" she asked curtly. "What is it?"

The green haired Huntsman cleared his throat.

"I'm afraid morale has reached an all time low," he reported rapidly. "Peter and I had to break up another skirmish in the lower quarters."

Glynda massaged her temples. Everyone's nerves were wearing thin, and the students had begun getting into arguments with each other more and more frequently. As the situation became more and more desperate, those arguments had sometimes escalated into pushing and shoving, and finally into all-out brawls.

Glynda got to her feet, groaning in exhaustion; she couldn't recall when she had gotten more than an hour's sleep at a time.

"We don't have the numbers to be getting into fights with one another…" she declared, withdrawing her crop.

Oobleck raised his hands. "I wasn't intending for you to get involved, ma'am. I just thought you ought to know…"

Glynda sighed. She knew she looked like death warmed over, and that her tired demeanor meant that the other instructors had been purposefully taking on more and more duties so as not to burden her with the extra work. But she was not about to let something this serious slide.

"Out of my way, Bartholomew," she commanded tersely, broaching no argument.

The man zipped speedily out of her way as she marched passed him, out of the security office and into the hallway.

The hideout was dimly lit as the sun was going down, the last wisps of visible light keeping them warm disappearing into the night. Glynda tore her down the hallway of the once professional looking office building, which was now littered with boxes of supplies and refuse. Such things were supposed to be kept in the parking level downstairs, but it appeared that such regulations had also been growing lax.

Just another error that she would soon need to correct.

The first door she came to opened with a flick of her semblance, banging loudly, startling the six or seven students who were lounging inside.

"Whoa!" one of the students blurted.

"What the…?" another started.

Glynda did not give any of them time to ask question.

"Get up," she commanded. "Come out here and follow me."

The students each hurriedly got to their feet.

"Did we do something wrong, Professor?" a third student asked meekly.

"Just do as you're told," Glynda said bluntly as she began to make her way to the next door down the hall.

When she reached the next door, she opened it in much the same fashion.

"Get up," she commanded.

One by one, she found each of the students under her protection, some thirty in all. It wasn't a large group, and it seemed to be decreasing in size by the week at this point. And Glynda would not be losing a single student more.

"Ma'am," Professor Port had noticed the commotion and had hurried to meet with her as she strode down the hallway towards the main conference room. "Is there something amiss?"

Glynda looked to have the patience of angry cat.

"I'll be covering that momentarily, Peter…" she said simply.

Behind her, Professor Oobleck was following along, and as Professor Port threw a backwards glance at him, the green haired Huntsmen simply shrugged his shoulders in dismay.

When they arrived at the conference hall, Glynda ushered the students inside. It was a long, expansive room with an equally long table running its length, an array of chairs lining either side, a window along one side of the room, allowing for wide sweeping view of the city. It was the only room in the building that enough seating for the entire resistance. They had used the room several times before, for group meetings and plans of attack.

But tonight's gathering was a slightly different purpose.

"What's this all about professor?" someone asked idly.

"Yeah, has something happened?" another asked.

"Huntsmen," the professor said as she strode towards the front of the hall. "Please, settle down. I'll get to your questions shortly."

The room quieted down as Glynda positioned herself at the head of the conference room, Port and Oobleck at her side.

"Now then…" Glynda said as she clasped her hands behind her back and strode from side to side. "It has come to my attention that a number of fights have broken out amongst you all."

Several of the student Huntsmen wore a guilty look on their faces, exchanging nervous glances.

"Now, I don't know who all is involved," she said quietly. "And quite frankly, I don't care. What I do care about is the fact that we don't have enough Huntsmen to be bickering amongst ourselves!"

There was a collective murmur of discontent amongst the students as Glynda began to pace the length of the conference room.

"Now, I know things look bleak," she said. "But you all are Huntsmen of Beacon! _We_ are the symbol of hope for those in need! _We_ are the light in the darkness! _We_ are the final bastion against the Grimm!"

The students began exchanging surreptitious looks with one another.

"But Professor," one of them said. "There _is_ no Beacon anymore!"

Glynda gestured out the window, where Beacon Academy lay off in the distance.

"Is it?" she asked, curtly. "Seems to still be there to me. And even if it wasn't, even if every brick were struck down, we would _still_ be Huntsmen of Beacon!"

She paced around the room, meeting every student's gaze, taking the time to put her hands on their shoulders, offering looks of encouragement to all as Port and Oobleck looked on in approval.

"Each and every one of you decided to become a Huntsman or Huntress," she said. "Each and every one of you made a choice to stand and fight. You don't need a school for that. No one can take that choice from you. Not now, after we've come so far together."

The student Huntsmen began exchanging looks of timid hope and budding inspiration.

"Right now, the road ahead looks more trying than ever!" she declared with a clenched fist. "But that's just because our enemies are growing more desperate! This war is nearing its end, my students! Remember, it's always darkest just before the dawn! Hold out hope, for just a little while longer! And I know that we will see this battle finished!"

The students were giving each other hopeful looks now. There were even a few smiles, if tentative ones. It appeared that Glynda's words had reached them, or at least a few of them. Oobleck and Port were standing with their hands on their hips, both nodding and smiling. It seemed that morale had risen, if only a little.

Glynda looked out amongst her students, seeing the renewed hope in their eyes, and she felt her confidence swell at the prospect of their future together.

Then a series of slow, blunt noises captured everyone's attention by the door.

CLAP…

CLAP…

CLAP…

CLAP…

All eyes turned to stare in wide-eyed horror as Cinder Fall casually strode into the conference room, slowly clapping her hands in mockery.

"A stirring speech, Professor," she smiled teasingly, fixing Glynda with a deadly smirk. "So touching and heart-felt. I might just cry."

Glynda's heart was in her throat. How had she gotten past their sentries? Surely the outer perimeter couldn't have been compromised without them knowing! No time to ponder how she got here – Glynda had to figure how to get the student Huntsmen to safety. Almost none of the students had thought to bring their weapons with them, and even then, one of the top students at Beacon had been no match for Cinder a year ago, and there was no reason to think she was any less of a challenge now. There was no way she would pit her students against this menace. Not now, when she clearly had the advantage.

"Students!" she cried with alarm, drawing he riding crop. "Fall back! Port, Oobleck! With me!"

The students quickly hurried behind where Glynda was standing, but there was little room to maneuver. Cinder had them all completely boxed in, and was blocking the only entrance. She had no obvious weapon drawn, but Glynda did not assume that she needed one. Her students needed a way out…

"The windows!" she shouted, suddenly seeing a way out through the glass panes lining the wall. "Get down to the street level and fall back to the rendezvous point!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth, when the glass panes suddenly shattered, as Grimm began leaping into the windows, ramming bodily through them to cut off the students' escape from the building.

They were trapped.

"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere…" Cinder shook her head chidingly.

Glynda grit her teeth, raising her riding crop as if to attack.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Cinder said, gesturing to the Grimm who were slowly advancing on the students, who were backing away slowly, some of them stumbling to their backsides as they shied away from the creatures, most of them unarmed and defenseless.

"Ma'am," Oobleck breathed. "This may not be a fight we can win…"

"Much as I hate to admit it," Port nodded in dismay, "Bartholomew may be right."

Glynda felt trapped. The woman in red was staring at them, her eyes glowing with power. She wasn't even lifting a finger, her arms crossed in utter self-satisfaction. It made Glynda absolutely sick, and she knew there was nothing at all that she could do about it.

With a great effort, Glynda lowered her weapon.

"How…?" she quavered in scarcely contained rage. "Our sentries…"

"…Have been calling you for quite some time…" Cinder smirked, withdrawing a scroll from her hip pouch.

With a touch of a finger, the scroll came alive with the buzzing of urgent warnings.

"Professor, come in!" a panicked voice cried. "Your position is compromised! You need to get your students out of there! Professor, if you're hearing this, _get out now!_ "

Cinder thumbed off the voice control, as Glynda and the two professors, as well as their students, watched her with dumbstruck despair.

As if in response, each and every scroll in the room began to ring, the myriad ringtones alerting the students to an incoming call. One by one, each of them began checking their scrolls, only to see a black queen chess piece.

"The com tower!" Oobleck stammered in disbelief. "You used it to hack our communication devices!"

"So nice of you to bring the com tower back up after I gave it my own little touch," Cinder purred. "I assume by now, you've all used your scrolls to connect to each other at least once. That was all it took, really."

Glynda felt her control of the situation slipping further and further from her grasp. She exchanged a furtive glance with her two compatriots, but neither seemed to have any brilliant ideas for how to get themselves out of the situation. Anything they tried would endanger their students. They were cornered.

"So why go to all this trouble?" Professor Port demanded through clenched teeth. "What is it that you want, you little witch?"

Cinder smile did not abate.

"A curious choice of words…" she said sardonically.

With a wave of her hand, one of the office chairs came rolling out towards her, turning to allow her to sit languidly, crossed legged as she stared down the conference room at the small group of cowering Huntsmen.

"Up until this point, I've allowed your little… _resistance_ …to linger," she spoke the words with unveiled amusement. "And the reason for this was quite simply that your presence did not concern me one way or another. You could sit and stew here in the ruins of your shattered kingdom for as long as you wanted…and you would have utterly no effect on my plans in even the _slightest_ capacity…"

Glynda scoffed at how arrogant her words were, how high and mighty she appeared.

"But now?" she demanded.

"But now I've found a use for you," Cinder explained simply as she lounged back in her chair. "That's all you need to know. Just behave yourselves until its time, and you'll all find out soon enough."

Glynda shook her head in disgust. She was utterly sick of being toyed with like this. It was clear that this Cinder did not care one iota for their very lives, and was fully intending to use them as pawns in her game.

"What's this all for!?" she demanded angrily. "No one here's ever done _anything_ to you! What do you _want_ from us!?

Cinder seemed to find her angered words even more amusing, which only served to infuriate the Huntress even further.

"I thought it was obvious," she smirked wickedly. "…Glynda."

Doubt crossed the Professor's eyes as she felt the twinge of recognition in her heart.

"What is this?" she said, more quietly this time. "Who are you?"

"You mean you don't recognize me?" Cinder said, feigning disdain as she got to her feet. "I'm hurt…but then, I suppose I do look rather different than I did back then…"

Glynda took a fearful step back as Cinder approached her, before the woman in red reached her hands up behind her head to pull her hair back into a tight ponytail.

"Perhaps you'll recognize me better like this?" she suggested, before adopting a more juvenile tone of voice, her expression and mannerisms completely transforming until she looked like nothing more than another student. " _Oh, one day, I'll be a mighty Huntress! Just like my mother!_ "

Glynda felt her knees turn to jelly as a ghost from her past suddenly began to haunt her again after so many years.

"No…" she breathed, shaking her head in disbelief. "No, that's impossible…it can't be…"

Cinder's smirk was palpable. "Why do you deny what you already know to be true, Glynda?"

"… _Ella!?_ "

"I go by many names now…" Cinder dropped her hair, her smirk once again on her face. "So glad you remember me, Glynda dear. I certainly remember _you_ …"

"B-But…you're supposed to be _dead!_ " Glynda gasped, astonished. "And…you haven't aged a _day_ since we last…"

Port and Oobleck gave Glynda an astonished look as the Professor took a step back, eyes wide, her body stiff as a door.

"Glynda," Professor Port breathed. "You _know_ this villainess?"

Glynda hung her head as Cinder laughed wickedly.

"Oh yes, tell them, Glynda," she sneered. "Tell them all about it!"

Professor Goodwitch chewed on her lip.

"We…we used to be teammates…" she stammered. "Back when we were students at Beacon ourselves. Students were only grouped into teams of three back then. It was my sister Adda, myself…and Ella."

Cinder's smile became more taunting by the moment.

"Yes, and what ever happened to that star-struck team of Huntresses, Glynda!?" she glowered. "Did they live up to being that _shining example_ of courage and pride that the world of Remnant had come to expect from its defenders!?"

Glynda shook her head sadly.

"No…" she muttered. "We were sent on a mission that was later found out to be much more dangerous than originally anticipated…"

Cinder's expression soured.

"That's a very _pretty_ way of saying we were in over our heads!" Cinder scowled. "But our perfect little team leader couldn't _bear_ the thought of turning tail and running home! You _had_ to have known the mission was too dangerous when you saw all of those Grimm we were up against! You could have given the order for us to retreat! But what did you do instead!?"

Glynda shook her head bitterly. "Ella, I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't know…I…"

"You told us to stick to the mission!" Cinder pointed a cruel finger at the Huntress. "You couldn't stand the thought of failure, and you were arrogant and reckless because of it, Glynda! And that carelessness is what got your own sister killed, and _very_ nearly killed me as well!"

A tear trickled down Glynda's cheek. "Ella…"

Cinder began stomping around the room, fixing each of the students with an insane smile, the Grimm standing guard at the windows and the door.

"So go ahead!" she glared at each of them. "Keep on fighting! Keep listening to your teacher, kids, and fight on until every last one of you is _dead!_ That's all you're good for to them!"

She pointed an accusatory finger at her former teammate, a hateful scowl on her face.

"That's all the Huntsmen stand for – _cannon fodder_ for the world of Remnant to hurl into the dark abyss, trying desperately to quench its endless hunger for blood just a little while longer!"

The student Huntsmen in the room, who had already been cowering in fear, now looked utterly petrified.

"Well, I'm here to tell you that the darkness shall _never_ be quenched!" Cinder snarled. "The Grimm will keep coming and coming! And the people who run your lives? They know this fact all too well!"

Glynda shook her head, despairingly. "Ella…no…"

"Why do you think they keep the Huntsmen Academies running?" Cinder asked pointedly. "Why do you think they're so well-funded and prestigious? You've got to keep them well stocked and full of eager young students, ready to throw their lives into the void so that the people in charge don't have to! So now you'll all _gladly_ march to your graves, believing it to be a noble and honorable sacrifice, when the truth is far more sinister!"

The students were trembling in fear from the woman in red, who was now positively glowing with a menacing aura of dark energy.

"In the end…" she said in a quavering voice. "You're just weapons…pointed at the enemy so someone _else_ can claim their victory…at least, for a little while."

Glynda bristled. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her old teammate, back from the dead, had returned after all this time. Not only that, but she had been behind all this chaos and mayhem, and for what? Just to thumb her nose at her old school where it all happened?

She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't bear the thought of her old teammate going on like this. She couldn't have her filling her students' head with such nonsense! She may have been an old friend whose memory filled her with regret, but enough was enough!

Glynda finally found her nerve and stomped over to stare down Cinder, standing toe to toe.

"Is _that_ all you're here for then!?" she demanded, meeting her gaze in anger. "Is _that_ what this has all been for? Revenge on Huntsmen Academies for your perceived wrongs!? Grow up, you child!"

Cinder inhaled through her nostrils. "What did you just call me?"

"Accidents happen, Ella!" Glynda cried, undeterred. "You learn from them, you get better, and you move on! That's all _anyone_ expects from _anyone!_ It's what _I_ did! It's how I forgave myself for thinking I'd caused your deaths all those years ago! If I had let my thoughts turn down such a dark path, I'd probably be right where you're standing right now. But I didn't!"

Glynda jammed her finger towards Cinder's chest, glaring back at her old friend.

"If you can't be bothered to move on from what happened that day, then you'll wind up driving yourself crazy and fixating on the wrong enemy!" she glowered. "The Ella _I_ used to know had hopes and dreams for the future, not some hair-brained scheme to bring it all down with her! She didn't blame all her problems on everybody else and refuse to move on with her life! I'd much rather be someone _else's_ weapon than whatever it is that you've become – just a hollow shell of the woman you used to be!"

Cinder reached up and casually flicked her wrist, lightly striking the back of her hand against Glynda's cheek. The resulting impact sent her flying through the air, twisting and tumbling as she slammed roughly into the wall behind her, toppling and crumpling like a sack of potatoes.

"Professor!" the students cried out.

"Glynda!" Port and Oobleck shouted in unison, before rushing to her side.

Cinder stood over the three Professors as they crouched before her, giving them each a look of disdain.

"Don't get the wrong idea," she seethed. "Taking the Huntsmen Academies down a peg is just a fringe benefit. The chance to see you all brought so low is little more than the cherry atop a _glorious_ confection. One that you, sadly, are not likely to be able to appreciate in its entirety."

Glynda rubbed the back of her head where she had struck the wall behind her, feeling dizzy as she slowly sat up, her two colleagues on either side of her, supporting her by the arms. Looking up, she saw her old friend, twisted beyond recognition.

"Ella…" she breathed in disbelief at what had become of her.

"I met someone that day…" Cinder said distantly. "After you left me for dead. She showed me…many things. Terrible things. A terrible truth, one that I've learned to accept about the world. Once I managed to open my eyes…I began to see things so clearly, Glynda dear. The truth behind everything…the Huntsmen…the Grimm…"

Glynda gritted her teeth, still feeling too dizzy to stand.

"Spare me your sermon, Ella," she spat. "Why are we still alive? It's obvious you're planning _something_ for us."

"You were always such a clever little girl…" Cinder smirked. "Well, since you've been so kind as to listen while I reminisce, I suppose I can tell you, if for no greater purpose than to savor the look in your eyes…"

The students continued to cower while Oobleck and Port continued to stand beside their colleague, prepared to defend her if it came to it.

"If everything goes according to plan, I won't have need of you at all," Cinder said dismissively. "But it never fails to have a fallback plan, isn't that right? If, and I cannot stress that _if_ well enough, but _if_ your friends from Atlas do return…you're going to have a nice little _chat_ with them."

Glynda's eyes widened, her heart sinking in fear as she slowly realized where this was going.

"You'll be giving them a meeting place of my choosing," Cinder explained. "And you'll do so without _any_ indication that anything is amiss."

She leaned in close to Glynda, the two Huntsmen at her side bristling at the proximity.

"And for every single _word_ I hear that I do not like the sound of…" she said, her slim crescent blade materializing in her hand, which she pointed directly at the student Huntsmen. "…I take a life."

Now Oobleck and Port shared Glynda's look of utter horror as they realized just how trapped they all were. Had it just been the three of them, there would be no question how this might go. But there were thirty students under their care, and they could not risk their lives so carelessly.

Cinder withdrew her long blade, placing the tip beneath Glynda's chin, lifting her face to look into her eyes.

"Is there an understanding between us, Glynda dear?"

Glynda Goodwitch stared back at her old friend, a hopeless expression on her face. How had things changed so drastically? How had she allowed things to slip so unbelievably beyond her control? How had she not even so much as been able to recognize her from the Vytal tournament? It was she had been mocking her all this time.

It seemed, she had finally been defeated.

"Yes…"


	91. Chapter 91

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 91

* * *

Velvet stared on in awe at the wide and expansive tourist attraction that lay before her eyes. When she had heard Coco's description of Shiroyuki Springs, she had imagined something quaint and exotic. And on the surface, that's just what it was. But just beneath was a technological marvel that rivaled the best that the kingdom of Atlas had to offer.

Situated atop a cliff-side outcropping, looking over the great northern lake and surrounded by snow-covered hilltops, stood a magnificent villa. The entire resort stretched out across several acres, a luxurious hotel intertwined with steaming pools of bubbling spring water at every location. Thatched rooftops and polished hardwood belied the complex system of plumbing and irrigation that pumped the fifteen hundred metric tons of water every day from the hot spring bubbling underneath. The air was filled with the aroma of sulfur and bath salts, and the heat rising from the spring melted anything frozen within range of the mist and steam.

The resort was not crowded, but it was by no means empty. Everywhere Velvet looked, she could see pasty old men, elegantly dressed women, and teenage boys and girls with haircuts that looked like they cost more than she ever had in her life were strutting around confidently. Most were dressed in fine silk robes and utterly indifferent to their surroundings, paying more attention to the scrolls in their hands than to the beautiful landscape surrounding them. Most of the old men seemed utterly fixated on business matters and how current events might affect them, the women on ensuring that their hair and makeup was utterly pristine, and the younger generation on bragging to one another what overpriced gadgets and baubles their parents had most recently heaped upon them.

The _Aeneid_ had landed at a private indoor hangar. The ship's engines had been stuttering for the last leg of the trip as the temperatures dropped, and it was clear that the dust engines aboard the airship would not take them any farther north. Once they were within com range, they had made arrangements to meet with the proprietors of the establishment to see about requisitioning a number of their rescue vehicles outfitted with cold weather gear.

When they finally did meet the proprietor, however, they were met with an unexpected roadblock.

"What do you mean, all your vehicles are being serviced!?" Winter demanded in outrage.

The proprietor's office looked more like the headquarters of a yakuza boss, the office stretching out across an entire penthouse pad. The room was decorated in red and gold, various seating arrangements and sticks of incense burning at every corner of the room. There was a burly man with a receding hairline pulled into a topknot sitting at the far end of the penthouse on a floor mat before a low table, his yukata hanging open to reveal a swathe of chest hair, a long thin pipe in his hand. Off in the corner, a small, petite hand-maiden waited with a pot of tea and a tray of tiny mugs, ready to serve the other guests at a moment's notice.

"It's just some routine maintenance, ma'am," he said in a gruff tone that did not seem to indicate any level of intimidation from the austere Schnee woman – evidently he was used to dealing with far more self-important clientele than Winter in his time here. "We can't have our vehicles breaking down in the middle of an important rescue mission now, can we?"

The rest of the newly minted Team RSJC, as well as Emerald, Qrow and the Summer Maiden stood awkwardly just slightly beyond earshot of polite conversation, though Winter's volume carried her voice well within hearing range. Weiss and Blake distracted themselves by taking the time to wave down the hand-maiden in the corner of the room for some tea, while Winter made a concerted effort not to lose her temper at the manager.

"We need those vehicles for an important rescue mission _right now!_ " she scoffed in a loud voice. "Why in the world would you schedule all of your vehicles to be serviced at the same time? What if there were was an emergency during the service period that you were unable to respond to as a result?"

The proprietor took a long puff of his pipe, before reaching under his table to pull out a large tome of paper forms.

"Ma'am, our terms of service clearly state that we are not liable for any issues that take place during times of scheduled maintenance," he said in a bored voice. "It's all spelled out for you right here in article 12, section B…"

Winter's eyes began to glaze over as the man began to recite his paperwork at her.

"Ugh, fine!" she threw up her hands in defeat. "What's the ETA on your vehicles being back to functional status?"

"Tonight at sundown," he said casually, leaning his chin on his hand.

"Great!" Winter nodded. "We'll take them at that time!"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that either, Miss Schnee," the proprietor said, sounding bored.

"Why-ever not!?" Winter demanded.

"Because the temperatures drop to negative thirty this time of year," the large man explained calmly, crossing his arms. "Our vehicles are designed to last in those conditions, but the people operating those vehicles certainly aren't. And at night, you're much more prone to have an accident or something. I'm sorry, but I can't in good conscience let you take these vehicles out until morning."

Winter hung her head, and glanced back at Ruby and Weiss, giving them a pained look. Weiss returned her sister's helpless gaze. Ruby just shrugged.

"Very well," Winter said calmly as she composed herself, standing up straight and straightening her hair. "Then my team and I will need lodgings for the night."

The proprietor began rubbing his hands together miserly. "Certainly, ma'am! Now then, shall we discuss the subject of price…?"

Winter rolled her eyes as she fished out her wallet. "Of course…"

"Now just a minute..." Weiss said, climbing to her feet and strutting over to stand beside her sister. "Perhaps you're unaware that we are _Huntsmen and Huntresses_ of Atlas? And given this distinction, and the fact that we are purchasing in bulk, I should certainly imagine that a discount was in order..."

Velvet wrinkled her nose as Weiss went on. She was certain that the proprietor may very well have planned all of this just for the sake of swindling a deal out of them. She supposed that could only be expected from someone whose sole source of income came from rich Atlesians who felt secure enough in their holdings to take a vacation in the middle of a disaster.

While Winter and Weiss began to haggle with the proprietor, Velvet glanced back to her teammates in uncertainty. Some seemed frustrated and impatient at the idea of spending the night at the resort. Others, however, seemed to find the idea a lot more appealing.

"Well, how about that?" Yang grinned, throwing an arm around Blake's shoulders. "Looks like we get to take a load off for the night!"

"Nice!" Coco agreed heartily. "I could use a day at the spa."

Ruby glanced furtively at her sister. "Are you really sure we should? I mean…we _are_ kind of in a hurry…"

"It would appear that there's no helping it," Blake conceded pragmatically. "We can't press onward without those rescue vehicles, and they won't be available until morning. We might as well take the time to relax and refresh ourselves."

"Besides," Jaune pointed out, "I think the team could use a break. We've all been training ourselves pretty hard the past few days."

"I like the way you think, team leader sir!" Nora exclaimed, patting him on the back, sending him stumbling forward.

"Ow…" he grumbled.

"I suppose taking the time to recuperate would maximize our time spent," Ren admitted.

"I just worry that _some_ among us might have a hard time letting themselves relax for the evening," Pyrrha said quietly, gesturing at Weiss, who was busy helping Winter negotiate with the proprietor. "Poor Weiss…she just found out that her mother's still alive. How is she supposed to enjoy herself with _that_ looming over her head?"

Ruby hung her head somberly. "Yeah…Winter too…I can't imagine what they must be going through right now…"

"I'd offer to talk to her," Neptune offered sheepishly. "But something tells me it would mean more coming from her team than from me."

"Don't worry, lady-killer," Yang winked, elbowing Neptune in the shoulder. "She can come to you for _other_ needs…"

Neptune blushed and laughed nervously. Ruby stuck out her tongue in disgust. Blake shook her head in embarrassment.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Sun chimed in, giving his partner a playful punch to the shoulder. "I don't think lover-boy here's even gotten a _kiss_ out of her yet."

"Sun!" Neptune winced, giving his partner a stern look. "You don't have to go around saying things like that!"

Scarlet and Sage shook their heads in admonishment. Yang, Nora and Coco couldn't seem to stop giggling at the boy's plight. Yatsuhashi and Fox just looked bored. And Velvet felt about as awkward and out of place as she ever had.

"Okay," Winter announced as she returned to the group, Weiss in tow, both looking somewhat miffed and slightly robbed. "I've secured our rooms for the night. We'll be staying at the hotel connected to the hot spring. Rooms are divided by team."

Winter glanced at Dora and Emerald, who had been lingering by the door, both with their arms crossed.

"The two of you will be staying with me in my room," she said firmly. "Can't be too careful, even out here."

The two girls exchanged exasperated glances.

"Lovely," Emerald snorted, sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Dora said impatiently. "I want to check out this hot spring everyone's been fussing about. I've never seen anything like this place before! I mean…the heck is with all this _snow!?_ "

"What, you've never seen snow before?" Emerald asked derisively.

"I grew up in a desert," Dora quipped. "What do _you_ think?"

"As for _you_ …" Winter turned her attention to Qrow, who had miraculously managed to keep his mouth shut throughout this whole exchange. "You can cover your _own_ lodgings for the night."

Qrow's expression turned dour.

"Aww, come on…" he griped, reaching into his pocket. "I'm not exactly on the general's payroll, you know?"

"Not my problem," Winter snapped, before passing out key cards to the rest of the team.

Velvet winced as Coco suddenly threw her arm around her shoulders.

"Alright!" she cheered exuberantly. "Time to get hot, wet and naked!"

Velvet's expression fell as she was bodily dragged out the door. "Is that really necessary?"

"Oh, come on!" Yang insisted dragging her sister along. "It'll be fun!"

"Last time we went to a hot spring together, you dunked me in the water!" Ruby griped.

"Yeah, you were also ten!" Yang pointed out.

"There's no point in resisting her, Ruby," Blake sighed as she followed along. "You might as well let her have her way."

"Yay!" Nora cheered, rushing out into the hall towards the hotel. "Hot spring! Hot spring!"

"Just remember not to stay in too long, Nora," Ren warned as he hurried after her. "You'll overheat!"

"Hmmm…" Pyrrha mused to herself. "I know hot springs are usually sectioned off between men and women. There wouldn't happen to be a co-ed section as well, would there?"

The proprietor saw his chance to chime in.

"Of course!" he said boisterously. "Swimsuits are required for all co-ed sections, however. This is a family friendly resort, after all."

"Of course…" Pyrrha winked at Jaune. "I don't think that will be a problem…"

Jaune felt himself blushing.

"Right…" he stammered helplessly.

The proprietor waved as his new patrons filed out of his office. When they were gone, he reached for a handkerchief and wiped his brow.

"Phew!" he muttered to himself. "An entire Huntsmen team, backed by the Schnees! Even at a bargain, this may well put us back in the black for the year!"

He sat down in relief, gesturing to his hand maiden.

"Would you be a dear and fetch me a bottle of wine?" he asked.

The hand maiden nodded and went to retrieve the proprietor's beverage. As she did, however, she began surreptitiously typing one-handed into a scroll at her hip, and an image of Team RSJC appeared in the message window.

A single message appeared above the image.

 **Guess who?**


	92. Chapter 92

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 92

* * *

It was an odd little vacation to say the least.

The hot spring had a very rustic feel to it, though it was clear to most of the team that this was a cleverly crafted illusion. It may have been a quaint and elegant villa in a previous life, but the resort now serviced some of the richest bigwigs Atlas had to offer, which meant security was top notch. It was just beneath the surface, but it was there. Key card locks at every door, security cameras hidden from view, and wait staff that were built a little more solidly than most. To the untrained eye, Shiroyuki Springs looked like little more than a tourist trap. To Ruby and her team, however, the entire facility was a giant safe house for Atlesian welfare.

Which at least meant that there were no Grimm to contend with, at least. And the water was hot and the food was good, and the scented aromatic candles and incense burning everywhere filled the senses with a warm, buzzing feeling. The bubbling of hot water could be heard from every window and doorway, and everywhere they turned, an arrangement of freshly brewed herbal tea was little more than an arm's reach away.

As Huntsmen and Huntresses, the hardest part was parting with their weapons. Despite the lack of Grimm, having their weapons within arm's reach was second nature to the entire team. Upon receiving their room keys, the team had been ushered to their hotel rooms, where they were even presented with a selection of long colorful cotton robes to choose from in lieu of their usual battle gear. After donning the loose fitting attire and leaving their weapons in their hotel rooms, the team was presented with several options for how to spend their evening.

POK!

For many of the team members, a visit to the spa was their first stop. For those so inclined, an exfoliating skin bath followed by an herbal face mask was the order of the day. For those less inclined (Dora had to be persuaded not to eat the cucumbers covering Weiss' eyes), an hour long massage, before a detoxifying visit to a steam room and a relaxing lounge in a sauna was just what the doctor ordered. If the sign placard was anything to be believed, the natural air vents within the side of the mountain carried hot air up from deep underground, bringing with it all sorts of natural minerals to revitalize the skin. Whether this was actually the case or not, the chance to relax the muscles and shed some water weight was a welcome relief for many.

POK!

Dinner consisted of a fresh variety of fish caught from the nearby lake, seasoned with sea salt and herbs and garnished with collard greens and white rice. Place settings were set up in a lush and luxurious restaurant, waiters and waitresses passing out hot towels and refilling beverages in under five seconds of being emptied, and a palette cleansing serving of sake for the adults and tea for the younger generation after every course. Team RWBY's collective funds took a noticeable dip after that meal, particularly since Ruby, Blake and Yang had offered to cover Dora, Emerald and Qrow respectively, each of whom had not a lien to their name. The meal's price tag was something Ruby found a little disconcerting, considering the restaurant was the only food available for miles in any direction, aside from room service, which was even _more_ expensive!

POK!

After dinner, the hot spring itself became the main event. As Pyrrha had noted, there was a co-ed portion where swimsuits were required, as well as sections quartered off for men and women only, where guests could bathe unencumbered and free from prying eyes. A twenty-foot-tall wall that appeared to be made of bamboo (but was actually lined with rebar and cement) sectioned off the three portions. Most of the group had elected to start the evening in the co-ed section, mostly for the fun games and activities included.

Nora wound up to swing the small, wooden paddle in her hand overhead, before striking the tiny white ping pong ball with all her might.

"Yahhhhhhh!" she hollered, as if she was striking down the mightiest of foes.

POK!

She struck the ping pong ball across the table, where Ren waited with bated breath to receive her pass with a quick and efficient swing of his own.

POK!

A sizeable audience had gathered to watch the two Huntsmen throw down at the ping pong table in the small hut adjacent to the communal hot spring. For those who had not thought to pack a bathing suit (that was to say, all of them), swimsuits had been available at the resort gift shop (for a nominal fee, of course). Ren had on a pair of green swim shorts, while Nora had found the pinkest, frilliest bikini she could find, and was attempting to leverage its lack of encumbrance to her full advantage, putting on quite an eye-catching show as she twisted and contorted her body with every swing. While Ren seemed utterly immune to her distracting motions and gestures, several of the Huntsmen were getting red in the face from the show.

"Go Nora!" Yang grinned from where she sat in the hot spring, leaning against the side as she watched in rapt fascination, a coconut with a straw in her mechanical hand, serving as a beverage container.

"Whose side are you on here?" Ren asked belligerently as he returned yet another forceful serve.

"Hers, obviously!" Yang smirked.

POK!

The communal hot spring was a wide and well lit area, with patio stones lining a shallow waist-deep pool of warm, sulfurous and bubbling water. A small hut lay between the spring and hotel, which offered a full bar, changing rooms, a few billiard tables, and access to the men and women-only areas. Outside the hut were a number of lounge chairs and heat-lamps to keep those outside the water warm in the frigid northern climate. The communal area was surrounded by a tall bamboo wall, which sectioned the area off from the men and women only areas. For all that, the communal spring was quite large, with plenty of room for all of Team RSJC to spread out, relax and enjoy themselves.

POK!

Yang's simple yellow bikini left little more to the imagination than Nora's, but submerged in the water as she was, there were mercifully fewer eyes upon her.

"Hey Yang," Ruby said as she sidled up beside her in a red sporty one piece. "Whatcha drinking?"

"I dunno," Yang said dubiously as she inspected her drink and giving it another tentative sip. "But it's in a coconut, and that's all that really matters."

POK!

"Cannonball!" Dora shouted, as she hurled herself into the water in a blue one-piece, rolling up into a little ball, her tiny body making hardly a splash.

Emerald had her arms crossed in disdain over her deep green one-piece as she watched the tiny girl submerge herself.

"It's like you've never seen a pool before," she commented dryly.

Dora emerged from the water, her short chocolate brown hair free from her turban for once, grinning like an idiot.

"Well, there's the fountain in the market square," she said. "But aside from that, this is the most water I've seen in one place before! And it's so _warm!_ "

Emerald rolled her eyes. "That's why it's called a hot spring, dummy."

POK!

"Hey, why aren't you getting in the water?" Dora asked obliquely.

"Not interested," Emerald pouted sourly.

"Oh well," Dora said, climbing back out of the water. "Wanna see how big of a splash I can make?"

"No," Emerald replied evenly.

"Too bad," Dora smirk, before leaping back into the water. "Banzai!"

Emerald shielded herself from the spray and grimaced as the girl leaped headlong in the water, spreading her arms wide to make as big of a splash as she could.

"Cheh," she shook her head, putting very little inflection into the jibe. "What a little idiot…"

POK!

"Coco!" Velvet whined in protest as her team leader slowly dragged her out from the hut, a towel wrapped around her whole body to protect her modesty. "I really don't think…"

Coco might as well have stepped out of the cover of a swimsuit magazine in her brown bikini with gold ring ties, still wearing her sunglasses despite the sun having already set, her hair done up with a pair of chopsticks as she urged her unwilling partner out from the safety of the hut.

"Come on, Velvet," she said impatiently. "We paid good money for that swimsuit, you might as well get some mileage out of it."

Velvet's face was beet red. "B-But…it covers so little!"

Coco grinned salaciously. "That's the point, sweet cheeks! Now get out there and show 'em what your momma gave you!"

With a curt yank, Coco tore the towel off of Velvet's body, sending her spinning and stumbling awkwardly out towards the hot spring, where she immediately blanched as all the eyes that fell upon her modest brown swimsuit, several tastefully oriented slits baring skin across the sides.

POK!

"I…I um…" she muttered, her eyes darting back and forth at all the appraising glances and nods around her, before her gaze fell on where Yatsuhashi sat in the spring.

Her partner was wearing a tight fitting pair of swim trunks, and even sitting on the ledge lining the inside of the spring, his torso was mostly above water. Shirtless, his abdomen was like the side of a mountain face, his chest and stomach chiseled to perfection, and Velvet felt herself blushing for an entirely different reason as she fought the urge to cover herself.

"W-Well…?" she asked timidly, trying not to shy away. "H-How do I look?"

Yatsuhashi said nothing for a moment, before his arm rose out of the water as he gave a thumbs-up gesture and nodded approvingly.

Velvet's smile came a little easier.

"Oh…" she breathed in relief. "Good, I'm glad!"

Coco grinned to herself as Velvet slipped into the spring to sit next to her partner, before her eyes suddenly fell upon her fourth and final teammate as he walked by. Fox seemed to have taken the opportunity to show off his posterior in little more than a tight black speedo, and Coco's priorities suddenly shifted entirely.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me," she said to Velvet and Yatsuhashi, who weren't even paying attention to her anyway. "That's my cue to go fox-hunting…"

POK!

To his credit, Pyrrha had to admit, Jaune had been a perfect gentleman after she had emerged from the hut in a slim red bathing suit that looked like it was more suited for a lifeguard than a sunbather. He had clearly been keeping his eyes above her neckline, although it was clear that he wanted to do anything but. However, if there was ever a time for him to be anything _other_ than his usual gentlemanly self, Pyrrha thought remorsefully, now was such a time.

"Are you having a nice evening, Jaune?" she asked politely as the two of them sat in the spring together.

He blushed, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh, yeah!" he said politely back. "It's nice to get a chance to relax like this!"

Pyrrha glanced around at the rest of their team. Nora and Ren were still fervently engaged in their game of ping pong, Ruby and Yang were busy conversing, Emerald was watching Dora persist in her attempt to make the biggest splash possible, Velvet was trying not to blush as she sat with Yatsuhashi, and Fox was attempting to politely avoid being groped by Coco.

Elsewhere, Blake and Sun sat conversing, and Neptune and Weiss were engaged in polite conversation as well. Scarlet and Sage were immersed in a game of billiards inside the hut, and Qrow and Winter seemed to have sequestered themselves in the private men and women's areas respectively, separate from one another.

It seemed that everyone was having a good time, though as much as they were, Pyrrha couldn't help but notice how…comfortable some of her teammates were in their swimsuits. Nora, Yang and Coco in particular seem to have no scruples when it came to showing off their figure, and as confident as Pyrrha used to be with her own body, she was still plagued with the lingering doubts of her condition. And much as she loved and respected her teammates, she couldn't help but feel a tad bit intimidated by some of her more…voluptuous counterparts.

"So…" she muttered timidly, leaning in close to whisper surreptitiously to Jaune. "See anything you like?"

POK!

Jaune's face reddened at the implication. "Who, me? What are you talking about?"

Pyrrha tugged her hair nervously. "Well…I mean…there's so many pretty girls around us, and…most of them not wearing all that much. I figured, it was only natural…"

Jaune laughed half-heartedly, brushing off the observation.

"Ohh, pffft!" he scoffed. "Don't be silly, Pyrrha! No one here's _half_ as pretty as you are!"

Pyrrha fixed him with a sideways glance.

"You cann't really mean that, Jaune," she said staunchly.

Jaune raised an eyebrow her way. "What are you talking about? Of course I mean it. Why wouldn't I?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Jaune fixed her with an odd look. "I mean…yeah? I thought that was obvious!"

Pyrrha narrowed her brow, her eyes looking troubled.

"Even with this body…?" she said, unconvinced. "A body that was created artificially…?"

Jaune's eyes widened in realization, before he shook his head, reaching out to take her by the shoulders.

"Pyrrha," he said sternly. "You've got to stop thinking like that. It's not healthy."

Pyrrha looked up at him, meekly. "Jaune…?"

He shook his head, squeezing her shoulders. "You are _you_ , Pyrrha. I don't care that you're living in a new a body, what matters to me is that you're living _at all!_ If the price of having a chance to live out the rest of your life is that you spend it in an artificial body – an artificial body that still happens to look _just_ as beautiful as you did the first day I met you…"

Pyrrha felt herself blushing profusely. "Jaune…"

Jaune was taken aback by her impassioned expression, and his voice caught in his throat.

"What I mean to say is…" he said, stumbling over his words. "You're beautiful to _me_ , Pyrrha. No matter what. And I…I hope that can be enough for you…"

POK!

Pyrrha's heart was in her throat. She felt heat rising in her cheeks, and she wasn't entirely sure it was from the hot water.

"So…" she muttered bashfully. "If I'm so beautiful…how come you're not looking at me?"

Jaune blinked in confusion, letting go of her to stare at her in confusion. "What are you talking about? I'm looking at you right now."

Pyrrha blushed as she wrapped her arms around her waist. "Not just my face, Jaune. I mean… _all_ of me."

Now it was Jaune's turn to blush.

"Oh!" he gaped, before turning away, placing his arms at his sides. "Well, uh…you know, it…wouldn't be appropriate, right? I mean…like that guy said, this place is a family friendly joint, you know?"

Pyrrha turned her eyes away, a disappointed look on her face.

"Oh…" she muttered dourly, before her eyes flickered brightly as an idea suddenly crossed her mind. "Well…why don't we just go find someplace more private?"

Jaune blinked. Then blinked again.

"Uh…come again?"

POK!

Weiss wasn't sure what felt worse – the anticipation of what she would be doing tomorrow, the fact that she couldn't enjoy the hot spring because she was so nervous about what she would be doing tomorrow, or the prospect of bringing down everyone else's spirits as a result of her not being able to enjoy the hot spring because she was so nervous about what she would be doing tomorrow. So she did what she did best, which was to erect a mask of pleasantry over herself, and give off the vibe of being perfectly content. It was a skill she had learned since a young age, which she had honed almost all of her life. It worked on most people, usually. But most people were not her teammates.

Or Neptune.

"I'm really glad you're out here with the group, Weiss," the blue haired boy said, sitting cross-legged in a bone-dry blue swimsuit just at the edge of the spring where she sat in the water. "I know you're probably not in the mood for any of this…"

Weiss shook her head. "Just because I can't enjoy something doesn't mean I'm going to try to stop everyone else from enjoying it too."

She gave him a sardonic smile.

"Besides, I'm not the only one who isn't enjoying the water, Neptune," she said wryly. "One of these days, we're going to have to teach you how to swim."

Neptune groaned. Weiss had a talent for redirecting conversations like this.

"I already told you, I nearly drowned when I was a kid," he said tepidly. "I've never been able to get _near_ large bodies of water since then. I start to hyperventilate and it just brings back painful memories. This place isn't _as_ bad as the ocean or a lake, but it's still more water than I'd like to be around."

Weiss sighed. She supposed there would be no use in trying to get Neptune over his hydrophobia tonight. Though between that and his PTSD, it seemed that he almost had more issues than she did.

But that was fine. She enjoyed a challenge.

POK!

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to content ourselves with meeting at the halfway point," she said daintily as she shifted her hair to one side, her strapless white one-piece showing off her bare neck and shoulders. "I can think of a _few_ things at least that might get me in the mood…"

Neptune's mouth curved into a smile.

"I suppose I can acquiesce to that…" he said, shuffling over towards her and gently began to massage her shoulders.

Weiss exhaled. Neptune's hands were strong and dexterous, and while the heat and the minerals in the water were specifically designed to relax the muscles, they could not compare with the diligence with which his hands moved across her shoulders, slowly kneading and rubbing out all the little knots in her back.

At first, it was difficult for Neptune to get so near the water, but at Weiss' sigh of contentment, he felt a twinge of pleasure beginning to overshadow it. He liked Weiss a lot more than he was afraid of water, it seemed. And she was using this to her full advantage.

Clever girl. She was turning this into another game, and he was enjoying it the more he played. Using herself as bait to tempt him into overcoming his fear of water. And at the same time, coaxing him into adding to her enjoyment of the situation and using the distraction of the challenge it represented to distract her from her troubles. Two birds with one stone, and all accomplished by the single arch of her nape and neck across her collarbone.

She had won this round, it seemed. But he still intended to keep playing.

POK!

True to his word, in the days since their last sparring match, Sun had not at all pressured Blake into giving him an answer to his question. He had been no less persistent in socializing with her, but that was par for the course. Ever since he had come back from Mistral, he had found every excuse possible to spend time with her. And she supposed she couldn't blame him. After all, she too had been worried about him for all those months.

But it was only recently that she began to wonder if those feelings had entailed something deeper.

She was a naturally reserved person, quiet and taciturn by nature. It was not in her nature to simply take what she wanted, the way Yang did. So even if she had entertained the idea of exploring something deeper with Sun before this point, she doubted she could have mustered the courage to broach the subject with him. Even _if_ the world were coming to an end at the time.

"So have I mentioned how amazing you look in that?" Sun said, out of blue.

Blake felt herself going white. She had on a thin black asymmetrical one-piece that opened up into a wide swathe, exposing her skin across her left side, the right side connecting the top and bottom. It had been difficult to get on, but she had liked the design. Luckily the kingdom of Atlas now signed her paycheck, otherwise she would not have been able to afford it.

"Ohh…" she blushed, looking away, touching a hand to her shoulder. "Thanks…"

POK!

Sun grinned sheepishly, scratching his head.

"You've been awfully quiet tonight," he said. "I mean…more than usual. Anything on your mind?"

Blake lifted her hands out of the warm spring water, letting it trickle from between her fingers.

"I've just…never been to a place like this before," she said slowly. "Just taking it all in, I suppose."

Sun pursed his lips. "Not the sort of place you go to when you're in the White Fang, huh?"

Blake shook her head. "Not really."

Sun let his hands float in the water as he glanced back at Blake. She still wore her hair-bow, hiding her ears from the world. They were surrounded by Atlesians, and it would not do for them to find out they were sharing a hot spring with a Faunus, it seemed.

"I know this is probably the last thing you want to think about right now," Sun said soberly. "But…you never told me about your ex. The one in the White Fang. Adam, wasn't it? Was it a rough break-up, like Yang said?"

Blake wrapped her arms around her waist.

"That's one way to put it," she said softly. "Another way would be to say that I simply left him, and he's never quite been able to accept that fact. And he's been pursuing me ever since."

Sun's eyes widened. "That…sounds more abusive and stalker-ish than anything. Like he thinks he _owns_ you, Blake."

Blake nodded. "I know. He's kind of obsessive like that. He see things in black-and-white. He's out to take revenge on the human world. Everyone in his path is either with him or against him. And I'm certainly not _with_ him anymore, so…"

Sun tensed as he swallowed.

"He attacked you…" he realized, saying it not as a question.

Blake shuddered. "More than once."

Sun clenched his fist. "And the bastard's still alive? If I ever find this guy, I'll…"

Blake held up a hand, placing it on his shoulder.

"Don't," she said, shaking her head. "It's okay. I can't have everyone else fighting my battles for me."

POK!

He gave her a curious look. "What do you mean?"

Blake looked away. "It's just that…Yang's already lost her arm because of him."

Sun's eyes grew wider. " _That's_ how that happened? I knew it was in a fight with the White Fang, but…it was a fight with your _ex!?_ "

Blake nodded. "It was."

Sun threw an odd glance back at Yang, who was still busy conversing with her sister.

"I…I never knew…" he said.

Blake nodded. "She was there the second time he came after me too. She nearly killed him."

Sun wrinkled his nose. "Yang has far more restraint than I would in that situation."

Blake wrapped her arms around her knees in the water.

"I'm…the one who stopped her from finishing him off…" she said slowly. "She would have killed him if I hadn't intervened."

POK!

"Why did you stop her?" Sun asked in stupefaction. "Don't tell me you've already forgiven him, have you? Or just trying to let bygones be bygones or something like that?"

Blake shook her head. "I just didn't want his blood on my hands. Or Yang's. Neither of us deserve to have his memory linger with us like that."

Sun nodded, a look of disgust in his eyes.

"Alright," he sighed. "I trust you to make your own decisions. Just know that, if _I_ ever run into that guy, I won't be so easy to hold back."

Blake slid her arms around his shoulders and leaner into him, more to shut him up than anything else.

"Let's stop talking about this, okay?" she asked, leaning against his shoulder. "I want to enjoy myself tonight."

Sun felt his cheeks redden as he returned the gesture, sliding his arm around her shoulder.

"Alright Blake," he said. "Anything you want."

Blake sighed, her eyes flitting back to where Yang was sitting, and she wondered not for the first time that night, if she would ever be able to fight her own battles.

POK!

Ruby had found herself a drink and was still lounging in the hot water of the spring next to Yang, although it was really more like a warm swimming pool in her opinion. The water bubbled and fizzed with minerals, but it wasn't nearly as hot as some of the other springs she'd gotten to visit growing up. She wondered idly if the co-ed pool was deliberately kept slightly cooler so as not to harm any children who might be visiting. If that were the case, she made a mental note to check out the women only section to see if it offered a more quality experience.

It's not like she was interested in spending time with any of the boys or anything…

"Ahhh…" Yang said, plopping down beside her after refilling her drink. "If I'd have known we'd get to spend our downtime at a hot spring resort, I'd have joined Atlas straight after Signal!"

Ruby raised an eyebrow at Yang's mechanical arm submerged in the water.

"You're sure that thing is waterproof, Yang?" she asked skeptically.

"Of course," Yang nodded. "Wouldn't be a very good prosthetic if it shorted out just by getting wet. Heck, the minerals might even clean out the joints a little bit. Not that I've had much chance to run this new model through its paces yet."

Ruby nodded, turning her attention back to her drink. "Oh, good…"

POK!

"Hey! What are you doing!? STOP!"

Yang and Ruby both winced as a great splash disturbed their quiet drink, and turned to see Dora and Coco bodily hurling Emerald into the hot spring.

SPLOOSH!

"Gack! Gagh! Puh!" Emerald's ehad emerged from the water, coughing up mineral water, before she turned and glared, baring her teeth as she shook her fist at the other two girls. "Hey, what's the big idea!?"

"Better call the prospector, Dora," Coco chuckled to the Summer Maiden. "It looks like there are emeralds in these hot springs!"

Dora giggled maniacally as she and Coco exchanged a high-five.

"Oh, I am going to _murder_ you both!" Emerald glared as she waded back to the edge of the pool, sending Dora and Coco running, the younger of the two shrieking in delight.

"Heh," Yang smirked. "Dora sure seems to be having fun…"

"Yeah…" Ruby nodded absently.

Yang glanced over at where Weiss and Neptune were chatting. Neptune was actually dangling his feet in the water next to her. It seemed that Weiss was slowly helping him get over his fear.

"Weiss seems to be in good spirits too," she noted with a smile. "I mean, she's clearly still worried about her mom, but I think Neptune's good for her. He's got the patience and level-headedness to handle her when she needs someone to listen to her, and the brains and charisma to hold his own in a conversation."

Ruby nodded idly, glancing around at their other teammates, sipping at her drink. "Yeah…"

POK!

Yang's eyes fell on Blake and Sun, who also seemed to be having a good time together.

"As for those two, well…" Yang observed idly, feeling a pang of regret well up in her stomach before swiftly quashing it. "I'm happy for them. Really. Sun's a good guy, and Blake deserves someone who can take care of her."

Yang felt like a total fool. It must have been so completely obvious that she wasn't being completely sincere. Then again, her sister had never been particularly keen on these things.

Turning her attention to look at her, Ruby's eyes seemed to have glazed over, and Yang let out a sigh of relief. Her sister did not seem to suspect anything was amiss.

Not that there _was_ anything amiss at all, she chastised herself.

POK!

Yang glanced up at the sound of paddle on plastic ball, and saw Ren and Nora, still furiously engaged in their game of ping pong.

"HYAHHHH!" Nora bellowed exuberantly as she passed her serve.

"HAAAAAH!" Ren replied as he returned her serve.

"I wonder if that match of theirs is ever going to end?" Yang pondered idly, before laughing, gently elbowing Ruby. "Heh, probably as long as it'll take for them to admit that they're both crazy about each other, huh?"

She grinned at her sister, looking for her response, but Ruby just seemed to shrug, a bored expression on her face.

"Hmm," she nodded stoically. "Seems everybody's got somebody…"

Yang raised an eyebrow. Her sister was being far too taciturn for the occasion.

"Well, 'cept for the two of us!" she tried smiling, giving Ruby a companionable pat on the shoulder. "Just a couple of bachelorettes, enjoying the sights, am I right?"

Ruby sighed. "I guess…"

Yang pouted. Was Ruby feeling left out because of all the couples that were forming amongst their team? She glanced around the swimming area, seeing if there are any singles still remaining.

"I think Sage and Scarlet are finishing up their game," Yang observed idly. "Maybe we could, I dunno…see about joining in on their next one? Go head to head?"

"Eh…" Ruby pursed her lip dismissively. "You can go if you want, Yang. I think I'm just going to relax here…"

Yang pouted. This was going nowhere.

POK!

"Okay, what's your deal, Ruby?" Yang asked bluntly. "You were having fun just a little while ago, but now you can't stop sulking. What's bothering you?"

Ruby threw a defensive look at her sister. "I'm not _sulking_ , Yang. I'm just trying to relax."

Yang held up her hands. "Okay, okay, sorry…"

Ruby harrumphed and went back to staring blankly ahead.

Yang glanced idly in the direction that Ruby was looking, and blinked as she saw Jaune and Pyrrha surreptitiously leaving the hot spring and scurrying back into the hut and towards the hotel, toweling themselves off.

"Hmmmm…" Yang stroked her chin, a catlike smirk on her face. "I wonder what _those_ two lovebirds are up to…"

Yang was surprised when Ruby's face lit up like a candle.

"I don't know…" she crossed her arms, blushing furiously. "It's none of _my_ business what they do. They can do whatever they want together. I don't care."

Yang blinked. And blinked again. She glanced at Jaune and Pyrrha's retreating forms, and then back to her sister. And then something clicked in her head, and her eyes widened in realization.

"Oh, no…" she exhaled in disbelief. "Ruby, you're not…you're not _jealous_ of Pyrrha…are you?"

POK!

Ruby's eyes widened in shock.

"What!?" she blurted hastily, looking around nervously. "Pffft! _No!_ Why would I…why would I be jealous of _Pyrrha?_ "

Yang raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. Maybe because you and Jaune have been partners for the better part of a year now? Fighting side by side, watching each other's backs, and trusting each other? And then as soon as Pyrrha comes back into his life, now she's all he can think about?"

Ruby shook her head, waving off Yang's assertion.

"She was all he could think about _before_ she came back!" she said dismissively. "And besides, Jaune and I were just teammates! We're friends, that's all! It's not like he ever thought of _me_ like that!"

Yang blinked, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"…But you've thought of _him_ like that…" she said quietly in realization. "Haven't you?"

POK!

Ruby waved her hands and shook her head violently in protest.

"No!" she blared, red-faced. "No-no-no-no-no! Why would you think that, Yang!?"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Because you're being all squirrelly about it, that's why."

Ruby lowered her hands back into the water with a splash, before holding herself perfectly still, looking like she would burst if she didn't start moving again immediately.

"Squirrelly?" she demanded anxiously. "Who's being squirrelly?"

"Ruby…" Yang sighed. "It's okay to have feelings for someone. I know you're still young, but…it's only natural. You don't have to feel ashamed about it."

"Yes I do!" Ruby said as she began to cry.

Yang winced as she wrapped her arms around her sister, holding her close as she whimpered in grief, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping on them.

"Don't you get it, Yang!?" Ruby wailed softly into her arms. "Jaune and Pyrrha were practically _made_ for each other! I mean, look at them! Look how _happy_ they are together! They _belong_ together, Yang!"

Yang began to stroke her shoulders.

"Ruby…"

"They've spent so much time waiting for each other!" Ruby cried, wrapping her arms around her sister's waist. "They've been separated for so long, and worked so hard to get back together! They've both been so lonely without one other, and now that they're together again, they deserve to be _happy_ for once!"

POK!

"I can't…" Ruby whimpered, shaking her head in her sister's arms. "I can't let my feelings get in the way of _that!_ "

"Ruby…" Yang said as she embraced the young girl.

Yang couldn't think of anything else to say. She had no answer to Ruby's feelings. She couldn't even rationalize her _own_ feelings, much less her sister's. Whenever Yang looked at Sun and Blake, she couldn't help but feel the exact same way. It was such a terrible feeling of nobility, putting someone else's happiness before your own, knowing they would never appreciate what you've done for them.

Blake deserved happiness, and Yang wanted that happiness for her. Jaune deserved happiness, and Ruby wanted that happiness for him as well. And so it would seem that the noble thing to do would be to step aside and let them be happy.

No matter how much it hurt to do so.

POK!

"HIIIYAAAH!" Nora blared as she slammed the ping pong ball so hard into the table that the table broke into two pieces as the ball spun like a bullet in the floor underneath, burrowing a small divot into the patio stones beneath.

Ren winced and recoiled slightly as the table broke into two before him.

"Hah!" Nora grinned vehemently as she held her paddle into the air. "I win!"

Ren stared back at her, unconvinced.

"That doesn't count as a win," he pointed out. "You broke the table."

"Yes it does!" Nora cried, pointing to the broken remains of the ping pong table. "The table was weak! That would have been my win if the table had survived!"

"You have no possible way of knowing that," Ren said dryly.

"Oh, quit trying to weasel your way out of this, Ren!" she pointed her finger victoriously, panting for breath. "You know the rules! Loser has to do obey one single command from the winner!"

Ren gave her a suspicious look. "I don't seem to remember ever agreeing to that."

"Quiet you!" Nora pointed her finger at him, before crossing her arms under her breasts. "Now here is your order: close your eyes and don't move!"

Ren raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What?"

Nora's face reddened as she pointed again.

"No questions!" she blurted. "Now hurry up and close your eyes! Before I lose my nerve!"

Ren let out a sigh of resignation before closing his eyes.

And then he almost immediately opened them again when Nora leaned in to kiss him.

"Whoo!" Yang cheered from her seat in the hot spring, evidently happy for a distraction. "You go, Nora!"

Ren pulled back suddenly, wide eyed and red in the face. "Nora!?"

Nora blushed in response as well, clenching her fists into tight little balls as steam practically spewed out of her ears.

"Ren!" she whined, squinting her eyes shut. "You were supposed to keep your eyes closed!"

Ren covered his mouth with his hand, his face reddening even further. "H-How am I supposed to keep my eyes closed for something like that!?"

Nora crossed her arms and turned away, pouting cutely.

"Ren, you idiot!" she sulked. "Why can't you just consider my feelings for once!?"

Ren's eyes widened as realization overtook him, and he reached for her shoulder.

"Nora…" he said quietly, in spite of the crowd of onlookers watching with bated breath.

As he touched her shoulder, Nora turned back to him, lower lip quivering, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ren…" she muttered silently. "I didn't mean for it to turn out like this…I didn't want to ruin what we had together, but…I was just so tired of pretending that I-"

She was silenced when Ren drew her to him and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her tenderly.

Nora's eyes widened in shock as he kissed her, her mind suddenly going blank, as all around her, their fellow teammates burst into applause.

"Whoo-hoo!" Coco hollered.

"About time, you two!" Yang crowed in delight.

"We're so happy for you both!" Blake smiled exuberantly.

Nora slowly parted from her partner, her heart in her throat as he looked down at her.

"R-Ren…?" she muttered timidly. "I don't…I don't understand. Why did you…?"

Ren shook his head, reaching up to stroke her cheek.

"I've _always_ felt this way, Nora…" he breathed quietly with a smile. "You've always been there for me, and I've known for as long as I can remember that you were the one for me. I just didn't know if you would ever be ready…"

Nora pouted her lips, giving him an incredulous look.

"What are you talking about, Ren!?" she demanded impetuously. "I've been ready for _years!_ "

Ren tilted his head, arching his brow in disbelief.

"Really?" he intoned sardonically. "All those times you kept telling me 'not _together_ -together,' what was I supposed to think?"

"I was trying to give you a _hint_ , you big dummy!" Nora whined. "I've been giving you hints this whole _year!_ I specifically wore _this_ skimpy little thing tonight so that maybe you'd _finally_ get the message!"

Nora clasped her arms across her front, causing her breasts to press together by way of demonstration.

Ren shrugged helplessly, his face still as calm as ever.

"Well…message received, Nora…" he intoned, holding his hands out to embrace her.

Nora's expression brightened as she leaped into his arms, wrapping them around his neck as he gently spun her around, before the two of them kissed once more.

"Oh, got get a room you two!" Yang jeered, before Ruby elbowed her in the ribcage.

Nora grinned mischievously as she leaned in to whisper into Ren's ear.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea…" she muttered.

Ren's eyes widened. "Oh."

Nora took Ren by the arm, and was about to march off back to the hotel, before her eyes lit up in realization.

"Oh, shoot!" she exclaimed, before turning back to once again whisper into Ren's ear. "I forgot! Jaune and Pyrrha already took off! I don't want to disturb them _now!_ "

Ren nodded conspiratorially, before the crook of his mouth curved up into half smile.

"I think we should be able to find someplace else equally private for a little while…" he said.

"Oh my…" Nora grinned catlike. "Well then…lead the way, Ren…"

Before the two of them made themselves scarce, however, there was a sudden explosion and a plume of water erupting into the air behind the tall, bamboo wall protecting one of the sectioned off portion of the hot spring.

PWOOSH!

As luck would have it, it was the female-only section.

"Qrow Branwen, I will _flay you alive!_ " came a thunderous voice, before another plume of water erupted into the air.

PWOOSH!

Weiss looked up from her conversation with Neptune.

"Is that Winter's voice?" she asked, not quite recognizing it for its vehemence and volume.

Neptune narrowed his eyes. "It _sounds_ like her…"

Ruby blinked curiously. "What's she yelling at uncle Qrow for?"

Yang buried her face in her hand. "Oh no…"

Moments later, a human sized hole suddenly blew out from the bamboo wall, and Qrow Branwen came stumbling through into the communal area, with little more than a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Seriously!" he demanded angrily, holding his towel in place with one hand. "Who brings a _sword_ into a hot spring!?"

In response to his query, Winter Schnee, also wearing nothing more than a towel, came charging through the hole in the wall, barefoot and clutching her towel around her torso with one hand, her sword raised in her other.

"Someone who has to worry about lecherous pigs like you!" she blared in anger, waving her sword forward as a glyph appeared under Qrow's feet.

Qrow dashed away from the attack, miraculously keeping his towel affixed to his waist as almost all of Team RSJC watched in bewilderment, many blushing at all the skin the two were showing, as Winter began to chase him around the hot spring.

"What's the big deal!?" Qrow demanded in protest. "I _said_ I was sorry!"

"Oh, you are not _nearly_ sorry enough, mister!" Winter hollered, casting another glyph in his general direction, sending another plume of water into the air as it hit the hot spring instead of its intended target.

PWOOSH!

"Are you trying to kill me, woman!?" Qrow demanded, running for dear life. "Lighten up, will you!?"

"Get back here and take your punishment like a man!" Winter shouted back after him.

Ruby watched her uncle running around, before leaning in towards her sister.

"What was uncle Qrow doing in the women's area?" she asked, a note of concern in her voice.

Yang gave her sister an uneasy look. "I'll…explain it when you're older, Ruby…"

Ruby blinked in confusion. Then blinked again. Then her eyes widened.

"Oh…" she said, before her cheeks flushed red. "Ohhhhh…"

Yang scratched her nose uncomfortably.

"Yyyyyyeah," she said brusquely.

Ruby turned back to her uncle as she put her hands over her mouth.

"You can still defeat her, uncle Qrow!" she cried. "I believe in you!"

Yang winced. "Ruby, that's not what-"

"Dang it, Yang!" Ruby squeaked. "Let me hold onto _some_ of my illusions, will you!"

Yang sighed and leaned back into the water, her uncle's antics fading into the background.

"Alright, Ruby…" she shook her head.

As the rest of Team RSJC began exchanging stunned glances and whispers, Dora climbed back out of the water, still determined to make the biggest splash possible. And evidently, she was not one to be out-done by this most recent charade.

"Okay, that's it!" she grinned wildly. "The kid gloves are _coming off!_ If that old man gets to break shit, then by golly, I do too!"

When her eyes began to glow, Ruby and Yang both blanched.

"Wait, Dora!" Ruby shouted in protesting, holding out a hand to try to discourage her. " _No!_ "

Dora would not be dissuaded. Channeling her Maiden power, she leaped into the air, before summoning a blast of wind to send her spiraling into the hot spring.

"HYAAAHHH!"

KER-SPLOOOOOSH!

With a resounding explosion of water, the entire hot spring erupted into a massive shockwave, sending water surging up into a small tidal wave, soaking everything around the communal area, dousing the heat lamps, drenching the hut and its occupants, and leaving the spring itself practically empty of water.

Ruby, Yang, Blake, Sun, Weiss, Neptune, Velvet and Yatsuhashi all sat around the now empty pool that used to the be the hot spring, while Ren, Nora, Coco, Fox, Sage, and Scarlet all stood, completely drenched, trickles of runoff pooling around their ankles.

And at the center of the empty pool, a tiny puddle all the remained of the spring that slowly trickled back in from the vents all through the basin, was Dora, sitting on her backside, grinning like an idiot.

"Whoo!" she shouted in joy. "Now _that_ was a splash!"

Standing just beyond the hut, a soaking wet towel wrapped around herself, was Emerald Sustrai, who had just emerged from the locker room, having just freshly dried herself off after having been so rudely tossed into the water earlier. She was now, once again, soaked to the bone.

She gritted her teeth.

"Worst. Vacation. Ever."


	93. Chapter 93

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 93

* * *

"Seriously Yang, what was in that drink you ordered?"

Neo remained stoic and resolute, standing as a still as a statue. Her disguise was impeccable; all the Huntsmen saw was a hand maiden, a tea servant. She wore a silk brocade dress, eggshell in color with elaborate leaf patterns of a slightly lighter shade stitched across it, long white stockings and white laced sandals. Her hair and eyes were both colored black, her hair braided into an up-do, a pair of chopsticks in her hair, her face made up in pure white paint, her lips cherry red. An assassin waiting in ambush right under their noses, and they had overlooked her entirely.

"I dunno, Ruby…" the blonde one mumbled. "All I know is it was in a coconut…"

Standing at attention by the door, a single tray in her hands, Neo watched in silence from across the hall as the leader of the Huntsmen escorted her target into the hotel room they had procured for themselves at the resort.

"Ugh…Yang, have you been batting your eyelashes at the bartender to get drinks again?" the leader said disparagingly.

The blonde one grinned sheepishly. "What? Nine times out of ten, they don't ask for ID when I do…"

Neo peered into the hotel room from her vantage point across the hall, watching as the younger of the two sisters gently deposited her target onto one of the two beds in the room before the door slowly slid closed. When it did, Neo slowly approached the room, setting down her tray to press her ear to the door and listen in on their conversation further.

"Honestly, Ruby," the older sister muttered. "I'm fine."

"Yang, you tried to pick a fight with a marble statue," the younger one said flatly.

"So?" the blonde smirked. "I won, didn't I?"

"You did," the leader chastised. "And it's only added to the damage bill that Winter's going to be paying. Now go to sleep already."

"Look at you, putting your big sister to bed," her target yawned. "It wasn't that long ago that I was still putting _you_ to bed, you know?"

"I know Yang," the sister said. "Now go to sleep."

"What about you?" the blonde asked. "It's getting late. Shouldn't you be in bed too, young lady?"

"Later," Ruby explained. "I'm gonna go talk with uncle Qrow for a bit first."

"Okay, okay," the elder admonished, yawning sleepily. "Don't stay up too late, kiddo."

"I won't," the younger said. "Goodnight, Yang,"

"Night, Ruby."

Neo skirted away from the door well before it opened, and the Huntress in the red hood strode calmly out, closing the door behind her. Neo waited for her to vacate the premises, before hurrying back over to the door, listening in on its lone occupant. She listened for any further sign of voice or movement. After a bit of shuffling, she heard nothing.

She waited.

It had been a long and boring mission she had been sent on. It had been a nice enough location, but her cover had prohibited her from indulging in any of the more pleasant aspects of the site. Over a week, waiting on the pig who ran the resort hand over foot. She and the other hand maidens cycled in and out of shifts, and the worst parts were having to wait in the proprietor's office while he ran his business. He never touched the girls, but his eyes bespoke his wants clearly enough. Looking at him made Neo sick to her stomach.

It mattered not. Soon, she would be done with this place. Though what would become of her next was anyone's guess. Truthfully, she had no idea why she was still even working for Cinder. She had only joined to keep Roman out of trouble. And now…well, that was no longer an issue. But Cinder was too powerful and too dangerous to cross, and she had made it abundantly clear what she did to deserters.

So Neo bided her time, making the most of a bad situation. She wasn't particularly fond of the job, but she was good at it, and that kept her alive. Like Roman had been, she was a survivor and a pragmatist. She took what joy she could where possible, but her survival came first.

After a sufficient amount of time had passed, Neo slid a key card from out of her brocade dress and passed it over the electronic lock. It had been the work of a moment to procure the keycard from the proprietor's office, which could open any lock in the resort. Without so much as a sound, the lock unlatched, and she silently slid into the hotel room within the space of a breath, closing the door just as silently behind her.

The room was as dark as the night, the barest hint of moonlight creeping in through the window. Her target was laying in one of the large queen sized beds closest to the door. She was covered by a plush comforter, and she appeared to be sleeping soundly, the low thrum of her breathing just barely audible to Neo's trained ears.

The assassin moved slowly, step by step, creeping up on her prey like a predator, her footfalls giving no hint of her presence. With a shimmer and ripple in her aura, her disguise fell away, shifting to a darker shade of dress, making her all but invisible within the shadows. Her cover as a handmaiden had forced her to adorn her body with scented aromas, but this too had been washed from her body for this task. Every aspect of herself was made as undetectable as possible.

She was a ghost.

Once she reached the bed where her target slept, she looked down at the blond girl with passive disinterest. By all accounts, the blonde Huntress was a rambunctious one, loud, brash and overconfident. The exact opposite of Neo herself. Well, minus the confidence.

Neo moved with poise and purpose as she slipped her stiletto blade from the back of her obi sash. Elsewhere in the resort, her umbrella lay hidden. She only had need for the blade here and now.

Beneath her gaze, the blonde one slept, her mind addled by drink. When she had dueled her before, the Huntress had been a vigorous fighter, powerful, but rough and unpolished. She might have been a worthy foe…in time. Time, however, seemed to have taken its toll on her. She had even lost her arm, replaced by a prosthetic. It would have been interesting to see how she stacked up to Neo after all this time. Now, however, it seemed another fate awaited her.

Neo lifted her blade to position it over the girl's neck. All this preparation for a task so simple as this. When Cinder had given her the order to strike at the blonde one in particular, she had not questioned it. She would have preferred the Huntress at least know who it was who had killed her. But while she may be just a target, Neo had yet to come across one who had evaded her as this one had. She was the one who got away, and that made her interesting, particular the manner in which she had been saved.

Neo still wondered who that masked swordswoman was…

No matter. She had a job to do. No matter that it was tasteless and cold-blooded, this was what she was good at. What she excelled at. Even before Roman had brought her out of the slums of Vale, she had felt no remorse for taking life.

Life had been taken from her every day growing up. It was taken every day where she lived. Why should it be any different for a privileged few?

KNOCK-KNOCK

"Yang? Are you in there?"

Neo froze. The Huntress slept before her, un-woken by the soft rapping at the door. The soft voice outside had been female, another teammate most likely. Neo heard the door beginning to open, letting light creep across the floor. Neo's eyes darted around the room for an escape route. The window on the far end was latched, and she could not clear the distance and unlock it in the time without being discovered. She had to preserve her cover if she wanted to maintain the element of surprise.

There! The closet door! With no time left to do anything else, Neo quickly slid the closet door open and slipped inside, her tiny frame squeezing easily through the tiny crack she had opened, before delicately closing the door and sequestering herself among the linens and shoes the team of Huntresses had laid out for them.

She mentally cursed. She had lingered for too long. What was wrong with her? This was not like her. Was she hesitating to savor the kill? Either way, the other Huntress entered the room, tip-toing as she closed the door, careful not to wake her teammate. There was a small crack between the closet door that allowed her to peek through into the hotel room to watch as the Huntress entered. This one had black hair, and wore a ribbon in her hair. The Faunus girl? Neo redoubled her efforts to remain as silent as she possibly could, all the while listening for any hint of her discovery. The room was also filled with the scent of burning incense, so Neo could only pray that this plus her lack of perfume would be enough to hide her scent. Still, her blade was still clutched tightly in her hand in case she should need to move in a hurry.

The Faunus seemed to have other thoughts on her mind, however.

"Hey Yang…" she intoned quietly as she sat down gently on the bed where the other girl slept. "Are you awake?"

The Faunus spoke in a low tone of voice, not a whisper, but not so loud as to wake her teammate. The blond one seemed to be out cold.

"Sorry to barge in on you like this…" the Faunus said softly after a long sigh, in spite of her teammate's state of slumber. "I guess I just…needed to get something off my chest…"

Neo winced. She knew she was in a tight spot. There was still a chance that she could salvage her mission tonight. Failing that, it was imperative at least that she evade the Huntsmen's detection. Neither of these were a possibility until the Faunus vacated the premises. And rather than going to bed, taking what she needed and leaving, or even waking the other Huntress, she was instead conversing with her teammate's sleeping form, as though she were awake and speaking to her.

"So I was talking with Sun earlier…" the Faunus continued. "We're spending a lot more time together these days since he's come back from Mistral. It's nice…I'm really glad he's with us again…"

Neo maintained her rigid posture behind the closet door, keeping her breathing low and steady. What was this girl even talking about? What was the purpose of saying these things if her teammate could not even hear her?

"Anyway, he…" the girl said, sound nervous. "He told me…some things, and…I think …I think he wants us to be more than just friends…"

Neo blinked. Then blinked again. She still could not determine why the girl was telling her target these things while she was asleep.

"I still haven't given him my answer…" she went on. "He told me I could take all the time I needed…but I don't want to keep him waiting…"

Neo heard a shuffling of motion as the Huntress shifted across the bed.

"I'm really nervous though…" the Faunus said. "Part of me still isn't ready to move on. I mean, after what happened with Adam…I never thought I'd ever love again…"

Neo tilted her head at that. Was she talking about Cinder's missing White Fang agent? It made sense in a way. They were both Faunus. Still…to think one of the Huntsmen she was up against had such connections to the White Fang…

"But part of me really wants to take him up on his offer," she said laboriously. "I mean, he's a great guy. He's fun, he's clever, he's strong, he's handsome…he's everything I'd ever want in a boyfriend."

The blonde huntress's still form seemed to have no immediate response to Blake's statement. Perhaps the Faunus hoped that her words might enter the girl's dreams, where they might swim and congeal into some sort of answer for her. That would have made more sense to Neo than what she was currently witnessing.

"But…I can't help but wonder if it's the right choice…" she continued. "I can't imagine him turning out anything like Adam…but there's still a thousand ways it could go wrong. It may not even be _his_ fault if it does – I know I'm perfectly capable of sabotaging myself, even when I try not to…"

Neo was getting stiff from standing so still, her muscles cramping painfully, but she remained still all the same. This was hardly the worst pain she had ever experienced.

"Still…how am I supposed to know if this is what I really want?" the Faunus went on. "I mean…I think it is. But how do I know I'll feel that way in the future?"

The blonde, as ever, remained locked in silent slumber.

"You've always been there for me, Yang," she said. "You've been my teammate, my partner, and my best friend. You've helped me through some of the most difficult parts of my life. I…I know I'd have never gotten this far without you looking out for me…"

Neo would have sighed if she hadn't been hiding. If this girl was truly seeking advice, then why did she not wake her teammate? Was she afraid of what answer she would give? Or what the other girl would think of her if she did?

"I need you, Yang," the Faunus said, her voice cracking just a little. "I need you to tell me what to do. I need you to…tell me it's alright. Help me…tell me it won't hurt if I do this…"

Neo raised an eyebrow. There seemed to be more going on with this girl than mere dating woes…

"If I do this, it won't be because I hate you or because I don't want to be with you…" she explained, although no explanation had been asked of her. "You'll always be my partner, Yang, even if I never deserved you…"

Tears began welling up in the Faunus girl's eyes.

"But…if you tell me _not_ to…then I won't go through with it," she sobbed. "I can't stand the thought of hurting you, Yang. You're the most important person in the world to me, and…damn it…"

Neo's eyes widened as the Faunus began to cry in earnest. Just what was going on here?

"I'm sorry…" Blake wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, I…I never should have gotten you involved. It wasn't fair of me. If you never want to see me again, I'd understand. But…if you _did_ …"

Neo couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was this some sort of twisted love confession?

"If you're still willing to be there for me, like you've always been…" she said. "Then I'll do…whatever it takes…to be there for you too. Just…just say the word, Yang. Okay?"

Neo shook her head in disbelief. What exactly had she just stumbled in on? This was a level of drama that she was unaccustomed to in Cinder's group.

Blake wiped her eyes, drying them off as she quickly got to her feet.

"This was stupid…" she said hurriedly. "I'm such an coward. Maybe…maybe one day, I'll be brave enough to tell you for real…"

Neo's eyes followed the Faunus girl as she hurriedly made her way to the door, opened it, and went through, turning to glance back at her teammate, a sorrowful look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry…"

The door finally closed, and Neo let out a merciful breath of air. She waited a few moments more before finally exiting the closet, casting her eyes once again on her target.

Yang…that was her name…

That ridiculously display may have slowed her down, but her cover had not been compromised, and from the looks of things, the mission was still a-go.

Her stiletto was still clutched within her tiny fingers. Her blade was petite, just as she was. But it was still strong enough to cut. Small as she was, she was often underestimated by her foes. That was precisely what Yang had done – underestimated her.

It was usually the last mistake anyone ever made around her.

She stepped over to the bed, the blonde Huntress still slumbering. Neo raised her blade, staring down at her prey.

Yang…

Once she was done here, Yang would be no more. This was what she was here for. This was what she was meant to do.

Then suddenly a voice echoed from memory.

 _"_ _Watch my back, kiddo…cause I'll always be watching yours."_

Neo shook her head. Roman was gone now. There was no more room for sentimentality. It did not matter that Yang may have had someone in her life akin to what Roman had been in Neo's. It did not matter that these Huntsmen had lives and feelings and relationships of their own. It did not matter how much it would hurt them once they were gone.

All that mattered was the mission.

 _"_ _You've got the right stuff, kid. What do you say we team up?"_

She tightened her fingers around her blade, clenching her brow in concentration. Stupid, pointless, irrelevant! What use were memories of the dead? What good could they do her? All they seemed to serve were as a distraction!

 _"_ _Never let anyone push you around, Neo."_

Neo gritted her teeth, placing a hand over her brow. It was like some phantom from the past were tormenting her without reason or mercy!

 _"_ _Stick with me, kid! And we'll go far together!"_

Memories of a forgotten life, a forgotten friend…

 _"_ _I ain't gonna settle for some measly life somewhere!"_

They were supposed to make it big in the world…

 _"_ _You and me, Neo, we're unstoppable!"_

What had happened to them? Where had it all gone so wrong?

 _"_ _I'm on top of the world!"_

Roman had been a survivor all his life. And his life had still been snatched away within the blink of an eye.

 _"_ _I ain't going anywhere, kid."_

He had been her guiding light. And now he was gone.

 _"_ _I don't know why you put up with a loser like me, Neo…"_

Roman…

 _"_ _But whatever the reason…I'm sure as hell glad that you do."_

Neo looked at the stiletto blade in her hand. Then she looked down at the girl she was about to kill. How many lives had she taken for that woman already? How many lives had been ruined through her actions? How could hers be any different? How had the people she had lost been any different? How many more would follow if she kept doing whatever Cinder told her to do?

When would it end?

When would it _ever_ end?

She lowered her sword. She resheathed it within her obi and tiptoed her way towards the door. Sliding it open, she hurried out back into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

She had some thinking to do…


	94. Chapter 94

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 94

* * *

Jaune stared up at the ceiling of his hotel room, a wide-eyed and euphoric look on his face. He was breathing heavily and covered with sweat. Beside him, an equally exhausted Pyrrha lay on her stomach, resting her head on his shoulder, one arm draped over him as she gazed sweetly over at him.

They were both quite naked under the covers.

"Wow…" Jaune exhaled, his heart still beating profusely in his chest.

Pyrrha nodded her head beside him, still appearing to be a little too tired for words.

"That…" Jaune breathed, shaking his head as he searched for the words to use. "That was…"

Pyrrha finally managed to find her voice as she ran her fingers through his damp hair.

"Overdue?" she offered affectionately.

Jaune let out an exhilarated chuckle.

"Heh…" he laughed. "I was going to say 'incredible,' but I think I'd have to agree with you on that too…"

They laid there in silence for a few moments longer, basking in the afterglow, their legs still intertwined as they caught their breath.

"So…what happens now?" Jaune asked out of the blue.

Pyrrha blinked, somewhat confused. "What do you mean?"

Jaune smirked sheepishly. "Well, I mean…do we go a second time? Or are we supposed to go to sleep now? I don't have a lot of experience here, so…what's the next step after this?"

Pyrrha let out a breath as she shook her head.

"Well…if this were anywhere else, either option would sound fine to me…" she said, casting a cautious look at the other bed across from theirs. "But in this particular case, we _do_ happen to be sharing a room with our fellow teammates, so the _polite_ thing to do would probably be to put our clothes back on in case they come back to the room. It _is_ rather late, after all."

Jaune glanced around at the discarded robes and underclothes scattered around the bed they shared and blushed at the thought of Ren and Nora walking in on the two of them like this.

"Right…" he nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea…"

The two slid out of bed and awkwardly began retrieving their bed clothes. At the behest of his teammates, Jaune had since done away with his footy pajamas in favor of a tee-shirt and undershorts. By the time he'd pulled them back on, Pyrrha was halfway through putting on a white camisole and panties. As she finished, she turned to give Jaune a curious look, watching him as he lay back on the bed, his gaze locked on her body.

"What?" she said, finding herself blushing and looking away. "You've already seen everything…"

Jaune shrugged. "Doesn't make you any less beautiful."

She smiled and crawled back onto the bed to curl up next to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Flatterer," she smirked and coiled up beside him, wrapping her arms around him possessively.

Jaune wrapped his arm around her shoulder, his other resting on her waist as she molded herself to him.

"It's not flattery if it's true," he pointed out.

She blushed again and squeezed him a little more tightly.

"When you asked me 'what happens now' earlier…" she said, lowering her gaze. "I thought at first that you meant…relationship-wise."

Jaune's eyebrows rose.

"Oh…" he said shyly. "I…thought I'd made my intentions pretty clear by now…"

Pyrrha's shoulders rose as her embarrassment grew.

"It…never hurts to hear the words…" she said in a mouse's voice.

Color rose in Jaune's face as he fidgeted with the hem of her camisole with his fingertips.

"I, uh…" he muttered clumsily. "Well, you already know how much I love you, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "Go on…"

Jaune swallowed and nodded.

"And…well, I think I'd like to keep doing…whatever this is that we've been doing…and see where it goes," he said, stepping cautiously. "So, I guess…boyfriend and girlfriend? Is that the next logical step?"

"I think that's what you'd call us by this point," Pyrrha smiled contently, before her expression turned more introspective. "Though, now that you're saying it out loud, it seems kind of silly to reduce it to such terms."

"How do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"Well…" Pyrrha looked up into his eyes. "We were already partners long before we arrived at this point. You're far more important to me than just a boyfriend, Jaune. You have been since the day I first met you. It almost feels like the bond between us as partners transcends any sort of romantic relationship we could ever have."

She swung over him, placing her hands on either side of him on the bed so that she could gaze down at him, a soft and loving smile in her eyes.

"We belong together, Jaune," she breathed. "That's all there is to it."

Jaune couldn't help but lean in and kiss her again, his hands coming up around her neck to tangle themselves in her hair.

"I couldn't agree more," he said euphorically.

She kissed him back, and he pulled her on top of him to straddle his waist, and before too long, things began to heat up. Pyrrha's eyes widened as Jaune pulled at her once more.

"A-Again…?" she stammered breathlessly as she acquiesced to his ministrations, allowing him to devour her with his lips as his hands made for her underclothes.

Every heated touch demanded yet another, and every breath bespoke their need for one another. As the hours ticked away, the two of them found themselves entangled in an endless ballet of passion, culmination, reprieve, and desire rekindled anew. Theirs was a hunger that could not be sated, and for a brief moment, Pyrrha wondered whether it was possible to die from joy.

As the evening dwindled into the wee hours of the morning, the two of them eventually collapsed from exhaustion. Sleep began to creep up on them both, and the last thing Jaune could see before his thoughts evaporated into mist was Pyrrha's ecstatic smile as she lay beside him, their arms eternally around one another.

"I love you, Jaune…" she whispered as his eyes flickered closed.

"I love you, Pyrrha…" he said in return.

Even in his dreams, she was not far from his side. As the night rolled on, Jaune found himself catching glimpses of what the future might bring for them, growing older together, and living out their days by each other's side. The adventures they would go on, the lands they would see, the home they would build for themselves. Children came and grew, and yet somehow, to him, Pyrrha still looked eternally brilliant and beautiful, his mind unable to envision her any other way. They grew old together, spending their twilight years in one another's arms, the love they shared eternal and beautiful.

It was a dream that filled his heart with joy.

He was woken later that night as she stirred from his arms, and his eyes opened half lidded to see what had caused her to rise.

It was dark in the hotel room, and he couldn't quite make out the figure he saw. But one thing was for sure.

It was not Pyrrha.

A gauntleted fist came towards his face, and he flinched, falling back on instinct as he brought up his arms and, more importantly, his semblance.

CRACK!

There was a loud crunch and a grunt of pain as the gauntlet recoiled off his indominated body, and he recoiled, fumbling for the light switch on the nightstand at his side.

"Pyrrha!?" he gasped, calling out for his partner's name before turning to see who the intruder could be.

When his eyes fell upon the figure, his heart leaped into his throat.

The woman stood tall, her silver hair emblazoned, long and flowing down her back. She wore an ornate white mask, reminiscent of the White Fang, but much more ornate and shaped more like a full helm than a mere eye-shield. Her robes were black and red, and at her hip was a long straight blade fitted into an oversized scabbard.

And draped over the woman's shoulder, wearing little more than the small clothes she had been sleeping in, was his partner Pyrrha, lying limp and unconscious.

And fixed around her head was a familiar bronze circlet.

Jaune's blood ran cold as he reached for his sword as it lay upon the night stand.

"You let her go!" he shouted, barreling over the bed, drawing his sword, still wearing little more than his bed clothes.

Despite the cracked gauntlet, the woman managed to draw her long blade faster than Jaune could react. She moved like lightning, and even he could could not bring his sword out in time to catch her counter-attack.

But his semblance was another story.

His whole body became an immovable object for a split second as the woman's sword struck him across the chest. As his body glowed with aura, the thin black blade shattered into a million pieces, causing the woman to turn her masked head to stare at the remains of her blade in confusion.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted at the top of his lungs as he swung at the interloper, both as a desperate cry to get her back, as well as a call-out to catch the attention of _anyone_ in the immediate vicinity who could come to his aid.

The masked woman recoiled, darting away in the blink of an eye as she slid her broken sword back into her sheath. There was a whirring and revolving of motors in her scabbard, and suddenly she drew the sword back out again, once again at full tang. It had either been repaired, or she had more than one blade in that sheath, it was impossible to say which in the dim lighting. At that moment, Jaune did not care – all he cared about was getting Pyrrha back.

" _Pyrrha!_ " he screamed, lunging towards her.

She swung her blade again, once again faster than Jaune had any possible hope of deflecting, and he was forced once again to use his semblance.

The woman in the mask was fighting one handed, with Pyrrha slung over her shoulder. Moreover, she appeared to have broken her sword hand beneath her gauntlet when she had struck Jaune initially. In spite of these setbacks, she was managing to fend him off seemingly with ease, every sword strike hitting home, forcing him to call up his Indominance.

Every time her sword landed, her blade shattered into pieces. Every time her blade broke, she would re-sheath it, only to draw another blade, each time fully formed. Her supply of swords appeared endless, but each time Jaune called on his semblance, his aura was rapidly drained. He was tired and sleep-addled, unable to predicted her moves, unable to even tell where they would land on his person when they got past his defenses. He eventually had to stop using his semblance, instead relying on his aura alone to shield him. But even then, he was faltering.

Slowly but surely he was forced back by her relentless series of blows, his aura slowly dwindling as he was forced to repel her strikes again and again. As his aura neared its limit, he finally collapsed to one knee, resting his sword point first on the floor. He was exhausted, and the initial surge of adrenaline had only been able to take him so far. His already dwindled supply of aura was now utterly spent. He could only watch as the masked woman stood defiantly over him, long blade in hand, the love of his life unconscious over her shoulder.

"Pyrrha..." he wheezed, gasping for breath.

And that's when the bedroom doors blew open with a loud crack!

BANG!

Jaune's neck swiveled around to see who had arrived. So did the masked woman.

Ruby and Yang stood on the doorway, weapons in hand.

"Jaune!" Ruby called out to him, Crescent Rose drawn. "We heard you shouting! What's…?"

Her voice faltered when she saw the masked woman with her teammate over her shoulder.

"Hey!" she shouted, pointing the business end of her scythe at the woman. "Who are you! And what are you doing with Pyrrha!?"

Yang's eyes, however, were as wide as saucers in recognition.

"M…Mom!?"

Ruby threw a shocked expression at her sister. "What? _Mom!?_ "

The woman in the mask seized the momentary confusion to lunge towards Ruby. Ruby barely had a moment to turn to face her attacker, before the hilt of her sword slammed into the girl's stomach.

" _Guh!_ " Ruby let out a gasp of pain, her eyes dilated to fine points as she spit up a mouthful of saliva and toppled over, clutching her stomach, her whole body shaking from the impact.

"Ruby!" Jaune shouted in alarm, far too late to do anything to help.

Yang was still too stunned for words. She turned her head to face the woman, her eyes wavering and uncertain. This sure looked like the same woman who had thrown her off the roof of her father's house. Yet her hair was silver, wore a mask, had attacked her sister, and was carrying Pyrrha's unconscious body over her shoulder.

"Ruby!" Jaune cried out again, struggling in futility to get to his feet. "Yang!"

Yang's eyes narrowed in anger. None of this made any sense to her. She wanted answers.

"What the _hell!?_ " she shouted, throwing her fist at the woman.

At the elbow of her new mechanical arm, a pair of rocket thrusters opened up, pointing backward, lending her punch a preternatural speed and power. Her fist connected with the woman's mask and sent her flying across the room and slamming into the far wall, the red-headed Huntress on her shoulder flung from her grasp and slumping to the floor.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted, putting both hands on the hilt of Crocea Mors, using it as a makeshift cane as he tried desperately to hoist himself towards her.

He had no idea what was going on, and right now, he didn't care. All he cared about was getting to Pyrrha. If he could just reach her in time…

"What the _hell_ is going on here!?" Yang demanded angrily, her aura lighting up the entire room, her eyes as red as blood. "You show up out of nowhere after all this time, you attack my sister, and now you're trying to kidnap one of my teammates!? What the _hell_ , mom!?"

The masked woman got to her feet, the mask on her face now a crumpled mess. She reached up and plucked the useless relic from her head and tossed it to the floor.

Sure enough, the eyes that stared back at Yang were the same blood-red eyes the young Huntress now stared with back at her.

Yang shook her head in confusion, frustration and contempt.

"What the _hell_ is this!?" she demanded.

The woman with the silver hair – what she had done to her hair since the last time Yang had seen her, Yang had no clue, and did not rightly care at the moment – did not answer, and instead put her hand on her sword, her other reaching down to scoop up the unconscious young Huntress at her feet.

"P-Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted in protest, tears welling up in his eyes, his whole body shaking from exertion as he desperately urged himself to his feet, his muscles on the verge of giving out.

Behind Yang, Ruby lay on the floor, still writhing in pain. Yang and her mother ignored the others' plight, their attention solely focused on each other. Yang bared her teeth in anger, while the other woman's face was cold and expressionless.

"Well, _say_ something!" Yang cried.

The woman said nothing, but she took Yang's outcry as invitation to lunge towards the young Huntress.

Yang was ready for the strike, her mechanical hand opening to catch the blade between her prosthetic fingers, a shower of sparks erupting as metal screeched against metal.

SCRRRRTCH!

The sound was deafening as Yang clasped her metal hand around her mother's sword, but her grip held firm as she stopped the blade dead in its tracks.

" _Answer me!_ " Yang roared, her eyes ablaze in fire as her aura continued to radiate outward.

The older woman said nothing for a moment, before pitching forward, throwing Yang off balance as her face came up to her ear.

" _Porridge is best served with a silver spoon…_ " she whispered, as if reciting a line from a nursery rhyme.

All at once, the fire went out of Yang's eyes. Her grip released, and her aura evaporated in an instant. Her eyes faded back to pale lavender, and her whole body went limp as she stumbled forward, the woman before her catching her with sword arm before she fell.

"Wh…What!?" Jaune blurted in disbelief as he watched his last hope crumble away. "Y-Yang!"

The woman with the silver hair gently lowered Yang to the floor, a somber look in her eyes.

"Forgive me…" she muttered gravely, before standing up once again.

She slashed her sword seemingly through mid-air, and somehow seemed to cut a hole in the fabric of space itself, a black and red portal opening where she struck.

"No!" Jaune gasped in desperation, reaching out towards her. "Pyrrha!"

Jaune watched in disbelief as the woman disappeared through the portal, taking the woman he loved with her.

"Pyrrha!" he shouted again in despair.

It was too late. She was already gone.

Moments later, the rest of his team arrived, as did Qrow and Winter. The lights came on, and the sheer damage left in the wake of all the fighting became evident, with shattered blades, torn up furniture, and a discarded mask littering the floor. Ruby was just barely able to get to her feet, after vomiting on the floor several times, still clutching her stomach in agony. Yang was nearly catatonic, lying on her backside with a blank look in her eyes, looking for all the world like she'd just been hit by a truck.

"Jaune!" Nora called out as she and Ren ran to his side, helping him to his feet, "Are you alright!?"

"What happened!?" Ren asked, as he inspected the damage to the room.

"Pyrrha…" Jaune whimpered in utter disbelief, his strength disappeared. "Pyrrha…"

"Ruby!" Qrow shouted, kneeling down next to where his niece sat on the bed. "Hey, talk to me kid! What's going on?"

Ruby spat up another mouthful of spit, making a disgusted face at the offensive taste.

"Ugh…" she grunted in irritation. "I…I don't know…Pyrrha's gone…and I think…I think Yang's _mom_ was here…"

Qrow's eyes darted to where Yang sat on the floor, completely unresponsive.

"Raven…" he breathed.

"What's going on!?" Winter demanded as she arrived, inspecting the damage. "What happened here?"

Ren and Nora looked up at her, completely baffled. Ruby shook her head, and Qrow simply frowned.

It was Jaune to answered her, however.

"They took her…" he trembled, tears in his eyes as he shuddered in utter despair. "They…they took _Pyrrha!_ "

Winter narrowed her eyes in disbelief. "What!? Who?"

"…Mom…" Yang finally spoke.

All eyes flitted to where Yang sat as she shook her head, clutching her forehead in pain.

"Hey, easy there," Qrow said, crouching down beside, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hang on, slugger. Take a deep breath, get your head together…"

Winter narrowed her eyes. "Keep an eye on things here, Qrow. I'm going to check on the rest of the team and make sure no one else has been attacked tonight."

As Winter departed, Qrow continued to rest his hand on Yang's shoulder as Ruby limped over to her and sat down beside her.

"Ugh…" the girl grunted in discomfort. "You okay, Yang? I didn't see her land a hit, but it was really dark, and there was a lot going on…"

Yang shook her head. "I…I'm fine, I think…I just…"

Yang glanced up at her uncle.

"My mom was here…" she said slowly, gravity in her voice. "She attacked Ruby, she had Pyrrha, I…I had to do something…"

Qrow nodded. "It's okay, Yang. No one's blaming you for anything. Just tell us what you remember…"

"She had a weird mask on…" Ruby said, helpfully. "And her hair was all gray, just like yours uncle Qrow!"

Qrow blinked and reached up to pinch a lock of his gray-white hair.

"Really…?" he muttered, filing that bit of info away.

"Yeah…" Yang nodded. "And she fought like nothing I've ever seen before…"

"She didn't hurt you, did she Yang?" Ruby asked sympathetically. "You were out like a light just now…"

Yang shook her head, pressing the heel of her hand against her brow.

"I…I don't know…" she gritted her teeth, her thoughts swimming. "She said…something…it didn't make any sense…"

She glanced around the room at Jaune and his teammates, still wracked with grief anew. They had been without their fourth member for so long, and to now be once again parted…

Yang clenched her fist. Now was not the time for hesitation or second guesses. Their enemy had officially beaten them to the punch, and they couldn't afford to take any more chances.

"I remember now…" she muttered dourly. "I…I saw her again…after Mountain Glen…before the Vytal tournament. We talked. I don't know for how long, but she spoke to me. I couldn't remember before, but now…"

Ruby and Qrow watched her intention as her memory struggled to put the piece together.

Then Yang knit her brow.

"I think mom might be working for the enemy…"


	95. Chapter 95

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 95

* * *

Pyrrha had no idea that anything was amiss until she opened her eyes.

"You're getting sloppy, Krymsen," a familiar voice said absently. "That's unlike you."

Pyrrha's eyes slowly focused on a strange woman with silver hair, black and red robes, and a long blade at her hip. She was holding the broken remains of a gauntlet in her left hand, and her right hand was crippled and bleeding.

"There was a Huntsman," the strange woman said in a cool, icy voice. "No more than a boy. He was more powerful than he appeared. I underestimated him."

Pyrrha felt slightly woozy, her mind addled with a hazy fog. What was going on? Who was this woman? Why did the other voice sound so familiar?

"Yes, I know of him – he's become something of a nuisance," the familiar voice said, before taking on a mocking tone. "And your mystic pool did not forewarn you of this Huntsman boy?"

"The pool does not show me _all_ ," the strange woman replied. "Only what is needed. I got in. I got out. I brought the girl. The mission was a success. That is all that matters."

"Yes…" the familiar voice replied. "Now if only the little one would report in…"

As another figure came into view, Pyrrha's heart sank when she saw the familiar form of Cinder Fall. Suddenly, she knew exactly where she was, and the cold grip of panic began to set in as every muscle in her body clenched in protest, only to find herself once again shackled to one of the support columns in the remains of Ozpin's office.

Cinder's eyes turned up to look at her as she noticed Pyrrha awaken.

"Well now," she smiled wickedly. "How nice of you to join us. I'm afraid that I'm fresh out magic mirrors to keep you in, so you will simply have to make do with that column for now."

Pyrrha reeled at the sanguine look of satisfaction in the woman's eyes, yanking at her restraints in horror at the realization of where she was. Clamped around her brow was a familiar circlet, and around her neck a tight metal choker. Her metal restraints, pieces of wrought-iron and rebar, held her tightly in place to the column, and her semblance was somehow beyond her reach, the choker around her neck stifling her focus.

She was completely trapped.

"NO!" she screamed in desperation, shaking in revulsion and despair. "NO! _NO! NOOOO!_ "

Cinder waved off the strange woman to give Pyrrha her full attention.

"Poor, sweet child," she shook her head condescendingly. "Did you truly think yourself free?"

Tears began to pour from Pyrrha's eyes, as fresh dread began to well up from inside of her. All the torment she had endured over the time of her captivity, all the suffering she had been made to inflict on her fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses. She had never known a peaceful night's rest since leaving it, and the thought of once again being within Cinder's clutches…

She couldn't do it all again! She couldn't!

"You were only permitted that time with your friends because I allowed it," Cinder assured her in a sultry voice. "I could have snatched you back _any_ time I desired. You were _never_ free, child. Any perception of freedom, past or present, is simply an illusion."

The look of sheer malicious joy in Cinder's eyes was simply too much for Pyrrha to bear.

"There will _never_ be a time when you do not belong to me," she said, grinning.

Pyrrha broke down into tears. She wept and wept, shaking her head in disbelief. This couldn't be real! This had to be some kind of nightmare!

Cinder strode across the ashen cinderblocks that made up the floor of Ozpin's office, the great red nevermore still roosting overhead, the slumbering dragon still clinging to the side of the tower.

"Really, you should be thanking me," she said in a sing-song voice. "You were given a chance to have some fun with your old friends before they died. Gotten a taste of the life that was denied to you. I doubt any other captor would be so generous."

The tip of her tongue slide across her lip in self-delighted malice.

"My informant even tells me you finally consummated your love with that little boyfriend of yours…" she purred.

At the mention of Jaune, Pyrrha felt her fear and revulsion slowly gave way to rage.

"Did you enjoy yourself, my pet?" Cinder smirked smugly. "Lying within the arms of your knight in shining armor?"

Pyrrha's teeth began to clench so hard, she felt herself drawing blood, a small trickle beginning to drip down her lip.

" _…_ _Why…?_ " she shuddered, her breath barely escaping her clenched teeth. "What's it all for…!? Why are you doing this to me…!?"

She shook her head, her tears falling from her face as she struggled against her restraints, her hair dangling in damp, sweaty tresses by her face as she raged.

" _What have I ever done to you!?_ "

For the first time, Cinder seemed to take pity on the girl.

"It's not about what you've done to me, child," she shook her head. "You were just unfortunate enough to be chosen."

Cinder reached up with a hand to place it upon Pyrrha's cheek. The Huntress did not even have the wherewithal to recoil.

"You asked me once if I believed in destiny…" Cinder continued, sighing in resignation. "Well, this is what destiny has chosen for you, my sweet child. You are to be my puppet. My sacrifice. And it is a sacrifice that you must endure over…and over again…until it is finished."

Pyrrha said nothing. Her head hung limply, as her eyes remained hidden behind her hair.

Cinder frowned. Perhaps she had pushed just a little too far for one night?

She withdrew her hand, however, as Pyrrha began to laugh.

"…Heheh…hehehehe…" she chuckled in a broken voice. "…Hahaha…hahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

Cinder narrowed her eyes. Had she finally broken the girl?

"What is it now?" Cinder demanded impatiently.

Pyrrha lifted her head and fixed her captor with deep look of pure loathing.

"I still don't know what you hope to _gain_ by doing this…" Pyrrha breathed, her voice coming out in ragged breaths. "But I can promise you one thing, Asha'ella…you'll live to regret it. Keeping me alive…will be the _worst_ mistake you'll ever make!"

She pulled back her upper lip into a snarl.

"I will devote my every waking breath to _destroying_ you!" Pyrrha seethed, hatred and rage in her eyes. "No matter what it takes…no matter how many you try to drag down with you…I will do _whatever_ it takes to make sure you _fall!_ You can count on _that!_ "

Cinder narrowed her eyes. Empty threats, she could contend with. But there was that name again…

"What do you know, my pet?" Cinder demanded harshly. "Do you have even the slightest notion who I am?"

Pyrrha fixed her with a deadly gaze, searching her memory for the words.

"…You're the Daughter of Fire," she finally answered. "You're the living culmination of all the world's destructive potential."

Cinder schooled her face into a mask of amusement. The knowledge of the Maidens was a dangerous thing indeed.

"How flattering," she smirked. "I've always fancied myself more of an agent of chaos, personally."

Pyrrha shook her head, her memories coming back to her, and not all of them her own.

"No…you weren't always an agent of chaos…" she muttered, as she put the pieces together in her head. "Not until you met… _her_."

Cinder's eyes narrowed. "You refer to the Witch?"

Pyrrha furrowed her brow.

"Salem…" she breathed in realization. "She's…she's…"

Cinder's lips pursed into a frown.

"She's no one to be trifled with, girl," she said, cautioning. "Mind that tongue of yours."

Pyrrha's eyes widened as the truth dawned on her.

"She's…using you."

Cinder's eyes flared with rage as she tapped into the Maidens' powers.

"I said _mind your tongue!_ " she bellowed, sending Pyrrha slamming back into the pillar, her head colliding with the thick stone column, and knocking her senseless. "You know _nothing!_ "

Pyrrha simply hung limply in her jury-rigged shackles, while Cinder fumed in anger.

"I grow tired of your useless prattle and your feeble attempts at understanding…" she blared, turning on her heel to storm down the stairs. "You know _nothing!_ "

Pyrrha winced in pain as she slowly watched her captor slink away, and after she had gone, Pyrrha was free once again to weep. Hatred for Cinder had managed to sustain her in the moment, to keep her sane for the time being. But now, all she had was her grief.

"Jaune…" she cried, feeling despair wash over her.

It was so unfair! She had been given _everything_ she had ever wanted, had reached the very peak of joy with the one she loved most, and then…and then she'd had it ripped from her hands!

Why?

 _Why!?_

 _WHY!?_

What purpose did it all serve? Why must she be made to endure such emotional torture? Her heart could bear it no longer! She was on the verge of losing her sanity! And if Cinder should intend to throw her back into the battlefield to fight under her banner…Pyrrha did not know that she had strength enough to resist anymore!

And Jaune…

What he must be going through right now…

Pyrrha wanted to scream. She wanted to break every bone in her body and hurl herself off the tower she was on. She had endured enough suffering for her entire lifetime many times over, and she just wanted it all to end!

But she was still trapped. There was nothing she could do to escape.

And there was no end in sight.


	96. Chapter 96

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 96

* * *

 _One year ago…_

Time for bed, Ruby had said.

Yeah right. There was no _way_ Yang could sleep after what she'd been through today. A thrilling train heist, a daring duel to the death, followed up with an epic battle for all of Vale, with all manner of Grimm coming out of the woodwork? Yang's adrenaline had never been higher! Physically, she was exhausted, but mentally, she was so excited that there was no way she could sleep!

And then there was that fleeting image she'd seen as she'd regained her senses on the train. Her daring duel hadn't been so much a duel as it had been an ass-whooping. One day, she'd have to find that girl with the pink hair and have a proper rematch. She'd been itching for a fight with her ever since she'd stepped in that night during the fight with the giant mech to pull Torchwick's ass out of the fire. But now? It was personal.

But that strange person she'd seen at the end of the fight…it hadn't been the girl she'd fought. It'd been someone else. Someone…familiar…

Yang had been tossing and turning in her bed all night long. It had been a long day, and the rest of her team had passed out almost before their heads had hit their respective pillows. But not Yang. Her head was swimming with questions, and none of the answers were forthcoming.

She growled and groaned as she stared up at the ceiling, cursing her inability to silence her wayward mind. She knew stewing over these questions would not bring her any answers, but she could not help herself! She needed to know what had happened on that train, and that need was nagging at her all throughout the night.

Finally, she gave up on sleep and hauled herself out of bed, throwing on her day-old clothes. Her usual go-to whenever she felt this restless was to go out for a midnight drive on her motorcycle, maybe hit up a club. She might not go so far as all that so soon after the Grimm attack, but she figured a bit of fresh air might do her some good.

There were night-time security guard in each of the student dorms, but they were mostly just there as a point of contact in case any student needed some sort of emergency aid during the night, and were easy enough to sneak around. Yang flitted out the back door of her dormitory undetected, and made her way through campus in the direction of downtown Vale.

As she made her way through the courtyard, however, the wind seemed to pick up. Her hair began to toss in the breeze, and somewhere in the distance, the sound of wind chimes caught her ear. The whole courtyard seemed to take on a magical feel as the red autumn leaves blew around her, and Yang was struck by a foreboding sensation as the air tossed and tumbled around her.

As she looked around, she felt the odd inclination that someone was watching her. The hair on the back of her neck bristled as she looked around, and soon her eyes fell on a lone figure standing by the statue at the center of the courtyard.

Her eyes narrowed as she immediately recognized the figure from the train, the one who she had seen disappear after her fight with that pink haired girl.

Yang clenched her jaw. Whoever she was, she clearly had _some_ business with Yang. Why else would she be here after the events of the day?

Fists clenched, she strode her way over the figure, eyeing her up as she did. The woman's raven hair flowed wildly down her back, and she wore a strange composite robe of red and black. A series of intricate chains and beads adorned her neckline, and she bore an impressive looking longsword at her hip.

And her mask…

It was a mask that held a strong resemblance to the White Fang, or a Grimm mask. Yang knew off-hand that one had originally been based on the other at one time. Yet the mask she saw was somehow neither, as if dating back to a time when neither Grimm nor the White Fang held any distinction from one another, nor held any deeper meaning than as a symbol of life and death.

Yang set her jaw. In her head were many, many questions. And she was determined to get her answers from the woman.

One way or another.

"Who are you?" Yang asked simply, starting at square one.

The woman's response was to slowly remove her mask, freeing her wild black hair and revealing a pair of scarlet eyes that Yang had not seen in many years. It was like staring into a mirror, or an age old family photo. As if recognizing her own blood, Yang's eyes shifted almost immediately to their full red hue, even though her aura remained oddly calm.

Her mother, Yang realized as she saw the woman's face. Yang had finally found her mother.

"Yang…" Raven said in a calm, friendly voice. "We have a _lot_ to talk about."

Yang stiffened as she nodded in return.

Understatement of the year, she thought absently.

"You're my mom," she said bluntly – she knew it in her heart, but she had to hear her say it. "Aren't you?"

The woman nodded her head. "I am."

"And you saved me today," Yang said, once again asking questions to which she already knew the answer – perhaps, she thought idly, to prove to herself somehow that she was not dreaming. "Didn't you?"

"I did," Raven confirmed.

Yang's bitterness rose to the surface.

"Why?" she asked, before realizing how silly that must have sounded and revised her question. "I mean, why _now_ , of all times? I've needed your help _so_ many times before today. I needed you in my _life_ , mom! Why are you _just now_ coming to me like this?"

The older woman slowly shook her head.

"I'm sorry for not being there for you, Yang," she said softly. "I'll explain everything in due time. But perhaps it would be best if I started at the beginning?"

She gestured to one of the park benches lining the courtyard and began to stride towards it. Yang's eyes followed her as she sat down, and then grudgingly went to sit down beside her.

It was odd to be so close to someone that Yang had no memory of, but also someone who, Yang knew, she owed her very existence to. Someone whose presence she had yearned for all her life, but one for whom she also held such feelings of resentment and betrayal. So many mixed emotions, all for this one person.

It was disconcerting.

"So you said we had a lot to talk about," Yang said, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice as she looked at her mother expectantly. "So talk."

Raven nodded.

"Very well," she agreed. "What I have to tell you may sound confusing at first, but it's important that you listen, and listen well. It will all make sense in time."

Yang crossed her arms impatiently. "Just tell me."

Raven let out a sigh.

"It all began on a mission I went on shortly after you were born," she said. "Ozpin had just received some…troubling news, and had sent your uncle and I out to investigate."

Yang's eyebrow rose. "You know Professor Ozpin?"

Raven nodded. "Yes. Your uncle can fill you in on the details one of these days, but suffice it to say, we were both sent on very important missions. The mission we were given that day took us all the way out to Menagerie."

"The Faunus homeland?" Yang asked skeptically.

Raven sighed. "If you're going to stop me at every turn, Yang, I'm never going to get through this."

Yang let out an impatient sigh. "Fine…"

Raven let out a breath and sat back, smiling up at the stars.

"Menagerie was a beautiful place, filled with a rich history of culture, a history I had never known before then. It was also one of the most war-torn lands I've ever seen. So many ancient ruins, buried under so many broken bones. Entire eras, lost to history, known to only a handful of scholars, most of them Faunus and none too keen on sharing beyond their borders."

Yang wrinkled her nose. "What's all this ancient history got to do with you abandoning me and dad for seventeen years?"

"Pipe down, Yang," Raven scolded. "I'm getting to that."

"Sorry," Yang pouted.

Raven sighed. "I'll cut right to the chase then – I found something on that mission. Something that changed everything. For me, for my family, for the entire world of Remnant."

Yang crossed her arms. Her mom was clearly baiting her, but she was too curious not to ask.

"What was it?" she finally bit.

Raven fixed Yang with an odd look.

"A trove of ancient relics from a bygone era," she explained. "Machines of impossibly advanced technology. Baubles and tomes of indiscernible text. Most of what I found was far too old or mysterious to determine its use. But amongst these artifacts, there was a pool."

Now Yang was totally confused. "A pool?"

Raven's eyes began to look somewhat heavier as she attempted to describe her findings.

"At first, I thought it to be nothing unusual," she said. "A mere decorative piece, maybe a little out of place amongst such wonders, but nothing special in and of itself. But then I gazed into its depths, and…"

Raven shuddered as she recalled the experience, and Yang felt an odd feeling of dread creep over her.

"Mom…?" she said in a wavering voice.

Raven let out a breath as she steadied herself.

"It's impossible to describe the visions I saw within the pool, Yang," she said despairingly. "Only that they were just that – _visions_. Visions of the past…and of what the future might bring. How the world began…and how it might end. How it showed me these things, or how this information came to be in the pool, I will never know. The only thing I can be certain of, Yang, was that what I was seeing was the _truth_."

Yang gave her mother an odd look, and for what probably should not have been the first time, began to wonder if the woman was entirely sane.

"So let me get this straight…" Yang asked, warily. "You found some mystic pool that gave you… _visions?_ And you just… _believed_ whatever it showed you? What were these visions of, specifically?"

Raven gave her daughter a wry smile. "You don't believe me. That's to be expected. But what if I told you that one of the pool's visions was of you getting yourself _killed_ by that girl earlier today?"

That gave Yang pause. "That's why you showed up today? You knew I was going to get into a fight I couldn't win? And all because of some vision you got from this pool?"

Raven nodded. "Among many things, yes."

Yang was still suspicious of what she was hearing.

"But you changed it," she said. "I'm still alive. So the vision didn't come true."

"Of course," Raven smiled. "The future can always be affected, Yang. Not always changed, but affected. The pool only shows me what _might_ happen, and what might be done to prevent it – or what might be done to _encourage_ it, should the outcome be desirable. Ultimately, the pool is a means of knowing what crucial steps need to occur, and in what order, to bring about a certain outcome."

Yang began to put the pieces together.

"And that's why you left?" she narrowed her eyebrows. "You left because you thought doing so would change the future? All according to some _pool_ you found in Menagerie?"

Raven's face took on a stern demeanor.

"It's the truth, Yang," she intoned. "But I'm afraid so. You needed to become stronger to face what was to come. There were some outcomes where my presence might have been conducive to you building such strength, but my direct influence was needed in far too many other variables to allow for that. But you had the potential to become strong on your own, Yang. Your presence here at Beacon is testament to that. Not every variable was so resilient. In order to bring about the best possible outcome…I could not be a part of your life."

Yang's face soured. "And you went ahead with this plan, all because some mystic pool _told_ you to!?"

Raven shook her head. "The pool does not lie, Yang. It is impartial. It only shows what has transpired, and what might be."

"Bullshit!" Yang growled, jumping to her feet, her frustration and anger rising to the surface. "You abandoned me! You abandoned me _and_ my father! I have a _little sister_ now! Did your pool tell you _that!?_ _Her_ mother was more of a mother to me than you _ever_ were!"

Raven winced, pain visible in her eyes.

"I…I deeply regret what I had to do, Yang," she said somberly. "I knew that Summer would be a good mother to you, at least while she could. And in time, your sister Ruby would grow to fill an important role as well. But for the sake of all of Remnant, I had to-"

"Fuck Remnant!" Yang blared, pointing an angry finger at the woman, tears in her eyes. " _I_ needed a mother! Don't try to foist this off on some mystic pool! Take some responsibility!"

Raven's eyes flared with anger as well as she seized Yang by the wrist and rose to meet her, eye to eye.

"Don't you talk to me about responsibility, young lady!" she fumed darkly. "You can't _possibly_ understand what it's like to have to make a decision like that! To know that the only chance your daughter has for a _future_ is for you to not be a _part_ of that future! To know that I could not be with the man I _loved_ , all so that someone _else_ could bear him another child! Do you think I came to this decision _lightly_ Yang!?"

Raven's aura flared, and Yang's eyes widened in fear at how _dark_ it was! Raven absolutely _radiated_ blackness, as if she were draining the very light from the world around her! All at once, Yang felt a coldness envelop her, as her mother's power pressed against her own, and it became clear in an instant just what a force her mother truly was.

If the future terrified a woman of such raw power this much…

"Do you think it didn't _torture_ me endlessly to have to do this to you!?" Raven blared, tears welling up in her eyes as she shook with heated passion. "Do you think I didn't _suffer_ for all the endless nights I would spend without you in my life!?"

Yang withered as her mother glared at her in fury, tears streaming down her face.

"Do you think I didn't _weep_ for you, child!?" she demanded.

Yang recoiled, tugging her hand free from her mother's grasp, fighting back tears of her own.

"This…this isn't fair!" Yang growled back as she shuddered, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists in frustration. "You can't just…you can't just _show_ _up_ like this and expect me to believe some bullshit story like that!"

Raven sighed as her anger slowly subsided, once again withdrawing her emotions into a cold hard shell.

"I know, Yang," she said. "But life doesn't tend to be fair. And you needed to hear this. Our meeting here tonight is, too, one of many crucial steps towards reaching the best possible outcome for the future of Remnant."

Yang didn't even have the strength to roll her eyes. "Please mom, can you just _shut up_ about the future Remnant for a second? You're here, now! With me, your daughter! Again, after all this time! Can't we just _talk_ , like normal people, for _one_ moment?"

She shook her head, fixing her mother with a withering gaze.

"I don't know a single _thing_ about you…"

Raven nearly buckled under what appeared to be a tremendous weight, as if she wanted more than anything to tell Yang all that she could.

But she seemed to quickly stifle the urge, as she reigned herself back in once again to a calm, collected demeanor.

"I'm afraid there is nothing left for us to say," she said. "Nothing else I can tell you at this time will get you any closer to the truth. Trust me, Yang, I've seen it."

Yang shook her head in disbelief. "So, what? That's it? You show up again after all this time, and _that's_ all you're giving me!?"

Raven sighed, shaking her head.

"Please Yang…anything more would be too painful for me…" she said. "It would only remind me of what I've had to sacrifice…"

"What _you've_ had to sacrifice!?" Yang blared.

Raven fixed Yang with a curt glare.

"Yes, Yang," she said. "I've compromised more than anyone you know. There are people in this world who would see it change for the worse. And they are powerful, my child. More powerful than you can imagine. Today's attack was just a taste of what they are capable of."

Yang spread her arms wide. "So fight _with_ us then! Help us defeat them together!"

"Such notions might win battles," Raven chastised. "But not the war. In order to win the larger war, some smaller battles must be lost. I'm sorry, Yang…but I must see this through. Even if that means fighting alongside the enemy."

Yang's eyes widened in disbelief. " _What!?_ "

Raven closed her eyes.

"One day, you'll understand all that I've done for you," she said. "Nothing that I can tell you will be enough to make you believe me at this time. You'll have to go to Menagerie and find the pool to see for yourself the truth that I've seen. I can't tell you what you will see when you find it…but I can _promise_ you, it will be the truth."

Yang crossed her arms stubbornly. "Oh, I'm not going _anywhere!_ Not until you give me a better explanation than _that!_ "

Raven shook her head, resting a hand on the hilt of her sword. "No, you're not. In fact, you won't even remember we've had this conversation until the time has come…"

Before Yang could even blink, Raven drew her sword – its blade an eerie violet in color – and ran her through the stomach.

Had Yang looked down, she might have been surprised to see no blood nor injury appear where the blade entered her body. The blade itself, when viewed from up close, did not appear to be entirely solid. It almost passed through her body like a ghostly form, as if it did not exist entirely on this plane of existence.

Yang did not look down, however. She did not look anywhere. Her eyes had gone completely blank, her body paralyzed, her mind in a sudden cloudy fog.

"Midnight Dreary," Raven explained. "The sword of many blades. Over the years, I've added to its arsenal of dust blades, including a rare form of violet dust that affects only the mind. One of the many artifacts I found on my mission…"

She reached out with her open hand to caress her daughter's golden hair.

"The next time we meet, Yang, we will both be completely different people," Raven said. "You may not even recognize me anymore. You might see me employ questionable methods, work alongside questionable individuals…but I can promise you, my motives will not have changed."

Raven withdrew her blade from her daughter's stomach, and the girl remained standing, uninjured, but completely inert. Yang's arms hung limply at her side as she stood, as if hypnotized, staring in oblique stupefaction, her eyes unfocused hollow orbs.

"You will return to your room," Raven commanded simply. "You will go to your bed, and you will sleep. When you wake, you shall have no memory of what transpired here on this night. You will not recall what happened here until you hear this phrase: _Porridge is best served with a silver spoon._ "

With that, Raven re-sheathed her sword with a _click_ , and Yang turned around to obey her mother's command as she slowly began to make her way back to her dorm, marching wordlessly, her eyes staring blankly ahead.

Then with a wave of her hand, the seemingly magical glow around them vanished, and time resumed normally again.

Raven had planned the evening carefully, and had left nothing to chance. She knew Yang's habits, and with a bit of pink dust sprinkled into the air through her window, she had ensured the girl a restless sleep. Sure enough, this had caused her daughter to rise from her bed and travel out for a night on the town. The school courtyard had been selected as an open area that was on the path that Yang would need to traverse, and after she had arrived, time had been stilled to a crawl through the use of yellow dust so the two of them could converse undisturbed.

Her violet dust blade had been at the ready from the get-go, and the words she had used to seal her memories were a combination of fairy tale quotes, a phrase that meant nothing of significance, and one that Yang was unlikely to hear in regular conversation. When the time came for Yang to act on what she had learned tonight, Raven would reawaken the lost memories inside of her. And then it would all be in her daughter's hands.

"Forgive me…" Raven said despondently as she watched her daughter's retreating form. "I cannot be there for you in the way that you wish for me to. Just know that everything I do, I do with your best interests at heart."

Raven remained standing, straight and tall, a silent harbinger of what lay ahead, as before her, Yang listlessly retreated back to her friends and allies, heedless of what was to come.

"Go to Menagerie," she repeated, her words vanishing upon the wind. "Find the pool. See what it has to show you. Once you do, all shall become clear, and it will be up to you to decide what to do next."

A single tear trickled down her cheek as she saw her daughter's form disappear into the night. All the things Yang would never know about her mother, how much she loved her and how proud she was of her for making it so far. It was out of necessity that she sent her on so perilous a journey with such little regard for the girl's own wishes on the matter. And it was only one of a thousand things that Raven would regret doing for the rest of her life.

"I have faith in you, my dear sweet child," she whispered sadly. "You'll see this through to the end. I know in my heart that once you find the truth…you'll make the right decision."

Raven returned the mask to her face, and within moments, she had become just another black bird in the sky.


	97. Chapter 97

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 97

* * *

Ruby, her team and Qrow all listened in wide-eyed fascination as Yang finished recounting what she had remembered. Sitting on the bed on the far side of the room, Ren and Nora sat, their attention divided between Yang's story and consoling Jaune, who was still in a state of shock. Just outside the door, Winter Schnee could be heard having a heated argument with the proprietor of the establishment as to the damages caused by this most recent incident.

Qrow crossed her arms, a look of consternation on his face.

"Memory alteration via mind altering dust," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. " _That's_ a new one. Never knew my sister to be so indirect like that. Then again, we never did ever see eye to eye."

Ruby gave her uncle a hurt expression. "But kidnapping our teammates? Attacking me and Yang? That's going too far!"

Qrow nodded. "Yeah. I'm trying to give Raven the benefit of the doubt here…but she really hasn't given us much recourse but to assume the worst."

Yang's face was perpetually contorted into a scowl.

"I don't know _what_ to believe at this point," she said darkly. "Either way, I'm not ready to trust a _single_ thing she's told me."

Qrow scratched his head. "Well, be that as it may, there's still a lot to unpack here. Yang, you said Raven told you about some kind of mystic pool?"

Yang shrugged. "That's what _she_ said anyway. Whatever it is, she seems to think it's somehow given her _clairvoyance_ or something like that. Used it as an excuse to justify everything she's done."

Ruby perked up at Qrow's question.

"Do you know something about this pool, uncle Qrow?" she asked dourly. "Does your Wizard knowledge tell you anything at all?"

Qrow shook his head in disappointment.

"No," he admitted, as he began pacing around the hotel room. "But I _do_ remember the missions that Raven and I went on in Menagerie. _My_ mission was to investigate an old warzone from long ago, and hers involved looking into some ancient ruins. Looking back, I did notice Raven being oddly quiet on the return trip. But we had _just_ learned about the Maidens shortly beforehand, so I'd just chalked it up to that. But if she _did_ find something in Menagerie…well, that part of her story might just be accurate, at least."

Ruby clenched her fists hopefully.

"Should we go to Menagerie and check it out?" she asked.

Before Qrow could answer, Yang crossed her arms, snorting derisively.

"I don't give a _damn_ what's in Menagerie," she huffed angrily. "I'm not gonna listen to _anything_ she has to say! That old bird can go _stuff_ it, for all I care."

Qrow winced under his niece's ire. "Yang…we don't know all the details. What she did to you was wrong, but she's _still_ your mother."

Yang wrinkled her nose. "Yeah right…more like an evil step-mother…"

Ruby pursed her lips as she nodded. "You _did_ say she was _technically_ my step-mother too…"

Qrow rubbed his head in agitation.

"Look, regardless of Raven's intentions, we should still pay a visit to Menagerie and see what we can find," he reasoned. "At the very least, it warrants investigation."

" _After_ we find the Winter Maiden, you mean," Ruby pointed out.

Qrow nodded. "No argument there. Just another loose end for us to tie up afterward…"

Yang still look unconvinced, but she didn't raise any further objections. Ruby tried to think of something to try to say to her to make her feel better, but nothing was coming to mind. The anger on her face was still raw. Finding out that her memories had been manipulated had shaken her.

Ruby glanced across the room at the remains of Team JNPR, once again broken. They had all endured so much together, and to be struck such a blow…

"Pyrrha…" she muttered bitterly. "Where could Raven have taken her…?"

"Wild guess…" Yang grumbled.

Ruby flinched. She didn't want to think of Pyrrha back in enemy hands, but the reality of the situation didn't leave much room for possible alternatives.

"Why…?" Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Why would Raven be working with the enemy?"

"We don't know that for sure," Qrow crossed his arms. "We won't know until we find what she found in Menagerie."

Yang scratched at her hair with both hands. "Rrrgh, we're going in circles here! Let's just finish our mission before we lose the next Maiden on top of everything else!"

Ruby nodded and stood up. "Right…"

Jaune and the others raised their heads as she approached them.

"We'll get Pyrrha back, you guys," she promised them all. "We're not going to give up on her. But right now, we have a mission to focus on. Can I count on you all?"

Jaune's eyes were puffy and red. So were Nora's. Ren's were lowered and obscured in the shadow of his hairline. None of them looked like they would be getting much more sleep tonight.

But they each slowly nodded.

"We're with you, Ruby," Nora sniffed.

"We owe it to Pyrrha," Ren nodded. "To everyone."

Jaune took a deep breath, before raising his head to meet Ruby's gaze.

"We'll…we'll get it done, Ruby," he said slowly, pain still visible on his face. "Just say the word."

Ruby nodded, satisfied, before turning to glance outside the open bedroom door, where their captain continued to argue with the proprietor.

"Miss Schnee, I really must protest!" the burly man said haltingly. "It's still the middle of the night!"

"No more distractions!" Winter declared angrily. "Our enemy is two steps ahead of us, and they've already proven themselves capable of slipping past your measly security. We're leaving now! Ready your emergency vehicles immediately!"

"But what about the damages to my facility!?" he demanded.

"Damages!?" Winter demanded angrily, before whipping out a familiar looking tome. "Shiroyuki Springs' security is heralded as one of the most robust in all of Remnant! It's part of what makes the facility so attractive so many high rolling clients! So I've been reviewing your resort's service agreement ever since you swindled us into spending the night here, and I found something interesting: your terms _clearly_ indicate that in the event of a security breach wherein the safety of your clients is at all compromised, the client is exempt from all incidental charges and is entitled to a full refund!"

The proprietor paled. "You…you can't _prove_ there was a security breach! Our cameras didn't pick up _anything!_ "

Winter held her hand out towards the door. "One of our team members is currently _missing!_ That clearly sounds like a safety concern to me! Now, if you don't want the Schnee Dust Company to pursue _legal action_ with your company, I suggest you ready those emergency vehicles on the double!"

The proprietor scurried away like a rat.

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

"Impressive," Qrow whistled with a smirk.

Winter nodded and turned to Ruby.

"Well then, Ruby," she said, a no-nonsense look on her face. "Shall we be going?"

Ruby turned to look at Yang, who still looked completely betrayed. Glancing over at Ren and Nora, both of whom appeared more distraught than ever before after the night's events.

And Jaune…

Ruby's heart ached as she looked at him. Still trying to put on such a brave face, when so clearly was he crumbling beneath it all. His pain and loss was so raw and visible that she wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him.

It was clear that none of them would be getting any more sleep that night. And their enemy had already scored a significant blow on them. They couldn't afford to waste any more time.

"Better wake the others then," she nodded firmly. "We're leaving."


	98. Chapter 98

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 98

* * *

Two large snowcat buggies plowed their way across the frozen north of Remnant, cresting snow-covered hilltops and icy glaciers as they made their way towards the Atlas facility. Each about the size of a large truck and fitted with a long pair of treads, the two insulated vehicles ventured farther and farther north, the first wisps of twilight cresting the horizon. The team was divided up between the vehicles by half. Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Emerald and Qrow were in the lead vehicle, while Winter, Dora and the other two teams were in the following vehicle.

The task of operating the vehicles had fallen once again to the two Schnee sisters.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Yang pressed as the buggy slowly plodded along, her hair tucked within a fuzzy woolen hat.

"Possibly," Weiss said patiently. "But there's barely any light, and I don't want to risk crashing in the middle of a frozen wasteland."

Yang grumbled again but kept her complaints to herself. Despite the snowcat's insulated compartment, it was still negative thirty outside. The team had donned a color-coordinated assortment of winter weather gear, all manner of fur-lined coats and fuzzy hats, mittens and scarves adorning their bodies. But still, the compartment was freezing.

"Are you sure the radiator is turned all the way up?" Blake asked, teeth chattering.

"It is," Weiss said, her white fur parka pulled all the way up around her mouth. "Sorry."

Blake winced and pressed her arms tightly around herself as she continued to shiver inside her long white coat.

For the first time since she'd awoken, Yang's expression seemed to finally soften.

"Oh, come here," she said begrudgingly as she wrapped an arm around Blake's shoulders, her puffy yellow jacket providing an extra bit of insulation.

Blake leaned into her embrace gratefully. "Mmmm…thanks, Yang…"

Yang smirked forlornly. "Yeah, yeah…I know you'd probably much rather be in Sun's arms right now, but I'll do what I can."

"Don't be an idiot," Blake sighed. "This is just fine."

Yang glanced down at her, but said nothing else as she leaned her head against hers.

Ruby had opted to sit in the back with Jaune and the rest of his team, giving Qrow and Emerald the front row with Weiss. Her poofy red coat was fur-lined and wrapped snugly around her neck, while Jaune's white and black snow jacket was stiff and sturdy. The boy was mostly silent for the duration of the trip, but on his face was the same forlorn expression she'd seen during those first months together after Pyrrha had first been taken from their lives.

She wondered if he would ever recover at this rate.

"We'll find Pyrrha again, Jaune," she said, breaking the silence. "Count on it."

Jaune didn't look back at her as he spoke.

"Yeah…"

Ruby look unconvinced as she reached over to clasp him by the shoulder.

"Jaune," she repeated his name. "We'll get her back."

Jaune didn't say anything. His eyes remained fixated out the frosty window, casting his eyes on the dimly lit snowy landscape.

Ruby pursed her lips. She was trying really hard to be a supportive friend, but Jaune was like a drone now, completely directionless without his guiding star. Without Pyrrha, Jaune was like a shell now. He needed something, anything, to steer him towards the right goal.

Ruby wasn't sure if she could be that for him. But she would try.

"Remember when we first met?" she asked quietly.

Finally, Jaune turned to look at her, though his expression was somewhat confused.

"Huh?"

Ruby offered a ghost of a smile.

"I was pretty lost that first day of school," she said meekly. "I didn't know where I was going or what I was doing…"

Jaune furrowed his brow. It was clear his mind couldn't be further from what Ruby was talking about, but his expression softened as he seemed to realize that she was offering him a distraction that might help take his mind off of his immediate concerns.

"Huh…yeah…" he nodded absently. "To be fair though, I was…kinda lost myself."

Ruby's smile finally touched her eyes.

"But in the end, we both ended up helping each other out," she offered. "It didn't matter that we were both lost. We had each other's back. That got us through."

Jaune let out a sigh.

"So, you're saying that I should stick with my teammates and count on them to get me through?" he asked sullenly. "Is that what you're saying?"

Ruby shrugged. "Sometimes it doesn't matter how lost you are. As long as you're with somebody."

Jaune pursed his lips, turning his head to lean his forehead against the cold glass window.

"I don't get it…" he muttered.

"Don't get what?" Ruby asked.

Jaune pressed his hand against the glass, leaving a hand print.

"I lost my partner, Ruby," he exhaled. "I didn't know what to do with myself when it happened back then…and I still don't know what to do now."

He turned his head to give Ruby a piercing look.

"But you were there for me," he said inquisitively. "You were there for me back then…and now, just like before…"

Ruby felt color rising in her cheeks. "Well…yeah. You're my teammate, Jaune…"

Jaune shook his head. "Not just teammates. We're like partners."

Ruby swallowed, glancing nervously up at where Weiss sat in the driver's seat.

As she looked at her, Weiss reached for a corded radio transmitter on the dashboard, grabbing it and bringing it to her lips.

"Winter, do you read me?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the snowy terrain ahead of them. "I'm seeing some rough terrain ahead. I'm going to reduce speed to twenty knots. Over."

"Copy that, Weiss," Winter's staticky voice sounded over the snowcat's transmitter.

Ruby glanced back at Jaune.

"I…" she said solemnly. "Well, yeah. I mean, you had just lost your partner, Jaune. And my…my entire _team_ was split up. You needed a partner, and…well, so did I."

Jaune let out a sigh. "But you got your partner back, after a while…"

Ruby nodded, somewhat indignantly. "Yeah…well, so did you. For a little while, at least…"

Jaune lowered his eyes, and Ruby resisted the urge to smack her own forehead. This was not what Jaune needed to hear! Why couldn't she ever just say something nice for once? It didn't matter if she was jealous of Pyrrha or not! Jaune needed a friend right now, not some mouthy shrew to kick him while he was down.

"Uh…" she held a hand up defensively. "What I mean is, Jaune…if you need someone to be your partner – at least, until we get Pyrrha back – then…then I don't mind filling the role again."

Jaune glanced up at her. "Are you sure? Even though you already have your old partner back?"

Ruby nodded. "Weiss won't mind sharing! Besides, we work well together!"

Jaune looked down at where her hand still lingered on his shoulder.

"Yeah…" he smiled. "I guess we do…"

Ruby withdrew her hand suddenly, clasping them both together in front of her, feeling herself blushing just a little.

"Terrain's clearing up," Weiss spoke into the radio once again. "Sun's coming out, and visibility is getting better. I'm bringing our speed up to fifty knots."

"Copy that, Weiss," Winter's voice could be heard over the radio. "We're nearing the coordinates father gave us. ETA at that speed should be just under ten-"

KRRROOOSSSHHH!

Without warning, the ground gave way from underneath the lead vehicle, and the flat landscape over which they had been speeding suddenly began slanting downward to a steep incline at an alarming rate. Weiss slammed on the brakes, and the snowcat's treads screeched and clawed at the icy terrain, but the steep slope made it impossible for the rescue vehicle to gain any traction. All at once, the buggy began to skid down the newly formed crevice in the ground, the world crumbling around them.

The vehicle's occupants began to shout in alarm as Weiss yanked on the controls, trying to wrest control of her vehicle. Everyone braced their arms against the nearest wall as their stomachs lurched from the sudden drop, the buggy skidding downward at a terrifying speed.

"Weiss!" she heard Winter's voice calling out to her from the radio. " _WEISS!_ "

The Schnee heir apparent gritted her teeth. She couldn't see where they were going out the front windshield now that they were pointed downward into the underground. She might have been able to stop or at least stabilize their descent with a glyph, but to do that, she would have to take her hands off the steering wheel, as she didn't have enough concentration to do two things at once.

Then the vehicle's floodlights cast the rock wall ahead of them in an eerie glow as it began to approach them.

And it was approaching them alarmingly fast.

"Look out!" Emerald shouted from the seat next to Weiss, slamming her feet into the floor.

Seated beside Emerald opposite Weiss, Qrow lifted Ozpin's cane and their descent suddenly began to slow. Weiss felt her body slowing down, and the shouts of everyone around her began to elongate as well. The world around her appeared so warped, but at the moment, her primary fixation – the wall ahead of them – was also approaching much more slowly as well.

Finally, the vehicle came to a halt as their front bumped touched the frozen stone face ahead of them with scarcely a love tap.

CLUNK

Qrow released his spell, and Weiss and the other Huntsmen each slowly regained recognizable speech patterns, as well as full mobility in their limbs.

"Iiiissss eeevvveeerrryyyoonnee aallright?" Weiss stammered as her voice gradually sped up to a distinguishable tempo.

Yang and Blake brushed themselves off.

"I think so…" Blake said through clenched teeth.

"What a ride!" Yang added, wincing slightly.

"Umm…Jaune…?" Ruby said shyly, face getting redder by the moment. "We've stopped falling. You can let go of me now."

Jaune looked down, realizing that he had thrown his arms around Ruby's shoulders to protect her from the fall, and quickly pulled his hands back.

"Right!" he stammered shy. "Uhh, sorry!"

"Ughh…" Ren rubbed his head. "I think I hit my head on something…"

"Yeah," Nora groaned. " _My_ head!"

Emerald had somehow managed to land upside and was glaring angrily at everyone.

"Why did I sign up for this?" she asked grudgingly.

Qrow exhaled in relief. "Sorry. Still getting used to these powers."

Weiss nodded, satisfied that everyone was in one piece, before testing the steering wheel in front of her. She tugged it back and forth to no avail, only to discover that the engine was no longer running to enable power steering.

Her stomach dropped as she tried keying the engine.

WRR-WRR-WRR-WRR-WRR…

Weiss ground her teeth as the engine turned over again and again, but would not seem inclined to activate.

"Confound it…" she muttered as she grabbed the radio and bringing it to her lips. "Winter, come in. Do you read me?"

There was a static-filled reply on the other end of the radio, with a few snippets of voice that sounded like it might have been Winter, but it was too faint to make out.

KZZZZ-SHHH - "…are you…" - SHHH-KZZZ-SHHH - "…can you…" - SHHH-KZZZ…

"Winter, can you hear me!?" Weiss called a bit louder.

KZZZ-SHHH - "…Weiss…" - SHHH-KZZZ…

A slew of muffled static came through, and the vague sound of Winter calling her sister's name, but nothing more could be heard.

"How far did we fall?" Yang asked inquisitively, fumbling for the door latch.

As the side-panel of the snowcat opened, Yang was surprised to discover that the air outside their vehicle was much warmer than the frigid air had been inside the buggy.

"Huh…" Yang commented, tugging her winter hat off and letting her hair free. "That's weird…"

"Why is it so warm out there?" Ruby asked idly as she crept out of the vehicle to stand on the rocky floor upon which they found themselves.

The cavern was tremendous! Light trickled in through the nooks and crannies above, thin layers of ice and snow sealing them in. Stalactites and stalagmites as big as buildings towered over the Huntsmen and Huntresses stared out and around their landing point, as rocky ridges and ravines seem to trail off in every direction.

The snowcat sat at an odd angle, having skidded down a steep diagonal inclined to rest crookedly against a rock outcropping. As the rest of the Huntsmen slowly crawled out of the vehicle, Weiss Schnee pulled out her scroll and brought up a thermometer app to check the temperature around them.

"We must be near some kind of thermal vent," she postulated, her voice echoing off the walls as she craned her head up to stare at the cavern around them. "I know that there is a whole network of caves down here…"

"I can't even _see_ where we fell from," Jaune bemoaned, squinting upward through the dim lighting as he tugged his jacket open, gazing up at where the wall behind them disappeared into the ceiling above.

"Nice save at least, uncle Qrow," Yang said, punching her uncle in the shoulder.

"Heh," he smirked, crossing his arms. "Still good for something, I guess."

"Hey uncle Qrow," Ruby said excitedly as she tugged her mittens off. "You can control time, right? Can you reverse it to get us back up there?"

"I don't think so, kid," he shook his head. "I can slow it down for a bit, but sending it in reverse is a whole different story. If the Wizard had _that_ kind of power, I can only imagine that there are quite a few things Ozpin would have changed."

Ruby pursed her lips as she glanced back at the wall behind them, which logically must have lead back up the way they had come.

"Weiss, do you think you could use your glyphs to scale that wall?" she asked.

"Possibly," she pursed her lips as she unzipped her long fur coat. "But what about the rest of you? It's a long way up, and I can't carry everyone, even _if_ I'm linking with someone."

"Well, at the very least, we should let the rest of the team up top know that we're alright," Blake suggested, unfurling her scarf from around her neck.

"Then I'll go up," Qrow declared. "It'll be easier for me with my semblance, and I can get back down safely."

Ruby nodded. "Okay. Let's get our bearings first. Weiss, how's the buggy look?"

"Completely shot," Weiss threw her hands up helplessly. "I could _maybe_ try to take a crack at fixing it, but machines and I don't exactly have the best track record. Maybe if Coco or Velvet were here…"

Ruby crossed her arms. "That means even _if_ we could all make it out of this cave, there'd be no way for us all to fit in the remaining snowcat. We're stranded out here unless we can get it moving again."

Weiss glanced at her scroll, her eyebrows arching inquisitively.

"There _is_ another possible way out of this…" she said, giving Ruby a knowing grin. "My dad _did_ say that this was an underground facility we're looking for. With this network of caves that we're in, it's entirely likely that there's a way in from down here! We're not that far from the coordinates he gave us."

Qrow nodded. "Alright, I'll fly up and let the others know our situation. In the meantime, you guys should scout around and see what you can find down here."

Ruby nodded. "Good idea. See if there's any way for them to reach us down here. If Coco and Velvet can take a look at our snowcat, they might be able to help us get it back into working condition."

Qrow gave a thumbs-up and transformed into his black bird form and took off into the air. Ruby watched him go, and before long, he disappeared from sight, just another black wisp in the vast empty cavern. Winter, Dora, and Teams SSSN and CFVY were still up on the surface somewhere, but they might as well be miles apart. As mild as the temperature was in this cavern, the sudden feeling of isolation made her shiver.

Ruby took a breath, and patted her cheeks to get her blood circulating again.

"Alright everyone," she turned to the rest of her team who had been stranded down in the cave with her. "Let's see what we can find…"


	99. Chapter 99

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 99

* * *

Mercury had sequestered himself into a small alcove within the caverns beneath the northern wastes. Finding the heat vents had been a stroke of luck – he had been on the verge of freezing to death beforehand, but now he was relatively comfortable, all things considered. He had enough food and supplies to last himself a good long while, and he now had everything he needed for a prolonged stakeout.

It seemed that Atlas never learned. When Mercury had located the underground facility positioned near the heat vents, he had also found them guarded by a cadre of autonomous mechanized armor units. They hadn't even received any of the expected software upgrades that he and Cinder had anticipated. That Atlas was even employing such mechanized units anymore after what had happened in Vale was testament to their arrogance and conceit. Then again, it was entirely possible that this was an area of the world that did not see regular maintenance. The more Mercury looked around, the more it seemed that these mechanized units had been all but forgotten, left to guard an ancient trove, their outdated programming still holding out after years of disuse.

Well, their oversight would be his gain. The locking mechanism encasing the sealed facility door was more than he could contend with given the tools he had on hand, but it was a matter of a few keystrokes on his scroll to reprogram the mindless automatons that he had found stationed outside. If they had been left to guard something, it must have been something worth guarding. Which meant that it would not be long before a certain group of Huntsmen showed up with the key. It would just a be matter of waiting.

And he would not have to wait long.

After bending his newfound army of mechanized units to his will, he had taken stock of their armaments, and put them to use. In addition to their artillery supply, which was substantial, each mech was equipped with a full compliment of proximity mines, which could be set to detonate at the first sign of disturbance. Mercury had wasted no time in instructed the mechanized horde to set up a network of these proximity mines surrounding the perimeter of the facility. The mines did not do much damage on their own, particularly considering the type of troop transports that would likely be heading his way, but the icy surface that stretched above the cavernous wastes was thin and weak, and the explosives were more than enough to crack through the ice. And since each mine was linked to its parent mech, not only would they stop his enemies in their tracks, but they would also alert him to their presence, letting him know exactly where they were.

As the low faint rumbling echoed through the underground cave, Mercury's lips curved into a smile.

"And here we go…" he muttered grimly to himself.

He moved silently, leaving the warmth of the alcove, having already traversed the narrow passages and crags of the cave system a hundred times already. The Atlesian mechs were on standby, close to the entrance to the facility, where he soon found himself. The explosion had taken place a few klicks to the south, but he knew it would not be long before the Huntsmen arrived.

The Atlesian facility was large and ancient, the oversized and gaudy gear and spear symbol of the kingdom adorning its front wall, a circular vault door sealing it from entry. It was build right into the cave walls around it, resting on a solid limestone foundation. Mercury guessed that at one time, it had been a dust-mining facility, but the dust in the area had long since been tapped out, and the facility's factory-line had become rusted from disuse. The pathway leading up to the vault door was wide and well-travelled, the treads of mechanized units leaving their footprint over the years, undisturbed by wind or footfall. The entire building was steel and concrete, with no windows or openings of any kind. He had wasted one of his proximity mines trying to blast his way through the walls to no avail. It seemed that Atlas was _very_ particular about the security of their dust facilities.

Mercury found a vantage point upon on the roof of the underground building, as the high cave system stretched for many hundreds of feet still overhead. Keeping himself hidden from view as he perched, his eyes fixed on the pathway leading up to the facility, he withdrew the hand-sized Shadow Glass from his belt.

"It seems our guests have finally arrived, ma'am," he spoke into the magical ornament.

It was not long before Cinder Fall's face appeared within the glass.

"Good," she said simply. "The little one hasn't been returning my calls, so I will be sending someone else as your backup."

That caught Mercury's attention. Cinder was not one to be spurned. If Neo was getting cold feet, that meant she was likely not long for this world.

Then he put the pieces together as he realized who exactly Cinder would be sending in her stead.

"Aw, man," he grumbled in agitation, a shiver shooting up his spine. "You're not sending _her_ , are you? You know she creeps me the hell out!"

"Quite," Cinder said, making no effort to disguise her amusement at his plight. "And she'll be bringing a friend, so you'll have plenty to keep you company. I hope you're prepared."

Mercury felt his skin beginning to crawl. He wasn't sure who repulsed him more – Cinder's creepy seer or her newly reclaimed pet.

His mistress' face disappeared from the Shadow Glass as a portal of black and red split open upon the rooftop of the Atlesian facility. Before Mercury could protest, two women stepped through, neither of which looked entirely healthy. One had silver hair, wore a makeshift robe of red and black and wore a long thin blade at her hip. The other had dark red hair, wore an array of ornate bronze armor, including a wicked looking circlet around her brow, and bore a familiar spear and shield on her back.

Before the portal closed, Mercury took an inadvertent step back as a third, much larger figure strode through the opening. A familiar red nevermore, oversized and mottled with splotches of white and black across his feathery plumage. With its wings furled across his back, it strode on two legs, following behind the other two women like a great, menacing raptor, the portal finally closing behind it.

How Cinder could manage to bend a creature of Grimm like that to her will was beyond him, but it only served to prove that she was no one to trifle with.

Mercury stiffened at the company in which he now found himself. Neither of the two females said a word as they approached him, and the great red nevermore loomed like an ever present golem behind them. Mercury managed not to shudder in discomfort as he put on as convincing a smile as he could.

"Ladies," he said with a playful tilt to his head.

The puppet girl did not seem inclined to react, though the seer crossed her arms. Mercury noticed that her sword hand was bandaged, with long strips of cloth hanging loose from her wrist.

"You have a plan?" she asked coolly.

With an effort, Mercury tore his gaze away from the Grimm, and glanced back over the roof, spotting the approaching Huntsmen as they slowly made their way towards the facility, right on schedule. He withdrew a pocket-sized set of binoculars from his belt for a closer look. There were fewer of them than he had expected, which made his job that much easier. Still, he recognized Qrow Branwen among their numbers, who would be a problem to deal with.

And then he saw Emerald, and his lips curved into a smile. This might just be a good day after all.

"Well, we still need them to open the door for us," Mercury said, still peering through his binoculars. "Once they do, the first order of business is taking Emerald out of the equation - her semblance is _way_ too unpredictable for us to contend with…"

His eyes fell on his old partner, and he stifled the stirring of emotion that rose up in his gut. She had spurned him for the last time, and he was ready to settle the score. Her newfound allies might try to protect her, so he would have to make sure they were kept busy. He glanced up and down the ranks of approaching Huntsmen, sizing up his targets.

"From there, we divide and conquer," he said with a soft chuckle. "I'm thinking Cinder's little pet over there should handle her old partner, the boy with the sword. And I've faced the blonde one before, so I should be able to make short work of her."

"Actually," the seer spoke up, "I would advise against fighting her. It won't end well for you, Mercury Black."

Mercury lowered his binoculars and gave the mysterious woman a pointed stare.

"How do you figure?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Trust me," she slowly shook her head left and right. "You don't want to face her in a fight. She's more powerful than you think. There are very few futures I've seen where you fight her and live."

The great red nevermore ruffled its feathers, and Mercury felt as if an icy hand were slowly clenching around his heart as it beat in his chest.

"Oooookay then…" he said, starting to sweat a little. "I suppose I can target one of the weaker Huntsmen after I've dealt with Emerald…"

He glanced back down as the Huntsmen approached the vault door, the girl in white stepping towards it.

"The rest can be detained by the Atlesian mechs, though I'm still not sure what to do about Qrow," he said, glancing back at the nevermore. "Maybe our feathery friend over here can deal with him?"

"Leave Qrow to me," the seer said, resting her hand on her sword.

Mercury raised an eyebrow at that.

"If you say so…" he shrugged.

Peering back down through his binocular, Mercury saw the girl in the white coat step up the control console that he had tried so fruitlessly to hack. She pressed a few buttons, and peering into what appeared to be some kind of retinal scanner, before muttering a few unintelligible syllables at the screen.

Then below his feet, Mercury felt the ancient gears of the Atlesian facility began to stir as the age-old vault door began to crank open. The massive circular steel plate slowly began to swivel, revealing the interior of the facility at long last.

"Finally…" he said, pocketing his binoculars, before vaulting over the edge of the roof.

As he plummeted, he thumbed a switch on his scroll to summon the Atlesian mechs to his location. He landed in a crouching position with a deliberate _thud_ , catching the Huntsmen's attention as they watched in wide-eyed wonder at the interior of the facility, each of them wheeling to face him as he hit the rocky floor.

"Mercury!" the leader of the group cried, a tiny little redhead with a great big scythe.

The young assassin stood up to face down the Huntsmen, each of whom had placed their hands on their weapons at his arrival. There were nine in all, lining up in front of the newly created opening in the facility to block his entrance, and all of them looking far too confident in their chances, particularly the old man. It mattered little to Mercury – he had only to stall them while his backup got into position.

"Long time no see, you guys," he said haughtily.

He hoped he was coming across sinister enough. While he did not miss Torchwick at all, ever since Emerald had left, Mercury hadn't gotten adequate chance to practice his snappy one-liners. Talking with Neo was like talking to a brick wall with a bad sense of humor, the puppet never said a word and had always been confined to the mirror whenever she was free of her shackles, and the seer fucking terrified him. And as for Cinder herself…well, he had been lacking for decent conversation partners with whom to hone his witty banter for a while now.

"Running with a new crowd these days, Em?" he called out to his old partner. "Honestly, I'm disappointed. I assumed you had _far_ better taste than this."

"That's rich," she shot back. "Coming from the guy who's still working for a murderous psychopath."

Mercury shrugged nonchalantly. "It takes one to know one, babe."

"Alright, what do _you_ want?" Yang called out, interrupting the two old teammates. "Have you seriously been following us this whole time?"

"As a matter of fact, I haven't," Mercury threw his hands up, smiling cockily. "To tell you the truth, I've actually been here waiting for you for the past few days."

That seemed to catch the Huntsmen by surprise.

"What!?" the redhead demanded.

Mercury inspected his fingernails. "Yeah, found this place easily enough. Just couldn't figure out a way through this door though. So kind of you to open it for me."

"You're not setting one _foot_ inside this place!" the blonde one called out, a challenging look on her face.

Oh how he longed for a rematch. That mechanical arm of hers looked pretty fearsome. He wondered how it might stack up against his legs.

"Cute," Mercury said, before he widened his stance into a more offensive position. "But I wasn't _asking_ for your permission."

The Huntsmen each drew their weapons as all nine of them faced him. Did they really think it would take that many to stop him? He would have found it flattering if it wasn't so damn aggravating.

"Weiss, get in there and find your mother," the leader said to the girl in white. "We can handle this guy."

"Oh, I'm sure you could," Mercury called out. "But fortunately…I brought back up."

Right on cue, the ground began to shudder with a _thump, thump, thump_ as an entire platoon of Atlesian Knights marched into view, each armed with a submachinegun. The thunderous footsteps grew louder, and soon, the Knights were joined by six autonomous Atlesian paladins, the monstrous looming figure slowly stomping towards the facility, each armed with what appeared to be some type of heavy artillery weapon.

The blonde girl sank her metallic fist into the palm of her hand in a gesture of aggression.

"Oh, is _that_ all you've got?" she asked with an arrogant grin. "A bunch of tin cans?"

As if in response, a terrifying animalistic screech filled the muffled air of the cave.

 _TSEEEEER!_

The Huntsmen each raised their heads to watch as the great red nevermore descended from on high, bearing its rider, the rogue Huntress, the crimson-haired harbinger, Cinder's puppet. Mercury would savor the look of dread on each of the Huntsmens' faces as their eyes fell upon the bringer of their destruction.

How the tables had turned, he thought with a grin. For all her lack of verbosity, Cinder's pet certainly knew how to make an entrance.

"Pyrrha…" the boy with the sword intoned.

"Pyrrha…" the leader of the Huntsmen repeated, her voice equally forlorn.

"Don't worry, kid," Qrow Branwen said, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We still have the advantage here. Between the two of us, I think we can take her. _Alive_ , if we play our cards right."

Mercury's grin only widened. He was beginning to see why Cinder enjoyed this job so much.

"Ohhh, right…there is _one_ more thing I forgot to mention…" he said, crossing his arms.

Suddenly, Qrow recoiled, causing a suddenly reflexive stirring amongst the Huntsmen.

" _Yeeeargh!_ " he howled in pain, clutching his forehead.

"Uncle Qrow!" the girl with the scythe called out in alarm.

The old man staggered back a step or two, withdrawing his hand from the bloody gash across his scalp.

"What the…?" he growled in astonishment.

His eyes flitted up again, and he tried – unsuccessfully – to duck out of the way as a black bird swooped overhead to swipe its claws across his head.

"Gahhh!" he shouted, grabbing the back of his head in anger and pain.

The huntsmen watched in trepidation as the black bird that had attacked him swooped overhead, before flitting off to perch upon one of the nearby stalagmites.

Even as far away as it was, the bird's eyes were visibly blood red as it let out a shriek of aggression.

 _CREEEEE!_

Qrow's eyes narrowed.

"Raven…" he breathed, fury in his voice.

Yang clenched her fist in fury.

"It's my mom!" she shouted angrily, before taking aim with Ember Celica.

Qrow squeezed his hand around Ozpin's cane before putting a hand on Yang's shoulder.

"Don't even think about it, slugger," he said in scarcely contained rage. "My sister's one of the deadliest Huntresses in all of Remnant. You're nowhere _near_ a match for her. Let me handle her."

Yang threw her uncle a look of astonishment.

"You've got to be kidding me!" she shouted. "There's no way I'm letting her-!"

Before Yang could finish, Qrow shoved her back into her sister, giving her a glare that stopped her dead in her tracks. The wound on his forehead was bleeding down the side of his face, pooling at the corner of his eye, giving him a manic look that chilled Yang to the bone. The look on his face was one that she'd never seen him make before.

He was furious. He was absolutely furious.

"Stay out of this, kid!" he bellowed. "This ain't your fight!"

Without another word, Qrow shifted into his bird form and took off after his sister, who took flight as he pursued, the two of them flitting away from the facility.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted in protest, watching as perhaps the strongest Huntsman on their team flew off, leaving the kids to fight on their own.

Mercury's smile was the widest it had ever been. As the Huntsmen watched the professor disappear into the depths of the cavern, they turned back to face their opposition, now looking a lot less cocky. There were only seven of them now, plus his former partner. And they were up against an army of Atlesian mechs, one of their former teammates, as well as one of the greatest assassin's who'd ever lived, if he did say so himself.

This was the most fun Mercury had had in a long, long time.

"Now then…" he glowered, beckoning with an outstretched hand. "Shall we begin?"


	100. Chapter 100

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 100

* * *

 **Part 1**

* * *

Ruby observed her surroundings as she took stock of the situation. The situation was not ideal. She knew that the enemy had a head start on them, but she hadn't planned on them beating her and her team to the Atlesian facility where the Weiss' mom was being kept. She hadn't counted on having her team split in half by a sudden cave in, having decided to press on with half of her team in spite of the risks. And she certainly hadn't counted on having to go toe-to-toe with Pyrrha again after just having gotten her back.

Now, not only was Pyrrha back in the hands of the enemy, but she was once again in their thrall, fighting at their side atop a great red nevermore. And there was also an army of robots as well as Mercury Black to contend with. And to top it all off, it looked like her aunt Raven was now working for the enemy as well, and was keeping her uncle Qrow from fighting alongside them. It would be up to her and her friends alone if she meant to win this.

They needed to get on top of things fast if they wanted to have any hope of saving the Winter Maiden and getting out of here in one piece.

The great red nevermore hunched over and let out a fearsome scream.

 _TSEEEEER!_

Each of the Huntsmen leaped clear as the giant bird lunged towards them, its talons scraping across the rocky cavern floor as Pyrrha and her mount swept past.

"Yang!" Ruby blurted, as the mechs surrounding them began to take aim. "Signal flare! We need backup!"

Yang nodded, pointing her good hand into the air.

"On it!" she barked, before launching a bright glowing ball of light up towards the craggy ceiling of the cavern.

The cavern lit up for miles in every direction, the stalactites casting long shadows in the distance. The mechs began to openefire and the Huntsmen scattered to avoid the gunfire, dashing wildly as Atlesian Knights began to target each one of them individually.

RATATATATATATATAT!

Ruby was fast enough to dodge the gunfire on her own, but several of her teammates had to duck behind stalagmites for cover. And as they did, the Paladins began to take aim with their heavy cannons.

BOOM!

The Huntsmen scattered once again as their cover exploded in a hail of scalding rock and dust.

Ruby gritted her teeth. They needed a plan now, or they'd all be sitting ducks!

"Weiss!" Ruby hollered. "Wait for my signal, and then get inside and find your mom! We'll cover you!"

"Got it!" Weiss confirmed.

 _TSEEEEER!_

The nevermore took a swipe at Ruby's position, but the Huntress managed to quickly speed away in a flurry of rose petals, leaving Pyrrha and her mount clawing uselessly at the ground.

"Everyone else, link up with a partner!" Ruby shouted after she recovered. "Yang, Blake, how do you feel about taking Mercury down a peg?"

"Would be my distinct pleasure!" Yang confirmed, spotting Blake on the battlefield in front of the Atlas facility. "Blake! Let's go back up that little green haired friend of yours!"

Blake darted out from cover to slowly make her way towards her partner. "On it!"

Ruby glanced around the battlefield, and spotted Mercury squaring off against Emerald. Ruby bit her lip – she didn't like the idea of dividing their forces, but they also couldn't leave Emerald to fight for herself.

RATATATATATATATAT!

Ruby leaped out of the way of another hail of gunfire. They wouldn't be able to face off against _anyone_ until these robots were dealt with!

"Ren, Nora, you two provide support!" she ordered. "Focus on the mechs for now! Nora, you've got the best artillery for the job, so deal with the Paladins first! As soon as you get an opening, go back up Yang and Blake!"

"Understood!" Ren confirmed.

"What about Pyrrha!?" Nora blared, glancing around nervously at the nevermore as it circled around overhead, bashing through stalactites.

Ruby glanced over at Jaune, who was crouched behind a stalagmite and staring up at the nevermore as well, a forlorn look on his face.

"Jaune!" Ruby called over to him, before disappearing in a cloud of petals before appearing next to him. "You and I will deal with Pyrrha."

Jaune looked surprised to see her, as though his attention had been solely on Pyrrha.

"Are…are you sure?" he asked nervously.

BOOM!

Ruby ducked as an Atlesian Paladin took aim and fired on their location and Jaune instinctively raised his shield to block the incoming shell, his shield glowing bright white as the concussive blast rolled over them like wave over a beachhead.

"We can do this, Jaune," Ruby nodded confidently. "You're strong enough to face her. Just link your aura with mine, like we practiced, and we'll take her down."

Jaune's eyebrows narrowed. "We have to save her, Ruby. I won't hurt her."

"Then don't," Ruby shook her head. "Fight to disable, not to kill. It'll be tough, but you can do it."

 _TSEEEEER!_

The nevermore flew through a stalactite on the ceiling, causing the hunk of rock to plummet downwards towards where Ren and Nora were positioned, forcing them to leap away to safety.

CRASH!

Ruby winced as she looked up at their opponent, the giant red bird flying overhead, her old friend once again ensnared by the enemy as she rode atop the fearsome beast.

"Our first priority will be to take out that nevermore, so she can't escape," Ruby said, glancing back at Jaune. "Once we do that, we'll try to disarm her. If we can manage that, we should be able to detain her without hurting her."

Jaune nodded slowly. "O-Okay…"

Ruby put a hand on his shoulder. "Jaune, we can _do_ this! You have to believe that!"

Jaune lifted his gaze, giving Ruby a look of uncertainty.

"Alright…" he nodded again. "I trust you, Ruby."

Ruby smiled back at him, and then ducked as she saw an Atlesian Knight take aim.

Jaune flinched and raised his shield again as another hail of gunfire came at them.

RATATATATATATATAT!

Ruby glanced out from behind Jaune's shield. All around her, Atlesian Knights were firing their guns, turning the rock faces around them into fine powder as the Huntsmen continued to duck and dodge.

They needed to move.

"Alright, Yang!" Ruby hollered amid a cacophony of gunfire. "Are you ready!?"

"Ready!" Yang's voice echoed back through the cave.

BOOM!

Another blast from a Paladin shook the cave.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted. "Go!"

As Yang, Blake, Ren and Nora leaped into action to divert the Atlesian mechanized forces, Weiss used a glyph to skate through the door to the Atlesian facility as quickly as she could, before disappearing within its darkened depths.

RATATATATATATATAT!

BOOM! BOOM!

RATATATATATATATAT!

Ruby watched as her teammates diverted the mechs' attention, returning fire and slowly whittling down their numbers. Overhead, her opponent still soared, raising her spear in the air as the great red nevermore swooped down for another attack.

This time, however, she was ready for her.

"Jaune!" Ruby called, drawing Crescent Rose. "Gimme a lift!"

Jaune took a knee and raised his shield over his head, swiveling it and bolstering it against his back. Ruby jumped over his head, twirling in midair, before landing on top of his shield, balancing as Jaune held her stead on his back. She positioning the muzzle of Crescent Rode downward, standing atop the edge of the blade, before letting loose a blast that corresponded with Jaune pushing up with all his might, his semblance boosting his thrust with a glowing flash, sending Ruby sailing towards her foe.

 _TSEEEEER!_

The great red nevermore tried to adjust its course, but Ruby Rose flew towards it as fast a bullet, snagging its shoulder with the blade of her weapon like a fish hook, hanging onto the beast as it sailed away.

 _TSEEEEER! TSEEEEER!_

The Grimm let out a scream of pain and protest as it flailed in mid-air, twisting and contorting, its beak opened wide with each cry, struggling to stay aloft with the unexpected weight Ruby added to its flank. Ruby scrambled to secure her footing, using her grip on Crescent Rose to climb onto the creature's back to face off against Pyrrha directly, who turned and leveled her spear in response.

"I know you're still in there, Pyrrha!" Ruby cried, retrieving her scythe from the feathery flank of the Grimm to hold it up defensively, bending her knees to balance her footing as the nevermore tilting and swooped as it flew. "We're going to get you free! I promise you!"

Pyrrha's only response was to jab at Ruby with her spear.

Ruby nimbly deflected the blow with the haft of her scythe, wobbling precariously as the nevermore teetered in flight. Pyrrha had the advantage of positioning, as her legs were gripping the nevermore tightly around its neck. Every banking curve the creature made, every stalactite it plowed through made it that much more difficult for Ruby to keep her footing.

Ruby winced as she felt her aura slowly draining as Pyrrha kept landing glancing blows. Fast as she was, Ruby didn't have a good enough vantage point to outmaneuver Pyrrha at this range. And she was too far from Jaune to form an aura link to boost her aura.

And then, when the nevermore turned its head around to begin snapping at Ruby with its beak, she had finally had enough.

"Cut it _out!_ " Ruby shouted angrily, jabbing the tip of her scythe into the bird's feather flank at her feet.

The Grimm let out a screech of pain as it wobbled precariously in mid-air, sending Pyrrha off kilter, leaving her momentarily exposed.

Ruby grinned and pressed her advantage, taking swing after swing at Pyrrha, putting her on the defensive. When Pyrrha finally managed to push her back, Ruby turned her scythe on the Grimm once again, who let out a shriek of pain and twisted in mid-air, sending the rider akimbo once again.

Finally, Ruby landed a solid hit that knocked Pyrrha back enough that she released her hold on the bird's feathers.

Taking aim with her sniper rifle, Ruby sent a concussive blast directly into the Grimm's skull, stunning the bird and causing it to tumble uncontrollably out of the sky.

As Pyrrha struggled to regain her grip, the creature fell away out from under her, causing her to tumble across its back and spiral towards the ground.

Ruby leaped off the collapsing creature, pointing the barrel of her gun at the ground to slow her descent, landing with a graceful flourish, watching as Pyrrha landed only slightly ahead of her, her feet skidding across the rocky terrain, facing Ruby with a cold, pallid stare.

Jaune, who had been following on foot, was at Ruby's side moments later. They were rather far removed from the battle going on between the rest of their team and the Atlesian mecha force, but they would just have to trust that their team could hold on until they were done.

"Pyrrha…" Jaune said slowly, shaking his head in dismay as he stared her down, drawing his sword. "I'll get you out of this! Do you hear me? I swear to you, I'll set you free again! Whatever it takes!"

There on her face, the faintest glimmer of hope and sadness could be seen. Then, just as quickly, her face was a stone cold mask of stoic unfeeling, as she leveled her spear at the two Huntsmen.

Jaune and Ruby shared a glance. They had both seen the look in her eyes. So full of hope and sorrow. They both knew what had to be done. Pyrrha had been freed once before. She could be freed again.

"You're our friend, Pyrrha," Ruby said solemnly. "I hate to do this, but in order to set you free, we've first got to defeat this _other_ you."

She pointed her scythe at her teammate and friend.

"And we'll do it using the technique that you taught us!" Ruby said loudly.

Pyrrha's eyes actually widened at that, and she wasted no time in leaping forward, as if some part of her sensing the closing window of opportunity before her.

It was too late. Jaune and Ruby had already linked their auras. In a blinding flash of the light, the two of them began glowing brightly, a mix of white and red auras mingling together. By the time Pyrrha's spear landed, Ruby's scythe was already indominated, and Pyrrha's blow recoiled, sending her teetering backward, off balance.

Ruby and Jaune both pushed back, exploding with power as both of them were boosted by the other's aura.

"Haaahhhh!" Jaune cried, rushing his partner with a shield bash, shoving her backward and further off balance.

Pyrrha flipped and cartwheeled backward, regaining her balance and crouching into a low, defensive pose.

"Hyahhh!" Ruby cried, swiping low with her scythe, forcing Pyrrha to leap into the air to clear the strike.

Pyrrha managed to turn the leap into a lunge, thrusting forward with her spear, which Jaune deflected with his sword.

"Yahhh!" he intoned, riposting the parry into a counter-strike of his own, which clashed off of Pyrrha's shield.

"Hahhh!" Ruby shouted as she launched into a flurry of blows, forcing Pyrrha to defend once again.

Every strike and thrust pushed her back. Pyrrha, who, in her enthralled state had once easily trounced all of Team RNJR with ease, was barely even a match for just Ruby and Jaune while they were linked. Ruby's scythe struck with the strength of Jaune's Indominance, and Jaune's sword struck with the swiftness of Ruby's speed.

The link went deeper than just their aura, however. The two of them had trained so much together, that they were following up each other's attacks as if they were finishing each other's sentences. Ruby lead and Jaune followed, and their combination of quick and deadly mixed with strong and furious made for a formidable match indeed.

Before long, Pyrrha had been driven to her knees, her weapons hanging limply at her side.

"Jaune!" Ruby shouted, determined to press their advantage.

Jaune tapped into Ruby's speed once again, his sword darting forward in a burst of rose petals to reach inside of Pyrrha's defenses to send Miló spiraling out of her hand, embedding itself into the ground some distance away.

Pyrrha knelt before her foes, exhausted and defeated, panting for breath, her body unable to keep up with the pace and the ferocity that her enthralled mind demanded that she fight. Jaune recalled absently how she had mentioned that, when she was enthralled, she fought like no sane Huntress would ever fight, with no regard for her own safety. He wondered idly if this is what she meant.

 _TSEEEEER!_

Ruby and Jaune looked up, seeing the great red nevermore come swooping down to protect its rider, landing between Pyrrha and the huntsmen, its wings flared and its beak agape in a menacing manner.

Jaune and Ruby both gritted their teeth in agitation.

"I have just about had _enough_ of this stupid bird!" Jaune growled angrily.

Ruby took aim with her weapon. "You said it!"

Ruby opened fire with Crescent Rose, scoring hit after hit as the nevermore stood its ground, slowly pushing its way closer and closer to its opponents. Ruby's concussive rounds were doing noticeable damage to the beast, as feathers flew with each attack, but it still kept edging ever closer to the Huntsmen.

Finally, it was within striking range, and it lunged forward with its beak, which Jaune deflected with his shield.

Ruby tried to circle around to attack its flank, and Jaune tried to skirt around the other side to try to find Pyrrha behind the Grimm, but the nevermore flared out its wings to keep them both in front, even at its own peril.

"Get out of our way!" Jaune shouted, lunging forward with his sword, stabbing the creature in the chest.

The beast was bleeding from several gashes, and it had taken numerous hits without falling. It was visibly limping, its wings drooping and crippled at its sides, but somehow, the beast refused to go down.

It was protecting its rider, Jaune and Ruby both seemed to realize. It was keeping them from Pyrrha, giving her a chance to recover – or escape.

That couldn't be allowed to happen.

"Why won't this thing just _die!?_ " Ruby shouted, feeling the anger and righteous fury growing inside of her.

And then all at once, her eyes went pure white, flashing a glowing silver light.

Jaune was nearly knocked off his feet as energy exploded from Ruby's body. In an instant, the entire cave was bathed in light, too bright for Jaune to even open his eyes.

"Ruby!" he called out in alarm.

As he squinted through the brightness, he began to regain his focus as the light slowly began to die down.

He could see Ruby, standing there with her scythe drawn, her face aglow with a brilliant and mysterious silver luminescence. Plumes of power extended from either side of her cheeks like butterfly wings as she stared down her foe.

And before her, the great red nevermore stood, paralyzed and immobile.

Seizing his chance, Jaune lunged forward, raising his sword over his head before bringing it down across the nevermore's neck. The steel cut through the feathery plumage with ease, and the Grimm's massive head went tumbling to the ground.

Shortly thereafter, the bird's enormous body began to dissipate into dust.

Pyrrha was nowhere to be seen.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted out loud as he ran towards where she had just been. " _Pyrrha!_ "

All around him, Jaune could only see the vast empty cavern, stalactites and stalagmites stretching out as far as the eye could see. In the distance, the Atlesian facility lay, the sounds of battle still echoing from the area.

Jaune clenched his fist as he sheathed his sword.

"Damn it…" he cursed, running back to Ruby, who was simply standing in a stunned silence, her eyes fading back to their normal hue. "Ruby!"

Ruby blinked in surprise, regaining her senses as she looked at Jaune.

"W-What?" she stammered.

"Are you alright?" he asked hurriedly.

"I…I think so…" Ruby shook her head, clearing her senses. "Where's Pyrrha?"

Jaune's face soured. "Gone. That damn bird must have bought her enough time to escape."

"I see…" Ruby inhaled slowly and nodded. "We'll find her again, Jaune. It's only a matter of time. We know we can beat her now. The next time we find her, we'll set her free for sure."

Jaune nodded slowly in response. "Yeah…"

Ruby glanced back at the Atlesian facility.

"Pyrrha's not a threat anymore," she said, once again assuming a commanding voice. "Let's go help the others."

Jaune followed wordlessly behind as Ruby rushed off towards where their friends were fighting. His thoughts were mostly on Pyrrha, until he shook his head, determined to concentrate on the task at hand.

"So what happened back there?" Jaune asked as he and Ruby ran. "With that bright flash of light? That was _amazing!_ "

Ruby let out an exhausted breath.

"It's a long story…"

* * *

 **Part 2**

* * *

 _One Week Ago…_

"What is _this?_ "

Ruby was holding a transparent cylindrical canister with metal casings on either end, and holding it as far from her person as possible, as scurrying around inside was a tiny but no less gruesome looking Grimm. It was rodent-like in its appearance, with a long, thin tail, a pointy nose and sharp angular teeth.

"It's commonly known as a plague bearer," Weiss said, as she moved some chairs around the pristine white science lab in the Atlesian Citadel, a rack on the wall displaying many more such canisters.

"It's a Grimm rat!" Ruby said, a look of disgust on her face as she turned her nose away from the vile creature, who turned its beady eyes to stare at her through the glass.

"It may resemble a rat," Weiss allowed, gesturing to the wall of other specimens. "But it's much worse. Creatures like this will usually actually _eat_ rats on a regular basis."

Ruby stared up at the wall, and paled as she realized just how many more of these things were in the room with her.

"And the _reason_ Atlas has a collection of these things…?" Ruby asked incredulously.

Weiss took the canister from Ruby, who was grateful to relinquish the container.

"Atlesian security is as tight as it comes," Weiss explained academically. "But the nature of Grimm is such that any feelings of negativity in the citizens can cause smaller Grimm such as these to spontaneously emerge in the dark recesses of the kingdom. If careful maintenance is not conducted throughout the city on a regular basis, these creatures would grow and fester into a real problem for the kingdom."

Ruby stuck her tongue out, still shivering from being in the presence of so many Grimm rodents.

"But why are you _keeping_ them here, and not exterminating them!?" she demanded, her voice getting higher with each query.

Weiss was remaining oddly calm for the situation, if Ruby was being perfectly honest.

"Research purposes, obviously," she said, rolling her eyes. "You can't effectively combat an enemy if you don't take the time to study it. There's a reason Professor Port taught his classes with live specimens. Sometimes, the only way to truly comprehend your foe is to get up close and personal."

"Okay, okay…it's gross, but I'm with you so far…" Ruby shuddered again. "But, um…why am _I_ here, exactly?"

"Because," Weiss fixed her partner with a serious look, "You have a special gift, Ruby. You have a rare genetic trait that only appears once in a hundred million individuals, a trait that's so elusive and poorly understood, I had to dig up _hand-written_ texts from the Atlesian archives to even learn about it."

Ruby blinked her eyes, now totally confused. "Umm…what are you talking about, Weiss?"

Weiss gave Ruby a pointed look. "Your silver eyes."

Ruby's eyes widened in realization.

"Ohhh…" she nodded in understanding, before fixing her partner with another confused look. "Wait, you _know_ about that?"

"I do now!" Weiss said, throwing her friend a dirty look. "I had to go look things up on my own after I saw you scare off that nevermore back when it attacked our shuttle! _And_ when you and Jaune fought off Pyrrha back in Vacuo!"

Weiss pointed an accusing finger at Ruby.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me anything!?" she demanded angrily. "You have some special power that you don't even understand, and you didn't even _mention_ it to me! I'm your _partner_ , Ruby!"

Ruby winced under the accusation.

"I'm sorry, Weiss!" she whimpered childishly. "I don't even really know what it is, or how to use it! I didn't tell you because…well, because I didn't know anything! I still don't!"

Weiss gave Ruby a sour expression.

"You could have asked me for help, you big dolt," she grimaced. "You're supposed to lean on your friends if you ever need help!"

Ruby withered under Weiss' irritated scowl.

"I'm…I'm sorry!" Ruby blubbered, clasping her hands together apologetically. "I didn't think there was anything you could do to help me, and…well, I'm the team leader! I thought I should be able to solve this myself! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"

Weiss exhaled in disbelief, shaking her head dismissively.

"Honestly, Ruby," she sighed. "You can be such a dunce sometimes."

Ruby's fidgeted nervously.

"So…what did you find out?" she asked, curiously. "Uncle Qrow couldn't really tell me much. Just that silvers eyes used to be the world's first semblance."

Weiss' eyes lit up.

"The world's first semblance!" she said to herself. "Of course! That makes perfect sense!"

Ruby blinked in surprise. "It does?"

Weiss nodded, whipping out her scroll and began thumbing through some data files. "I didn't even _think_ to consider it to be related to semblance at all, but now that you mention it…"

Weiss peered in closely to her scroll, before a wide smile crept across her features.

"Yes!" she declared. "The dates line up! As soon as silver eyes stop appearing in lore, the earliest depictions of semblance start emerging in history! As soon as one vanished, the other appeared! That would make perfect sense if silver eyes actually _evolved_ into our modern semblance!"

Ruby scratched her head. "But that still doesn't tell me how to use it, or what it's even for!"

Weiss shrugged, closing her scroll. "Well, if it's at all like a semblance, then learning how to use it should be no different than how you _normally_ learn to use your semblance. How did you learn how to use yours?"

Ruby just shrugged. "Like I told you – Yang and I used to chase each other around and kids, and one day, I just…really wanted to catch her, so I did."

Weiss nodded. "So, you experienced a need that you could not surpass with your own means, and your semblance helped you rise to the task."

Ruby frowned. "Yeah, but…it wasn't, like, a conscious choice or anything. It just happened."

"I gathered," Weiss shrugged. "You're an instinctual fighter. You proved that much when you showed me up during aura linking training."

Ruby winced. "Oh yeah. Sorry about that."

Weiss shook her head. "No sense griping about it. We each have our strengths, after all. Now as for _what_ the silver eyes do, that part is obvious – it completely negates the Grimm."

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Negates? You mean it kills them?"

"Not exactly," Weiss crossed her arms. "You see, Grimm don't _die_ in the traditional sense. They're not _technically_ alive. They're not a _species_ as we consider the term; they're more like a phenomenon, an aspect of nature. It's why the kingdoms have never been able to stamp them out – we don't even fully understand how or why they exist in the first place."

Weiss reached up to put her hands on Ruby's shoulders.

"But silver eyes were said to be able to completely circumvent their existence!" she said excitedly. "Every historical record describes it slightly differently, but they all seem to line up on one detail – they halt the Grimm in their tracks!"

Ruby tilted her head. "So, like…it paralyzes them?"

"Sort of," Weiss nodded, letting her go to retrieve the canister with the Grimm specimen on the table. "I have a theory of my own though. And that's what I mean to find out here today…"

Weiss walked over to grab a metal chair that was sitting next to one the silver tables lining the science lab.

"Could I see your scythe for a moment, please?" Weiss asked.

Ruby gave Weiss a curious look, but eventually surrendered her weapon.

"Okay…I guess…" she said, tentatively. "Just don't hurt her."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Your anthropomorphism of your own weapon has been noted. Don't worry. It's not Crescent Rose I'm experimenting on."

Ruby watched as Weiss climbed up onto the chair, standing tall overhead as she held both the weapon and the canister in either hand.

"Then what _are_ you experimenting on?" Ruby asked, looking up at where Weiss was standing, dubiously.

Weiss took a long, steadying breath, as if she couldn't believe what she was about to do.

"You," she said simply twisting the canister open and dumping the plague bearer onto the floor, watching it flail and thrash before righting itself and sniffing about.

Ruby blanched and backed away nervously.

"Eek!" she blurted, reaching out for Weiss in spite of the Grimm between. "Weiss! Gimme my scythe!"

Weiss shook her head. "I'm afraid you won't be able to use Crescent Rose for this experiment, Ruby. If you want to defeat this Grimm, you'll have to use those silver eyes of yours."

Ruby felt her stomach lurch as the Grimm rat turned its snout towards Ruby, as if only just noticing her, and opening its tiny jaws to squeal horrifically at her.

Ruby began to back away from the Grimm.

"Weiss!" Ruby cried in alarm. "Help me!"

Weiss tensed, standing stiff as a board on top of her chair, clearly no fonder of rats than Ruby was.

"Don't be such a baby, Ruby!" she growled. "It's just a plague bearer. You need to defeat it _without_ a weapon. You have a need that you can't surpass on your own. Use your instincts, just like you did with aura linking."

Ruby held her hands up as the plague bearer approached her, and she began stomping her feet on the ground, trying to kick the creature away.

"Ew! Ew! Ew!" she cried in protest. "Get away from me! Get away!"

"Ruby!" Weiss hollered in agitation, putting her hands on her hips. "Come on!"

"I'm trying!" Ruby griped, pulling herself up to sit on the table, pulling her feet away from the Grimm rat as it nipped at her heels. "It's not working!"

"Try to remember what it was like when it happened before!" Weiss said as the plague bearer squealed up at Ruby. "When the nevermore attacked me on the airship! When it attacked Jaune back in Mistral! You care about your partners, don't you? Imagine if it was one of us you were trying to protect!"

Ruby flinched away as the rat started leaping and clawing, trying to climb up the lab table, its tiny feet scurrying and clawing at her feet as she recoiled away from the tiny creature. It wasn't all that threatening, but it still creeped her out more than most things, and she wanted nothing more than for this experiment to end.

But then she thought about what she had seen. Villages ravaged and stripped of life. Her friends beaten and weary, her family torn apart. Her partners' lives in the balance.

And Pyrrha…watching her die…

The plague bearer finally managed to snag the toe of her boot in its teeth, growling in a tiny voice as it clung to her, and Ruby gave the creature a disgusted look.

This thing – these _Grimm_ – were the cause of everything wrong in her life. Everything she hated, everything she wished to change about the world…it all came down to the Grimm.

They had to be eliminated.

They must be destroyed.

And she would be the one to do it.

She kicked out her foot as her eyes flashed silver for the briefest of instants.

"Get… _off!_ " she screamed, flinging the plague bearer across the lab.

The lab was suddenly filled with light as the surrounding tables and chairs were flung away from where Ruby was positioned, including the chair Weiss had been standing on, sending the young huntress sprawling. The Grimm's tiny body made a shallow arc across the room, before landing unceremoniously and skidding across the floor with hardly a peep. When it came to a rest, it's body lay un-moving, color drained from its features.

"Ruby!" Weiss hollered, jumping up from where she had fallen and rushing over to her. "Are you alright?"

Ruby took a couple of steadying breaths, before fixing Weiss with a perturbed glare and inhaling sharply.

"No!" she whined. "You sicced a _rat_ on me, Weiss!"

"Yeah, but it worked!" Weiss beamed. "Your eyes turned silver for a moment there!"

That took the wind out of Ruby's rant. "Huh?"

"I saw it!" Weiss said in elation, before rushing over to where Ruby flung the plague bearer. "And look!"

Ruby cautiously crawled down from the table before creeping over to where Weiss was standing and inspected the specimen.

The Grimm lay motionless on the sterile lab room floor, its beady red eyes open and mouth agape, but strangely muted in color or any sign of life.

"Is it…dead?" Ruby asked warily.

"I told you," Weiss shook her head. "Grimm don't _die_. They just…stop being."

Ruby watched dumbstruck as Weiss began pacing back and forth, musing to herself.

"It's as if the matter that makes up their physical bodies and the nature of the beast within are two different things," Weiss said exuberantly. "And your silver eyes nullify this…inner 'Grimm-ness,' as it were. Whatever properties are inherent in these silver eyes must exhibit the polar opposite effect of whatever it is that sustains the Grimm! All that's left is an empty shell!"

As if to demonstrate, Weiss scooped up the motionless plague bearer with the empty canister, resealing the lid.

"At least, that's my theory anyway," she amended. "We won't know for sure until I get this to our lab boys. They'll want to study this specimen to be sure."

Ruby looked utterly confused. "But what about my silver eyes?"

Weiss smiled brightly. "They work, Ruby! You officially have _two_ semblances now. All it's going to take is practice and time to bring it out."

Ruby gave Weiss a helpless look. "But how am I supposed to practice without any Grimm to practice on?"

Weiss gestured at the wall of canisters, each containing a plague bearer, ranging in size from as small a mouse to the size of Ruby's pet dog.

"You've got all the Grimm you might need right here," Weiss said dryly.

Ruby made a disgusted face. "Ewww…Weiss! Can't I just run around outside the kingdom until I run into a beowolf or something?"

Weiss shrugged. "Whatever your methods, Ruby, I'll back you. You and I helped Jaune when he was learning his semblance, and now it's time for me to do the same for you. We're partners after all."

Ruby considered that for a moment. Every time her silver eyes had acted up in the past, it had been in response to someone she knew being in danger. The first time, with Pyrrha, she had been far too late. But she had managed to save Weiss, and she had managed to save Jaune.

And perhaps now, she could save everyone.

"Alight," she nodded. "Let's get to training then."

* * *

 **Part 3**

* * *

While Yang had not thought to bring her artillery cannon on this rescue operation, the op did provide her with ample opportunity to unveil the final form for Ember Celica 2.0.

"These things are really starting to _piss me off!_ " she screamed, as for what seemed to be the millionth time, one of the Atlesian paladins simply tried to _step_ on her.

Yang caught the mech's foot with her mechanical arm, absorbing the shock from the impact and channeling it into her semblance. With a mighty shove, she sent the mech toppling backwards.

She then extended her prosthetic arm as it reconfigured itself into a gatling gun, her original Ember Celica making up the golden gun barrel.

"Hrrraaarrrrghhh!" she hollered as she unloaded round after round into the robot's chassis, causes pieces to come flying off of it bit by bit as it stumbled backwards from the force of the onslaught.

Every attempt Yang had made to reach Mercury had been dogged by more mechs being thrown in her general direction. It seemed as though the entire purpose of the Knights and Paladins was purely to protect Mercury! The bastard hadn't even so much as _looked_ at her this entire battle – his attention was focused entirely on Emerald.

"What's the matter!?" Yang cried after the Paladin fell, aiming her weapon at Mercury. "Can't fight your own damn battles!?"

Mercury didn't even respond to her baiting, as behind her, another Paladin came charging towards her, swinging its arm to slam down on her. The arm froze in mid-strike, however, as a thin black blade embedded itself into the mecha's forearm and yanked backward from a miniscule monofilament tether, yanking the machine onto its back.

Yang smirked as she looked back at her partner. "Nice save, Blake!"

Blake jumped on top of the fallen mech and sunk her other blade into its chassis.

"Behind you!" she shouted back.

Yang leaped away, as a platoon of Atlesian Knights took aim and fired.

RATATATATATATATAT!

"Where are all these robots coming from!?" Yang demanded as she took cover.

As she did, Lie Ren came dashing from seemingly out of nowhere, nimbly dodging their bullet fire, running his blades through each of the Knights, who all fell in a shower of sparks.

"They're coming from the facility!" he called out in alarm. "The virus is spreading! We need to make haste!"

Elsewhere, Nora was squaring off with another Paladin, which seemed to somehow be withstanding the whaling of her hammer. Each slam left a sizeable dent in the mecha's chassis, but did not seem to be slowing it down otherwise.

Perhaps she could use a boost, Ren thought.

"Nora!" he called out to her as he launched himself towards the mech. "Link up!"

Nora caught sight of her partner and linked her aura with his in a matter of an eye-blink as they both began to glow. As they did, Ren landed on the Atlesian Paladin, sinking his blades into its mechanized hull.

As he did, the internal circuitry of the machine sparked in response to his attack, and electricity flooded out of the mech and into Ren's blades, pouring into his body and wracking his tiny lithe form in a shower of sparks.

Pain gripped his body, but he had expected that. Instead of letting the electricity damage him, he channeled the power _through_ his aura link and into Nora. Soon, his partner's body was surging with electrical power, and on her face was a maniacal grin.

Ren withdrew his blades and leaped clear of the Paladin, before Nora's hammer came flying towards it, sending the mecha all the way to the roof of the cave, where it impacted one of the great stalactites, shaking the entire cavern. The paladin came crashing back down with a thunderous impact, as overhead, the stalactite it had struck came loose, and came crashing down upon the Paladin, obliterating it completely.

CRASH!

Nora grinned in satisfaction. "Thanks for the boost, Ren!"

Ren nodded, but pointed in alarm as more Knights emerged from the facility.

"We're not finished yet!" he cried.

There were just too many mechs to contend with. Atlesian Knights came pouring out of the facility, and there were still three more Paladins to deal with.

Just the distraction that Mercury needed to single out his opponent.

"Now then, Emerald!" he said as he approached the girl with the green hair. "I believe you and I have some unfinished business…"

Emerald, who had been fixated on distancing herself from the surrounding mechs, flitted her eyes towards him, and scowled.

"You just don't know when to take a hint, do you Merc?" she sneered, bearing her weapons towards him. "I'm _done_ with you!"

Mercury shook his head dismissively. "Yes, well, unfortunately my dear…I'm nowhere _near_ done with you."

RATATATATATATATAT!

Emerald seemed to disappear as her illusion evaporated, the real Emerald dashing clear of a hail of gunfire from a trio of Atlesian Knights not ten feet from where her illusion had appeared, each one with their gun leveled at her.

"What's this supposed to be?" she demanded haughtily. "You think I'm scared by these hunks of junk?"

Mercury's grin persisted.

"No," he allowed. "But unlike myself, these mechs can't be fooled by your mind-games, Em…"

The Knights pointed their guns at the girl and opened fire.

RATATATATATATATAT!

Emerald flinched as the mechs began firing at her, forcing her to dodge and cartwheel away from their gunfire. She wheeled and whirled out of harm's way, like a dancer, graceful and agile. But the number of opponents kept her on the defensive, unable to counterattack.

"You may know me, Em," Mercury snorted derisively. "But I know you as well! And I know how ineffective you are against multiple opponents!"

Emerald sneered as she ducked behind a stalagmite, where the Knights' gunfire could not reach.

"What's the matter, Merc!?" she called out, tauntingly. "Can't face me in a fair fight!?"

"Oh, if there's one thing I know about you, Emerald," Mercury glowered, "It's that you _never_ fight fair."

Mercury snapped his fingers, and one of the Knights aimed their mechanical arm at the stalagmite she was hiding behind, before a mounted arm-launcher emerged from the metallic wrist, deploying a small, spherical gas grenade that spewed noxious fumes as it hurled towards Emerald's hiding place.

Mercury smiled as Emerald emerged, coughing and hacking from the gas. Atlesian riot gear was good for some things, it seemed.

RATATATATATATATAT!

Emerald dodged blindly as the mechs began shooting at her through the smoke, their heat-sensors locking onto her while she was unable to even glimpse them through the smoke.

"You're a survivor," Mercury taunted as he slowly approached her. "Always have been. You do what it takes to survive, and you're not afraid to fight dirty in order to do it. You exploit your enemy's weakness to its full effect. That's how it's done!"

Emerald stumbled as a stray bullet grazed her leg.

"Gah!" she shouted in pain.

Mercury felt the warm elated feeling of victory in his stomach as he strode over to her fallen form.

"That semblance of yours is really something," he commented idly. "It suits you so perfectly, Em, letting you hit your enemies where they're most vulnerable."

As Emerald limped away, with mechs hot on her heels, Mercury's eyes dilated as he felt a hint of passion creep into his voice.

"Isn't that _just_ like you, Emerald!?" he demanded. "Taking advantage of the people around you? Those that might underestimate you? Let you get in close? Maybe even _care_ about you!? You let them go on thinking whatever you want them to think, and then _wham!_ You hit them right where it really hurts!"

Where was this coming from, he wondered absently? Had he been _that_ fixated on Emerald all this time? Was this _really_ just about revenge, or nursing his bruised ego?

Was it possible that he had actually… _felt_ something for her at one point?

No, that was a silly notion.

Mercury recollected himself as he flipped open his scroll, instructing more Atlesian Knights to advance on Emerald's position.

"That semblance could have been a real problem for me," he allowed, watching as Emerald's eyes flitted about as she found herself once again surrounded. "But we've worked together long enough for me to know that it's not without its flaws."

Mercury smirked in satisfaction as his mechs advanced on their target, sending her scurrying for cover, gasping and desperate.

RATATATATATATATAT!

"You can't affect more than one or two targets at a time," Mercury counted off on his fingers. "It can't affect non-living targets. And it takes concentration to maintain. Which means, when you're in the heat of battle, it's harder to use. And when your opponents are all _robots_ , well…"

Mercury watched as Emerald stumbled through the smoke, her eyes tearing up within the fumes, looking around frantically for her attackers.

With a mechanically enhanced dash, Mercury's legs cleared the distance between them in a matter of milliseconds, and Emerald's eyes widened just as he landed a solid kick into her solar plexus.

"…You just might overlook your old partner through all of it."

Emerald's pupils dilated to fine points as the wind escaped her lungs, and she slowly collapsed to her knees.

Mercury seized her by the collar, looking down at her with an expression of disdain in his eyes.

"We could have had something special together, you and I," he said, shaking his head dismissively. "But you chose _them_ …"

He looked down at her exhausted and quivering form, her eyes lidded and filled with tears running down her face from the gas. He wasn't sure what he should do with her at this point. Part of him wanted to end her right then and there, and put them both out of their misery. But another part of him hesitated, as he gazed down at her, a feeling of longing still lingering in the pit of his stomach.

Hesitation. His father should have programmed that out of his system long ago. It was always a mistake. And it always would be. It was a lesson that would be hard learned. Something he knew all too well.

BOOM!

Mercury's danger sense triggered. He released his grip on Emerald and his mechanized legs sprang his body backwards just in time to avoid the massive hammer that destroyed the ground he had just been standing on.

He landed thirty feet away, and raised his gaze to see what had nearly hit him.

His eyes fell on one of the Huntresses, the vivacious redhead with the hammer, who was fixing him with a precocious sneer.

"Leave her alone, you big bully!" the Huntress called out.

Nora Valkyrie stood protectively over Emerald's fallen form, her hammer raised in defense.

"Cutting into our dance?" Mercury smirked coyly. "I'm more than willing to tango."

She lunged at him, sending Mercury on the defensive. Her hammer swung fiercely at him, but he dodged her swings easily, each swing destroying whatever rock formation happened to be nearby as she glared fiercely at him. Her aura was powerful though, so every counterattack he sent her way was met with a wall of force that he could not contend with.

Emerald slowly struggled to her feet, her body aching all over from the beating Mercury had dished out to her. She looked up to see a Huntsman with black hair and a green tunic standing over her protectively as the bubbly redhead fended off her attacker. Around him, the Atlesian Knights who had been laying into her lay crumpled and broken, sparking as if neatly cut by a storm of whirling blades.

She hadn't dared expect any one of the Huntsmen to come to her aid when it came down to it, but if she had been told that one of them would, she would have guessed the Faunus girl she had met in Vale, or the blonde with the bone to pick with Mercury. But these two, she'd never even spoken to. Here were two Huntsmen who she had never even met, and they were standing between her and her broken past.

Why were they sticking their necks out for her? What had she ever done to deserve their sympathy? Certainly it couldn't be simply a matter of their shared connection through Ruby's team? Something so tenuous as that couldn't possibly result in such treatment.

Could it?

"Rrrrrgh!" Nora growled in aggravation as her hammer once again collided with the floor. "Quit dancing around and let me hit you!"

Mercury smirked back at her, his leg raised defensively before him. "No problem, sweetheart. Just as soon as you return the favor."

Nora ground her teeth grumpily.

"Ren!" she moaned loudly. "He's too fast! I can't hit him!"

The Huntsmen with the green tunic stepped forward.

"Well, maybe I can keep up with him," he offered calmly. "Switch out with me, Nora."

Nora withdrew, holding her hammer defensively before her, her eyes locked on Mercury as he stared her down.

"Are you sure, Ren?" she asked warily. "One hit, and you're done for."

"Not if we link up again," Ren reassured her. "I'll be counting on you to keep my aura boosted, Nora."

Emerald watched in fascination as the young Huntsman began to glow as his aura charged from his link with the other Huntress. She had heard about aura linking, but she hadn't yet seen it in action. Hopefully, it was enough to counter Mercury's deadly combination of speed and agility.

"Aww, another Huntsman cutting in?" Mercury trilled. "I don't typically dance with other boys, but whatever order you want to die in is fine by me."

Ren did not look amused.

"Before we begin, I have a question," Ren said out loud as he faced off against Mercury, his weapons held up defensively. "I've been studying your fighting style for some time now, and I believe I recognize its origin."

Mercury's eyebrows rose at that. "Oh? This ought to be good."

Ren fixed the young assassin with a fierce gaze.

"Were you trained by Marcus Black?" he demanded in a low tone.

Emerald saw Nora visibly flinch at the mention of that name. Emerald of course recognized it from when she and Cinder had initially recruited Mercury to their team.

What connection could these two _possibly_ have with Mercury, of all people?

"He was my father," Mercury spat snidely. "You do the math."

Nora gasped at this revelation, and now Emerald was more confused than ever.

"Hold on…" she asked quietly to the Huntress, wincing through her own pain. "You two knew him _before_ all this?"

Nora shook her head. "I…we…"

Nora's lower lip was quivering as Ren's eyes narrowed, and he leveled his guns at the assassin before him.

"It was twelve years ago," he said with scarcely contained anger. "I'll never forget how he fought. Marcus Black was the name of the assassin who _slaughtered_ nearly every member of our village. Including our entire family!"

Now it was Emerald's turn to flinch in surprise, her body still barely standing. She knew Mercury's father had been a legendary assassin, but she never imagined that his past would rear its ugly head like _this_.

Mercury winced in mock sympathy at the revelation.

"What can I say?" he asked dismissively. "The guy was an asshole. Must have been some hit job or another. A man's gotta eat after all, though he always did have a tendency to overdo things on hired hits. Can't say I remember that night myself, but to be fair, I would have been about _six_ at the time."

Ren did not look amused by the jape, though his anger had simmered down to a low boil.

"We never did learn why he attacked our village that night, but Nora and I have been on our own ever since," he said slowly, his eyes bearing an eerie calm to them. "And here you are now, the son of Marcus Black, once again trying to hurt the people important to us."

The anger on Ren's face evaporated completely, and his eyes suddenly became very, very cold.

"I should have recognized your style and taken action long before now," he said in a hollow voice. "That's an oversight that I mean to correct."

Mercury smirked helplessly. "What's the big deal? It's not like _I'm_ the one who killed your family or something."

"Nevertheless, you stand before me as my enemy," Ren said, dropped into a low crouching stance, his eyes utterly focused. "Nora…I'm sorry. I'm going to use it."

Nora's eyes widened to saucers. "R-Ren? Are you…are you _serious!?_ "

Ren did not respond. Instead, his aura began to shift in color, changing into a deep, _dark_ shade of green. Slowly, the aura began to grow around him, radiating outward in all directions, as the ground beneath his feet began to shake. His body was so obscured by his own aura that he almost appeared to be dwelling within a shadow.

"I'm sorry," Ren said, his voice low and controlled. "I know I promised you that I'd _never_ use my semblance again…but he has to go down."

Nora wrapped her arms around her body, wincing as if in shared pain as her partner's aura seeped into her body.

"I…I understand…" she whimpered. "Just…please be careful…"

Mercury took a step back, suddenly looking a lot less cocky as the Huntsman before him suddenly radiated with an eerie green power.

"What is this?" he demanded angrily. "What's going on?"

Ren raised his weapons before him, forming a cross before his chest, his blades now glowing a vibrant shade of violet as they trailed down from the barrels his guns on either side of his body.

"Mercury Black," Ren whispered in a deadly tone of voice. "You aren't the only one…who's descended from _assassins!_ "

Mercury's eyes widened as the Huntsmen suddenly lunged at him, quick as lightning, his glowing violet blades bounding off of his aura before he could so much as blink.

Mercury recoiled, raising his legs to kick defensively, trying to put some distance between himself and the Huntsman, but Ren moved through the air like a fish through the water, darting this way and that, maneuvering easily around Mercury's defenses to lash at the aura surrounding his body.

Emerald and Nora both watched in something akin to _horror_ as Mercury tried futilely to avoid the lightning-quick strikes of Lie Ren's blades, as all the while, the Huntsman continued to glow a dark and sickly green, his blades still a vibrant violet. Nora trembled and paled as the two of them continued to share aura, her own vast reserves powering the maelstrom that was Ren's fury.

Nora had _never_ seen Ren like this before. She was used to him being reserved and taciturn, but _this?_ This was cold. Calculating. His eyes were unfeeling and glass-like as he struck, no emotion, no anger, just pure undiluted revenge. He didn't waste a single move, he took advantage of every single opening, and his moves were coordinated to inflict the maximum amount of damage possible. What was worse, he was making no effort to dodge or block Mercury's counterattacks, and simply absorbing them with his own aura and recalculating his next move around the impact.

"Ren…" she whimpered breathlessly, shaking her head.

Finally, Ren was beaten back, as Mercury landed a solid kick to his chest, which sent him tumbling backwards to sprawl onto his haunches.

As their shared aura pool drained, Nora felt her knees beginning to quiver and she found it difficult to remain standing. Before she collapsed, however, Emerald took her by the shoulder, gently supporting her weight.

Nora gave the other girl a grateful smile, but otherwise said nothing as she kept her eyes on the battle.

Mercury was exhausted, gasping for breath as she stood over Ren's fallen form, face drenched with sweat, his whole body shaking as he slowly recovered.

"Not good enough…" he crowed triumphantly as he stared down at Ren's still form.

The young Huntsman looked up at his foe, and then over to where Nora was leaning against Emerald's shoulder.

He finally let the flicker of a smile return to his lips.

"Your parents may rest just a little easier now, Nora," he said with something akin to relief.

Nora did not appear to be at all relieved by his words, and Mercury just stared at his fallen foe in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. "I've already beaten you."

Ren slowly shook his head. "No…I've already beaten _you_ …"

Mercury shook his head in disbelief. These Huntsmen didn't make any god damned sense anymore! Was every last one them delusional or…?

Then he felt an odd pain in his chest as a strange numbness beginning to spread across his face.

He reached up with his hand, touching his cheek, unable to feel the touch of his own fingers. His sweaty face felt much stickier than it should have, however, and when he withdrew his hand, he felt his stomach clench as he discovered his fingers covered with blood. The red film on his fingers clung to his skin with a very un-bloodlike viscosity, as if it was congealing, and then he noticed that the red on his hands was interspersed with some kind of sticky, purple coagulant.

Turning to face Lie Ren, a feeling of absolute dread taking hold of him, Mercury struggled to put the pieces together as he glared at him.

"What…did…you…?" he stammered, his mouth already too numb to even speak properly, a warm gash across his left cheek, bleeding profusely with a mixture of red and violet.

The Hunstman slowly climbed to his feet, the green and violet aura around him gradually dissipating. Behind him, the battle with the mechanized army had come to an end, the other two Huntresses coming to observe the aftermath of Ren's duel.

"Nightshade," he explained simply. "A semblance that is useless against creatures of Grimm, but quite potent when used against other people."

Mercury tried to take a step towards the Huntsman, and collapsed to his knees, his body weakening by the second, his face and neck already paralyzed beyond use, a look of perpetual shock on his face.

"My aura physically manifests itself as a toxin that requires only a single drop in the bloodstream to be effective," Ren said, sheathing his weapons within his sleeves. "All I needed to do was whittle away at your aura, until it was finally weak enough that I could draw blood. My semblance did the rest."

Mercury's eyes were bloodshot and red, and he could feel the toxin spreading through his body, until it slowly reached his lungs. He began to choke for breath, his body unable to muster enough strength to even draw air into his lung.

Yang and Blake were standing in silence alongside Nora and Emerald, eyes filled with confusion and disbelief. And as Lie Ren slowly watched him die, emotion began to once again creep back into his features.

"When I was a boy, discovering my semblance came at the cost of the lives of my entire family," Ren said despondently as his friends watched him. "I come from a family of assassins, just as you did. They knew the risks. They tried to be careful as I grew and discovered myself. As a child, I was reckless and undisciplined. They weren't careful enough."

The four girls stood watching from the sidelines as Ren recounted his story, some looking bruised and battered, but each one silent and transfixed in fascination.

Mercury, for his part, collapsed onto his hands and knees, his body desperate for oxygen, his entire torso paralyzed in pain.

"I was alone for a long time afterward," Ren said forlornly, before glancing over at his partner. "The rest of my village knew what I had done, and they shunned me for it. Until Nora's family took me in. They knew who I was. _What_ I was. They didn't care. They raised me. They gave me a new family."

As Mercury's arms gave out, and his body collapsed face first on the cold dirt, Ren turned his attention back to his fallen foe. Blood and toxins were pooling on the ground where his face had his the ground, and his whole body was clenched tightly as he was gripped in pain. It was a sickening sight to behold, and even more disturbing to know how _easy_ it had been. It would be so easy for Ren to fall down the same dark path his family had, to use this semblance for the killing of his fellow man, and that thought terrified him. For that reason, above all else, Ren made himself witness every excruciating detail of his enemy's death, so that he would never be able to forget the pain that it caused.

"That is what your father took from me, Mercury Black," Ren said quietly. "I swore to myself on that day that I would _never_ use my semblance again. I would learn to fight on my own, without having to rely on Nightshade ever again, even if it meant my own life."

After Mercury gave out one last gasp for breath, his body slowly began to grow cold.

"But you've followed in your father's footsteps, and have put my new family at risk," Ren said, closing his eyes. "My honor is worth more than my life. But _their_ lives are worth even more than that."

The other Huntresses watched him in fascination and despair as he knelt before his fallen foe, clasping his hands together in silent prayer for the dead.

Neither said a word as he prayed.

"And Nora…" he finally said, opening his eyes to look at her. "Your life…and the lives of your lost family…they are worth more to me still. You and your family took me in, when everyone in our village knew me for a patricide. You gave me a home and a life…and for that, I am eternally grateful."

Nora wiped a tear from her cheek. "Ren…"

Ren's smile was weak and feeble, but it was there.

It had survived.

"So I hope you can forgive me this one act of selfishness…" he said, pleadingly. "I've broken my oath. Your family's honor is worth more than my own…I-"

He stopped talking when Nora threw her arms around him, tears streaming down her face.

"You don't have to apologize Ren…" Nora wept, earnest sincerity in her voice as she embraced him. "I'm just glad you're alright. I was _so_ scared…"

Ren shook his head somberly. "You needn't have been. I had you to back me up."

Yang and Blake glanced towards one another, an uncomfortable look on their faces.

"Sorry, Ren," Blake offered, helplessly. "We never knew any of this…"

"Yeah," Yang clutched her arm anxiously. "You don't really talk all that much about yourself…"

Ren looked up at the other two from where he was embracing his partner.

"I'm sorry for keeping this from you all for so long," he said soberly. "I hope this doesn't change things between us."

Yang and Blake both shook their heads.

"You kept this power hidden so well that _none_ of us knew you even had it," Yang smiled wryly. "We never saw you use it _once_ while we were at Beacon, or when we've fought together afterwards."

"You made yourself into a capable Huntsman in _spite_ of never using your semblance," Blake observed. "That's a feat that few people are capable of. If anything, I think what you've done is quite admirable."

Emerald stared down at the contorted body that had once been her partner for a time. She had never liked him, but she had respected him, in a way. He had been good at what he did, and he didn't take shit lying down.

Still, for all that, there hadn't been a good bone in his body. He always looked out for number one. Emerald knew that she herself was hardly one to point fingers, but at least she knew when she owed a debt.

"Thank you…" she breathed quietly, refusing to meet anyone's gaze at that moment. "For stepping in like you did."

Nora and the others turned their heads to look at the green haired girl who used to be their enemy as she turned to face towards them, although her eyes were still locked on the ground in shame.

"He would have killed me if you hadn't done anything," she said, fist clenched in disgust at the thought of ever calling the man her ally. "So…thank you."

Yang and Blake exchanged an odd look, but Ren and Nora both nodded in assurance.

"You're welcome, Emerald," Nora said. "I know you two used to work together. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I'm not," Emerald shook her head. "I'm glad he's gone. It means he can't…hurt anyone anymore."

The others were still fixing her with an odd look, and Emerald's face remained hidden behind her hair. She didn't know why she was opening up to these Huntsmen, like they were suddenly her friends or something. Whatever the reason was, she needed to do a better job of keeping herself in check.

She had almost said _me_ instead of _anyone_.

"Guys!" came a tiny voice from the distance, and everyone's eyes turned to find Ruby and Jaune bounding across the cavern towards them. "Guys! What's happened? Is everyone alright!?"

"Ruby!" Yang called out in response. "What happened to Pyrrha?"

"Gone," Jaune reported, stumbling from behind Ruby, looking somewhat exhausted from the run – he may have had access to Ruby's semblance, but he clearly lacked her stamina. "She…she got away…"

Nora and Ren exchanged a worried look.

"Pyrrha…" Nora muttered in despair.

"At least you two are alright," Blake observed.

"Yeah…" Ruby said, looking around at all the shattered mechs littering the ground. "And from the looks of things, you are too."

"All except for…" Jaune added, glancing over to the body on the ground, before growing pale. "Is that…Mercury? What happened to _him?_ "

Ren and Nora exchanged a guilty glance, before walking over to him and taking him by the shoulder.

"Remind us, and we'll tell you all about it later, Jaune," Nora assured him.

"Yeah," Ruby nodded. "For now, we'd better get inside the facility."

Emerald watched as the eight Huntsmen and Huntresses turned to go. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of how much she owed them. First Blake, for helping her back in Vale. Then Dora, for accepting her into the lost children of Vacuo. And now Nora and Ren, for saving her life.

She hated owing debts to people. It gave them power over her that she was uncomfortable giving.

But she would be damned if she wouldn't pay them back someday.

"Wait for me!" she called out, running after them.

* * *

 **Part 4**

* * *

Qrow flapped his wings, veering left and right as he steered his way past stalactites and stalagmites as he pursued his sister. Raven had always been the stronger flier, and could have lost him easily in this cave if she wanted. She was letting him keep sight of her, purposefully allowed him to give chase. She was drawing him away from his nieces and their team, trying to separate them it seemed.

That was fine, he thought. He had faith in Ruby and her friends. He had watched them train these past few weeks, and had seen how far they had come since they had first been students. They weren't kids anymore, not by a long shot.

When he finally lost sight of Raven, he landed and transformed. This was a game that she and him had played as kids. She would let him chase her, and then she would pull ahead, drop out of sight, transform back to her human form, and then attack him while he was still in bird form and defenseless. He had learned long ago to counter such attempts.

Of course, she would no doubt expect this tactic from her brother. But he had a counter for that too.

 _CREEE!_

Reacting to the sound before he could even see what direction she was flying from, he Qrow tapped into the Wizard's power, raising his cane into the air to create a barrier of time around him. Anything that entered would be slowed to a crawl, no matter how fast they were going.

To his surprise, however, Raven flew right on through, sinking her talons into his shoulder, throwing her not insubstantial bird weight into the blow and sending him toppling to the ground, her claws still digging into his skin.

"Gahhh!" he grunted in pain as he tried to grab her by the feathery neck to keep her from flying away.

He managed to get a grip on her neck, but before he could even think to apply pressure, she had transformed back to her human form, her full-sized weigh suddenly coming down on top as she pinned him to the ground.

All at once, he was staring into his sister's eyes, a look of indignation on his face as she stared back at him with a cold, stoic expression, her now silver hair draping around them.

"Raven…" he sneered. "Long time no see. Are you _seriously_ working for the enemy now?"

While Qrow struggled and thrashed within her grasp, Raven did not seem at all perturbed by their physical proximity. They had wrestled a lot as kids, and she had usually come out on top. Today, it appeared that things were no different.

"You know me well enough to know the answer to that, Qrow," he breathed back at his face.

He grunted as he struggled to push her off of him, and she shook her head dismissively.

"Really, haven't you been paying attention?" she asked, condescendingly. "That lead that I gave you back in Mistral landed you squarely in the hands of the White Fang. I know your abilities well enough, little brother. You can't possibly think that I didn't know that you'd be outmatched."

Qrow gritted his teeth. "And what about your daughter? You told her what she needed to hear to get on her feet again. Have you sent her meandering down the path of her own destruction?"

"Only time will tell," she allowed.

"Cute choice of words," he glowered in a gruff voice. "Seems you've also found a way around Oz's time manipulation. And gotten a pretty ugly makeover in the process."

Raven allowed the trace of a smile on her face.

"One of those twin things, I guess," she said, giving her hair a toss. "I suppose I should thank you for the powers that came with it."

Qrow tried to seize the opportunity to shove her off of him, but she grabbed his wrists, keeping his cane pinned to the ground.

"Don't get cute," Qrow spat. "You _knew_ that would happen when Ozpin made me his apprentice and passed on the Wizard's power. You knew _all_ of this was going to happen. How?"

Raven shook her head. "You'll just have to find those ruins from our mission in Menagerie and see for yourself, brother. I'm done giving you hints."

"In case you haven't noticed," Qrow spat back, "We're kind of busy making sure the Maidens' powers don't fall into enemy hands!"

Qrow shifted into his bird form, slipping out of Raven's grasp, before fluttering away and quickly shifting back to his human form, tumbling and rolling to his feet, cane at the ready.

Raven stood and faced him, hand on her sword.

"And a fine job you've been doing of that, Qrow," she jeered, fixing him with a cold stare. "You couldn't save Amber back in Vale, nor could you save Vera in Mistral. And you're about to let Crystal Schnee suffer the same fate."

Qrow gritted his teeth.

"Not if I have anything say about it!" he said, and he lunged at her.

She drew her sword, a long thin red blade from her scabbard, parrying his blows easily as he struck, driving her back, two silver haired siblings clashing in the depths of the northern cavern. She did not seem inclined to press the attack, which was typical of the way they used to fight, with her letting him exhaust himself against her defenses while she waited for her chance to strike.

But Qrow's anger was immense, and he was in no mood to play anymore of her games.

"Doesn't this bring back memories, brother?" Raven taunted as she deflected his attacks one after another, her enormous sword dancing around her body as if it had a mind of its own and her arm was just along for the ride. "How many times have you fought me and lost? Have we broken a thousand yet? I've honestly lost count over the years."

Qrow gritted his teeth in frustration as he once again swung and missed. His sister wasn't even _trying_ anymore! It was as if she could predict his every move!

He attempted once again to freeze her in time, but his powers just didn't seem to affect her at all! He found himself wishing he still had Grímnir in his possession. His cane just wasn't built for combat, not with its dust power effectively nullified, and he had yet to acclimate to it properly. At least with his scythe, he might have stood a chance of landing a blow.

"What are you even trying to accomplish, Raven!?" he demanded, backing away and standing his ground. "What's the _point_ of doing all this!?"

"I'm doing _precisely_ what Ozpin asked of us all those years ago, Qrow," she said in a determined voice as she sheathed her sword, and Qrow heard the telltale _whir_ of motors, indicating that she had switched blades. "I'm saving the world."

"By dooming its protectors to the void!?" Qrow demanded, charging back at her again.

Qrow's attack was met with Raven's outstretched blade, this one a dull umber in color. Their weapons met, and soon Qrow felt his feet slowly lift off the ground.

"Have you ever even _spoken_ to one of these so-called _guardians_ , Qrow?" she demanded harshly, re-sheathing her sword, as if to indicate that she no longer considered him a threat. "Have you ever even _asked_ one of them if they even _wanted_ the responsibility this represented?"

Qrow flailed in confusion as he felt himself floating weightlessly in mid-air, his limbs bending and flexing uselessly in all directions, unable to move with any effectiveness as he could not push off of anything on the ground.

"We don't always like the roles we're given," he shot back, staring around for something to grab onto and steady himself. "We just try to make the most of them and hope for the best. That's all we _can_ do."

He hadn't mentioned Dora, but he had a feeling Raven already knew about her anyway. He stared suspiciously at the umber dust blade Raven had used on him. Gravity dust. That was a new one. He wondered how long the effect would last.

"What if I told you that there was another way, brother?" Raven asked, crossing her arms. "A way that this world could function, without the need for Maidens?"

Shifting to his bird form, Qrow fluttered haphazardly until he could grab one of the nearby stalagmites and shift back to human form, clinging to the rock formation with one hand as he clung helplessly to the ground to keep from drifting away.

"A world ruled by the Grimm, you mean?" he asked snidely. "By _her?_ No thanks."

Raven shook her head in disappointment.

"So blinded you are by Ozpin's teachings," Raven sighed. "Is there no room in your mind for any other alternatives?"

Qrow pointed his cane at his sister in defiance.

"Salem _isn't_ an alternative!" he declared loudly. "I've _seen_ just what she stands for, Raven! I've looked back through the depths of time to her _eons_ spent waging war against the Wizard!"

"The Wizard isn't always right, Qrow!" Raven cried. "You must see that, now more than ever!"

"The Wizard may be flawed, but at least he embraces life," Qrow shouted back. "The Witch opposes to the very _notion_ of life on this planet! There's no room in her world for _humanity_ , Raven! There's no _compromise_ there! There's no _negotiating_ with a force of nature so hellbent on our destruction!"

Raven shrugged helplessly. "I honestly thought you'd be smarter than this, Qrow. You can't even seem to see past your own nose sometimes. You're still such a child after all these years."

Qrow shook his head in disbelief.

"You know, all these years, Raven, and I've never understood you," he lowered his eyes in disbelief. "I thought all this time that you were just an oddball. That you were misunderstood, and just followed your own path…"

He turned his eyes to glare fiercely at her.

"But now I see just how hopelessly _lost_ you are," he sighed. "Have you _given up_ on humanity? On your own kind? Your own family? Your own world?"

Raven took a breath, schooling her gaze to once again become one of taciturn stoicism.

"No…" she said slowly. "I told you before…I'm trying _save_ this world!"

She drew a pure black dust-blade from her scabbard, a blade that Qrow recognized from all their years training and working together as an aura-piercer. It was made from a long forbidden dust that completely nullified aura shields and cut right to the bone. As much as she had lorded her superior fighting ability over him, she had never once turned _that_ blade on him.

Did she mean to kill him?

"I'm sorry, Qrow," she said somberly. "This is the only way."

With that, she lunged towards her brother, who still floated in the air, clinging to the rock formation, cane outstretched to defend himself.

Then a figure in white landed before him, repelling his attacker with a pure white glyph.

Raven recoiled from the attack and Qrow winced through to dust to see a familiar pair of long white boots.

"Honestly, Qrow," Winter Schnee said with a smirk, standing over him like a divine figure. "Do you pick fights with random women wherever you go?"

Qrow let out a breath of relief as he saw the elder Schnee, standing at his defense, her sword brandished towards his sister, who inspected the two of them with an inquisitive gaze.

"Come on, Winter," Qrow smiled back jokingly. "You know you're the only woman I'd ever have a fight to the death with, but she was just _throwing_ herself at me."

"Hmph," Winter said, assuming an offensive stance with her sword raised. "Then I suppose I have no choice but to step in."

"Careful," Qrow said, dropping his jovial tone. "She's my sister. She's powerful, and now she has time manipulation on her side. I _might_ be able to counter her powers, but…"

"Don't worry about me, Qrow," Winter said, her voice sounding much more sincere. "I can handle myself."

Raven held her own sword up defensively as she squared off against the Schnee operative.

"So _you're_ here," Raven observed absently. "We're in _that_ scenario now…"

Qrow's eyebrow rose at that.

"Scenario?" he asked blithely.

"What's she talking about?" Winter asked Qrow.

"I don't know…" Qrow muttered, doubtfully. "She thinks she can see the future or something…"

Winter Schnee tensed as she prepared to face off against what may have been the most powerful foe she'd ever faced.

But then, to the two combatants' surprise, Raven abruptly sheathed her sword.

"In that case," she said brusquely. "There's no further point in fighting you here."

Winter bristled at the dismissal.

"W-What!?" she demanded. "Do you think we're just going to let you get _away!?"_

"Winter, wait…" Qrow reached out to her, shaking his head. "Raven, what are you talking about?"

"I have no _desire_ to kill you, brother," Raven said simply, smiling somberly back at him. "My only need was to keep you from interfering. By now, you've run out of time, and with _her_ here, your other fellow Huntsmen will be _far_ too outmatched to change what is coming."

Winter's eyes widened. "What!?"

Qrow felt his stomach drop.

"Winter!" he gasped. "Where are the rest of the operatives that were with you?"

Winter glanced back at Qrow in confusion.

"I…left Coco and Velvet to fix the buggy," she explained. "The rest came with me to scout ahead and reconvene with the rest of you to find the facility."

Raven turned to go.

"They won't find it in time, I'm afraid," she said wistfully. "If I were you, brother…I'd hurry."

Winter stiffened as she watched the silver haired woman draw a deep red blade, slashing it through the air, creating a portal of red and black.

"Hey, wait!" she cried out, starting after her.

"Winter!" Qrow shouted in alarm. "Forget her! We need to move! I need your help here!"

Winter turned back to see Qrow still clinging to a stalagmite, and then back to her opponent, disappearing into the portal.

"Winter, she cast some sort of dust effect on me!" he called out to her. "I can't move until you get me out of this!"

Winter watched the portal vanish behind her fleeing opponent, before turning with a huff to cast a nullification glyph beneath Qrow's feet, causing him to stumble to the ground as his gravity was restored.

"You have a very odd family, Qrow," she observed begrudgingly.

"You don't know the half of it," he agreed, regaining his footing and taking off in the direction of the Atlesian facility. "Come on, we've got to move! If what she says is true, we may already be too late to save your mother!"

Winter followed swiftly behind him as he dashed off, bounding over craggy rocks and around jagged formations, while she danced gracefully over glyphs, stepping over every possible obstacle with ease.

"I assume we'll be discussing what that was all about later?" Winter demanded ill-temperedly as she kept pace with the Huntsman-turned-Wizard.

"The short explanation is that I was an _idiot_ and followed after her without thinking, hoping I could get some answers out of her," Qrow admitted angrily. "Part of it was keeping her away from my nieces and their team, but really…I just wanted to look her in the eye myself to see if she'd really betrayed us."

"You, rushing blindly into battle?" Winter rolled her eyes. "I'll alert the news. Did you get any answers at least?"

Qrow felt a wave of grief wash over him. Raven, his own sister, had been ready to _kill_ him, just like that. How could they have drifted so far apart like this? How had she strayed so far from what Ozpin had taught them?

"Not the ones I was looking for…" he sighed in resignation.

He shook his head, casting the thoughts from his mind, instead glancing back towards Winter Schnee, fixing her with an earnest look.

"By the way…" he said, his smile as charming as ever. "Thanks for stepping in back there. You really saved my ass, Winter."

Winter looked away, her cheeks coloring slightly.

"Idiot…" she muttered.

* * *

 **Part 5**

* * *

Weiss found herself walking amidst one of the most outdated Atlesian facilities she had ever set foot in. The infrastructure of the place was astounding, but the hardware installed was simply laughable. Even overlooking the lack of general maintenance, she still counted at least fifteen points of inefficiency that could be easily remedied just from tools that she could spot lying around the factory.

The main power to the facility was down, and there was scarcely any light, apart from the few emergency LEDs scattered throughout, as per safety regulations. Along the center of the facility was the main production line, the ancient dust refinery now defunct and rusted beyond use. The floor was steel grating, and there were metal staircases lining either side of the factory, leading up to a set of high catwalks running along the perimeter and across the way along the ceiling.

Her ears picked up the telltale sign of whirring motors, and she followed the sound until she her eyes finally fell on the object of her interest – a functioning power generator, located behind the main refinery. With the amount of dust energy stored in the grid, the facility would continue to run at minimal capacity for another five or six years or so. Not bad for a factory that must have been at least thirty years old.

With the generator located, it was just a matter of following the power lines until they lead her to the coldest place she could find.

As the temperature in the room slowly dropped as she advanced, Weiss hesitated as she came to a threshold leading into a chamber in the back of the facility, which was bathed in a chilled fog that slowly seeped out into the rest of the facility. In spite of the frigid air leaking out of the chamber, it was not the atmosphere that suddenly stole the breath from Weiss' lips.

Her mother was beyond that passage. She had been wrestling with the notion this entire voyage, but now it was finally happening. She was about to come face to face with her mother…or whatever was left of her.

Her mother.

Crystal Schnee.

The woman who had put her own life at risk just so that Weiss could be born.

Not for the first time, Weiss pondered the notion that if she herself had never existed, the world would still have its Winter Maiden, and they may very well not have found themselves in the crisis they were currently in. The doctors had told her that if she were to have another child, her chances of survival were slim at best. She had known the risks going into it, but she had chosen to give Weiss a chance at life, even at the cost of her own.

If only Weiss herself had never been born…

She halted that line of thinking. If she had never been born, then a _lot_ of things would not be the same. She would have never gone to Beacon, never become a Huntress, never met with a team of people that she would learn to consider to be her best friends in the whole world. She would have never grown up with her father and sister, would have never learned the strength to stand up for herself.

She would not allow herself to regret the fact that she had been born. She had been given no say in it one way or the other, and there was nothing she could do but make the most of it. She would uphold her family's values for all they were worth, and live by her mother's example.

Weiss stepped forward.

The chamber was dimly lit and awash with frigid fog, and the air chilled her to the bone. Her breath escaped her lips and turned to mist as she clamped her arms around herself, suddenly longing for the winter coat she left in the broken down buggy back in the cavern. Weiss was used to the cold, but nothing like this. She stepped into the gloomy chamber, eying the monitoring equipment on the walls, searching for any clue as her mother's whereabouts.

Then as she stepped through the fog, she came across the stasis pod in the center of the room and stopped dead in her tracks.

The pod itself was large and bulky, a reinforced steel chamber with a plexiglass window stretching down the front, revealing the vague outline of a human being inside. The glass was frosted and concealed any real clarity from within, but the shape of the figure was feminine, lithe and thin.

Weiss swallowed as she approached the device. From a clinical standpoint, she observed the machine, cataloguing its intricate parts. She and machinery didn't usually get along, but the controls lining the one side of the stasis pod looked fairly straightforward, the basic commands spelled out for her on the digital screen.

As she neared the pod, she gently wiped the frost from the front of the glass, and felt her heart twist into knots as she saw her mother's face for the first time in fifteen years. She had seen pictures of course, but she had always worn fancy dresses, her hair and face made up and beautiful. Within the stasis pod, her fine white hair was cropped short – a result of undergoing earlier treatments of chemotherapy, Weiss wagered – and her face pale and gaunt, her lips blue and frozen.

She looked sickly.

Weiss looked away from her mother's face, focusing instead on the exterior of the stasis pod. The machine still had power, and the temperature readout was still well within the expected range. There were no vital signatures, as the body's vital signatures were nonexistent at that temperature, but everything pointed to her mother still being in suspended animation, alive and ready for resuscitation.

Weiss hesitated. Ruby had not given her any specific instructions beyond simply locating her mother's stasis pod. Ruby and Weiss trusted each other, so clearly she intended for Weiss to make the correct decision on her own as to what to do once she found it. The stasis chamber was too large to move beyond this room, much less the facility or out of the cavern without the proper lifting equipment, which they did not have.

The only option, if she intended to move her at this point…would be to wake her.

Weiss glanced behind her in the direction she had come. Her team was still outside, and her sister might still very well be on the icy surface above the cavern for all she knew. This was as much Winter's mother as she was Weiss'. This wasn't a decision to be made without her sister present. However, the enemy had arrived, and the doors to the facility were opened, and there was no telling whether it would be her allies or her enemies who came through those doors. She had every faith in her team, but she was also a pragmatist. It did not make sense to linger here, now that she had located the…asset.

Weiss cringed as she felt herself slipping all too easily into military jargon. This wasn't just an _asset!_ This was a _person!_ This was her _mother!_ No matter how comforting it might have been to distance herself from this situation, she could not deny her attachment to it.

Weiss had to make a decision, here and now, that would not only affect her entire team going forward, but her entire family as well. She could not move the stasis pod, and doing nothing would be tantamount to letting her mother fall into enemy hands, barring the best possible outcome, which she had no intention of betting on. Her only option would be to try to wake her and see.

Either her mother would emerge, and be greeted by her youngest daughter, fifteen years older than when she had last seen her, only to face the short remainder of her life in the throes of illness…or she would already be dead.

Weiss swallowed hard as her hand hovered over the switch on the console that would engage the resuscitation protocol. The technology was very old. It was unlikely to even work anymore. Her mother may very well have died a long time ago.

Or, pressing this button may well be killing her, when her condition might have been salvaged by a professional who was more familiar with the technology. If there had been time, she would have waited for someone who better knew how to operate the stasis chamber. If there had been time, she would have waited for her sister, so they could at least make the decision as a family.

If, if, if…

But the enemy was here. It was either act now, or never act at all.

Ruby had chosen _her_ to make this decision.

There was no alternative.

Weiss pressed the switch, and prayed for forgiveness.

A blue light began flashing on the control console on the side of the stasis pod. The fog began to increase in the room, as tiny droplets formed along the frigid sides of the device. The hum of electric heating mechanisms whirred on, and soon, whole swathes of frost were sliding down the transparent glass at the front of the pod.

Weiss watched as the clear translucent fluid began draining from the inside of the chamber, flowing out through a series of tubes surrounding the pod. Inside, her mother appeared to be wearing a hospital gown, which now clung damply to her frail, skeletal form inside the chamber. The slush began to trickle off of the machine in rivulets now, as Weiss began to feel warmth emanating from the device as she took a step back.

Soon, cool wisps of air began spraying out from all along the glass as the thin translucent frame began to slide open, hinging upward, to reveal the woman inside to the open air.

Weiss swallowed as she stared in quiet bewilderment at the woman who had given birth to her. She looked fragile and withered in her damp white hospital gown, like a wilting flower, not old, but tired, worn and bedraggled. This was a woman whose essence had all but left her, her pale body looking as delicate as a paper bird, her tiny form as soft and flimsy as tissue paper.

Weiss tentatively reached forward with her fingertips to touch her cheek. Her skin was like ice, cold and clammy. But it was still soft to the touch. Her fingers slowly moved down to her mother's neckline, closing her eyes as she checked for a pulse.

Her eyes flew open when she felt the steady _bump-bump_ of a heartbeat.

She was alive!

"M-Mom…?" she stammered, her mouth suddenly going dry as her hand moved to her shoulder, her other hand mirroring the motion. "Mom, can you hear me?"

There was a stirring of motion as the skeletal form of the Winter Maiden shifted, her short, thin white hair brittle and stiff, doing little to disguise the shape of her head, the hospital gown hanging around her body like withered flower petals.

"Mom…?" Weiss said again in a tremulous voice, becoming more and more like a whisper. "Mom, it's me…Weiss…"

The eyes flickered open, the palest of blue slowly coming into focus to gaze back at the young Huntress as the Winter Maiden began to slowly turn her head.

Her lips slowly parted, and a hollow, ghostly sound emanated as oxygen flowed into her lungs for the first time in years, and she closed her eyes in pain as her throat constricted around her larynx as she tried to form words once again.

"Wh…wh…where…where am I…?" she croaked with an effort, straining to keep her eyes open, even in the dimly lit room.

Weiss felt tears trickle down her face as she gazed at her mother for the first time in fifteen years.

"Mother…" she muttered in disbelief. "I…I…"

The Winter Maiden slowly turned her head, her muscles still stiff as she looked around the room.

"What…is this place?" she said softly in a voice like a breeze.

Weiss suddenly looked around and realized how disoriented her mother must be.

"Oh, this…" she stammered, hesitantly, wondering how much to divulge all at once. "You're…you're in a dust facility, several miles north of the kingdom of Atlas."

Weiss watched her mother carefully, studying for any signs of recognition as she looked around. She said nothing as she tried making out shapes in the darkness, squinting to see the face of the girl in front of her.

"Tell me…" Weiss offered, when Crystal said nothing further. "What do you remember?"

Crystal shook her head slowly. "I remember…being sick…being afraid… William…Winter…"

Her eyes seemed to focus on the girl before her.

"…Weiss…" she breathed, her eyes blinking as they tried to understand what she was seeing.

"M-Mother…" Weiss choked, staving back her tears. "It's been…fifteen years, four months and thirteen days. You've been in suspended animation all this time. And I…my sister and I had _no_ idea. About _any_ of this. We would have come for you sooner if we had…"

She raised her hands to her face to wipe the tears from her eyes. Crystal's own hands slowly rose to cover her open mouth in utter astonishment.

"But I…" Weiss felt her voice coming out all at once in a trill, rubbing her eyes as more tears kept pouring out, despite all her efforts to stem their flow. "I finally found you…me _and_ Winter. We're here now, Mother! We've come to take you home…"

Color began to return to Crystal's pallid cheeks as her blood began to flow warm once again. The muscles in her face tightened as her hands clamped tightly around her mouth, her eyes squinting as her face contorted as if trying to expel tears from frozen ducts all at once. Her whole body began to shake as her arms constricted against her own body, inhaling through her nose in a strangle sniffle, and a tiny voice escaping through her tightly clenched fists.

"Ohhh…" she whimpered in absolute disbelief, forcing air into her tired and unused lungs. "Ohhhhhhhhh…"

She was beyond words as she stared at her daughter, now all but fully grown into a woman in her own right. The face that had once belonged to a tiny infant girl in her arms now belonged to a young woman standing on her own two feet, wearing an elegant dress and a sword on her hip, having battled untold odds to get here after all this time.

How could Crystal Schnee do anything but weep?

" _Oh, Weiss!_ " she cried out in utter elation, her trembling arms reaching out towards her, still too weak to lift herself out of the frozen chamber. " _Ohhhhhhh_ , my dear baby girl!"

Her voice was a like a lilting white rose, raspy and gasping, a voice unused in years. It spoke with weariness and the bitter testimony of time, the emotions of a proud and desolate mother forcing her untested body to show its adoration and love to her child.

"Mother…" Weiss whimpered.

She felt the sobs escape her own lips as her mother pulled her into a feeble embrace, her atrophied muscles unable to do much more than drape themselves around her shoulders. Weiss acquiesced to her mother's urgings however as she leaned into her arms, as her mother moved her hands down to gently clasp her cheeks in both hands.

"Oh, my little girl!" Crystal wept, cradling her daughter's face in her hands. "Can it truly be you?! I can't believe my eyes how much you've _grown!_ You were just a _baby_ in my arms not _two days ago!_ Oh, my dear sweet child, how could it have been so _long!?_ Whatever has _happened_ after all this time!?"

Weiss shook her head, forcing back her own tears.

"Far too much, I fear," Weiss said, her voice still shaking. "I'm a Huntress now. I'll be turning eighteen this year. I'm here with my team. Winter is here as well. We've been searching for you, mother. We've only just learned what happened to you, but now, I'm afraid your life is in danger."

Crystal was stroking Weiss' hair affectionately, shaking her head.

"My life was always at risk, my dear," she said dismissively, vibrancy in her voice and her smile once again. "But what about _you?_ You've grown into such a beautiful young woman! And a _Huntress!?_ How can this _be?_ You must tell me everything!"

Weiss shook her head in return, her voice becoming more forceful.

"I'm afraid there's simply no time, mother," she said, pulling back. "I'll be brief - I _know_ you're the Winter Maiden."

Crystal's eyes widened at the revelation. "What…?"

"Someone with _terrible_ intentions has been going around the world, seeking out and _murdering_ the Guardian Maidens, one by one," Weiss continued. "Their powers have not been reincarnated after the fact. I fear this person may be _stealing_ the Maidens' powers."

Crystal's hands once again rose to her lips.

"Oh no…" she shook her head fearfully. "The situation must be dire indeed if such privileged information has reached your ears, my child…"

Weiss nodded and offered her hand. "Which is why we need to _get you out of here_ , as quickly as possible."

Crystal, to her credit, drew in a long breath of air and placed her hands on the rims of her stasis pod, gingerly climbing up from the slight incline, pushing herself upright.

"You don't understand, darling," the Schnee matriarch said, adopting a stern manner of speech. "It's a Maiden's sworn duty to protect the world of Remnant from whatever threatens it. If someone's going around seeking to harm the very Maidens themselves…"

She slowly clenched her aching fingers into two tiny fists.

"Well then _someone_ will just have to _do_ something about it," Crystal said in a determined voice.

Weiss gaped in astonishment at her mother, the contrast between her frail form and her resilient tone of voice utterly baffling to her.

"Mother!" she shook her head. "That's madness! This enemy has killed _two_ Maidens already! And you just woke up from suspended animation! You can barely walk! You don't stand a chance!"

"Let me be the judge of that, my dear," Crystal said, adopting a more maternal tone of voice as she took an unsteady step forward, her bare feet slowly staggering towards the exit. "You and your sister have worked so hard to reach me. It's my turn to take the reins."

Weiss gasped in astonishment as her mother stepped past her, and she reached out to take her arm.

"Don't be absurd!" she stammered in disbelief. "I've only _just_ found you again after all this time! You can't just throw your life away on some fool's errand!"

Crystal urged herself forward, tugging against Weiss' grip, unable to muster nearly the strength needed to break free of her daughter's grasp.

"Sometimes, life doesn't give us a choice, my child," Weiss' mother said. "If what you say is true, and fifteen years have gone by without the Winter Maiden, then my mission is far from complete."

Weiss released her grip, shaking her head in disbelief as she watched her mother make her way towards the door.

"What about Winter!?" Weiss demanded angrily. "You haven't _seen_ her yet! At _least_ see your eldest daughter before you go plunging headlong into battle!"

That gave the Winter Maiden pause as drew in a halting breath.

"Winter…" she breathed in recollection, staring ahead, her eyes distant. "She was just a toddler when I saw her last. By now, she would be…"

Weiss clenched her fist, staring at her mother from behind.

"She'll be twenty-two on her next birthday," Weiss reported. "She's an enlisted soldier with the Atlas special operatives' unit."

Crystal took another breath.

"A soldier…" she sighed remorsefully. "At such a young age. She was always so strong willed…but I never imagined…"

Weiss watched as her mother began to tremble, and she began to worry that she'd said too much.

"Mother?" she asked.

Crystal turned her head to look back at Weiss, tears in her eyes.

"It's alright, my dear," she sighed wistfully. "You're right. Let's go find your sister. We can deal with everything else after that."

Weiss nodded, a contented smile on her face.

"Okay."

As the two of them stepped outside the chamber and back into the main production area of the facility, however, the two of them suddenly froze in fear and confusion. Directly ahead of them was an eerie looking distortion in space, a dark ripple of red and black that seemed to grow larger by the moment.

Crystal Schnee put a defensive arm in front of her daughter as she eyed the strange shaped in bewilderment.

"What in the world…?" she uttered.

"Oh no…" her daughter said, paralyzed by fear and recognition.

Weiss felt her heart nearly stop inside her chest as Cinder Fall herself emerged from the portal, stepping out onto the metal grating that lay across the floor of the Atlesian dust facility.

Her golden yellow eyes fell on the two Schnees, and Weiss could swear she could see her pupils narrow like a predator cornering its prey.

"Well then…" the woman said, her voice like that of a snake. "I suppose if you want something done right…"


	101. Chapter 101

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 101

* * *

"So what's the damage report?" Velvet Scarletina asked.

The Faunus girl was in the process of disassembling the main engine block of the snow cat buggy that had gone for a nose-dive into the underground cavern beneath the northern wastes. The rest of their team, including Winter and Dora, had gone ahead to search for Ruby and the others, while the two of them remained behind in the dank cavern with the dead vehicle. They didn't have very many tools packed within the buggy's supplies, but fortunately, Velvet had planned ahead, and photographed every tool in the _Aeneid's_ engineering hold. So, for a limited amount of time, the two of them had access any tool they needed in wire-frame format.

Still, Velvet was hardly the expert that Coco was.

"Well, the engine looks like it'll still run, at least," her teammate surmised, as pieces of the snow cat lay strewn around the crash site. "But this thing's going to need a new ignition coil, or it's not going to be going anywhere anytime soon."

Coco was holding a blue wire-frame wrench that Velvet had created for her as she wiped her brow, glancing up at the chain that lead up over two hundred feet to the hole in the ceiling and the winch at the grill of their other snow cat, where the two of them had crawled in from, along with their team

"I don't suppose we have any spares on board?" Coco asked absently.

"I didn't see any," Velvet shook her head. "Though I managed to snap a photo of the engine of other buggy. If I could isolate the ignition coil, I might be able to fabricate a new one."

"Yeah, but how long would that last when it's powered by your own aura?" Coco shook her head. "We need a more long-term solution than that. I wouldn't want that engine draining you down all the way back home."

Velvet crossed her arms, glaring down at the malfunctioning vehicle before them.

"It's not like I'm good for much else," she muttered angrily. "If I can be of _some_ help at all…"

Coco arched an eyebrow at her partner. "What's all this now?"

Velvet let out a sigh and shook her head.

"Nothing to be concerned with," she insisted. "Just…frustrated with myself, is all. Everyone's counting on us, and we can't afford any more delays."

Coco sighed, nodding.

"Yeah," she agreed. "I want to help everyone too, Velvet. But we can't afford to half-ass this job either. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. If we settle on a half-baked solution and break down again, we'll just waste even more time than if we spent the time up front working on a better solution. Especially if that solution ends up hurting one of us in the process."

Velvet clenched her fist in agitation. "I know that!"

In her irritation, she lost her focus on her semblance, and the wire-frame wrench in Coco's hand disappeared.

"Is something wrong, Velvet?" her team leader asked skeptically. "You seem a bit more on edge than usual."

Velvet shook her head and re-materialized a wire-frame wrench for her to work with.

"I told you, it's nothing," she wrinkled her nose as she turned her attention to the engine block.

Coco put her hand on her wrist, stopping her from working.

"It's _not_ nothing, Velvet," she said calmly. "You're angry. You _never_ get angry. Now what's going on?"

Velvet let out a grunt of frustration.

"It's just…something I said to Ruby," she admitted. "I really laid into her about Cardin and all that."

Coco nodded slowly. "Yeah. I remember. If we had gone to Vale instead of Mistral, Cardin and the other Huntsmen he was with might still be alive."

Velvet rested her elbows against the edge of the vehicle.

"It was really unfair of me to say," she lamented. "She has to make all these big important decisions, and sometimes it's hard for me to see their full impact."

Coco lowered her shades. "Meaning?"

"If we had gone to Vale, we _might_ have been able to save Cardin," Velvet said. "But we also may very well have lost Sun and his team, not to mention all the refugees they had been shepherding. It was difficult for me to see that at the time. And I let it get to me."

Coco shook her head. "I'm sure Ruby understands that."

Velvet frowned. "Maybe…but we haven't really spoken since then. I've sort of been avoiding her since then. And now…well…"

"What?" Coco asked.

"Well, look around us!" Velvet exclaimed. "We're venturing into even _more_ dangerous territory, and now we're separated like this and…"

Velvet buried her head into her arms against the snow cat.

"I just don't want the last thing I ever said to her to be an angry accusation," she sighed. "Especially one as childish as that."

Coco smiled, shaking her head.

"Ruby's tougher than you think," she said reassuringly. "Both in strength and in character. She's got a strong group of friends around her to support her in both areas as well. She'll be fine. And then when you see her again, you can give her a proper apology."

Velvet lifted her head, nodding shrugging hopelessly.

"You make it sound so easy…" she said despondently. "I don't know how I'm going to manage without looking like a prize idiot."

Coco gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Then we'll do it together," she offered. "We're always stronger when we're together. You remember how strong we got when we linked auras, right? It'll be just like that."

Velvet smiled fondly.

"You couldn't even get the hang of it until I showed you," she giggled.

Coco crossed her arms. "Well, what I may lack in aura manipulation, I more than make up for in mechanical expertise."

Velvet nodded. "It's a good thing we're teammates then. With our two completely disparate sets of skills, we can accomplish just about any…"

Velvet suddenly froze as her eyes widened in realization.

"What?" Coco asked, concerned.

Velvet sprang upright, grabbing her partner by the shoulders.

"Coco!" she blared excitedly. "Link up with me!"

Her team leader stared at her in confusion.

"What?" she asked. "Why?"

"Just do it!" she insisted.

Coco shrugged and stretched out with her aura to brush up against Velvet's, who was finally able to link up with her after a few failed attempts.

"Okay…" Velvet said shakily after they had connected, the two of them glowing. "Now…bear with me…I want you to show me that new weapon of yours – the one that uses nano-machines?"

Coco's eyes widened as she began to get a notion of what Velvet was doing.

"Ok…" she said, nodding as she drew her golden gun out of her hand-bag, un-chambering one of the cartridges.

Velvet reached out towards it, but instead of grabbing it, she simply projected her aura, surrounding the cartridge in a pale blue light.

As if by magic, the fine black nano-machines began pouring out of the cartridge, lifting into the air as they slowly began to congeal into a single mass floating before the two girls. As Coco watched in fascination, her teammate's eyes closed in concentration, and the mass of nano-machines slowly began to take shape.

Coco's eyes lit up in wonder as the nano-machines began to form into a brand new ignition coil for the buggy.

"Velvet!" Coco grinned in triumph. "That's brilliant! You combined our weapons and semblances to fix the engine!"

"Yep," Velvet grinned as she held the newfangled engine coil aloft between her hands. "I provide the shape, and you provide the form."

"Probably a gross under-usage of such an advance technology, but this is an emergency," Coco rationalized as she began installing the new ignition coil. "And I can always restock on the _Aenieid_."

Velvet beamed with pride as Coco began piecing the engine back together, when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

"What's that?" she said, as she glanced up into depths of the cavern to see a bright yellow glowing speck following by a long, wispy contrail.

Coco slammed the hood of the snow cat shut as she looked to where Velvet was looking.

"That's one of Yang's signal flares!" she said, her eyes widening in realization. "She needs help!"

Velvet began to take off in the direction of the flare.

"Then we should hurry!" she cried out.

"Hey, hold on!" Coco called out to her.

Velvet skidded to a halt.

"What's the hold up?" she demanded. "We haven't a moment to lose!"

"I know," Coco said, before climbing into the driver's seat of the snow cat and turning the key.

With a _whir_ , the snow cat's engine revved to life.

"So why don't we _drive_ there?" Coco asked smugly.

Velvet blinked sheepishly before blushing.

"Oh…" she said. "Right."

With that, the two of them drove off in the direction of the flare, and with any luck, the Atlesian facility, the Winter Maiden, and their friends.


	102. Chapter 102

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 102

* * *

The first thing Weiss did was cast an ice glyph that filled the immediate vicinity with a thick, dense fog that completely blanketed every cubic inch of space within the main hall of facility, rendering everything outside of a five-foot radius completely invisible.

The next thing she did was grab her mother by the hand and run for cover.

The structure of the Atlesian facility was specialized for the terrain in which it had been built, but it still largely resembled the layout of other Atlesian facilities she had been in throughout the years, so Weiss was able to find her way around the derelict mining factory fairly easily, even without the benefit of sight. By the time Cinder had cleared away the fog with an abrupt _woosh_ as she tapped in her Maiden powers, Weiss and the Winter Maiden had disappeared from sight.

"Hide all you want…" Cinder said menacingly as she began stalking her prey. "I'll find you eventually."

Crystal could barely catch her breath as Weiss hurried her deeper into the facility, scurrying through the various nooks and crannies beneath the rusted infrastructure, sometimes crawling to get under stairways, platforms, grating and duct-work, all the while keeping out of sight from their foe.

"Weiss…" Crystal wheezed in a raspy voice as she urged her daughter to a halt, her tired voice unable to speak louder than a whisper. "What is going on…? Who is that…!?"

Weiss glanced fervently out from behind a piece of equipment, what appeared to be a giant mixer.

"That's Cinder," Weiss whispered in a low voice. "That's the person I was telling you about, the one hunting down the Maidens…"

Crystal's brow furrowed as she drew in her breath.

"Then…" she said, setting her jaw. "Then we should stand and fight!"

"Keep your voice down!" Weiss hissed, throwing her an incredulous look. "And didn't you hear me before? We're _no match_ for her, mother! If my theory is correct, she has the power of _two_ Maidens under her belt! She'd wipe us _both_ out, and then she'd have a third set of Maiden powers!"

Crystal Schnee gave the floor a bitter look.

"It's a Maiden's responsibility to uphold justice where she sees it is most needed," she said, stoutheartedly.

"Yes," Weiss allowed. "But is it not also more prudent to live to fight another day when you are in a better position to uphold that justice at full strength?"

"It is far too easy to slip into complacency with an attitude like that, my dear," Crystal cautioned. "It's so easy to stay your hand in the here and now under the auspices of a future resolution."

Weiss had to force herself not to roll her eyes. "We _really_ don't have time to wax philosophical, mother! We need to get moving!"

"Listen to your mother, Weiss!" Crystal quipped stringently. "This is important, and we may not get another chance like this! How do you think the Schnees _became_ the way they are?"

Weiss shook her head incredulously. "What are you _talking_ about, mother!?"

"Your father and I weren't blind, Weiss!" she hissed. "We _knew_ the world despised us for the things we did! We _knew_ that we were compromising our values in the name of prosperity! But we became too comfortable, too set in our ways, too sure that the sacrifices of today were an investment into some nebulous future payoff."

Crystal lowered her eyes despondently, her short, thin, wispy white hair

"I can tell you firsthand that it is possible to sacrifice too much for the future," she said wearily. "At some point, it becomes necessary to fight for the moment you live in now."

She touched her daughter's shoulder fondly.

"It may never come around again…"

Weiss gazed into her mother's eyes, lost for words as she began to realize what an amazing and wonderful woman she must have been. She lamented over all the things they would never say to each other, all the time they had spent apart from one another, and how little time they had to make up for it all. She would never learn a tenth of all the amazing things that her mother had done in her life, even if they made it out of here alive, for the plain and simple truth that she wouldn't be long for this world no matter what happened here today.

Then a loud crash could be heard a bit farther off in the facility, as Cinder began tearing the place apart, piece by piece.

"I know you're near…" a menacing voice echoed throughout the facility. "I can _feel_ your aura, my prey…"

Weiss cast her earlier thoughts from her mind, not even bothering to ask her mother whether or not Maidens could actually sense each other's auras or not. She simply grabbed her arm once again and bolted.

Not a moment after they had done so, when the machinery behind them where they had been hidden exploded in a bolt of fire, as Weiss and her mother made haste for more cover deeper within the facility.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…" Cinder called out into the flame-tinged factory in a sing-song voice, her hand glowing with fiery power.

Crystal flagged as Weiss pulled her along, crawling beneath the steel grating lining the floor, and hiding within the tight crevices of the facility, until they emerged into what appeared to be some sort of control room.

Finally, Crystal had to sit down, slumping against the wall of the control room.

"I…I'm sorry…" she panted, gasping for air. "I can't…I can't keep up with you, Weiss…I'm only slowing you down…"

Weiss knelt down beside her mother, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Then climb on my back and I'll carry you along. We need to find a way _out_ of here!"

Crystal shook her head regretfully.

"If she catches you because of me, I would never be able to forgive myself," she said forcefully. "I won't be the cause of your death, my dear child."

Weiss slowly rose to glance out the window of the control room, seeing their enemy stalking around just beyond the control room, glowing a vibrant gold as she used her stolen power to pry metal gratings from the walls and floor, reducing the facility around her to scrap metal at an alarming rate.

"Then we'll just find another way…" Weiss said determined as she began inspecting the electrical panels within the confines of the control room, keeping her head low so as to stay hidden.

Crystal slowly rose to her feet, also being careful to keep out of Cinder's line of sight through the window.

"Weiss," she said. "There is another solution that you haven't considered yet."

Weiss kept typing at the keyboard, finding most of the computer systems dead or fried.

"That solution better not be what I think it is…" Weiss said absently, brow furrowed as she focused on her task.

Crystal shook her head.

"Weiss…" she said sadly. "I know you woke me to keep me away from this Cinder person. And that was very brave of you, and I agree that under the circumstances, it was the right call to make. But if the threat of Cinder was the sole cause for the decision, then that must also mean that there has been no cure yet found that can heal me."

Weiss stopped typing and looked up at her mother sternly.

"Mother, no," she shook her head.

"Weiss," Crystal said, clasping her hands together before her. "You must face facts, my dear. And the truth of the matter is that I am dying."

"Stop," Weiss commanded in irritation. "I know what you're suggesting mother, but that's just not an option."

"Your father couldn't save me," the Winter Maiden said. "There is nothing you or your sister can do for me now. Even if we escape from this place, I would have days, weeks, maybe months at most before I am lost anyway."

"That's not going to happen!" Weiss gritted her teeth, surprised to find that she truly believed it when she said it as she went back to fiddling with the control console. "We'll find _some_ way to save you, mother! We _will!_ I _just_ got you back! I'm not going to lose you again!"

Crystal stepped closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm lost anyway, Weiss," she said softly. "I would rather pass on the power of the Maiden to the next candidate down the line than have it go towards that menace out there."

Weiss glanced out the window, watching as Cinder casually ripped hunks of sheet metal off the wall with her power, crunching them into twisted pieces of junk in a matter of seconds as she crushed them with the brute force of two unbridled Maidens.

In another few minutes, she would find them, and the Winter Maiden would be lost forever. The two of them could prevent this from happening…by preempting Cinder, and letting the Winter Maiden die here and now, and pass on her power to the next candidate, whoever that might be.

Weiss clenched her fists.

"You _have_ to see Winter first, at least," Weiss declared, going back to the console, before reaching into a pouch on her belt and pulling out a dust cartridge. "I _won't_ deny her that. I'm keeping you alive long enough for your eldest daughter pay her respects. After that, you can go on this damn crusade for justice of yours and go out in a blaze of glory if that's truly what you wish! I won't try to stop you."

Crystal threw her daughter a dirty look.

"Don't talk down to your mother that way, Weiss," she chastised. "You need to seriously start considering your options here!"

"I am…" Weiss declared, before slamming the dust cartridge into a slot in the machinery before her on the control panel. "And I'm not _about_ to sacrifice you now for some indefinite future payoff."

Crystal's eyes widened in amazement. "Weiss…"

There was that notorious Schnee pride once again. It seemed that nothing, not even standing in the face of certain death, could stifle it.

"I'm fighting for this moment, right here, right now," Weiss declared, throwing a massive electrical switch on the panel. "Just like you told me!"

Crystal watched in bewilderment as the entire facility around them suddenly came back to life – or at least, some semblance of life – as the machinery began to whir, and decades-old equipment once again kicked into gear. The entire facility lit up much more brightly than before, as age-old lamp fixtures, many burnt out, but enough that were left alive began to bathe the entire building in illumination.

The factory line of the Atlesian mining facility, after long years of dormancy, shook off its dust and went into production mode once again. Rusty hinges screeched and dying motors protested, and some components refused to activate at all, most notably the parts that Cinder had destroyed. But everything that was still intact came on at once, and brought with it such a ruckus that it caused their pursuer to recoil in alarm as she stared around at all the old Atlas tech that once again hummed to life.

"Now's our chance!" Weiss declared, grabbing her mother by the arm. "Let's go! While she's distracted!"

Crystal didn't have time to protest as she was dragged out of the control room, down a side passage, and in the direction of the exit.

"Weiss!" Crystal huffed in surprise. "What did you _do?_ "

"I jump-started the factory systems!" Weiss explained as she led her mom towards the way out, ducking and crawling through duct-work and crannies to avoid detection. "There was just enough juice left in the facility's generators that a little boost in the right area was just enough to get most of the machinery working again. But I don't know for how long it will last."

The Winter Maiden gazed at her daughter in fascination as she was dragged along.

"Very resourceful, my child," she nodded her head in approval.

The massive steel doorway of the facility was in sight, the circular vault door hanging open, the massive stone cavern and freedom visible just beyond its threshold. Weiss urged her exhausted mother along, finally resorting to hoisting her up on her back as she ran towards the door, the Huntress herself panting for breath.

"Weiss, just leave me!" Crystal urged her daughter. "Save yourself! I'm the one she wants! Just go while there's still time!"

Weiss ignored her mother's pleas, her thin frame overburdened even under the slight weight of the crippled Maiden.

"No!" she exclaimed. "I told you, I'm—"

Weiss never got the chance to finish, as her path suddenly exploded in a gout of flame, forcing Weiss to skid to a halt. She toppled over, depositing her mother unceremoniously to the floor, as she turned to see their pursuer finally having tracked them down, stepping towards them menacingly, fire radiating from the palm of her hand.

"No so fast…" Cinder sneered.

Weiss bounded to her feet and drew her sword.

"Mother!" she called out to the Winter Maiden. "Get outside! Find my team! I'll cover you!"

Crystal Schnee stood, but she did not run.

"I won't abandon you, Weiss," she said bravely. "I will stand and fight."

Weiss bit her lip, watching with trepidation as Cinder approached, her whole body bathed in a fiery aura as her eyes glowed a twin-tailed gold.

She knew that she would die in this fight. Even with her mother at her side, Cinder was more powerful than both of them combined. She only hoped she could buy enough time for her team to reach the Winter Maiden before Cinder could.

Then she heard a voice that sent her heart soaring.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out to her from behind. "Link up!"

Weiss turned to glance behind her, towards the main door of the facility, to see Ruby Rose bounding towards her, followed by the rest of her team, as well as Jaune, Nora, Ren and Emerald.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted in disbelief.

"Link up with me!" Ruby cried desperately, throwing her arms out, her whole body radiating with her aura. "Hurry!"

Weiss snapped out of her reverie and turned to see Cinder very nearly upon both her and her mother. She set her jaw, expanded her aura, and felt the familiar brush of her partner's own aura settling upon her.

Weiss felt a burst of power welling up inside her, and without hesitating, she waved her sword forward, casting a summon glyph at her feet, between her and Cinder. The glyph expanded outward at their feet in a blinding flash of light, and Cinder was forced to a halt as an _enormous_ white knight began to emerge from the floor, standing between her and her prey.

Weiss took a step back, stunned at just how big the summoned creature had become. It was easily twice as large as it had been when she'd first defeated it all those years ago. Had it somehow gotten stronger in the time since then?

Crystal Schnee gazed up in astonishment, letting out a gasp of air at the sheer size of the summoned being.

"Weiss!" she exclaimed in absolute delight. "You…you can summon something like _this!?_ At _your_ age!?"

Weiss, still a little surprised herself at just how large the summon had become, simply nodded.

"I…I guess so…" she breathed.

Thinking it over, it began to make sense in her head, Weiss realized. A summon creature's power was determined by the amount of aura in the summoner, so naturally, it made sense that this would be reflected by its size. Looking back, she realized that this was why her father's summoned ursa had been so large – not because the original Grimm had been that size, but because her father's aura had been so immense.

Now that Weiss and Ruby were linked, her aura pool was effectively _doubled_. Which meant that her summoned knight was now _twice_ the size it had been before!

"Hmph…" Cinder grunted in annoyance as she took a step back, staring up at the massive creature. "More distractions?"

Weiss gestured for the knight to attack their pursuer, before grabbing her mother by the arm.

"Come on, let's go!" she shouted, turning to run towards Ruby and her team.

She tapped into Ruby's semblance, and prayed that she wouldn't crash as she and her mother took off in a flurry of rose petals.

As Ruby waved her arms to try to usher the two of them out the door and away from the Atlesian mining facility, Weiss turned her head to see her white knight bring its sword down on Cinder Fall. The woman simply lifted her hand into the air, stopping the sword with her outstretched palm as the summon attempted to crush her with it. Cinder appeared to expend no effort at all to keep the sword from descending any further, before the weapon disintegrated into a million bright red fiery ashes.

The summon would not last long, Weiss realized with dismay. Its immense size was hardly a factor at all for Cinder.

"Run!" Weiss called out to Ruby and her team.

Weiss and the Winter Maiden _finally_ made it out of the Atlesian facility, before a deafening _clang_ sounded from behind them as the summoned knight was driven back by the force of Cinder's power.

"Get clear!" Weiss shouted, before sending one last command to her summon.

With a great effort, the mighty summoned creature turned away from its foe and reached up to grasp the massive steel vault door with its pristine white gauntleted hands. With a mighty yank, it brought the massive hunk of iron back down over the entrance of the facility, and the gigantic knight slammed the vault door shut with a great and mighty _crash!_

Weiss continued to run even as Ruby tried to slow down and take stock of the situation.

"Weiss!" she called out, as the entire team gathered around, dropping the aura link as her partner approached. "Did you find your mother?"

"Yes!" Weiss blared, without slowing down. "Talk later! Move now! That door won't hold her!"

Ruby gestured for her team to follow and hurried to run after Weiss, taking note of the woman she was leading around.

"Was that really…?" she asked blithely.

"Cinder!" Weiss huffed as she bounded forward. "Yes!"

"Cinder!?" Ruby blurted. "Cinder's _here!?_ "

"Yes!" Weiss blared. "Now move!"

They covered about ten more feet, before the woman Weiss was leading by the arm came to an abrupt halt, as if frozen in place.

"Mother, what's wrong!?" Weiss asked frantically, turning to check on the woman. "We _need_ to hurry!"

"Wait!" Ruby blurted in astonishment. " _This_ is your mother!?"

"Ruby, I promise, I'll make _proper_ introductions later!" Weiss cried in frustration as she urged the older woman forward. "Mother, we seriously need to…"

"Mother!"

The team turned to see Qrow and Winter standing off to the side, the latter staring at the Winter Maiden aghast as she in turn gazed back at her eldest daughter, absolutely stunned.

"Winter…" Crystal breathed in disbelief.

If Weiss hadn't been holding her by the arm, the Winter Maiden may very well have fallen to her knees.

"Mother!" Winter said hurriedly, as she rushed over to the older woman. "Goodness, mother! I didn't expect to see you out of your stasis pod already!"

Winter reached the older woman and put her hands on her shoulders, squeezing her tightly, eyes as wide as saucers.

"Are you feeling alright?" Winter demanded fervently, looking increasingly flustered. "Are you cold? Are you feeling malnourished!? Have you hydrated recently!?"

She threw her sister an accusatory look.

"Weiss, what were you thinking, waking her up without consulting me!?" she demanded. "She could have been seriously hurt, or heaven forbid, fallen intro critical condition without-!"

"Winter…" Crystal Schnee finally managed to get a word in edgewise, interrupting her eldest daughter's tirade. "I'm fine…Weiss did everything she could under the circumstances."

Winter fixed her mother with feeble expression.

"Are you sure!?" she demanded, her lower lip trembling in fear. "I know the resuscitation process can be fraught with health risks! Have you felt any numbness in your extremities or…or dry mouth or…or-"

"Winter!" Crystal gasped, reaching up to grasp her daughter's arms. "Please, calm down! Good gracious, you really _are_ your father's daughter! Always making a fuss over nothing!"

Winter took a breath, still looking completely distraught to have found her long lost mother like this.

"M-Mother…?" she asked feebly.

"It's alright, dear!" Crystal insisted, reaching up to clasp her daughter's face between her hands. "Settle down, and let me have a _look_ at you! It's been fifteen years! Look how much you've grown! Why…you had only _just_ learned to walk when I saw you last!"

Winter's mouth opened and closed as she awkwardly attempted to hold her tongue while her mother gazed up at her.

"I…I…" she stammered, before tears began to well up beneath her eyes. "I just can't believe it's really _you_ , mother…after all this time…"

"Shh…" Crystal said, caressing her daughter's hair. "Oh, my dear little Winter…you've had to grow so much in so short a span of time…"

Ruby and the others were watching in stupefaction as their cold, taciturn commander broke down into tears after reuniting with her mother again after so long. Yang caught sight of her uncle Qrow's wistful expression and elbowed him playfully.

"Look at you, getting all misty-eyed!" she smirked.

Qrow crossed his arms. "Oh, put a sock in it."

Weiss, meanwhile, was glancing nervously at the Atlesian factory, less than a hundred paces behind them.

"Mother, Winter," she said frenetically. "I _really_ hate to break up the reunion, but if we don't put some distance between us and that facility, we won't-"

BOOM!

Everyone flinched as the vault door suddenly exploded out from the front of the factory. The massive hunk or iron sailed through the air, trailing smoke in its wake, but slamming into the ground partway between the facility and the Huntsmen.

CLUNG!

Standing in the smoking door-frame, her body wreathed in gold and her eyes aflame with twin-crested power, was Cinder Fall, stepping slowly out of the facility and towards the Huntsmen.

There was no sign of the summoned knight.

"Move!" Weiss hollered, grabbing her mother's hand in one hand, and her sister's in the other.

The Huntsmen made a mad dash across the rocky terrain over the craggy path ahead of them, but were halted by a sudden shudder that shook the entire cavern. The ground beneath their feet started to shift, as an explosion of trees, vines and other plant life erupted from the cavern floor before them.

"What the-!?" Weiss gaped in stupefaction.

"Look out!" Ruby called out, drawing her scythe in an attempt to cut through the foliage.

Their path had been completely cut off, as the space between rock formations was now occupied by a giant tree which had not been there moments before. Surrounding it, a mess of foliage was springing up from the ground at a startling rate. The Huntsmen and Huntresses began hacking away at the vines and plant life as it seemed to spring up more and more around them.

"I got this!" Yang hollered, taking aim with Ember Celica 2.0, which reconfigured itself into a gatling gun.

RATATATATATATATAT!

Splinters flew as the tree trunk absorbed Yang's gunfire as she continued to spray the dense wooden barrier blocking their path. But the trees were growing so fast that the as soon as Yang could make a decent dent in the trunk of one tree, it had already grown above that part of the path, and she had to start again at the base.

"We have to find a way around!" Blake shouted, spotting a detour through a mess of crags. "This way!"

No sooner had she spoken when another copse of trees had sprung from the ground, as a lattice of vines began to link them together, creating a shockingly effectively barrier.

The Huntsmen continued cutting and hacking away at the plants that sprung up around them, but they were growing too fast for them to make any headway. As more plants began to spring forth from the otherwise rocky terrain around them, the Huntsmen were forced to diverge yet again, finding themselves cornered again and again as more trees and vines blocked their path.

Soon, they were completely surrounded on all sides by plant life, as Cinder Fall slowly made her way towards them.

The Huntsmen made a desperate attempt to break through the barrier of foliage. Ruby, Blake and Ren's bladed weapons cut through vines as fast as they all could, but the growth was just too prevalent for them to be able to reach it all. Nora's grenades seemed only useful in charring the wood, and the trees were too well rooted for her hammer to do anything. Weiss and Winter's glyphs could cast gouts of fire much more effectively, but the rampant growth managed to stifle anything they could muster, and they still had their mother to look after. Jaune's sword sank deep into the foliage, but the wood and vines were soft enough that instead of putting up resistance and breaking, his weapons simply sank into the plant life and nearly got stuck, even while indominated. Even Qrow's time manipulation had too limited a range to be effective with such a wide dispersal.

Finally, Yang's temper reached its boiling point, and her eyes went red, and she began punching her way through the overgrowth.

"I have _had_ it!" she screamed. "We are _not_ about to be done in by a bunch of frigging _plants!_ "

It was then that the vines seemed develop a mind of their own, and before Yang had made any headway, she suddenly found herself under attack, as vines began wrapping around her arms and legs.

"What!?" she gasped in astonishment, grabbing at the foliage that engulfed her and ripping them off of her bit by bit. "Get _off_ of me!"

"Yang!" Blake shouted in alarm. "Get out of there!"

Yang continued to flail and thrash in frustration as more vines wrapped around her, firing off shots from her gauntlets left and right to no avail. The vines had her completely entangled.

Blake showed up in the nick of time, slicing her way through the foliage ensnaring Yang, and within moments had cut her loose, allowing her partner to finally pull herself free of the vines.

"A curious power, the Spring Maiden has…" a malicious voice sounded as Cinder Fall strode towards the Huntsmen and Huntresses as they were slowly backed into a corner formed entirely of foliage. "Being able to create plant-life with the flick of a wrist certainly has its benefits…"

The Huntsmen and Huntresses all raised their weapons, none of them certain whether to attack Cinder or the walls around them.

"Cinder…" Ruby breathed in trepidation, trying to summon the courage to speak now that she was finally face-to-face with the mastermind behind the crisis that Remnant currently found itself in.

"That's Vera's power you're using!" Crystal shouted accusingly before Ruby or anyone else could think to speak. "You have _no right_ to wield it!"

"Crystal Schnee…" Cinder responded as her heels clacked effortlessly along the uneven rocky terrain. "I think you'll find, in this case, that might does in fact make right…"

Then her eyes fell on Emerald Sustrai, and her smile grew.

"Well, well…" she purred wickedly. "Now _there's_ someone I didn't except to see. Have you made some new friends already, Emerald?"

"Don't you lay a hand on them, Cinder!" Emerald clenched her weapons angrily, her voice tremulous and flagging, and still looking quite weary from her fight with Mercury. "You know how dangerous I am when I'm backed into a corner!"

"Indeed…" Cinder waved her off dismissively. "I shall have to watch myself, won't I?"

"You!" Jaune cried out, finally finding his voice. "What have you done with Pyrrha!?"

Cinder's eyes fell on the boy, an amused smirk alighting on her lips.

"Oh?" she intoned. "You mean that failed Fall Maiden candidate? I think you'll find her being put to _far_ better use as my tool than she ever would have as a Guardian."

Jaune's eyes flared with rage as he pointed his sword at the woman in red.

"You monster!" he blared, blind fury in his eyes. "Let her go or I'll…!"

Cinder cocked her head to the side.

"You'll do what, boy?" she spat. "Kill me? Your little friend made a similar threat not too long ago. Care to try your luck?"

Before Ruby or anyone else had a chance to intervene, Jaune was charging forward, his sword and shield raised in attack.

"YEEEAAARRRRGGGHHH!" he shouted.

"Jaune, no!" Ruby shouted in panic.

Before he could even reach his target, the ground once again erupted into vines that snared the Huntsmen by the arms and legs, lifting him into the air to keep him from his target. Jaune thrashed and shouted, activating his semblance far too late to do anything – he had lost all forward momentum, and couldn't muster enough force to break free, even while indominated.

"Grrrarrr!" Jaune shouted in rage, swinging his sword fruitlessly as he tried to cut himself free, the vines slowly constricting around his sword arm to keep from swinging at all, growing back almost immediately where his cuts struck home.

"Let him go!" Ruby shouted, her scythe raised to rush towards him.

"Hold on, kid!" Qrow interjected, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We need to be smart about this!"

"Yes indeed…" Cinder called out, tauntingly. "We both know the Wizard's power was no match for me before, old man…and now I'm twice as powerful as I was back then."

Qrow gritted his teeth, glaring back at the woman, an insidious expression on his face.

"Don't get too cocky!" he growled back. "Stolen power is never going to be as good as genuine article!"

Ruby chewed on her lip as she eyed her surroundings, panic coursing through her veins. They were boxed in by the unnatural foliage, and any attempt to cut through it had proven useless, if not dangerous. Jaune had gotten himself hopelessly ensnared, and her own sister had only just avoided entrapment herself. The vines that surrounded them were not to be underestimated, nor was Cinder herself. Blake had managed to cut Yang free, but Jaune was too close to Cinder for any of them to go help. Her stolen Maiden powers represented an _enormous_ threat, one that no single member of her team could oppose without aura linking, and the woman in red clearly knew what she was doing. She was dangling Jaune before the rest of them, as if trying to bait them into attacking recklessly.

Ruby steeled herself. This was the single greatest threat that Team RSJC had yet to face, and they were in less than ideal shape to face it. They were still missing half their team, Weiss and Winter were both busy attending to their mother, and the rest of them were exhausted from fighting off Mercury, Pyrrha, and all those mechs. Emerald had taken far too much damage to even use her semblance anymore. Even her uncle Qrow was looking beaten and weary from his tussle with Raven. Her team did not have a of options.

It was time to go for broke.

"Yang, uncle Qrow," she said in a low voice. "Think we can try a three-way aura link?"

Qrow nodded imperceptibly, without taking his eyes off of Cinder.

"Yeah…" he breathed. "That's probably our best bet right now."

Yang, her clothes somewhat tattered from being assaulted by vines, sunk her metal fist into the palm of her hand.

"Let's do this!"

The three of them took a stand and their aura began to emanate around them. The ground began to shake beneath their feet, and bits of loose rock and gravel began to rise as their auras began to pulse with power.

Cinder, as if sensing the threat, swept her arm forward, her eyes glowing a menacing vibrant gold, causing a wind current to kick up around the team of Huntsmen. Soon, they were being assaulted by gale force winds, and staggering back under the pressure of the ensuing storm within the cavernous enclosure.

As the winds tossed the trees around them, leaves began to swirl around the Huntsmen. The temperature in the cavern suddenly dropped, and the leaves suddenly froze solid, as the winds began to hurl the razor sharp leaves at the entire team.

"That's _Amber's_ power…" Crystal lamented, as she recognized her old comrade's signature, before fixing Cinder with a menacing glare. "I swear, you will pay _dearly_ for what you've done to her!"

Ruby flinched as she, Yang and Qrow had to duck and dodge the attack, their shared concentration began flagging under the assault. A three-way link needed too much concentration for them to sustain under these conditions. They needed help.

"Nora! Ren!" she called out. "Link up, and give us some cover! Weiss, Winter, keep your mother safe! Blake, see if you and Emerald can get Jaune free, but don't put yourself at risk!"

"Got it!" Blake nodded and gestured for Emerald to follow her.

"Right!" Ren and Nora agreed, slipping easily into their aura link.

"Understood!" Weiss confirmed, as she and Winter kept their mother between them with their swords drawn defensively.

"Children, please!" Crystal Schnee insisted. "I can help!"

"I told you, mother!" Weiss cried. "You're in no condition to fight!"

The Winter Maiden gritted her teeth in agitation as she watched the battle unfold.

Cinder Fall was hounding the Huntsmen and Huntresses with wind and razor sharp leaves. As her prey managed to dodge the leaves, Cinder sent more vines after her targets, grappling their arms and legs. When that didn't work, she levitated the broken earth at their feet into enormous lances of glowing hot rock to hurl at them. Then when that failed to fell her victims, she then simply turned to lobbing giant balls of fire.

With every new attack, the Huntsmen were forced to come up with a new strategy to defend and deflect the attacks. Ren and Nora were doing their best to keep the pressure off of Ruby and her family, but even linked, it was difficult to defend a larger group of individuals when they needed to remain stationary, and every time they had secured a moment's peace for the trio, Cinder changed to a different element, and forced them to change tactics.

Meanwhile, Weiss and Winter were using their glyphs to fend off Cinder's assault. They, like Ruby, her sister and her uncle, were forced to remain relatively stationary in order to protect the Winter Maiden in her weakened state. Every chance they got to send a dust bolt towards Cinder to try to help with the fight, Cinder would focus her fire on the two of them, and they were forced once again on the defensive.

Finally, Cinder used lightning, and Nora seized the opportunity to super-charge herself as their foe lashed out with an electric attack. With her burgeoning aura linked with Ren's, she charged Cinder head-on, winding up for a furious hammer swing.

"Nora, wait!" Ruby called out in alarm. "Don't get too close to her!"

It was too late. Before she could even reach her target, Nora was snared by vines.

"Hey!" Nora shouted in frustration. "Let me go!"

Ren attempted to lunge after her, but he too had to fend off vines as they burst out from the ground beneath his feet. He managed to leap clear, but he couldn't get anywhere near Nora without getting within the range of the ensnaring foliage.

Ruby gritted her teeth. Connecting to a single individual was easy enough for her, but connecting to two took a lot more concentration. She couldn't maintain a stable connection with Yang and Qrow, and the constant assault was interrupting any attempt they could make to link up, and the rest of her team was in no position to effectively support them in this attempt. This strategy was getting them nowhere.

Cinder's strategy, on the other hand, was becoming more and more clear. According to what Ruby had learned from General Ironwood and Professor Jasmine, the Fall Maiden's power generally tended towards all manner of storms – wind storms, ice storms, lighting storms, firestorms, and anything that got caught in between – which Cinder was using to keep the Huntsmen on their toes to full effect. Conversely, the Spring Maiden's powers seem to range across all manner of flora – plants, trees, vines and vegetation – which Cinder was using to restrict their movement, box them in, and ensnare them when they got too close.

It was an effective tactic, one that would eventually wear down their defenses given adequate time. But it also revealed a key weakness that Ruby could exploit.

Despite her clear advantage, Cinder was still fighting defensively, going for the surest victory given the circumstances. She could have been making a push for the Winter Maiden, but she was clearly averse to doing so. Moreover, she seemed _very_ averse to engaging in one-on-one combat with _any_ of them. All of this spelled one thing out very clearly to Ruby.

In spite of all of her power, Cinder herself was still vulnerable, and she knew it. She may have had the Maidens' powers, but that lent her no greater invulnerability than the Maidens themselves. And the Maidens could clearly be killed just as easily as any human. As Professor Jasmine and General Ironwood had put it, the Maidens may have had incredible power, but that didn't make them immortal. They were glass cannons, wielding immense destructive power, but all that power was still contained in a frail human shell.

Team RSJC outnumbered Cinder ten to one. She didn't make a move for the Winter Maiden because it would be too risky under those circumstances. She didn't let any of the Huntsmen engage her one-on-one because that too was too risky. All it would take is one lucky shot to make it past her aura to take her out, and Cinder couldn't allow that to happen, even if it meant letting her prey escape. She played her cards very close to the vest – which explained why they hadn't so much as _seen_ her until this point – and would not risk her own life when it came down to it.

When push came to shove, Cinder would protect _herself_ above all else.

This, Ruby could use.

"Change of plans!" Ruby shouted, reverting Crescent Rose into its gun form. "Everyone, use your ranged attacks! Concentrate fire on the enemy!"

Yang grinned as she aimed her mechanical arm, re-configuring into gun form with a whir of motors.

"Can do!" she exclaimed.

Ruby let loose with Crescent Rose, as all around her, she saw her teammates ready their weapons and take aim. Her uncle Qrow, free from having to concentrate on linking auras, was able to erect a defensive barrier around the two girls, allowing them to unload a flurry of weapon fire. Ren was still dodging all manner of wind and lightning, but he too was still able to let loose with his machine pistols. And once Weiss and Winter began using the glyphs to snipe her from afar, Cinder very quickly had to go on the defensive.

She held up her hand, erecting a defensive barrier of her own, blocking the incoming fire, and as a consequence, was forced to relent her own endless assault. And as the Huntsmen continued to bombard her with weapon fire, to Ruby's astonishment, Cinder was actually forced back!

"Blake! Emerald!" Ruby called out to her remaining teammates, hidden in the shadows. "Now!"

Seizing the chance, the two stealth fighters leaped out of hiding to slice their two ensnared teammates free from their vine prison. Jaune and Nora fell to the rocky floor below, slowly climbing to their feet.

For the first time since she'd laid eyes on her, Ruby saw Cinder's calm, cool demeanor beginning to waver.

"Rrrrrrgh…" she growled angrily. "Wretched little pests…"

Ruby saw victory within her grasp.

"Keep up the pressure!" she hollered, unloading round after round at Cinder Fall. "Link up with your partner if you can, but stay on her! We can _win_ this!"

The constant assault left Cinder with no chance for counter attack, giving the Huntsmen ample opportunity to get into position. Taking her leader's cue, Blake fell back to where her partner stood and linked auras with her, boosting Yang's gunfire output twofold. Ren linked up with Nora, who began assaulting Cinder with grenade fire, compounding the force of their impact. Emerald fell back, too exhausted to fight any more, but managing to collapse behind Qrow's Branwen's protective barrier, his own power unsuited for ranged combat. Weiss and Winter linked, their semblances meshing elegantly together, allowing the two of them to begin launching huge plumes of ice towards their foe.

And finally, Jaune staggered back to link up with Ruby, giving her a weak smile.

"Thanks Ruby," he gasped. "Sorry for charging in so stupidly like that."

"I understand why you did, Jaune," she nodded sympathetically. "Can I count on you to back me up?"

Jaune took a knee and planted his shield defensively before her, and she placed her scythe muzzle first over his shield for stability.

"I'm with you, Ruby!" Jaune shouted.

Ruby gritted her teeth before tapping into Jaune's semblance.

"Take this!" she shouted, before unleashing a barrage of indominated sniper fire.

Cinder's barrier barely lasted two seconds against the assault, and within moments, a stray shot grazed her cheek, leaving a streak of red beneath her left eye. Her hand snapped up to clutch the laceration marring her beautiful face, her fingers coming away red.

 _"_ _I think…that you're afraid of them…"_

Pyrrha's words echoed in her ear as she stared down at the blood on her hand, and Cinder fixed the Huntsmen with a bloodthirsty glare.

"GRRRAAARRRGGGHHH!"

Cinder's scream was monstrous! Her eyes went bright white, twin tails of power emanating from their crests as a whirlwind erupted around her. She rose into the air, wind, fire, rock and lightning swirling all around her. From the eye of the hurricane, a burst of power flew out in all directions, a shockwave of primal rage that knocked everyone off their feet, the entire cave shuddering from the force of the explosion.

"Whoa!" Ruby cried as she stumbled to one knee, as Jaune and everyone around her was staggered from the assault.

Then all around her, vines seemed to erupt from everywhere, wrapping around her ankles, her wrists and her waist, before retracting back into the rocky terrain beneath her feet, forcing her down to the ground. As she struggled to pull herself free, she glanced frantically to her fellow Huntsmen, and saw that they too were similarly ensnared.

Then her eyes flitted upward as she saw Cinder floating over them all, teeth bared and her whole body shaking in fury, but still ensconced in a vortex of primal energy, her eyes glowing hot and white, crackling with power.

It seemed that Emerald wasn't the only one who was dangerous when backed into a corner.

"Miserable brats!" she growled, a voice that echoed like thunder. "None of you know when to just lay down and _die!_ "

Ruby saw Jaune, her sister, her uncle, her friends, her teammates, all bound to the ground by the foliage at Cinder's command. She grunted in aggravation, struggling to pull herself free, while everyone around her did the same.

"Rrrrrgh!" Yang growled ferociously. "What's the matter? Too scared to fight fair!?"

Cinder's face was contorted into a furious snarl as she drifted overhead, her fists clenched and her whole body shaking and shuddering from the exertion of using both Maiden's power simultaneously to such an extent.

"Oh, I promise you…" she fumed in a raspy voice, blood dripping from the cut on her face. "I shall make each and every _one_ of you suffer in turn!"

She turned her eyes to the Winter Maiden, who, like her daughters, was struggling to free herself from the trellis of vines ensnaring them.

"But first…" she laughed wickedly, her breathing still hampered from exhaustion. "My just desserts…"

As she watched Cinder drift through the air towards Weiss' mother, Ruby yanked at the vines keeping her pinned down and let out a cry of despair.

"No, stop!" she cried.

Cinder did not pay her a moment's notice as she drifted ever closer to her target.

However, she was suddenly forced to defend herself when an unseen attacker came flying in from out of nowhere.

BOOM!

Cinder raised a defensive barrier just in time to block a flying kick aimed at her face, and was left staring at a twelve-year-old girl with dark skin and a head wrap, a gnarled wooden staff in her hands, and a fierce grin on her face.

"What the…!?" Cinder recoiled in astonishment.

"Dora!?" Ruby gasped in amazement.

The Summer Maiden grinned triumphantly as her eyes glowed with the Maiden's power, her body billowing with energy.

"Think again!" Dora crowed.


	103. Chapter 103

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 103

* * *

BOOM! CRACKLE! CRASH!

The vast underground cavern suddenly lit up as the two young women exploded with power. Dora knocked Cinder away with a spinning kick, forcing Cinder to turn and fly away. The Summer Maiden gave chase, putting Cinder on the defensive as she fled through the craggy mess of stalactites above. As she pursued her target, Dora used her power to break off hunks of rock from the cave around her to hurl at the woman in red, turning the stalactites into lances of stone. As the rocks exploded around her, Cinder returned fire by reforming the fragments into glowing spears of molten crust and hurling them right back, covering her retreat.

Crystal Schnee gazed up at the Summer Maiden in amazement. So much raw, untapped power, and at such a young age! The Maiden couldn't have been any older than twelve or thirteen, and yet the sprightly little Vacuan girl was going toe to toe with one of the fiercest foes Crystal had ever seen!

Time was going by as a blur for the Winter Maiden. She still had not quite yet come to terms with the new reality she currently found herself in. The last she remembered of her daughters had been a toddler clinging to her dress and an infant dozing in her arms. A day ago, she could have only dreamed of what type people the two of them would grow up to be. And now here they were, both fully grown, wielding swords and casting defensive glyphs around her, demonstrating every bit of skill with their craft as their father. When her illness had struck, she had been terrified of what would happen to the two girls after she was gone. To see them now, standing so tall and proud before her…it was almost too much to contend with.

And now, the one called Cinder had stolen her fellow Maidens' power. If Crystal had grasped anything in her waking hours back on this world, that much was clear to her. She herself had been woken, not to be cured, but to save the Winter Maiden from suffering a similar fate as her peers. Her duty now was not to her family, but to the world of Remnant, and to her fellow Maidens. And that meant staying her hand and keeping her powers out of enemy hands, much as she might have wished to join the fight.

So as the Huntsmen did battle around her, Crystal allowed herself to peer back through the years at the shared collective memory of the Maidens, trying to get some sense of what she had missed while she had slumbered. The world she had left behind had been one of peace – which had been one of William's arguments for allowing herself to be frozen in the first place. The war with the Faunus had just ended, and her home kingdom of Atlas was steadily rising to be a bastion of security and prosperity for the world of Remnant. Looking back, she should have realized such a peace was not meant to last, least of all were she to turn a blind eye to it at such a sensitive moment for an indefinite period of time.

But after she had gone under, the number of Grimm in the world had steadily risen, and tensions between humanity and the Faunus had slowly grown. As cultural relations declined, the White Fang, once an institution for diplomacy and understanding, had become a terrorist organization. And all the while, the prominence of Huntsman academies grew and grew, as they steadily had been over the years, to become the sole beacons of hope for the people. But as the shadow cast over the land became harder and harder to ignore, an old enemy slowly began to emerge from the darkest cracks of the kingdoms to spread unrest and discord amongst the world of Remnant.

The Maidens had been longtime allies of the Huntsmen. Many of their number had been Huntresses themselves, after all. Yet they refused to ever work directly alongside the Huntsmen academies for this exact reason - throwing their lot in with the academies would inexorably shift the balance of power amongst the kingdoms. No institution could bear the sole responsibility for the safety of the world, for should that institution fall, there would be nothing left to take its place. That was their longstanding belief since the beginning. And so the Maidens had done as they had always done, wandering the world, and doing their work where it was needed.

And then came the first attack. The enemy's agent attacked the Summer Maiden somewhere in Vacuo, and very nearly succeeded in stealing her power. Crystal looked back to her compatriot's memory as she valiantly fended off her attacker, managing to escape, but receiving a grievous wound in the process. She had reluctantly sought refuge with a family she had previously given aid to in Vacuo, and died later that night in their care. Summer's power would pass on that night, not to her daughter Ruby, but to the little girl that Summer had rescued all those years back, and still revered Summer like a Goddess.

A few days later, the enemy's agent tracked her down to find the Summer Maiden deceased. Not knowing that the new Maiden had been sent fleeing into the city, lost and confused, she had razed the family's house to the ground. The Summer Maiden was alone after that. And in the years to follow, the enemy had gotten better. Amber was the next Maiden to fall, and then Vera. And this time, as they had been stripped from the tapestry of Remnant, so too had their powers. The Maidens had begun to disappear, like stars winking out of the night sky, and now it seemed Crystal herself was next on the list.

And Dora…

Summer Rose had been a skilled Huntress and a dedicated Maiden, and Crystal was proud to have called her a friend. The thought of Summer's heir meeting such an end…

Crystal cast her eyes to the battle above, watching the young Maiden as she harnessed the rock and wind and dust around her to forge them into her weapons against the enemy. She was clearly out of her element, separated as she was from the sands of Vacuo, yet she was making do with the elements provided in this underground cavern. Each Maiden's power was unique, often owing to her spirit, her nature, and her heritage as much as her seasonal affinity. But while that could sometimes hamper them in a pinch, it was rare that a Maiden should ever find herself in a situation where she could not make use of _some_ element or another around them.

History had a funny way of repeating itself, she reflected. The last Summer Maiden was a woman who was so emblematic of her title that her parents had given her the name of Summer for no greater purpose than the feeling she had instilled in them at her birth, radiating warmth and life. Her name may have been a coincidence, but she embodied the elements of her season like no other Crystal had ever met, and she herself had followed in this pattern, giving her eldest child the name of Winter. The thought that one day, Winter may very well inherit that title in full had crossed her mind more than once. However, even if it did not, her daughter would forever be a testament to Crystal's devotion to the mantle.

And now it seemed that Summer, sparing her child the hardship of Maidenhood, had passed on her power to what might well have been a perfect stranger whose life she had spared in a single act of selflessness. That stranger had grown into a worthy successor who now, in another act of selflessness, fought tooth and nail to defend the Winter Maiden in her dying breaths.

And overseeing it all was Ruby Rose, Summer's only child, who now lead the Huntsman team that Crystal's own two children were now a part of.

History indeed seemed to repeat itself in strange and interesting ways.

It almost took away from the sting of knowing that Amber and Vera had never been given the opportunity to have children of their own, and had their powers and lives stripped away long before their time. Having a family was a difficult task for a Maiden, as she well knew. It was not an impossibility, but it certainly came at great cost. Crystal had known each of the Maidens in person, and they had all cautioned her and Summer against the idea.

Even while they were apart, Crystal had still maintained a connection to the others to some degree. While they were nomadic by nature, the Maidens' movements followed a loose pattern that intertwined according to the seasons themselves. During the summer and winter solstice and the vernal and autumnal equinox in particular, two or more Maidens' paths would often converge, and it was at these meeting points that the Maidens would convene over campfires, get to know another, share stories new teachings with each other, as well as welcome new members into their order. Crystal herself had often gone on business trips through her husband's company as a means of exploring the world, and visiting places where she felt needed the most help, as well as engage with her fellow Maidens. It was a very loose arrangement, and it didn't occur every year, but it had been a chance for Crystal to escape the bustle of the city life in Atlas and get in touch with the world around her. And she was dismayed to learn that upon her hibernation, the cycle of these meetings had ceased almost completely.

Her slumber had come at great cost, she realized. While a part of her had yearned to linger and remain with her family, another part of her felt suddenly weighed down by enormous guilt for not passing on when she should have. This was why it was inadvisable for a Maiden to start a family, she knew. It divided her loyalty between her duty to the planet, and to her family. A Maiden would always be human, and always subject to the wants and desires of the soul. Sometimes that meant falling in love and having children, and Crystal had yearned to do so, even at the expense of the planet.

And that was something for which she could never forgive herself.

"Weiss!" a young man's voice called out.

Crystal was bound by the vines summoned using Vera's stolen power. As the enemy had approached, she wondered idly how those vines would stand up to a snap freeze. It was _unthinkable_ for Maidens to fight amongst themselves, so their powers had never been tested against once another, and she was honestly not sure what would happen. She was spared the trouble, however, when the Summer Maiden had arrived to test that theory for her.

Now, like whirling globes of power, the two young women collided and ricocheted off one another overhead, the shock-waves from their battle echoing across the cavern. Each climactic crash sent pillars of rock hurling towards the hapless Huntsmen on the ground below. Cinder had burnt through a lot of her power trying to corner the Huntsmen, and Dora was fresh and ready to fight. But while she was bursting with raw, youthful energy, Cinder was hardly out of the fight just yet. Dora may have been a powerhouse, but Crystal knew that the Summer Maiden had never faced a foe like this before.

Shortly after Dora had arrived to do battle with the enemy above, six other Huntsmen, all of them strapping young men, had also arrived to free the rest of the team from their bindings.

"Neptune!" Weiss called back to her rescuer in delight.

As two Huntsmen both armed with massive broadswords began cutting through the surrounding wall of foliage to clear a path, a young man with blue hair bounded towards the Schnees, a long glowing glaive in his hands with which he used to swiftly cut through the vines, making it look like child's play.

"Weiss!" he called out in alarm as he rushed to her aide. "Sorry we took so long! We were on the other side of the cave when we saw the signal flare. Are you hurt?"

Crystal blinked in surprise as she watched Weiss daintily offer her hand, allowing the young man to help her to her feet.

"We're fine, I think," Weiss assured him, brushing her dress off. "More importantly, we found my mother."

The young man glanced warily at Crystal as his eyes widened.

"You…" he breathed in awe. "You're…?"

Crystal stifled a chuckle as Weiss gestured to her politely.

"Neptune Vasilias," she said demurely. "This is the Winter Maiden, and my mother, Crystal Schnee."

The young man's smile was unbelievably charming as he extended his hand.

"Incredible," he said with a flourish. "It's a honor and a pleasure to finally meet you, ma'am."

Crystal took his hand as he gently hoisted her to her feet, and was surprised when he bowed his head towards her in a very courtly manner.

"Well, well…" Crystal intoned, giving Weiss a perplexed look. "And likewise to _you_ , young man."

Weiss already had her sword at the ready and was looking around to see where she was needed. As Crystal looked around too, she saw the rest of the Huntsmen coming to their allies' aid. Another blond-haired young man with a tail was helping a Huntress with the raven hair and the carefully disguised Faunus ears to her feet, while two other red-haired boys were seeing to the rest of the team.

Turning to Winter, Crystal saw the Wizard approaching the elder Schnee heir after having seen to his two nieces.

"Hey," he said to her, a note of worry in his voice. "You alright?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with, Qrow," Winter said standoffishly, though there was a note of bashfulness in her voice that Crystal suspected was more easily detectable than she had intended.

It seemed that both of her daughters had people they could depend on, Crystal noted with a smile.

"Hello old man…" she said fondly to the dusty old crow.

Qrow Branwen glanced up at the Maiden, and all at once, his eyes seemed to change. His entire demeanor transformed, and while his voice sounded no different than it had before, he spoke with a wizened manner and inflection that had never crossed his lips before.

"Dear child…" the Wizard said, speaking to her through the ages. "How the world has missed you."

Winter gave Qrow a look of astonishment. Crystal just continued to smile.

"So kind of you to come find me again," she inclined her head, before absently tugging at her close-cropped hair. "I must apologize for appearing to you in such a state. I seem to have let myself go since last we spoke…"

"Nonsense," the man wearing Qrow's clothes said. "You're as beautiful as the first day I met you. And you can thank your children and their friends for that kindness; I merely provided the means. I'm just sorry it took us so long to reach you."

"And still such a gentleman," Crystal smiled sweetly. "So nice to see some things have not changed with time. I only fear that you may have arrived too late…"

Qrow nodded forlornly. "Yes, I fear we have as well…"

Winter still looked confused.

"What…?" she stuttered.

BOOM! CRASH!

Crystal turned her eyes to the cavern above, as the two powerhouses overhead did battle. Plowing through stalactites and sending them tumbling to the cave floor below, the two young woman flew through the air, each one aglow with golden power.

She glanced back to her old mentor, who nodded.

"It's good to have you back, my dear," the Wizard sighed. "I fear we may need you now, more than ever."

"I shall do all that I can," Crystal nodded. "Thank you for watching my children for me."

Qrow's arms spread wide. "Like the Maidens, I see to my own, and in so doing, see to all things."

Winter fixed Qrow with a bizarre look.

"Qrow, what in the _world_ are you going on about!?" she blared. "We're wasting time here!"

The man blinked his eyes, and all of the sudden, Qrow was back, rubbing his eyes blearily.

"Whoa…" he muttered indistinctly in his gruff tone of voice. "That was weird…"

Looking up at Crystal, he saw a look of sadness in her eyes.

"Did I…?" he mouthed.

He was interrupted when she threw her arms around his shoulders.

"Wha…?" he blurted.

"Thank you," Crystal breathed into his ear. "For taking care of Winter. She's as stubborn as her father and can sometimes bite off more than she can chew, but she's a kind girl at heart. Please don't give up on her."

Qrow glanced over at Winter, before looking back towards her mother, and simply nodded his head.

"Alright…" he whispered.

The battle above raged on, indifferent to the stirrings down below. The power of Maiden clashed against Maiden as every blow seemed to shake the cave, sending more and more rubble tumbling to the floor below. The two young women's cries rung out across the vast expanse as the two forces of will clashed in a climactic duel.

But it was a duel that could not lost.

"We have to help her!" Ruby called out as she rushed over towards the Schnees, her team mostly reassembled. "Dora's just one Maiden, and Cinder has the power of two! She's out of her league! And if Cinder wins, she'll steal the Summer Maiden's power and be _that_ much stronger! We have to get _up_ there, now!"

Crystal eyed the battle above with dismay. Ruby was right – Dora's inexperience was showing. She was burning through _way_ too much power all at once just in an effort to catch up to her opponent. Cinder, on the other hand, was keeping her power in check, dodging and fleeing more often than countering the Maiden's attacks. If this kept up, Dora wouldn't stay on the offensive for long.

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Weiss demanded pointedly. "The two of them are kind of _flying_ right now! They're on a completely different _level_ than us! And in case you haven't noticed, we're not exactly at a hundred percent either!"

Weiss was right too, Crystal realized. The Huntsmen were tired. And as she watched, the tide of the battle overhead began to turn. Dora was flagging too. She had never needed to use her Maiden powers for such an extended period of time before now, and she was unused to a prolonged battle such as this. Cinder may have had less experience with her powers, having had access to them for less than a year, but she still had the advantage in terms of raw aura and stamina, and presumably a longer life spent learning a thing or two about fighting in general. After Cinder got one or two good hits in, all of the sudden, Dora didn't look quite so cocky. Vines began to sprout out from the roof of the cavern and a lightning storm began to form as Cinder once again tapped into her stolen power to go on the offensive. Dora was forced to fall back as Cinder began to press the attack.

"Why don't we try a three-way link again?" Ruby asked excitedly. "Now that we're not so distracted, maybe now we can pull it off! With three times our aura, we'll have a fighting chance! And we can even use my uncle's semblance to fly up there!"

"And do what, kid?" the Wizard asked expectantly. "Peck Cinder to death? I told you, that semblance of mine is only useful for certain situations. You go up there in bird form, it won't _matter_ how big your aura pool is, she'll blast you out of the sky!"

"Well, we can't just stand here and take pot shots at her," Ruby said, as she began to think of ideas out loud as she looked around at all of her teammates. "Weiss, didn't your summoning get bigger after we linked up?"

Weiss nodded. "I noticed that too. But I don't think it was big enough to reach Cinder all the way up there, even if we managed a three-way link."

Ruby pursed her lips. "Blake…?"

Blake held up her swords. "I don't know if my tethers can reach that high either…"

"Yang…?"

Yang shrugged. "I mean, I got range, but at this point, it'd be like chucking pebbles at a monster truck."

"Jaune?"

"You could try launching me at her," Jaune scratched his head. "Like we did when we fought Pyrrha back in Vacuo."

"No, that's too risky this time," Ruby shook her head vigorously, looking like she was running out of ideas. "Sun, Neptune…? Sage, Scarlet…? Fox, Yatsuhashi…? Does _anyone_ have a semblance that can get us _up_ there?"

Crystal watched as the Huntsmen each exchanged troubled looks, looking completely helpless. Especially Emerald, who by this point was sitting on her haunches, looking totally worn out. Crystal recognized the green haired girl from her shared memories with Amber. If one such as that could be redeemed…

She looked around at the Huntsmen around her. She could recall a day when it was only the Wizard who even knew what the Maidens were and what they stood for, and now an entire team of warriors now stood ready to defend her and her fellow Guardians.

She looked at Weiss and Winter. So strong and so accomplished already. Time may have passed in the blink of an eye, but to Crystal, the two girls were still but babes in arms. Winter may now be leading armies and Weiss may now be summoning monstrosities, but to Crystal, they were still her little girls.

And they always would be.

"Weiss, Winter," Crystal said calmly. "Would you come here please?"

The two girls were at their mother's side in an instant to see if she was unwell. Despite how long she had been on this planet, her time in hibernation had artificially stunted her age. Despite her sickly pallor, she still appeared youthful, not much older than Winter was now. Standing side by side, Winter was actually taller than she was. They almost looked more like three siblings than mother and daughters.

Crystal felt the threat of tears, and she abruptly wrapped her arms around the two girls and hugged them fiercely.

"M-Mom?" Weiss blurted in concern.

"Mother?" Winter added, sharing her sister's fears. "Is everything…?"

"Shh…" Crystal silenced the two girls. "Hush now, and listen to me…"

They heard her voice cracking, and their concerns only worsened as she clutched them both by the back of the head to direct their eyes towards hers.

"I _love_ you both!" Crystal declared, looking back and forth between the two of them, her arms quivering as she gripped them. " _So much!_ And I am _so_ … _proud_ …of who you've both become!"

The two girls' fears only worsened at her words.

"Mother, why are you telling us this now?" Weiss asked nervously. "We'll figure a way out of this! You'll see!"

"Hush I said," the Winter Maiden chastised, before locking them both in a deathly embrace. "Now listen - the two of you are _sisters_. And that means you two _have_ to take care of each other. Understand?"

Winter's eyes widened as she tried to pull herself free.

"Mother, whatever you're thinking…" she shook her head.

"Promise me!" Crystal's skeletal grip dug in deep. " _Promise me_ you'll look after one another! No matter what!"

Weiss flinched as she and Winter shared a mortified look.

"We…we promise!" she blurted, her eyes tearing up. "Just…whatever you're planning on doing, let's talk about it first, okay? There's no need to rush into anything!"

"I'm sorry, my children," Crystal said, stroking them both by the cheeks. "But I'm afraid we're out of time…"

The two Schnee girls were about to offer more words of protest, when Ruby's startled cry interrupted them both.

" _Dora!_ " she hollered in alarm.

All eyes went to the battle above to see the Summer Maiden tumbling towards the ground, her golden glow diminished, her body limp as a rag. Above her, Cinder hovered, her arm outstretched after just having delivered a hammer-blow to the other fighter.

Crystal's eyes began to glow in response.

"It's time…" she breathed, as her daughters were pushed back by a sudden surge of cold wind. "The Summer Maiden needs my help."

The Huntsmen each watched in awe as the Winter Maiden began to rise into the air, her body ensconced in a vibrant golden light.

"What are you doing!?" Qrow Branwen demanded in surprise. "Don't be a fool! You're in no shape to fight!"

"Neither is she…" Crystal's voice echoed off the caverns walls, as the winds kicking around her began to turn into a blizzard.

All at once, the heat vents that kept the cavern warm and hospitable seemed inadequate to the storm of Crystal's might, as the entire cave began to grow much, much colder.

"You can't defeat her by yourself!" Ruby protested, clutching her arms around her body. "She's too strong!"

"Ruby…" Crystal breathed as she looked down at the young woman. "Thank you for being there for Weiss. And the Summer Maiden. Your mother would be so proud of you."

Ruby's eyes widened in wonder. "My…my mom…?"

Crystal shook her head back and forth, looking around at the rest of the Huntsmen who had traveled so far to come rescue her.

"Listen to me," she said in a tone that broached no argument. "I'm going to get Dora out of harm's way, and then I want you _all_ to get yourselves out of this cave as quickly as you can. Understand? Get as far away from here as possible."

"What!?" Yang demanded angrily. "Why!?"

"Please children…" Crystal insisted. "I am already carrying the guilt of my failure as a Maiden. My conscience could not withstand the weight of your lives as well."

"Mother!" Winter shouted angrily, tears in her eyes as she held her hair back from the chilling winds. "We've only _just_ been reunited! You can't seriously be planning to throw your life away like this!"

Crystal offered her eldest daughter a soft smile.

"You knew my time was short, dear child," she sighed. "I'm just grateful that I got to see you two one last time."

"Mother!"

Weiss called out one last protest, raising her voice above the growing cacophony of wind.

"Mother…" she cried. "Father said…father said to give you his love!"

Crystal's glowing eyes closed for a moment as she placed her hand over her heart.

"William…" she said fondly, before opening her eyes. "Thank you, Weiss. Please give him my reply for me, if you can. Tell him…tell him that _he_ was always my greatest adventure…"

The winds around them had kicked up too much for anyone to so much as get close to the Winter Maiden. Bitter cold cut to the bone, and the Huntsmen had to shy away as much from the temperature as the force of the winds. Weiss and Winter, unable to close the distance with their mother, wrapped their arms around one another for warmth instead.

Tears descended from the Maiden's cheeks, before immediately freezing into ice crystals, shattering and blowing away with the wind.

"I'll miss you both…" she wept as she rose into the air. "So much…"

As she lifted away, she saw the Huntsmen's futile attempts to follow on foot. The battle overhead had already moved farther away than any of them could hope to reach unaided. Crystal felt the Maiden's power envelop her like a warm blanket, despite the cold that it fueled. Embracing her powers again after so long had been like slipping into a familiar pair of clothes. Ill-fitting, somewhat worn down, but functional and familiar. As she flew, the blizzard flew with her, and nearby rock formations became bathed in snowfall. It felt good to wield the mantle of Maiden once again, although she could tell that the power would not last long.

She could see where Dora had landed, her lithe frame crumpled and beaten but alive. But hovering just above the girl, descending and completely oblivious to Crystal's approach, Cinder Fall slowly closed in on her fallen foe, bow and arrow in hand, aiming to deliver the finishing blow.

FWEET!

KROOSH!

The arrow flew, and met with a tall, arching wall of sheer ice that suddenly rose out of the ground to impede its journey, a spiderweb of cracks appearing as the arrow lay embedded within the glassy barrier.

Cinder turned, her eyes still glowing with twin tails of vibrant yellow, to see the descending form of the Winter Maiden. Her arm was extended after casting her wall of ice, her body enveloped in a golden aura of her own, the winds kicking around them in a tumultuous typhoon.

"Two Maidens for the price of one…" the enemy's agent said with a malicious smirk, a red scar still marring the length of her left cheek. "This must be my lucky day."

"Don't be so sure," Crystal shook her head, eyes aglow with power, amassing a whirlwind of snow around her body. "That price might be higher than you expect."

Cinder's lips curved into a smile, but it was Dora's voice from all the way down below that reached Crystal's ears next.

"Wha…what are you doing, y'old biddy!?" the Summer Maiden climbed weakly to her feet. "Why aren't you…escaping with Ruby and the others!? I-I _got_ this!"

Crystal smiled down at her compatriot as the blizzard around her began to increase in ferocity. The other woman looked around in alarm, as if only just realizing the extent of the storm welling up around the Winter Maiden.

The Winter Maiden's blizzard pressed against Cinder, shoving her backward as the woman in red tried to summon her own storm to push back. The tumultuous gust of wind, ice fire and lightning around them began to swirl and twist in complex eddies of wind and bitter cold. The world around them began to heat up and cool down so rapidly that rock was pummeled into dust, static discharges combined with the Maidens' own lightning abilities, as the two storm-bringers clashed, hovering across from one another within the open air of the underground cavern, a contest of both will and might.

But the Winter Maiden's level of control was years ahead of Cinder's, and her knowledge of the natural world could not even begin to compare. Without any recourse, the enemy agent was forced inexorably backward, allowing the Winter Maiden to descend towards her sister in arms. Dora looked up in amazement as a windstorm of snow and sleet suddenly formed a cyclone around the two of them, forming a protective barrier of wind and sleet that was thick and tumultuous enough to prevent any entry in order out, effectively shielding them from the outside.

Inside the barrier, it was now just the two Maidens.

"You have many things, dear one," Crystal said reassuringly as her feet gently alighted before Dora's frail and shivering form, her voice echoing over the tumultuous storm, her eyes still glowing golden white. "A good heart...a loyal group of friends…a lack of _anything_ resembling manners…"

She placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, and all of the sudden, Dora felt warmth enter her body, and she stopped shivering.

"And a long, bright future ahead of you…" Crystal smiled as her eyes ceased their glow, her shoulders beginning to droop as her grip on her power began to weaken.

The two of them stood, facing one another at the eye of the hurricane, as the elder passed on her first and last words of wisdom to the younger Maiden.

"But this fight…" Crystal sighed wistfully. "This fight is _not_ one of those things, dear one. You've proven yourself capable and brave, but to keep this up any further would be to invite your downfall. The time has come for you to withdraw."

Dora gazed up at the Winter Maiden, as now it was the older of the two women that was beginning to tremble.

"But…but we came all this way!" Dora shook her head slowly. "We all risked _so_ much to find you! Why…?"

"Because my time is at an end," Crystal declared. "My powers are fading. But you? You've got _so_ much yet left to live for…"

Around them the cyclone of snow began to dissipate. The frosty curtain began to clear, as the rocky landscape around them appeared to be covered in a blanket of snow.

"Just one last parting gift…" Crystal sighed as overhead, Cinder Fall still hovered, waiting for the blizzard to subside.

Dora watched in fascination as Crystal pressed her thumb against the center of the girl's forehead, and all at once, Dora's eyes went blank as she felt a wash of unfamiliar thoughts and feelings cascade over her. All at once, her eyes began to glow with the Maiden's power once again, and even Cinder had to avert her eyes from the brilliant white glare.

When Crystal withdrew her hand, Dora was blinking in confusion, her mind still swimming.

"What…what was that…?" she stammered.

Crystal sighed, looking more and more tired by the moment.

"I have…opened your third eye…" she gasped. "The knowledge of Maidens long past…is now yours to command. You always had the strength…and now, you have the wisdom…to know how best to _use_ it."

Dora placed her hand on her forehead, staring blankly in disbelief.

"It is a process…that normally…happens naturally in a Maiden…over the course of many years…" Crystal explained, out of breath. "To force it like this is…not usually very wise, and…can be quite disorienting. But these are desperate times, no?"

As Dora continued to touch the spot on her forehead, still utterly confused by the new sensations it brought, Cinder hung like a vulture overhead, once again drawing her bow.

"The knowledge of the Maidens…" she breathed in excitement, as she knocked two more arrowa. "So it _can_ be unlocked…"

FWEET! FWEET!

The air hissed as the two arrows came singing towards the two women, but Crystal threw her arm around Dora and covered her, letting both arrows strike her in the back.

"H-Hey!" Dora shouted in protest as she snapped out of her reverie. "What are you-? _No!_ "

Crystal was smiling as he released her grip on the girl, color slowly draining from her cheeks as she bled.

"Find Ruby and the others," she instructed her. "Get them out of this cave. I'm entrusting them to you, understand? Go now, dear one."

Dora clenched her fist in anger as she glared up at Cinder, who was already readying another arrow.

"Screw that noise!" she screamed. "I'm _not_ leaving you!"

Crystal's eyes began to glow golden once again, as the veins beneath her skin began to throb incessantly, her body already protesting the strain of overuse.

"Yes…" she breathed tremulously. "You _are!_ "

KROOSH!

A pillar of ice materialized under Dora's feet, rising out of the floor and launching her at an angle as she was hurled into the air in the direction of Ruby and her team. She twisted and flailed in midair, activating her Maiden powers only just quickly enough to catch herself and settle into a small dust storm of her own, hovering at its center.

Cinder's aim rose immediately to track her arc through the air with her bow.

"Oh, no you don't!" she hissed as she focused her next shot on Dora.

KROOSH!

She found her bow and arrow suddenly engulfed in ice, however, when another lance of frost emerged from the frosty crags below, freezing the very air around her hands as her weapon was encased in ice.

Cinder looked down in outrage as she saw the Winter Maiden, two arrows sticking out of her back, her body tensed and contorted in pain from the exertion, beginning to rise back into the air, enveloped in a whirlwind of white snow.

"You stole my friends' power and sought to use it to fulfil your own ends!" Crystal Schnee bellowed in outrage as her arms spread wide as she sent her power outwards into the cavern around them. "I shall _relieve_ you of that power!"

KROOSH! KROOSH! KROOSH!

All around the two woman, pillars of ice began to erupt from the ground, breaking through the rocky terrain below, carving crevices in the cavern floor. As the winds continued to buffet them both, jagged icicles began to form overhead as well, and soon, the entire cave system began to shudder and swell from the frost.

Cinder broke free of the pillar of ice, discarding her useless weapon and cast her eyes towards the fleeing Summer Maiden. She moved to intercept, but was forced to halt her pursuit when a massive stalactite fell before her, blocking her immediate path. As she looked around the shaking cavern, more rocks were beginning to fall as the ice grew to fill the tiny cracks overhead, breaking up the rocky ceiling and causing the entire cavern inexorably to crumble.

CRASH! BOOM!

She threw her eyes back towards the Winter Maiden, whose arms were cast upwards, her fingers curved into two wickedly shaped claws, as if she were clutching at the very ceiling over their heads. As the woman's body began to buckle under the strain, her eyes glowing gold, her face awash with bulging, throbbing veins, contorted in pain, quills still feathered behind her. A trickle of blood was beginning to seep from one of her nostrils as she pushed her body past its breaking point.

She pulling the very earth apart with her power!

"What in the four kingdoms do you think you're _doing_ , you fool!?" Cinder demanded as she looked up at the ceiling, her floating form tossing this way and that to avoid falling debris. "Your strength is at its limits! You cannot beat me the way you are now! Just _give up_ already!"

Crystal fixed her enemy with a fierce glare. Her whole body radiating as the last of the Winter's Maiden's powers emanating around her as she manipulated raw ice and cold stone, the ground beneath them beginning to fall away.

"You're right…" she exhaled in a raspy voice, fixing her enemy with a menacing glare. "My strength is at its limits. So I will use the last of it to _bury_ you here!"

Cinder's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Don't be absurd!" she growled. "You'll be killed!"

"And you with me," Crystal swore intently.

A flicker of movement caught her eye, as she saw what appeared to be a tiny vehicle fleeing across the floor of the cavern. A snow buggy, aided by an array of familiar white glyphs and black shadow-steps where the ground beneath it failed to lend passage. And flying overhead was the Summer Maiden, steering falling rocks away from the snowcat and guiding them through to safe passage.

The Winter Maiden let out a breath. Her body was wracked in pain. She had never used her powers for such a drastic purpose before. Her body was breaking under the strain. She could feel her muscles giving out, blood vessels bursting, her bones cracking, her life essence draining from the two arrow wounds in her back.

But for all that, Crystal Schnee had never been happier.

Her children were on their way home.

With a last gasp of breath, she brought her arms down, and with it, the entire cavern collapsed in an avalanche of ice and rock. As Cinder raised her arms to blast the falling pillars of ice and shale, she quickly became overwhelmed by the assault.

" _NOOOOOO!_ " she screamed in outrage.

Crystal's eyes flitted closed, and a delicate smile graced her features as her eyes slowly shifted back to normal. And then the world around them both collapsed, and the two of them became buried within a tomb of ice and stone.


	104. Chapter 104

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 104

* * *

It was with a heavy heart that Team RSJC boarded the _Aeneid_ that day.

It had been a hard trek back to Shiroyuki Springs with one of their two snow cats running on an engine held together with shoestring, and that wasn't even getting into how many close calls the team had gone through to get out of the underground cavern as it had collapsed around them. If Weiss and Blake had not linked their auras to ferry the buggy over the most precarious crevices, the might not have made it out. And if Dora had not been flying overhead to divert the largest of falling hazards, they almost certainly would not have.

Still, as the team made their way back into their airship, which had been parked all this time at Shiroyuki's slick an expensive looking hangar, it was difficult for them not to feel hollow inside. The loss of the Winter Maiden had been a hard pill to swallow. It felt like all the trouble they had gone through to even find her had been for nothing. As the General had so bluntly put it, they had denied an asset to the enemy. Nothing more. The fact that Weiss and Winter had lost their mother was of a secondary concern for the team.

That knowledge did not make it hurt any less.

Once they were airborne, Ruby found Weiss in the cockpit of the _Aeneid_ , piloting the ship. Although, once they hit peak altitude, the autopilot handled pretty much everything, so the job mostly involved monitoring the console in case something went awry.

"Hey Weiss…" Ruby said forlornly, approaching her partner as she sat, staring out the cockpit window.

Weiss took a breath as she turned to glance at her team leader, before returning her gaze to the window.

"Hello Ruby…" she muttered absently.

There were four chairs in the cockpit area, and Ruby tentatively slipped in the one next to Weiss, leaving the two of them sitting together to gaze out at the early morning sky, stars slowly fading one by one as morning gradually approached. Elsewhere in the airship, the rest of the team tried doing everything they could to make themselves useful. Not having anything to do meant lingering on what they had all just lost. It made piloting the _Aeneid_ , a task that involved little more than staring at a screen, all that much worse.

"How'd you get stuck with piloting duty?" Ruby asked obliquely, trying to make conversation. "Where's Winter? Is she holed up in her quarters?"

Weiss shook her head, arms crossed.

"Last I checked, she was down in the cargo area with your uncle."

Ruby blinked, actually somewhat surprised to hear that.

"She is?" she asked obliviously, trying to think of a reason for this arrangement. "Are they fighting again?"

Weiss closed her eyes, unable to summon the patience to address Ruby's lack of understanding.

"I didn't ask," Weiss said bluntly. "But they looked like they wanted to be left alone, so I took on piloting duties for the time being."

Ruby blinked again, still looking utterly confused.

"Well…okay…" she allowed. "But if they get into a fight, it might be dangerous for the ship."

Weiss shook her head, rubbing her eyelids.

"Ruby…" she said bitterly. "Shouldn't you be checking in on the rest of the team? Jaune still looked pretty shaken up over his fight with Pyrrha, and from what I hear, something happened with Ren and Nora that he should know about. Coco's going to be needed a new stock of nano-machines for her weapon to function, and Dora's been acting a lot more withdrawn than usual since we got back. And our little green-haired hanger-on took quite a beating in that fight – we ought to get her to a physician."

Ruby gave Weiss a peculiar look.

"Since when do you pay such close attention to your teammates?" she asked.

Weiss bristled at the insinuation.

"Well, maybe if you did a better job of it, I wouldn't have to," she quipped before she could stop herself.

"That's not true, Weiss," Ruby said pointedly, not rising to her bait. "Jaune's talking things out with Ren and Nora right now, and they'll be there for him to console him over Pyrrha. Coco's already situated in the engineering wing, and Dora's got a lot to think about right now and knows she can come to me or my uncle if she needs. And Emerald received first aid when we made it to Shiroyuki, and she'll just have to hold on until we get back to Atlas."

Weiss wrinkled her nose, knowing that she was lashing out as a self-defense mechanism, and was angry with herself more than anyone for falling into such childish habits once again.

"I _do_ pay attention to my team, Weiss," Ruby asserted. "That includes you. And I _know_ you're trying to avoid a problem. I think you're focusing on everybody else on the team so that you don't have to think about your own sadness."

Weiss narrowed her brow. When did Ruby get so damn perceptive?

"Well, that doesn't take away from the fact that the rest of your team probably needs you more than I do right now," she grumbled. "You shouldn't be wasting your time trying to cheer me up or anything like that."

Ruby shook her head disparagingly as she stood and walked to the other girl's side, resting her hands on the armrests of her chair.

"Don't be ridiculous, Weiss," she said sweetly. "None of my other teammates have just lost a mother."

Weiss' eyes widened, as if the reality were only just sinking in.

"It's…it's not as bad as all that," Weiss insisted, turning her head away. "I never knew her growing up. I thought she'd been gone all this time. She hasn't been a part of my life for fifteen years now."

Ruby did not look assuaged.

"But you wanted her to be," she retorted. "Didn't you?"

Weiss lowered her eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous…" she said in a withering voice. "I mean, sure, it would have been _nice_ …but the odds were against us from the start. I'm a realist, Ruby. It wasn't like I was getting my hopes up or anything…"

Ruby's eyes softened. "Weiss…"

Weiss' hands slowly opened and closed, like she was trying to grasp at something, and didn't know what it was.

"If anything, you should be talking to Winter…" Weiss said, her voice cracking as she tried to keep up her façade. "She was at least old enough to _remember_ what our mother was like. She was old enough to _miss_ her when she was gone. She's…probably much sadder than _I_ am…"

Weiss didn't even notice the tears streaming down her face.

"I…never even got to _have_ a mother…"

Ruby felt her eyes beginning to water as well, and could no longer restrain herself from flinging her arms around Weiss' shoulders and pulling her into a crushing embrace.

"Oh, Weiss!" she wailed. "Don't say things like that! You're _allowed_ to feel sad about what just happened you big dummy!"

Weiss' tear-filled eyes stared blankly ahead as Ruby held her tightly.

"It doesn't matter if it was naïve or foolish or…or overly optimistic or _whatever!_ " Ruby declared, crying tears over her own as she hugged her friend. "She was your _mother_ , Weiss! You're _allowed_ to hope that you might have had a chance to be with her again, and you're _allowed_ to feel bad after she's gone!"

Weiss blinked, somewhat taken aback by Ruby's suggestion.

"Ruby, you…" she stammered, annoyed by the incessant tears pouring out of her face, before inhaling and trying again. "Ruby, you don't understand! I'm a _Schnee!_ I know better than that!"

"Weiss…" Ruby whimpered, squeezing tightly.

"You don't get it, do you?" Weiss blared, shoving her back. " _Other_ people may get the luxury of pitying themselves in a situation like this, where there was _clearly_ nothing more they could have done…but not _me!_ "

Ruby withdrew, giving Weiss an incredulous look.

Weiss stared back at her friend, eyes still red as she shook her head, trying to rationalize what she was feeling.

"Everything that happened was a simple matter of constants and variables!" Weiss blared. "We succeeded at our mission! We denied an asset to the enemy. We weren't able to recover the asset for ourselves, but that doesn't _matter!_ There was _nothing_ more we could have done! I should just be able to accept it and move on, and not allow myself to linger on what-if's and why-me's!"

Ruby shook her head. "Weiss, listen to yourself…"

"No, _you_ listen!" Weiss wheezed, pupils narrowing to fine points, her voice taking on a desperate tone. "I'm a _Schnee!_ I'm supposed to be _better_ than that, Ruby! I _am_ better than that!"

She nearly choked on her tears as she tried to get her words out in spite of them.

"I'm-!" she sniffed. "I'm..."

Ruby withered as she stared at her best friend in disbelief as she struggled to reconcile with her own emotions, before she clasped her hands over hers.

"Weiss…" she said simply. "You're _not_ perfect."

Weiss blinked in realization. "W…what?"

Ruby tried her best to smile, but it was difficult through the tears.

"You keep acting like you're supposed to be this super-human machine that can function without emotion, Weiss…," she said sympathetically. "You think being a Schnee means you're supposed to be perfect. But you're not."

Weiss said nothing. Her lower lip hung a bit lower as it began to quiver. She blinked several times in succession.

"You're a human being, Weiss," Ruby told her. "You make mistakes, you get angry way too easily, you push your friends almost as much as you push yourself, and you get sad when you can't save the people you love."

Weiss stiffened, as each flaw Ruby lobbed at her compounded, one on top of the other, making her failure seem more and more insurmountable by the moment.

"You're _not_ perfect, Weiss," Ruby reassured her, taking her by the shoulders. "You'll _never_ be perfect. And that's okay."

Weiss stared at her partner in something close to shock. In her entire career as a Huntress, she had always seen Ruby as this struggling child, flying by the seat of her pants, without any notion of what it meant to even _be_ a Huntress. Ruby had since proven her methods quite sound, and while that didn't challenge Weiss' initial prognosis of the other girl, it did call into question her own understanding of things.

But if the events over the last few days had proven nothing else, it had painted Weiss' own shortcomings in bold red ink for all to see, it seemed. Ruby may not have understood all there was about being a Huntress. But her strength of character, moral fiber and devotion to her friends proved, more than anything, that Ruby utterly surpassed Weiss in her understanding of what it meant to be human.

Weiss finally let her tears flow freely. She clearly had so much left to learn.

"It's not fair!" Weiss screamed, her voice muffled within Ruby's clothes. " _It's not fair!_ I never even got to _know_ her! She left before I could even know what it felt like to have a mother! She was basically a total stranger! I shouldn't _feel_ this way about her! So why does it still _hurt_ so much!?"

Ruby gasped a little at Weiss' outburst, not used to such raw, unhampered emotion pouring out of the other girl.

"Oh, Ruby!" she sobbed, bawling her eyes out as she threw her arms around her partner. "I _wanted_ to save her! I really thought I _could!_ I was _so_ stupid, but I actually thought there might be a chance! I can't believe what an _idiot_ I was for letting myself _hope_ , but even now, I still just feel like I could have done _something_ to save her! Oh Ruby, I'm still just such a baby!"

So many complicated feelings came pouring out of Weiss all at once. Every word she spoke was punctuated by a tearful cry, and her face was buried in Ruby's dress, drenching it with her tears. But Ruby still responded the only way she knew how, by wrapping her arms around her and stroking her back soothingly, just like her own mother used to do for her once upon a time.

"Shhh…" she whispered, holding her tightly. "It's okay, Weiss. It's okay. You're not an idiot and you're not a baby. You have _nothing_ to be ashamed about for feeling this way, Weiss. Everyone has a right to feel this way every once in a while, _especially_ if it's about their mother. There, there…"

Weiss shuddered as she buried herself in Ruby's embrace, weeping and wailing like a child. She was so ashamed for losing control of her façade, but at the same time, it was such an immense relief. She trusted Ruby more than almost anyone in the world, but she only now realized how much she had been holding back, even from her own partner. And now that she had finally broken that final barrier, she had completely let herself go.

How embarrassed and ashamed she should be feeling right now, for letting herself be reduced to a squabbling mess in such a manner. But she didn't feel any of those things when she was with Ruby. Being around Ruby let her behave in a way that she never would have been able to around her father or sisters. Being around Ruby, she was finally able to be herself.

And she just couldn't stop crying.

After a long while of Weiss weeping within her partner's arms as she comforted her, she eventually pulled away, her eyes puffy and red.

"Thanks, Ruby…" she sighed breathlessly as she withdrew a handkerchief from her pocket and blew her nose. "I needed that more than I realized."

She blushed as she saw the stain she had left on Ruby's outfit.

"Sorry I ruined your dress…" she said, abashedly.

Ruby glanced down at the stain of tears left on her clothes and she waved her off.

"Aww, don't worry about it," she brushed her off, adopting a more congenial smile. "I'll always be here to give you a shoulder to cry on when you need it, Weiss. The number of times you've helped me out, it's the least I could do. Heck, if it weren't for your help focusing my silver-eyed power, Jaune and I might have been toast back there when we went up against Pyrrha."

That seemed to lift Weiss' spirits a little.

"Yeah?" she asked hopefully. "You mean you figured it out?"

Ruby shrugged helplessly.

"Well, I mean, I can't exactly call it up on _command_ or anything," she scratched her nose. "But I think if I see another Grimm, I could do it if I needed to."

Weiss nodded hopefully. "I'm so glad I could help."

"Yup," Ruby nodded. "And don't forget that time you helped Jaune figure out his semblance _and_ help him develop his weapon. And don't think I didn't hear from Blake about how you helped her with _her_ and Sun's weapons too. Not to mention all that you're doing to help Neptune get over his setbacks. You've done _so_ much for this team, Weiss, and you've asked for _so_ little in return. I think we could _all_ afford to appreciate you a little more."

Weiss's cheeks colored under the praise.

"Gosh, Ruby, you're really laying it on thick, aren't you?"

"Well," Ruby gave her a cheeky smile. "What else can I do when my partner gets all weepy like this, huh?"

Weiss laughed so hard she actually snorted what was left of her tears through her sinuses.

"You're such a _brat!_ " she chortled and shoved Ruby away.

Ruby giggled and shied away from the assault.

"Whoa, friendly fire!" she giggled.

Weiss sighed as she dried her eyes.

"I wonder how long until my mother's power transfers to the next Maiden," Weiss said idly.

Ruby blinked, surprised at the change in conversation.

"Oh, umm…" she thought out loud. "Uncle Qrow it was almost immediate. I wonder who it's going to be…"

Weiss frowned. "Didn't Ironwood say that it went to whoever was in the former Maiden's final thoughts?"

Ruby nodded. "Usually, at least. But my uncle said that it could be kind of a…I think he used the word 'crap-shoot?' Not sure what that means, but it sounds like it's not as simple as we might hope."

Weiss looked forlorn.

"Who else could it be, though?" she asked. "I mean…Winter and I were her _daughters_ , and…she sacrificed herself to save _us._ Who else would be in her final thoughts?"

Ruby eyed Weiss curiously. "You don't feel any different?"

She shook her head. "No…"

Ruby's eyes widened.

"Wait…could that be why Winter is with uncle Qrow right now?" she said excitedly. "Could your sister be the new Winter Maiden? Is _that_ why they needed to talk, since he's the Wizard?"

Weiss' cheeks colored.

"I…don't think that's what they were talking about…" she muttered surreptitiously.

"Well, what else could they be talking about?" Ruby asked obliviously, getting to her feet. "I'm gonna go check on them."

Weiss' eyes widened in a panic at the thought of her partner interrupting yet _another_ romantic liaison.

"Ruby, wait!" she called out to her. "I don't think that-"

BEEP-BEEP!

Weiss and Ruby's attention was drawn to the _Aeneid_ cockpit control console, as a flashing yellow light indicated an incoming hailing signal.

"I'm picking up a _comm buoy_ ," Weiss glanced at the readout in disbelief. "Very faint, but it just got within our range."

Ruby was back in leader-mode as she hovered over Weiss as she monitored her station.

"A comm buoy?" she asked, confused. "This far north? I thought they only stretched between Atlas and Vacuo."

"It must be one of the spares," Weiss reasoned as she tapped at the readout to bring up the platform's specs. "It's in bad shape; must have been hit pretty hard by airborne Grimm, but it's still transmitting."

She glanced back at Ruby.

"For Atlas to divert one of its backup comm buoys this far north without an escort…"

Ruby nodded, following Weiss' reasoning.

"Ironwood must be trying to reach us," she said urgently. "Weiss, can you patch it through?"

Weiss nodded, and tapped on the floating image of the transmission platform, establishing a connection.

"Atlas command, this is the _Aeneid_ , do you read me?" Weiss spoke into the transmitter.

A static-riddled face appeared on the transmission screen.

KZZZZ-SHHH - "…this is General…" - SHHH-KZZZ-SHHH - "…please come in…" - SHHH-KZZZ…

Weiss pursed her lips. The comm buoy was barely holding together. She changed courses and guided the _Aeneid_ closer to the comm buoy to try for a clearer signal.

"What was that, general?" she asked. "I didn't copy."

SHHH-KZZZ-SHHH – "…come in!" the voice on the other line came through. "Team RSJC, please come in!"

General Ironwood's face resolved into a clearer image as Weiss and Ruby automatically straightened in response.

"General," Weiss said in a loud and clear voice. "We read you."

Ironwood's eyes lit up as he recognized the two faces on his screen.

"Finally!" he grunted in what appeared to be aggravation. "Operative Schnee, Operative Rose, what's your status?"

Ruby took that as her cue to chime in.

"Mission was a success, sir," she reported. "But unfortunately we were unable to recover the Winter Maiden. We also…lost Pyrrha. She's once again in enemy hands."

Ironwood turned his head away and barked some indistinguishable order to someone off screen, before refocusing his attention on the two Huntresses.

"We can discuss your mission later," he said impatiently. "Right now, I need your and your team back at the Citadel ASAP."

Ruby and Weiss shared a concerned glance, before Ruby once again addressed the general.

"What's happened, sir?" she asked bluntly.

Ironwood's expression turned grave.

"The kingdom of Atlas is under attack."


	105. Chapter 105

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 105

* * *

Sitting at a workbench in a dimly lit lab cluttered with machine parts and gizmos, an old man in a white lab coat sat tinkering with a bright white soldering tool. His hair and beard were both pure white, his head balding at the top. A pair of goggles protected his eyes and a pair of rubber gloves covered his hands as the tiny white plasma torch showered sparks as he worked, causing the goggles to reflect the pale blue glow. A single lamp burned at the bench, illuminating his work space and nothing else. Every so often he would pause to inspect his work, taking the time to blow away any excess material. Finally, he lifted his goggles to give the tiny creation in his hands a careful once over, eyeing his craft with a discerning look, before tugging his goggles back down to add a few more finishing touches.

It was a run-down old research lab in the heart of Atlas that the old man worked at, age-old linoleum and tile floors spanning the hallways. It used to be a place of ingenuity and discovery back in its heyday, but lately it had fallen on hard times. He had once been the director of an entire team of scientists, doctors, researchers and developers. However, after the disaster in Vale, the facility had become a primary care center for the many, many citizens and refugees who had fled to the sanctuary of the kingdom. The facility was ill-suited for this task, however, and as the months had gone by, more and more staff had left to find other work, until all that was left was the skeleton crew of maintenance workers that kept the place running. In spite of this, however, everything still continued to function, and so long as it did, the old man could continue his research unimpeded.

Ancient monitoring equipment still filled the numerous unused floors, and the entire facility smelled of a rich combination of mold and chemical cleaners. The building may very well have been condemned, had the old man not been working tireless to keep the decrepit science lab afloat. Income had been scarce lately, and maintenance had fallen by the wayside. Rats had taken up residence in the basement levels, and cobwebs lined the corners of every hallway. For all that, though, the old man was able to eke a living in the remains of his old workplace.

As he worked, a blue-eyed and olive skinned face wearing a blue beret appeared on a holographic transmission screen adjacent to the workbench, which the old man did not seem at all interested in.

"Director Polendina," the woman said, her face the model of thinly veiled impatience. "The general has been trying to reach you for quite some time."

The old man continued to focus on the tiny creation in his hands as he spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

"I'm afraid that the general will need to make an appointment, just like the rest of my clients," he said forlornly, his balding brow heavy and worn. "I don't work for the state any longer, Miss Soleil. I've moved on to private practice, as your general well knows."

The woman let out a breath as she inclined her head in acknowledgement.

"The general deeply regrets letting you go after what happened in Vale," she said, without a hint of remorse in her voice. "But your expertise in the field of robotics is second to none. The kingdom _desperately_ needs your help on the Titan project."

The old man set his creation down on the lab bench and got up from his stool, pulling his goggles up to rest on his forehead.

"I have no intention of even _touching_ that monstrosity the general has been building, Miss Soleil," he said, stretching his arms. "Since the disaster in Vale, the need for robotic prostheses has increased _dramatically_ throughout the kingdoms, and I've been able to apply my craft to do some real _good_ in the world. More so than I was ever able to do working for the general."

He strode over to a long bulletin board, which among various reports and readouts, included a number of photographs printed out. Upon each photograph was a swathe of different people of varying ages and races, most of whom outfitted with prosthetic arms and legs, both in some cases. And every single one of them was smiling.

He reached up and touched one of the photographs fondly, this one of a girl with orange curls and a dainty green dress.

"This war has hurt everyone, Miss Soleil," he said, closing his eyes. "I've had to design weapons of war all my life. I gave your general the Atlesian Knight. I gave him the Atlesian Paladin. And then I had to watch those weapons be turned against the people they were supposed to protect."

His brow furrowed as he clenched a hand over his chest.

"And Penny…"

Ciel Soleil shook her head as she watched him from the holographic emitter screen at his back.

"Which is why the general acted as he did," she explained. "The political pressure to disband all mechanized troops entirely after Vale were simply too great to ignore. Peace needed to be maintained."

"I am well aware of the political situation," the director turned to face the young woman, his composure once again restored. "I do not blame the general for his decision to cut ties. But I must deal with the situation as it is."

"Director Polendina…" Ciel intoned, her patience wearing thin.

The old man wasn't even paying attention anymore as he continued to stroll through his lab, placing his hands on an array of artificial limbs lining his wall in need of repair.

"To tell the truth, it's been quite liberating," he said, a note of pride in his voice. "I've gotten to try my hand at numerous other ventures that would have never come along were I still affiliated with the Atlesian military. I've even been tasked with creating the world's first cyborg."

Ciel did not react to the director's boastful words.

"I understand that President Schnee now counts himself among your top clients," she pointed out. "Is he aware that the surplus Knights and Paladins he acquired from you are still vulnerable to the viral hack that caused them go rogue?"

The director shifted uncomfortably. "I am not at the liberty to discuss my other clients, Miss Soleil, but I can assure you that my viral countermeasures are state of the art."

Ciel pressed on, undeterred.

"And this cyborg commission you've taken on," she said. "Am I to believe that this client has ordered no military grade hardware whatsoever?"

The director furrowed his eyebrows.

"I'm afraid I no longer have the time to discuss this further, Miss Soleil," he said impatiently. "Please inform the general that I will be more than happy to schedule a consultation, if and when my schedule allows for it. But under no circumstances will I be involved with the Titan project."

Ciel's façade of patience melted away.

"If you insist on drawing a line in the sand, then you would do well to disillusion yourself of the notion that you haven't continued to compromise on this line, even to this day," she said tersely. "You can't have it both ways, Director. You can pretend to be opposed to weapons of war all you like, but if you continue make money off of them, then you're nothing more than a hypocrite."

The director stiffened as he forced his face into a rigid, uncomfortable smile.

"So sorry," he said stiffly as he approached the workbench, reaching for the communication panel. "Lots to do, I'm afraid. I'm hanging up now."

Director Polendina disconnected the transmission, and he sat down on his stool, hanging his head in remorse. He placed his hands on his face, rubbing up and down his cheeks and massaging his eyelids. He looked tired. He _felt_ tired. He had been working for so long, and now he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do anymore.

He picked up the small trinket he had been fiddling with from off his desk. His thoughts flowed better when he was working on something, and he once again began welding as he considered the Atlesian operative's words. She had a point, he knew. He _had_ been making compromises, up to and including that very moment. What right did he have to oppose the general on moral grounds, when he himself had personally supplied one of the richest industrialists in the kingdom with the very tools he had sworn never to build again? At the time, it had been easy to write it off as disposing of old equipment, wiping the slate clean by sweeping the dirt under the rug. But he wasn't a fool. He knew it would just be a matter of time before those tools would be used to hurt someone again. And when that happened, it would be on his hands.

He set his creation down, having applied the final touches, and then inserted a small dust battery. Connecting the circuits, the contraption began to move, as well as produce a small, delicate melody through the brass music box hidden within.

"What do you think, Penny?" he asked aloud. "Is it time to throw in the towel?"

Before him, a tiny brass statuette of the daughter he'd never had, her tiny arms extended wide in a ballet position, as the figurine rotated slowly in a circle. Her body and her dress was made from various scraps of mismatched brass plating, each piece bent, folded into shape, and welded into place. The melancholic tone of the music box lent the figurine a somber air as the old man watched its pale, unfeeling eyes slowly turn towards him and away again, before coming back once again.

"You were my greatest creation, Penny," he said, smiling sadly. "I only wanted you to see the world for yourself, make some new friends, and maybe find a place for yourself in it. Am I just being a foolish old man?"

The brass figurine had no answer. It only continued to spin in a circle while the music played ever onward.

"There's no way I could bring you back into such a world without preparing you for the worst of it," he said remorsefully. "But that would mean going back on my word yet again. Is it worth sacrificing my principles in the name of giving you a chance at life? What's more important, my child? My honor…or my love?"

The tiny Penny figurine stopped whirling, and came to a rest looking away from the old man.

He slowly clenched a fist.

"It's settled then…" he said, before punching up the communication's array.

A brunette communications operator appeared on the holographic screen that hovered over the workbench.

"Schnee Dust Company," the operator said statically. "How may I direct your call?"

"This is Director Polendina," the old man said without preamble. "I have a priority message for President Schnee."

The operator's eyes widened in recognition.

"Of course, Director," she said promptly. "One moment please…"

The screen cut to a Schnee Dust Company logo while the call was transferred.

The old man did not have to wait long.

"Director," the President's face appeared shortly afterward. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you until the week's end. Are you finished already?"

The old craftsman heaved a great sigh as he shook his head.

"No, Mister President," he said cordially. "I am deeply sorry, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to terminate our contract, in accordance with the stipulations outlined in our agreement."

The president's eyes widened in shock.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded in stupefaction. "You're terminating our contract?"

"Yes," the Director said, typing some keys into the console. "I'm wiring the remainder of the funds you've transferred to me as part of our severance agreement. I'll be sending the remaining installments over the course of the next-"

"Now, wait just a second!" the president said, much more forcefully as he got over his shock. "You can't just back out right out of the blue like this! I've already made arrangements for your mechanized units to over half of my client-base!"

"Our contract is very clear about what restrictions I am bound to, Mister President," the old man said sternly. "I'm afraid you'll just have to find another supplier."

The president shook his head, looking somewhat panicked.

"Now hold on!" he said, trying to negotiate. "We can discuss this. We don't have to rush straight to termination. Perhaps we can simply revisit the contract and make some adjustments to-"

"Mister President," the Director said, pronouncing every syllable as he leaned in close to the screen. "Find. Another. Supplier."

Anger tinged into the president's eyes.

"You ungrateful, back-stabbing reprobate!" President Schnee bellowed. "Have you forgotten all that I've done for you!? Do you not recall how Ironwood threw you to the curb not so long ago!? If not for my company's business, you'd be sleeping on the street in a cardboard box right now! And if I have any say in the matter, that's _precisely_ where you'll end up once you terminate this contract!"

"Yes," the Director smiled. "You're probably right. So sorry, sir, but my decision has been made."

"Are you out of your mind?" the president fumed in outrage. "What's gotten into you, Director? Is this some misguided attack of conscience?"

The Director let out a sigh, feeling an enormous weight lifting off of his shoulders.

"An attack of conscience?" he asked jovially. "I don't know if it's anything like that, sir. I just think cardboard boxes are _so_ underrated, you see."

The President of the Schnee Dust Company bristled.

"I will _ruin_ you for this!" he growled in anger. "Do you hear me, Director!? I will-"

The old man switched off the connection, a surge of adrenaline flowing through his old bones as he hurried over to his computer and began purging it of all files. As the design schematics for the Atlesian Knight, the Atlesian Paladin, and many, many warships were deleted, he felt positively giddy! This would be it, he decided! He would finally cut ties with his past, once again for all! No more would he design weapons of war! He could face his daughter's grave with a clear conscience!

One last thing to take care of before he could face her, however.

Director Polendina grabbed smooth, metal cane and hobbled out of the cramped lab room, heaving down the hallway of the research facility towards one of the few remaining recovery rooms. Within the recovery ward had been many a patient that had awoken with a new arm, leg, eye or skin graft. Here, the Director was able to restore people's lives to something of what they had once been. Many of his clients had arrived in wheelchairs, only to walk right out of the facility a few days later on their own two feet.

His last patient, however, had arrived in a stretcher.

"Director…" a cold, metallic voice spoke out as the old man entered the dimly lit recovery room. "Has the final testing phase been completed?"

Within the recovery room, strapped to an elevated medical bench tilted forward to hold its occupant right-side-up, was the Director's final test subject. He was a tall man with red hair, and eyes that had faded to dim lifeless spheres. He had arrived to the facility broken and bleeding, having suffered multiple contusions and broken bones, not to mention lacerations to most of his body. Several of his internal organs had been ruptured or suffered severe tissue damage, and the man had faded in and out of consciousness at several points even before the procedure took place. Any hope he had of living past that point would have involved spending the rest of his life in a hospital bed.

In other words, he had been the perfect test subject for the Director's cybernetic enhancement suite.

Running out of the patient's back were a series of connector cables, which lead to an array of computers positioned adjacent to the vertical bench upon which he was affixed. Each screen displayed a number of percentage readouts, slowly ticking upward, as the firmware needed for the cybernetic enhancements to function at optimal capacity steadily updated. By this stage of the operation, the subject's bones had been replaced with carbon steel, and his muscle tissue replaced by cybernetic servo motors. And over top of it all, his naked skin had been almost entirely replaced by a malleable polymer filament as thin as human tissue. It had been the same material he had used with Penny to give an artificial construct the semblance of life anew. Now it was going towards the goal of giving an already living being the prospect of life once again.

With this new body, the test subject could survive a car crash, or dead-lift that same car to rescue somebody else, or storm headlong into a burning building and come out unscathed, or survive a fall to the ground from an airship high in the sky. The potential for good that this cybernetic body represented was so vast an immense, that the Director could have easily retired on the proceeds of his design alone, should it have proven successful. He knew that there was enormous potential for abuse, but he had been so sure that the benefits had outweighed the costs that he had ignored all caution and had heedlessly plunged headlong into the project, convinced that such an opportunity would never arise again within his lifetime.

But plans had changed.

The old man let out a sigh as he shook his head, still somewhat euphoric from his recent breakthrough.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir," the Director said in his most diplomatic tone of voice. "I will not be able to complete your order as specified."

The test subject's cybernetic eyes swiveled around to look at the old man in confusion, the tiny servos comprising the muscles in his face still unused to forming basic human expressions.

"What are you talking about?" he croaked in a robotic voice.

The Director walked over to the computer array stationed beside the patient, and begun typing in shut down commands into the console.

"Effective immediately, I will no longer be supporting military level upgrades," the Director clarified. "I'm afraid that the civilian model is all that I can provide you with for you at this time."

The cyborg turned his head left and right, but otherwise seemed unable to move the rest of his body, which was strapped to the upright bench with steel-lined canvas restraints.

"A civilian model?" the metal voice intoned in disbelief. "What am I supposed to do with that? What about the upgrades that you've already installed?"

"I will be uninstalling them," the Director replied apologetically as he began to shut down the program that fed the cybernetic body its stream of functioning data. "I know that you and your, uh…rather shady-looking associates have offered a substantial down payment for this procedure, so rest assured that you shall be reimbursed for the upgrades purchased."

The patient's lack of muscle control did little to disguise the outrage boiling within the still beating heart contained within his metal body.

"That…" the cyborg shook his head stiffly. "…Is not acceptable."

The Director shook his head as he focused his attention on the computer screen, still attempting to shut down the program as it streamed terabytes of data into the cybernetic body of his patient.

"I'm afraid this decision has already been finalized, and is non-negotiable," he said obliquely.

The test subject stiffened, as if trying to tug at his restraints, but seemed unable to muster the strength.

"Please, do not struggle," the Director commanded as he furrowed his brow at the computer screen, typing faster. "I'm informing you of this decision out of courtesy in accordance with doctor-patient confidentiality. Your new body will remain inert until the firmware is fully installed anyway, so there's no point in attempting to move. And if you make a commotion, I'll have no choice but to put you under until the final procedure is complete."

The cyborg's brow narrowed as his control over his musculature began to solidify, and his cybernetic eyes narrowed at the old man.

"That…is _not_ …acceptable…" he repeated as his body shifted left and right in protest.

The Director stared at the computer screen in concern, tapping furiously at his keyboard as the program incessantly refused to shut down. Every input command he entered was met with an error as the update steadily continued to proceed unencumbered.

Almost as if something was maintaining the connection from the other side.

"Confound this program…" he muttered to himself, not even paying attention to his patient anymore. "Shutdown update process! Emergency command override!"

The computer began displaying an error message as the test subject continued to struggle and tug at his restraints.

"The only reason I came here…" the test subject's metallic voice came out as a mechanical growl. "The only reason…was so that I could have my revenge."

The Director was starting to look concerned now as he attempted to shut down the computer system entirely.

"Command override!" he shouted at the screen. "Command override, right now!"

The screen began flashing red, as the percentage marker on the display continued ticking steadily upward. All the while, the patient's body was slowly regaining motor function as he continued tugging at his restraints.

"Do you think I would allow my body to be _defiled_ in such a manner by this accursed Atlas tech if I had _any_ other choice!?" the red-haired man bellowed in a hollow, tinny sounding voice as his body began to shake with scarcely contained rage. "Do you think it did not _disgust me_ to have to come to a man like you while I was on the verge of death, begging for your aid!?"

The percentage clock continued to tick upwards into the eighties and nineties as the cybernetic body's firmware continued to update, beyond the Director's control. As the cyborg gained strength, the bars lining the sides of the bench upon which his restraints had been fastened began to buckle under the strain.

"Shut down, now!" the Director command, before rushing over to the power cable to unplug the computer from the wall. "Shut down everything!"

He yanked at the massive power cable until it came loose from the wall, and the computer screen went dark.

All at once, the patient's body stopped moving as his head hung limply forward, his eyes dimmed to unfocused orbs.

The Director let out a sigh of relief as he set down the enormous computer cable and went over to check on his patient's vital signs.

"I told you not to struggle, young man," he said admonishingly as he placed a hand on the test subject's brow to check his core temperature. "This procedure isn't painless under the _best_ of circumstances, the last thing I want to do is add complications to the-"

SNAP! SNAP! CLANG!

" _Hurk!_ "

The test subject snapped awake and suddenly ripped through his restraints like they were tissue paper. With a motion that was too fast for the old man to see, much less avoid, the cyborg broke free of his restraints and seized the old scientist by the throat. His eyes were glowing red as his cybernetic pupils narrowed and focused all of his hatred on the human before him.

"W-wait!" The Director gasped in panic, flailing helplessly as his patient lifted him off the floor, struggling for air. "There's…no need…for violence…"

"Oh, but you're wrong," the machine man said, his voice thin and metallic, like a keen blade drawn over polished steel. "Violence is the only need _left_ in this world now. It's the only solution that exists anymore."

The test subject leaned in to direct his deadly gaze into the man who gave him the power he now wielded.

"I will see your entire _race_ wiped from existence, human," he growled menacingly. "Your cities…your civilization…your entire way of life…I will devote my dying breath to ensuring that it _all_ burns to the ground…"

The old man trembled in fear as the monster he created glared back at him.

"And from the ashes of humanity," the patient said. "We will rise."

Director Polendina stared back at the test subject, shaking his head in disbelief. How had he misjudged his creation so completely? How had he let it slip so thoroughly beyond his control?

"Who…who are you?" he gasped, unable to think of anything else to ask.

The man's synthetic lips curved into a smile.

"Who am I?" he smirked. "I am the White Fang."

The Director's eyes widened in terror as the cyborg drove his hand through his stomach, coming out his back, covered in blood. Blood spewed from the old man's mouth as the White Fang withdrew his claw, letting the Director fall to his knees, choking on blood and bile as he bled out, his hands clutching the open wound in his gut, unable to stem the gushing flow of deep, sickly red.

As he collapsed to the floor, he could see the cyborg walking away, leaving him to bleed. He never saw where the test subject went after that. He was clearly finished with the old man. The whole world was swimming. The Director knew he was dying. Being scientifically impartial made it all too simple to see the extent of his own injuries. Several organs had been ruptured, major arteries had been punctured, and he was losing blood at an alarming rate. No amount of medical care would sustain him after this level of trauma.

He would die here.

Coughing up blood, the old man slowly crawled out of the recovery room. He couldn't feel anything below his chest, and he had to claw his way across the floor, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Time seemed to pass by in a blur. His weak old body was giving out quickly, and his arms were barely strong enough to drag his dying body across the floor. His vision began to fade, and his entire body was going numb. He felt his mind beginning to slip, his grasp of reality drifting in and out, in a dream-like state. He knew that his body was going into shock, and that it would not be long before it completely shut down.

But there was one last thing he needed to do before he died.

"I…" he gasped, his breath leaving him as he strained to reach his destination. "I…I'm sorry…"

He looked up to see his final creation, a thin metallic capsule erected towards the back of the lab. He had completed it months ago, but had never worked up the nerve to set it into motion. But now, it seemed that it was all he had left to do.

It seemed that weapons of war would be the way of the world for the time being. The only thing he could do was ensure that whatever he set loose in that world was equipped to survive in it.

"I…" he spat blood as he spoke, his face going pale from blood loss. "I couldn't…make the world…a better place for you…"

His hand reached up, shaking and quivering and dripping with blood, until it came to rest on a big red button. Using the last of his strength, he pressed the button, and within moments the capsule lit up with an array of LEDs as its primary systems engaged. With a last gasp of breath, the Director collapsed onto the floor, staring up at his life's work, and wondering if it had all been worth it.

The last thing he saw before his world faded to black was a message blinking across the screen.

 **GEMINI PROTOCOL INITIATED.**


	106. Chapter 106

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 106

* * *

Ruby stared uneasily at the holographic representation of the kingdom of Atlas and the airspace above.

Atlas was a kingdom that had been forged by war, and it had never quite forgotten its roots. Of all the kingdoms, it had probably been the most well prepared for an all-out assault by the creatures of Grimm. The kingdom itself was enormous. While nowhere near as large as Vacuo, it dwarfed Mistral and Vale, both in scale and population. Like the other kingdoms, a great wall spanned its border. Unlike the other kingdoms, whose walls were erected largely of stone with steel girders bolstering the stress points, the walls of Atlas were formed _entirely_ of steel. By necessity, these walls weren't as thick as the walls of the other nations, but they were still easily the strongest of the four kingdoms. And that wasn't even getting into the armaments posted along the top of the walls, the soldiers and special forces patrolling its perimeter, the high voltage deterrents, and the patrolling airships overhead.

And the enemy had managed to punch a hole right through it.

"What am I looking at, exactly?" Ruby asked calmly as she focused on the holographic map at the center of the _Aeneid's_ strategic operations console.

Around her, the rest of her team gathered to observe in the ship's common area, their nerves still rattled from the previous mission. And operating the console, Winter Schnee stood, tall and prominent as ever, in spite of recent events.

"There was detonation that went off inside the city walls," Winter reported. "Suicide bombing. Apparently it was an inside job."

Ruby frowned at the forty-foot hole in the wall of Atlas, and the massing horde of Grimm gathering at the opening at its base, trying to force their way inside the city, and the Atlesian Special Operatives converging on the location, trying to contain the breach.

That alone would have been concerning enough without the swarm of dots hovering over the city. The dots consisted of both red and blue specks, the reds indicating the swathe of airborne Grimm, ranging from griffons to nevermores, as well as some other undocumented genotypes, and the blue represented the Atlesian air force.

The fleet was outnumbered a hundred to one.

"I don't think I've ever _seen_ that many Grimm before…" Jaune said darkly.

"FleetCom puts the estimate at about ten-thousand," Winter reported, tapping at her scroll. "And that's just the Grimm in the air. There's no telling how many are on the ground."

Yang gritted her teeth, clenching her fists angrily.

"Where are they all _coming_ from!?" she growled. "The kingdoms have got Huntsmen out there night and day, mopping these things up! Aren't we covering any ground at _all?_ "

"But we're down to two kingdoms now," Weiss pointed out gravely. "And every kingdom that falls becomes a breeding ground for new Grimm. All the lives lost and negative emotions left over only bolsters their number. What we're seeing is no doubt a culmination of both the kingdoms of Vale and Mistral falling to the Grimm."

Blake crossed her arms, staring at the holographic map grimly.

"We're losing this war…" she said.

Ruby set her jaw and clenched her fist.

"We haven't lost anything yet…" she muttered, before turning to the elder Schnee. "Winter, what's your tactical assessment? Where would our efforts do the most good right now?"

Winter met Ruby's gaze, before returning to the holo-map, eyes narrowing in concentration. The _Aeneid_ was on an approach vector to Atlas, its stealth systems engaged to keep it hidden from the Grimm all around them. But that was an advantage they couldn't keep for long.

"The _Aeneid_ is built for swift, decisive strikes," she pointed out. "Our efforts would most likely be wasted were we to join the aerial battle. That's a heavyweight fight up there, and the _Aeneid_ only has the tonnage to go a few rounds before giving out."

Ruby nodded grimly, shuddering in recollection. "Yeah…we learned that the hard way back in Vale."

Winter let out a breath as she pointed at the city below, the computer highlighting the movements of Grimm throughout the city.

"We would be better served assisting with the evacuation effort," she said. "Citizens of Atlas are drilled regularly on emergency escape routes to a series of vast underground bunkers. The total space should be enough to accommodate the entire population, even the refugees. But unfortunately, these refugees are not as familiar with Atlas' emergency procedures, and are further slowed by the injured and infirm."

She gestured to the outlying reaches of the city, where the vast majority of refugees were holed, as well as the nearest escape tunnel within the inner city - which amounted to about a two-mile trek as the crow flies.

"Right now, most of the survivors are still quartered in the emergency civilian housing units _here_ ," Winter said urgently. "But the Grimm are advancing on their position faster than they can be mobilized. There's no way the kingdom will be able to evacuate in time before the Grimm begin to flood the city streets."

The Huntsmen all shifted uncomfortably at the prospect of what that entailed.

"Should the _Aeneid_ help ferry civilians then?" Ruby asked.

"It would help," Winter said. "But I fear that the number of civilians that would fit in the _Aeneid's_ cargo hold would just be a drop in the bucket."

She gestured to the map, where a number of blue dots were encircling the civilian camp.

"The kingdom has a number of airships on reserve for emergency rescue, but the aerial Grimm have been making things difficult," she explained. "With the fleet outnumbered as it is, every airship in the force has been mobilized, and even then, the Grimm are hounding everything that leaves the ground. Bullhead squadrons have been tapped to run interference so the ground crews can work. If they divert to directly assist the effort, many will likely get torn out of the sky. And even then, the numbers just don't add up. We don't have enough airships, nor do we have enough Special Operatives to effectively guard them. If we bank on the aerial route, even with the _Aeneid_ assisting, I estimate we'd be looking at…nearly a _fifty percent_ casualty rate among the refugees."

Ruby stared at Winter, astonished that she had calculated that up so quickly. Weiss' sister was pretty impressive in her analytical capabilities.

"Those aren't acceptable losses," Ruby observed.

"No, they're not," Winter agreed. "We need to establish a cavalcade of some kind. If we mean to rescue these citizens, Ruby, they need a ground route. A _safe_ ground route."

Ruby nodded, a plan slowly forming in her head.

"Alright then," she said standing to her feet. "We'll split into teams of four, with two mobile units, and two stationary. Sun?"

The leader of Team SSSN stood and nodded.

"You and your team have the most experience defending and working together with civilians," she said. "I want Team SSSN posted at the refugee housing unit. Bolster their defenses, and keep them safe while they evacuate. Work with any Special Operatives you find, and tell them you speak with the authority of the First Atlesian Strike Force. They'll listen to you."

Sun inhaled and nodded somberly. "Got it."

Ruby turned her attention to Team CFVY.

"Now, for our first mobile unit," she said, giving the older girl a hopeful look. "Coco, does that car of yours have any weapons on it?"

The second year withdrew her golden gun from her handbag, freshly loaded with nano-machines, turning it over in her hand by way of indication.

"It _can,_ " she said simply.

"Good," Ruby nodded. "I need you and your team to help ferry refugees from civilian housing to the bunker, and a land vehicle would be the best tool for the job."

"It would be best to move the refugees in smaller groups," Winter confirmed. "So a four-man team should be able to keep track of them."

"Right," Ruby said. "The civilians will be defenseless as they make their way from point A to point B, so I need your team to protect them."

Coco nodded as Ruby reached towards the map, indicating the two endpoints, and the computer brought up several dotted lines indicating the various passages along known city streets.

"There are several possible routes," Ruby pointed said. "But keep in mind that some of these roads might be blocked off by the time you reach them."

"Got it," Coco nodded. "You can count on us."

Ruby turned to give her sister a smile.

"For our second mobile unit," she said. "Yang, how do you and Blake feel like taking your bike for a spin?"

Yang punched her fist into her hand, throbbing her partner a smile.

"One joy ride, coming up!" she grinned. "Been itching for a chance to test out that missile launcher."

Blake rolled her eyes.

"Your bike can get to places that Team CFVY can't reach," Ruby added. "So you two provide them support, and make sure no one gets left behind."

"Can do!" Yang declared brashly.

Ruby turned her attention to Team JNPR.

"Jaune, I'm posting you and your team at the breach," she said. "You guys help the Spec Op units there, and find a way to plug up that hole."

Jaune stood, nodding nervously.

"You got it, Ruby," he confirmed, before raising a hand. "Uh…you're coming with us though, right? I mean, we are down a teammate without you."

Ruby shook her head.

"I won't be joining you this time, Jaune," she said, before turning to her other partner. "Weiss? You'll be joining Team JNPR for this mission instead."

Weiss blinked in stupefaction. "What?"

Jaune's jaw dropped as well. "What?"

Ruby crossed her arms.

"I'm no good at holding defensive positions, Weiss," she assured her. "You're much better suited for field control, and Team JNPR needs your help with this."

Weiss blinked, still unconvinced. "And I'm supposed to take orders from _Jaune_ now?"

She glanced at the other Huntsman gingerly.

"I mean…no offense."

"No, I'm with her," Jaune protested, looking back at Ruby. "Weiss and I have _never_ worked together before."

"That doesn't mean you can't," Ruby said sympathetically. "You're a fine leader, Jaune. And you've seen Weiss fight often enough to know what she's capable of. You can do this. I know you can."

Jaune nodded warily. "If you say so…"

Ruby gave Weiss a firm look.

"Just follow Jaune the same way you'd follow me," she said. "The two of you are my partners, and I trust you both. I'm counting on you two here."

Jaune and Weiss exchanged a glance, before nodding back to Ruby.

"We'll get it done, Ruby," Jaune assured her.

"But where will _you_ be for all this?" Weiss inquired, arching her eyebrow.

Ruby put her hands on her hips as she cast her eyes around at her teammates. She was sending them all into danger, and tagging along with one group would mean abandoning another. She wasn't ready to do that just yet.

"I'm staying on the ship," she said. "I need to keep an eye on things from up here, and be able to jump in if any of you need my help. I can only do that from aboard the _Aeneid_ while it ferries whatever civilians it can carry."

She nodded to the elder Schnee operative.

"Winter, I'm counting on you to keep us flying," she smiled.

"Understood," Winter saluted.

"Umm…" Emerald chimed in, somewhat anxiously. "Is there anything that… _I_ should be doing?"

Everyone on board gave the green haired girl a peculiar. No one had ever heard her actually volunteer to help before.

It was Coco who spoke first, giving the other girl a friendly pat on the back.

"Why don't you come with us, Green Bean?" she offered companionably. "We got room for some crème de menthe in our Espresso Machine."

Emerald gave the other girl a suspicious look.

"Is…that supposed to be a euphemism for something?" she asked dubiously.

Velvet scratched her nose.

"Ahh…" she interjected. "That's…just what Coco calls her car."

"The Espresso Machine?" Emerald said in disbelief, wrinkling her nose. "Seriously?"

"What?" Coco demanded defensively. "You got a problem?"

Emerald held up her hands.

"No, no, it's fine," she said, trying not to laugh. "It sounds like it must be a fast car."

"Huh?" Coco asked. "No, I mean…well, _yes_ , it _is_ fast, but that's not why I call it the Espresso Machine."

Emerald's expression withered. "Don't tell me…"

Velvet giggled. "It _literally_ has an espresso machine built into the dashboard."

Emerald placed her hand on her forehead, shaking her head in disbelief. "Of course it does…"

"Everyone's a critic…" Coco muttered, before flipping open her scroll and bringing it to eye level. "Jenkins? Are you there? Can you ready my car please?"

"It shall be done, ma'am," came an elderly sounding voice over the scroll.

Ruby pursed her lips as she nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright," she said, taking stock of everyone around her. "Everyone has their mission. All except…"

Yang's eyes widened as she realized who she wasn't seeing in the main cabin.

"Uncle Qrow!" she called out loud.

Ruby and Yang looked about, but their uncle was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, my apologies…" Winter said, uneasily. "I neglected to inform you – your uncle actually took off a short while ago."

"He took off?" Yang asked, suspiciously.

"Without saying goodbye?" Ruby asked, crestfallen.

Winter lowered her eyes, clasping an arm around her body.

"He said he had some things he needed to look into," she said forlornly. "In Menagerie."

Yang bristled, and Blake, Velvet and Sun all look perturbed by the news.

"Menagerie!?" Yang demanded. "What's he doing going all the way out there without _us!?_ "

"All he said was that it may be too long to wait for the attack on Atlas to blow over," Winter said. "He also said that he trusted you two to handle things here on your own."

Ruby and Yang exchanged a troubled glance with one another.

"We can go find him after we're done here, Yang," Ruby assured her sister. "He's a grown Huntsman, and he can handle himself. Right now, we need to focus on our mission."

"Right…" Yang grumbled hotly.

Blake reached out and touched her shoulder.

"Yang…"

Ruby gave Winter a quizzical look.

"Is that…all he told you?" Ruby asked, curiously. "He didn't say or do anything else?"

Winter's cheeks became a faint shade of red.

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked as several other Huntresses cracked a smile.

"About the Winter Maiden," Ruby clarified as Weiss cringed at Ruby's lack of comprehension. "We should have seen the signs by now if _either_ of you were going to inherit your mother's power."

Winter fixed Weiss with a troubled look, who only shook her head in dismay.

"Oh," Winter blinked. "I'm…I'm sorry, Ruby. But neither Weiss nor I have received the Winter Maiden's power."

Ruby sat down. That did not bode well. If the Winter Maiden appeared elsewhere in the world, then they were back to square one. For all she knew, the Winter Maiden's power had emerged in someone even younger and less experienced than Dora, which meant that she would be in even more risk than Crystal Schnee had been. They would need to go searching for her as soon as they were able, but first, they had a kingdom to save. Ruby had been hoping that the Winter Maiden could aid them in their struggle to defend Atlas, but it appeared as though they were on their own.

"Hey, you've still got one Maiden over here!" Dora chimed in as if reading her thoughts, popping her head out of a ventilation grate on the ceiling. "What can I do to help?"

"Dora?" Ruby asked, blinking her eyes. "What are you doing up there?"

Dora held out a hand, as a small furry rodent squirming in her grasp.

"Solving the ship's rat problem," Dora snickered.

"Eeek!" Ruby gasped, recoiling instinctively.

Dora started laughing so hard that she fell out of the ventilation shaft, tumbling to the floor before rolling around in a fit of laughter, the rat scurrying off in fright.

"Dora!" Ruby yelped in agitation. "Don't _do_ that!"

Dora sat upright on the floor and continued to giggle. Weiss was unable to withhold a snicker of her own, and Ruby threw her a dirty look.

"Weiss!" Ruby whined. "Did you tell Dora about the rat thing?"

"I…may have let it slip…" she smiled innocently.

"Rrrgh…" Ruby grumbled, before straightening herself out. "Alright, Dora, look…I want you up here on the ship with me and Winter for now."

Dora wrinkled her nose, glaring petulantly at Ruby.

"Aww, how come?" she whined. "I can help! You've _seen_ me in a fight! You _know_ I can hold my own!"

"Yes, I do," she assured her. "And if _I'm_ needed somewhere, then I'll need you to come with me to back me up. We can fight side by side, just like you and mom used to do. But right now, you're the only confirmed Maiden we have. No need to risk sending you out there unless we absolutely have to."

Dora crossed her arms in a huff. "Phooey…"

Ruby looked around at the rest of her team and nodded.

"Alright then, you all have your missions," she said. "Winter, take us down to the breach. We'll drop off Weiss and Team JNPR, and then head to the civilian housing center to drop off the rest of the team and pick up as many refugees as we can. We may not be able to make much of a difference, but we can certainly help lighten the load."

"Understood," Winter said with a nod, heading over to the cockpit.

As the team readied themselves, they felt the engine kick into high gear as the ship made a beeline to the hole in the wall through which the Grimm were flooding. Being a former luxury liner, the ship had been outfitted with inertial dampeners which largely negated the change in acceleration experienced by the passengers. It spoke to the velocity that the engines were outputting that the Huntsmen could feel the engine's kick, even in spite of those dampeners.

As the ship continued to cruise along in stealth mode, unimpeded by passing Grimm, a battle raged far overhead over the center of the city. The Atlesian fleet was joined in combat, as the air around them swarmed with aerial Grimm. The mid-morning sky was dimming as the swarm of Grimm blotted out the sun as it rose higher and higher above the horizon. The fleet was holding out, but they had their hands full, as more and more Grimm seemed to harry each and every ship in the air.

Before seemingly any time had passed at all, the _Aeneid_ was at the first drop point, overlooking the swathes of beowolves, ursi, creeps and boarbatusks trying to charge through the line of Special Operatives on the ground. All around the charred city street were broken hunks of twisted metal, the wreckage from the steel buildings all around which had also absorbed some of the blast that had opened the hole in the first place.

Ruby wondered idly which of Cinder's minions had been responsible for a suicide bombing, of all things. Surely it couldn't have been the White Fang, could it?

"Laying down covering fire," Winter's voice announced over the intercom as the ship lowered to street level.

RATATATATATATATAT!

The Grimm on the ground dropped like flies all around as the _Aeneid's_ main artillery cannon opened fire, giving the Huntsmen on the ground a momentary reprieve. Many of the Special Operatives raised their weapons and cheered. But the Grimm were far from finished.

Team JNPR stood ready to jump out of the main hatch, down the thirty feet or so to the ground as the _Aeneid_ hovered over the clearing before the wall. Ruby stood with them, preparing to send them off.

"Weiss, Jaune, Ren, Nora," Ruby said somberly as the gust from the air outside buffeted their clothes, her cape fluttering in the wind. "You four have got the toughest mission of all. You all stay safe out there. The _Aeneid_ can act as a comm buoy for the entire kingdom if need be, so even if the scroll towers go down, we'll still be in contact range. So don't hesitate to call for help if you need it."

Jaune nodded. "Will do."

Ruby watched as the team of Huntsmen, and some of her best friends, leaped clear of the airship, plummeting down to the street level below, landing on their feet, drawing their weapons and heading off towards the breach.

Ruby wanted nothing more than to follow them out. Her partner, her adoptive partner, and her adoptive team, all of them venturing out on their own without her. She could recall when she had first met Weiss at Beacon Academy. She recalled the day she first met Jaune. And she recalled their last days at Beacon, when Team RNJR had set out to Haven to find the truth.

They had found so much more than that.

"Hey sis," Yang called out to her when she saw her spacing out. "Everything alright?"

Ruby blinked, looking over to where Yang was standing. She was holding her motorcycle by the handlebars, wheeling it over to the main hatch where Ruby stood, staring out at the city passing by beneath her as the _Aeneid_ made for the second landing point. They couldn't see the sky from their vantage point, the wings of the airship blocking their view. It was a blessing – the sky was full of Grimm, and all around them, Bullheads and other airships zipped by to reach their respective destinations, as the sound of weapon-fire blared distantly in the background.

The war with the Grimm had well and truly hit Atlas.

"I hope so, Yang…" Ruby said, before noticing Blake approaching with a sleek black helmet tucked under her arm – a helmet with kitty ears, as it turned out. "Just…drive safe down there, alright? The two of you will probably be isolated from the others for most of your mission, so you'll have to watch each other's back"

Yang smiled and latched her yellow helmet over her head.

"No worries, Ruby," she said with a smile. "That's what we're good at."

"I'll keep your sister safe, Ruby," Blake nodded. "You can count on me."

"Thanks Blake," Ruby smiled. "Good luck down there, you two."

Then Winter's voice echoed over the intercom.

"We're starting our approach to the civilian housing area," her voice echoed through the cargo hold.

Yang gave Blake a knowing smile, and she climbed on top of the bike. Blake affixed her black helmet to her head, completely obscuring her face behind the sleek chrome visor as she climbed on behind Yang, wrapping her arms around her waist. Then Yang revved the engine and launched her bike out of the main hatch, causing Ruby to stumble aside as the bike soared through the air, before landing with a loud _thud_ on the pavement below, before speeding off to scout the perimeter of the development.

Ruby let out a sigh.

"She could have waited until we landed…" she groaned.

"I don't think that's her style," Sun quipped as he and his team approached the main hatch.

Ruby smiled with a nods.

"Yeah, probably not…" she allowed. "You guys gonna be okay down there? This is going to be just like Mistral all over again."

Sun and his team glanced down at the development as the _Aeneid_ lowered into a clearing amongst the hastily crafted housing units. The place was already overrun with soldiers and emergency rescue vehicles rushing to get people out of their houses and en-route towards the bunker. The sick and infirm were being carted out on stretchers, and while the number of people in need was great, the number of people helping out was great as well.

"I think we'll be fine, Ruby," Neptune chimed in.

"Yeah," Sun nodded. "If we had _this_ kind of infrastructure supporting us when we were in Mistral, we'd have been set for another year, easy."

Ruby nodded. "Don't let your guard down, all the same."

"We won't," Sun winked as he leaped out of the airship, Neptune, Scarlet and Sage following suit as they landed on the street below, hurrying off to aid with the rescue effort.

Ruby rolled her eyes as she watched them go. She remembered when Sun had first arrived at Beacon, how he had helped Blake finally come out of her shell. She could see why Blake liked him, and she was grateful to Neptune as well, for giving Weiss a new challenge and being there to support her too.

"Be safe out there, guys…" she whispered out into the chaos.

The _Aeneid_ finally touched down, the ramp to the main hatch lowered to the ground, just in time for a sleek white convertible with gold filigree to pull up to the airship as soldiers and refugees scurried around them.

Ruby blinked as a thin elderly man in a three-piece suit stepped out of the vehicle.

"Right on time, Jenkins…" Coco's voice caught Ruby's attention, as she and her team stepped down the platform towards the vehicle, following by Emerald.

"Of course, Ma'am," the butler said, handing her the keys.

"Thank you for this, Jenkins," she nodded affectionately. "Now please see yourself safely to a bunker."

"Right away, Miss Adel," he said, before offering a courteous bow and making his way over to a parked emergency rescue Bullhead.

Ruby raised an eyebrow as Coco, Velvet, Fox, Yatsuhashi and Emerald all climbed into the convertible.

"Just how rich _is_ your family, Coco?" she said as she watched Jenkins depart.

"Rich enough to give _this_ one ideas, I'm sure," Coco said, giving Emerald a playful nudge.

Emerald colored a little at the insinuation.

"Hey!" she blared. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Ruby had to smile. Despite starting on what may have been the roughest of terms possible, Emerald had certainly opened up to her friends recently, particularly Coco and her team.

"Alright people!" Winter's voice caught Ruby's attention as she stepped down off the ramp and onto the street. "The First Atlesian Strike Force is prepared to lend you aid! This airship can safely hold eighty civilians at a time, so please get the sick and injured on board, as well as anyone else who cannot walk at this time! The rest of you, get ready to ferry the rest of the civilians on city streets! Our Huntsmen will defend you all as you make your way to the bunkers! Now let's move, people!"

All at once, the soldiers and other Operatives moved to follow her orders. Ruby was once again in awe of Winter's abilities. She spoke with the clarity and the authority of the Schnees, and she had referred to themselves as 'the First Atlesian Strike Force,' not 'Team RSJC.' While the Huntsmen were revered throughout the kingdoms, these were still citizens of Atlas, and they respected the authority that came with it.

Ruby watched as stretchers and wheelchairs were rolled into the airship, as Sun took his team to help organize the operatives on the ground. Elsewhere, Coco and her team were parked between the civilian housing area and the center of the city as she set up turrets on the front and rear hood of her vehicle, turning what had once been a stylish luxury vehicle into a tank. And off in the distance, Ruby spotted Bumblebee, Yang's motorcycle, scouting out paths along the city streets, with her two teammates riding together.

And overhead, the battle still raged, as Grimm and airship traded fire. Airships were already falling to the ground in flames, and the mid-morning sky was tinged a deep red. The city was already bathed in flame.

"Ruby," Winter's voice broke the Huntress out of her reverie. "We're ready to take off."

"Alright, Winter," she said.

Ruby glanced around the teammates she would be leaving behind, before nodding and following Winter back onto the ship. The ramp eventually lifted off the ground as the ship took to the air. Ruby spared the civilians in their cargo hold a passing glance as she made her way up to the main cabin. Most of them were sick and injured, many had lost limbs, many were families with children too week to walk on their own.

This entire kingdom needed their help. The entire _world_ needed their help.

But they were just one team of Huntsmen.

"Ruby?" Dora spoke up as the two of them sat together in the common area of the _Aeneid_. "Is everything alright?"

Ruby glanced at Dora, who was looking at her with concern in her eyes. It was just the two of them on the ship now, plus Winter. Yang had asked her that same question not long ago. Ruby must have been wearing her anxiety on her sleeve. She needed to take care to put on a brave face for her teammates.

"It's fine, Dora," she said, pulling the younger girl into a warm embrace. "It's just nerves. I hate splitting up the team like this. I believe in them, and I know I can trust them to handle themselves. But I still worry, you know?"

Dora nodded, returning the embrace.

"Oh, I get it," she said. "I still worry about the lost children of Vacuo, even now. Professor Jasmine sends me the occasional update every so often to let me know they're alright, but…they're my family, you know? And if I'm not around to keep them in line, well…"

Ruby nodded, holding her even tighter.

"It seems we _both_ have people we worry about…" she smiled wistfully.

"Yeah…" Dora sighed.

As the airship made its way towards the city center, still cloaked from view, the air raid sirens began to blare anew.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

Ruby and Dora both looked up out the cockpit window, and tried to see what had caused the siren, but all they could see was smoke rising from the burning wreckage surrounding the Citadel.

"What is it?" Ruby asked aloud, as she looked around.

Dora shrugged, and the two of them glanced at their pilot.

"Winter, do you see anything?" Ruby asked.

Winter's eyes were wide as saucers as she shook her head.

"I…I saw the footage…" she breathed, looking shaken. "I read the reports…but until now, I thought they had been far-fetched…"

She pointed to a far off cloud bank, and Ruby and Dora both peered into the distance.

Until they saw what appeared to be a crackle of lightning, and a massive shape emerged from within the clouds.

"It can't be…" Ruby exhaled as fear gripped her heart.

"What…is…that?" Dora gaped in disbelief.

Way off in the distance, approaching the kingdom of Atlas with clear malevolent intent, the shape emerged from the clouds to resolve into the fearsome visage of the great Grimm dragon that had awoken from the depths of Vale almost a year ago.

Ruby, Dora and Winter all stared in disbelief as the mighty beast emerged from the cloud bank.

"How…?" Ruby breathed, shaking her head in dismay.

The dragon turned its eyes on the Atlesian fleet, and let out the most fearsome roar she had ever heard.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!


	107. Chapter 107

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 107

* * *

Deep beneath the ice of the northern wastes, life continued to stir.

Cinder was bleeding from several injuries, and her arm hung limply at her side. Her beautiful skin was battered and bruised, she was having trouble breathing. She suspected she may have had a collapsed lung, and she could barely stand. But she was alive.

The foundered cave system had come down hard, and she had taken a few nasty blows before she had hit the ground. If she had not had the benefit of the Maidens' powers, she would not have survived, but as it was, she clung to life as she hobbled her way through the narrow cracks and crevices left to her, the cave system around her a mess of rubble that pressed in around her from all sides.

Her tattered clothes still glowed with the radiant power of the dust woven into her dress, which provided her ample light to see in the lightless tunnel. Her breathing was labored with only one functioning lung, and her vision swirled as the pain threatened to overtake her, but she pressed on. A little pain was nothing to her. She had endured far worse than this. And she would endure far more before she was done. And so she continued to make her way forward. At times, she was forced to crawl to fit through the narrow passage between rocks and outcroppings, and she had to be careful not to shift the loose rubble or risk further collapsing the cave upon herself. At several points, she had to double back to find her way amongst the debris.

But finally, she came upon her prize.

In the midst of a small clearing, Crystal Schnee lay, pinned beneath a boulder, her lower body trapped. Her clothes were soaked with blood, her aura drained, her body broken beyond repair. Her short white hair was covered with dust, and her face was gaunt and pale as she stared back at Cinder, her eyes hollow and empty.

"Nnnng…" she breathed as she focused on the light of Cinder's dress, before coughing up a mouthful of blood. "Ugh…still alive, it seems…"

Cinder, whose condition was not a significant improvement from the Winter Maiden's, simply stared down, her rags clinging to her bruised and battered form, her hair a dirty, tussled mess as dried blood caked the side of her face, clutching her arm in pain.

"You miscalculated…" Cinder said in a raspy voice, the dust in the air choking the oxygen from her bruised lungs, the ache of her chest straining every breath she took. "You _had_ to know this was a fight you couldn't win…"

The Winter Maiden's face was a mask of amusement that stood in stark contrast to the pain in her body.

"Winning was never my intention…" she said, her eyes unfocused.

Cinder shook her head dismissively, fumbling in her pouch for her glove.

"I will never comprehend your motivations, nor do I care to…" Cinder rasped as she donned the Witch's glove. "Regardless, I _will_ have what's mine…"

Crystal wasn't even paying attention.

"Have you ever had children, my dear?"

Cinder gave the Winter Maiden a perplexed look.

"What kind of absurd question is that?" she demanded.

The Maiden shook her head.

"I think…I understand why you do what you do…" she breathed. "You _destroy_ because you feel like there is nothing in this world worth _creating_."

Cinder wrinkled her nose. She was not in the habit of entertaining other peoples' opinions of her character, but this was still a Guardian Maiden who spoke to her now, and she was uttering her final words before she died. So she indulged her.

"An interesting theory," Cinder observed, her breathing strained.

"Having children…changes everything," Crystal said, her eyes glazing over as she stared up at the ceiling, which was now much closer, and made up of arching stretches of shale, resting precarious against one another, providing precious little air to breathe. "Your priorities begin to shift. The future becomes more important than the present. Your life becomes secondary to the lives of those that come after you…"

She focused her sunken eyes on the other woman.

"The world…becomes _worth_ fighting for…"

Cinder's upper lip rose as anger as she gritted her teeth.

"That's easy claim to make, as a Maiden," she hissed. "You and your brethren will always have a place in the world!"

The Winter Maiden smiled.

"So could you."

Cinder fumed as she seized the other woman with her gloved hand, her other hanging broken and useless at her side.

"You know _nothing!_ " Cinder screamed, her voice thin and strained. "I am an unwanted child, no matter _what_ form I take! My only hope for salvation lies in this world's destruction! Only then will I ever be _free!_ "

Crytal's smile only widened as her eyes closed.

"There is always hope for salvation, dear child," she said, her trembling arms lifting, frail and straining against the throes of death, as if to embrace the other woman. "If you choose to accept it…"

" _Enough!_ " Cinder screamed, shaking the Winter Maiden roughly. "Now you will _tell_ me what you know! What secrets does the Maidens' knowledge hide? I will have an answer from you, old hag!"

Crystal's eyes remained closed as she slumped over, her breathing slowing to stillness.

Cinder bristled in rage.

"Oh, no you don't…" she growled, opening the palm of her hand as she pointed it towards the woman's face. "You don't _get_ to die yet!"

A pool of black and red swam across her palm, and the black scarab emerged, its claws flailing menacingly. Tendrils of blackness emerged from web sacs on its abdomen, covering the woman's face with a vile, slimy ooze.

The power was faint, but it was there.

With a last gasp of breath, the Winter Maiden gave up the ghost, as her power flickered across the parasitic webbing and into its wearer's being.

Cinder inhaled sharply as she felt the power enter her, her body absorbing the alien energy like a sponge. Her aura flared as magic coursed through her veins, reknitting shattered bone and mending broken tissue. A lance of pain stabbed her chest as her lung healed, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood. The strain caused a sting in her arm from wrist to shoulder as her broken arm became hale, until at last, all the aches and pains in her body began to slowly evaporate.

Cinder grimaced, her eyes now ensconced in a triple-crested aura. She had finally acquired the Winter Maiden's powers. She should have felt elated. Her body was whole once again, she was one step closer to her goal, and her power now was more immense than it had ever been.

But all she felt was exhausted. There was no time for rest, she knew. Even now, her enemies were re-grouping. This battle had been hard won, but if she did not leap upon her advantage, she would lose it immediately.

The lifeless form of the Winter Maiden lay before her. Without paying the corpse any further heed, Cinder withdrew the Shadowglass from the pouch on her belt. She looked in dismay at the crack running along its face, marring her reflection. It seemed that only the power of a Maiden could break the ancient artifact.

"Get me out of here…" he muttered into the glass.

Out of seemingly nowhere, a portal of black and red emerged before her. No one stepped out of the portal to greet her. She wasn't expecting anyone to.

Paying the Winter Maiden one last wayward glance, she took a step forward and plunged into the black ripple in space-time, and she was immersed in nothingness.

Then a moment later, she was in the remains of Ozpin's office, the open air revealing the last wisps of evening light before dusk claimed the day. The night air was chilly, and her rags did little to warm her. Cinder's last remaining accomplices awaited her arrival as she stepped out onto the broken marble floor. The Seer, Krymsen, stood by the portal, her gatekeeper to and from dimensions' unknown. And strung up to one of the remaining support columns, staring back at her in dispassionate disdain, was the young Huntress, the Fall Maiden Candidate.

Gone was the great red nevermore, the mighty Grimm that had served as the puppet's mount. That the girl had failed so spectacularly was almost reason enough to dispose of her outright, but Cinder was never one to squander her investments, particularly now when she had so few of them left. In point of fact, the son of Marcus Black was no more. And the little one was still unaccounted for. Cinder would have presumed her dead, if she was not also aware of how resourceful the little girl could be. Just one more loose end for her to tie up.

Her allies were dwindling by the day, it seemed.

"Krymsen," Cinder sneered, eying her compatriot angrily. "Did you not feel it worth mentioning that the _Summer Maiden_ would be accompanying our enemies to the frozen north?"

The white haired woman stared back at Cinder almost as stoically as Pyrrha.

"The pool does not show me _all_ ," the woman said. "Only-"

"Only what is needed," Cinder finished for her, her brow furrowed. "I'm getting a little tired of that same old excuse, Seer."

Krymsen regarded the other woman with the same level of disinterest that a cat gives to its owner. Hanging over the two of them, Pyrrha simply stared, remaining silent as ever.

"You followed my directions," the Seer explained. "You ventured north. You struck a blow to your enemies. And you acquired the Winter Maiden. That is all that you were promised."

"Yes," Cinder nodded forebodingly, before casting her eyes out at the petrified beast clinging to the tower walls. "If I recall correctly, however, I was also promised a dragon."

Krymsen eyed the dragon's slumbering form in contemplation.

"Only after a price has been paid," she pointed out. "A friend, a sister and a mother reclaimed."

"Hang your price!" Cinder growled as she stepped out towards the edge of the tower, peering down at the massive slumbering creature. "I have done away with the mother! The other two were to be taken care of in due course, but the assassin's whelp and that little brat have _both_ failed in their tasks spectacularly! And now they're scattered to the four winds!"

"Am I to be held accountable for _your_ servants' failures now?" Krymsen shot back.

Cinder's eyes flared brightly with the Maiden's power, triple crests of energy billowing out either side.

"You have led me around by the nose long enough, Seer!" Cinder exclaimed. "If you refuse to make yourself useful, than so be it! You can be gone from my sight! I'll find my own path from here, for all the help you've been!"

Krymsen stared back at the other woman, her expression unreadable. She was clearly disappointed with how things were proceeding, but to what end was a mystery.

"Very well…" she acquiesced, drawing her sword. "I'll give you back your dragon. But I shall need something from you to make up for the lack of payment."

Cinder held her arms out wide in disbelief.

"You always need your pound of flesh, don't you?"

The blade the Krymsen drew was a deep, deep blue, as deep and dark as the ocean itself, its depths unreadable as she brandished her weapon.

"In a manner of speaking," the Seer said, holding her blade at the ready. "I require your _fear_."

Cinder stared in confusion. "My what?"

Krymsen pointed her blade at Cinder's chest.

"Your fear, your sadness, your hatred – all of your negative emotions," she clarified. "The Grimm feast on these things, and since the original price has not been paid, there has not yet been adequate negative essence to revive your dragon."

Cinder eyed the sword warily.

"And how will you… _extract_ …this fear, exactly?"

"It will not be entirely painless," Krymsen cautioned. "But you will not be damaged. Merely drained. Negative emotion is something you seem to have in abundance, after all."

Cinder wrinkled her nose at the veiled insult.

"And the dragon will wake?" she demanded.

"The dragon will wake," the other confirmed. "This I promise you."

Cinder held her arms wide, presenting her chest, still covered in tattered red cloth.

"Be done with it, then," she said curtly.

Without further ado, Krymsen ran the pure blue blade into Cinder's chest. She tensed at the sensation, as not a speck of blood fell from the incision. In fact, apart from the slight tingling sensation, she felt nothing at all from the penetration of the blade. She gazed down, and was unnerved to see the blade still sticking out of her chest. The pain should have been _excruciating_. It was either laced with the most potent anesthetic every devised, or it did not exist entirely on this plane of existence.

"Is it done then?" Cinder asked impatiently.

Krymsen shook her head.

"The extraction begins now…" she said.

Slowly she began to withdraw the blade. As she did, Cinder felt as though a deep pit of ice began to form inside her chest where it lay inside her. As the blade slid from her flesh, a deep, bluish ooze began to seep out of the spot in her chest where it penetrated her. Cinder stared down at the bluish substance as it pooled on the floor at her feet which began to collect as more and more of the substance was drawn from her body, the eerie essence bearing a faint glow.

"What…in the world…?" Cinder gasped as she stared down at the ooze in disgust.

Krymsen said nothing as she continued to slide the blade from her chest, inch at a time, each millimeter drawing with it another ounce of the bluish substance.

Cinder had stop herself from clenching her entire body, to seize the blade and prevent its withdrawal, as the more the Seer slid the length of the sword from her body, the more of her own being seemed to seep out along with it. The blade felt ice cold now, and she felt as though her skin might blister from frostbite where it met the edge of the weapon.

Finally, the sword was pulled free from her being, and the last of the raw negative essence was drawn from her body, splashing to the puddle below. The feeling of cold began to spread across her whole body now, and Cinder felt herself trembling, her strength sapped almost completely. She collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath, a cold sweat on her face as she stared down at the pool of blue, glowing ooze on the floor at her feet.

Only then did she realize that the puddle was _moving_ , as if of its own volition, trickling in a rivulet towards the edge of the tower, specifically in the direction of the great dragon.

Cinder shakily got to her feet, checking her chest for any sign of injury. Apart from an immense sensation of cold that still lingered in her body, she appeared to be unharmed, as promised.

Fixing the Seer with an anxious look, Cinder gritted her teeth in agitation.

"What exactly did you just _do_ to me?" she demanded, shivering from the cold.

"The Grimm are fueled by negativity," Krymsen explained dispassionately as she observed the trickle of blue slime as it made its way over the ledge towards the dragon's gigantic slumbering form. "The negativity brought on during the Vytal tournament was profound, but it had been building up for centuries before that point. After the dragon had woken, its essence had been stripped from it entirely by a silver eyed warrior, leaving only this shell behind."

She gestured to the great sleeping behemoth.

"It would normally take another millennium to replenish the dragon with negative energy," she continued, "Were these normal circumstances. With the world of Remnant in a state of chaos and turmoil, the dragon's essence has been building much more dramatically over the course of the past year. The loss of the Maidens, as well as the fall of Vale and Mistral to the Grimm have been a particularly ample source of power."

She reached out and touched the petrified snout of the dragon, getting no reaction whatsoever, as Cinder's essence continue to flow over the ledge, clinging to the dragon's white desiccated scales.

"However, these events by themselves are still not enough to power the beast," she continued. "To wake this creature from such a slumber requires something…particularly poignant. The loss of a mother, a sister and a friend, and each in rapid succession, especially when one of those losses was a Maiden…well, that might be enough to seal the deal."

Cinder glared. "But instead, the creature now draws its essence from _me?_ "

Krymsen nodded. "You asked, and so you have received."

"And the reason I could not have pursued such an option earlier?" Cinder demanded.

"The necessary quantity of negative essence to be drawn from you prior to the fall of the Winter Maiden would have killed you," the Seer waved her off. "As it is, you will be weak for some time. I would advise against using your Maiden powers for some time after this, but I of course cannot stop you."

Cinder's expression darkened as her eyes turned towards the dragon.

"Fine…" she said warningly. "This had better work…"

"It shall…" the woman with the white hair assured her. "In the meantime, there is…one more piece of information the pool has given me that you might find particularly interesting."

"Oh?" Cinder asked wryly, still shivering. "I await with bated breath."

Krymsen gestured to the Shadowglass at Cinder's hip.

"An old friend of yours has returned to cause a ruckus, it seems."

Cinder curiously withdrew the Shadowglass, peering into its depths as an image was already on display in full view for her to see.

A smile crested her cherry red lips.

"Well, well, well…" she said, as the familiar head of red hair caught her eye. "And what are _you_ up to, I wonder?"

"He seems to have gathered the underground elements of the White Fang in the kingdom of Atlas," Krymsen observed. "As well as a…considerable bionic upgrade."

"So I see…" Cinder noted, still smiling.

The Seer looked at the other woman curiously.

"Will you go after him?" she inquired.

Cinder slowly shook her head.

"Let's leave him be for now," she said, keeping her eyes fixed to the mirror. "We'll see what sort of trouble he causes, and how we can use it to our advantage."

No sooner had she spoke when the entire tower began to tremble. The two women glanced over at the frozen figure of the great dragon clinging to the tower as its petrified cocoon began to stir. Cinder's eyes widened in delight as she saw hairline cracks beginning to form in the creature's stony façade, as the sleeping beast within began to wake.

Finally, with a sudden and climactic explosion of force, the creature's red, veiny wings broke free from their confines, spreading wide in a shower of desiccated stone that fell to the ruined campus below. The spiderweb of cracks continued down the rocky shell of its tail, as with a burst of ferocity, the dragon shook its tail free. Then, as its neck stretched and elongated, its bony skull smashing through its rocky prison, its jaw snapped open with a mighty roar, the dragon's eyes glowing a deep, sinister yellow.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

The two women watched in rapt fascination as the Grimm dragon awoke once again, after nearly a year of slumber.

"Perhaps, then, you may wish for a front row seat?" Krymsen offered as she smiled back at Cinder. "It would seem that your carriage awaits you…"


	108. Chapter 108

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 108

* * *

General Ironwood was currently dealing with a crisis.

The day had finally arrived. The war with the creatures of Grimm had finally come to the kingdom of Atlas. And they were woefully unprepared. The Atlesian fleet was fully capable of defending the kingdom, and the fleet was fully capable of defending itself. But one thing that it could not handle was performing both tasks simultaneously.

"This is our hour of need, Professor," Ironwood said urgently into the communications, as the headmistress of Shade Academy stared back at him through the holographic display. "We need those Huntsmen, and we need them now."

The bridge of the general's new flagship was abuzz with activity. A full holographic map of the kingdom was displayed on the strategic operations console before them, with the position of every airship in the fleet hovering overhead. All around them, soldiers, operatives and technicians worked the many controls to keep the massive airship in the air. The creatures of Grimm swarming and haranguing them were certainly not making it easy.

The Grimm had maintained aerial superiority throughout most of Remnant ever since the fall of Vale. One well-armed airship could easily take down a single griffon or nevermore, or even ten griffon or nevermores. But not a hundred. And certainly not a thousand. The creatures of Grimm moved as a swarm, and they dominated their foes through superior numbers. A massive fleet of airships could bolster one another's defenses. But eventually, the number of Grimm in the air would overwhelm even the great Atlesian fleet.

They needed individuals skilled in eliminating the creatures of Grimm.

They needed Huntsmen.

Jasmine's face was a mask of concern.

"My Huntsmen are mobilizing as fast as they are able to, James," she assured him. "But our fleet is not fast, and you are still on the other side of the planet. The contingent of ships you left with us will mean that some of our number will reach you sooner, but for the bulk of our forces, it will take us six hours, at a _minimum_."

Ironwood clenched his jaw at the news, leaning into the dashboard.

"Six hours…" he said grimly.

The tension in Jasmine's brow increased as she leaned in towards the projector.

"Can you not hold out for that long?" she demanded.

"Maybe…" he allowed, studying his instruments. "For a time. It will depend on how our ground troops fare. At the moment, our fleet is completely occupied, and unable to provide air support for our troops on the ground. Most of our special operatives are on the ground, and I have faith in our Huntsmen…"

Jasmine shook her head. "What about your fleet?"

The general put on a brave face, both for the professor and for his men.

"It will be a tough road to hoe," he said confidently. "But the Atlesian fleet is the finest in the world! We won't go down so easily!"

There was a stirring of positivity amongst the troops, as several voices rose in affirmation.

Professor Jasmine's smile was an uneasy one.

"Very well then, James," she said. "Please do not let overconfidence get the better of you."

Ironwood nodded amicably. "Not to worry, Professor. My men and I are always…"

The general trailed off, however, when the air-raid sirens began to blare off in the distance.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

Ironwood's eyes narrowed as he focused on his instruments.

"What in the world…?" he breathed in disbelief.

"Sir!" one of his officers shouted from the bridge ahead of him. "We've got something _big_ coming in off the starboard bow!"

The general's eyes widened as the fearsome shape of a massive Grimm emerged from beyond the clouds, its jet black hide and bone white skull looming fierce as it undulated up and down like a sea serpent through the sky.

Ironwood felt his blood run cold as he recalled the day he had first laid eyes on the dragon. It was a day that would live in infamy, a dark spot that marred his entire career as an enlisted officer of Atlas. His flagship had been brought down, his crew cast asunder, and his entire campaign a blunder.

It was the day he had lost a kingdom. And now it seemed that his past had come back to haunt him.

"What is it, James?" Jasmine demanded anxiously. "What's happened?"

The general did not respond. Instead, he got to work ordering his men to action.

"Take evasive action!" he commanded, standing up tall and casting his arm outward. "Reorient the fleet into defensive pattern bravo, and concentrate fire on that thing!"

"Yes sir!" came his flight commander, who got to work sending the necessary commands down the order.

All around the fleet, the Grimm continued to swarm. Nevermores and griffons tore at their number with reckless abandon, even as turret fire struck them from the sky by the dozens. As the main batteries of the flagship turned on the approaching dragon, it let out a fearsome roar that reverberated through the airship's hull.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

"All batteries!" Ironwood shouted. "Take aim and fire on that thing! Take it down!"

The ship rocked as its main guns began to let loose, and the Grimm dragon wheeled in mid-air withdrawing to a safer distance.

"Sir, the rest of the Grimm are not relenting!" an officer cried. "If we focus our attention on the big one, we're likely to lose airships to the swarm!"

"And if we let that thing catch us broadside, we'll lose the whole fleet!" Ironwood hollered. "Stand firm!"

"James!" Jasmine cried out, commanding his attention. "What is happening!?"

The general retrieved his scroll from the command console, switching the comm transmission hologram from the main display to his own private communication device.

"Continue defensive maneuvers and keep that thing at bay!" he commanded, before turn to step away from the bridge, the whoosh of an automated door permitting egress. "X.O., you have the deck!"

As he strode down the corridor down the length of his ship, officers and personnel rushing down the passageway stopped and saluted to let the general pass.

"Professor…" he spoke gravely into his open scroll. "Jasmine…I'm afraid the situation has become far more dire than originally reported."

Jasmine's eyes bespoke only concern.

"What are you talking about?" she queried. "How can the situation have gotten _worse_ than before?"

Ironwood frowned as he strode down the corridor.

"The dragon is back."

Jasmine's eyes widened, as she uttered an epithet of old Vacuan oaths.

"Professor," he said in a gentle voice. "Please recall your troops. They will only be sent to their deaths if they come to Atlas now."

Jasmine's brow tightened. "Are you mad, James!? Do you plan on facing that thing by _yourself!?_ "

"I will not have Vacuan blood on my hands," he said as he entered his private quarters, a thin window stretching across three of the four walls, permitting him a complete view of the skies ahead. "Your Huntsmen need not be wasted here."

"James…" Jasmine breath, shaking her head in disbelief.

Ironwood smiled sadly as he placed his scroll onto the clear, glass desk at the center of his quarters, bringing her holographic projection up on the main display.

"You've been a good friend, and a trusted ally," he said, a note of finality in his voice. "I am counting on you to finish this fight if I am not able to."

Jasmine shook her head again.

"James, wait…" she said urgently. "It doesn't have to be this way…"

"Perhaps we'll emerge victorious yet," Ironwood sighed. "We'll see. But I'm not one for relying on chance. If I don't make it…please, save Glynda for me, if you can."

Jasmine drew in a breath, her face a mask of sadness.

"James…" she whispered. "When you left Vacuo, I…I said some unkind things about you…"

James shook his head dismissively.

"Don't worry about it, Jasmine," he muttered.

Jasmine set her jaw.

"No man should face his destiny believing his allies think the worst of him," she declared. "It was wrong of me to say such things, James. You have a strong heart. A _good_ heart. You will prove yourself in battle here this day. And when Vacuo's Huntsmen arrive…"

"Jasmine…" he shook his head.

"- _When Vacuo's Huntsmen arrive_ …" Jasmine said rigidly. "They will help you finish the fight. This I promise you, my friend."

On the holographic display, Jasmine raised her hand, revealing an ornate pattern tattooed on the palm of her hand.

" _Sal'am-ashai_ , James," she said kindly.

Ironwood allowed himself to smile back at the old Vacuan adage.

"And with you, my friend," he said.

Her face vanished from the console, and Ironwood drew in a long steadying breath. All around him, through the windows, he could see the Grimm still swarmed. And off in the distance, circling the fleet, waiting for an opportunity to strike, the Grimm dragon continued to fly, a dark cloud trailing behind it, as it began depositing more Grimm onto his beloved kingdom below.

The general set his jaw. It was time to pull out all the stops.

Pressing a switch on the communications console before him, he spoke into the receiver as a secure channel opened. This was not a call to be made in front of his men.

"Get me Operative Soleil," he said.

The holographic displayed the gear and spear of Atlas, rotating before his eyes as the communication line continued to hold for a moment, before a familiar bronze face appeared before him, saluting in response.

"General," Ciel Soleil said curtly.

"Operative Soleil," Ironwood spoke gravely. "Have you had any luck with the old man?"

Ciel's jaw tightened slightly.

"No sir," she reported. "He was unwilling to waver on his position."

Ironwood sighed. It had been a long shot, but he had to ask.

"Very well then," he said. "We have no choice but to proceed without him. Ready the Atlesian Titan."

Ciel's eyes widened in disbelief, the golden sun emblem on her forehead crinkling with her brow.

"But…Sir, without Director Polendina to provide support…" she stammered in protest. "It's…it's just not ready, Sir."

The general's eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry, Operative Soleil," he said warningly. "Did that sound like a _suggestion_ to you?"

Ciel straightened her back and threw up a salute.

"No sir!" she said tersely.

"Good," Ironwood said, his expression softening.

Testing out experimental technology in the field was always a nerve-wracking endeavor, and he well understood his operative's hesitation. He had seen that same hesitation in his men on the battlefield innumerable times, and had even experienced it on occasion himself in his earlier years. He knew that this doubt stemmed not from without, but from within.

"You've been training hard for this, Operative Soleil," he said reassuringly. "You're ready for this. I believe that."

Ciel took in a breath and nodded slowly. "Yes sir. Thank you, sir."

"Very good," he crossed his arms. "Better get suited up then, pilot. The enemy is at our doorstep."

Ciel put on a brave face as she saluted. "Sir!"

The holographic screen faded to black.

The general withdrew a hip flask from his pocket and a glass tumbler from the desk before him, pouring a finger's depth of warm amber into the glass. Resealing his flask, he gently swirled the tumbler and took a sip, letting the heat from the alcohol stir his bones.

"If I knew then what I knew now, eh Oz?" he said to no one in particular.

As the battle raged around him, Ironwood wondered not for the first time how history would remember him if this became his last stand. Would he be remembered as a heroic leader, or a blundering fool? Only time would tell.

He polished off the last of his liquid courage before leaving the empty glass on his desk and then making his way back to the bridge.

"Once more unto the breach, old friend…" he said.


	109. Chapter 109

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 109

* * *

Jaune had admired Weiss from the first day he'd seen her perform. He could recall very keenly how smitten he'd been to gaze upon a creature of such elegance and grace. As a growing young man, he could not help but fall in love with her. As he had matured, he'd learned to accept that those feelings were not reciprocated, and had internalized that understanding to the best of his ability. As his schoolboy crush had finally waned, his eyes had opened to what true love had really looked like and found it in Pyrrha's arms. But his admiration for Weiss would never cease.

But on this day, he would learn that the grace and elegance he had attributed to her singing voice utterly paled in comparison to her fighting prowess as a Huntress.

SMASH!

The great white knight stood, its massive broadsword already powdered with the vile black dust of fallen Grimm. Weiss stood calmly at its feet, waving her sword in swift, precise attacks, the great white knight mimicking her movements to perfection, as she controlled its every attack. With each swing of its sword, more Grimm fell, sometimes three or four at a time. She and her knight stood their ground, and not a single Grimm was able to get past her.

Jaune had expected the job of final defensive barricade to fall to himself or to Nora, but Weiss was proving herself the powerhouse of the entire team. While he, Nora and Ren were able to slow the initial offensive push of every ursa, beowolf, creep and boarbatusk that stormed through the hole in the wall, Weiss slammed each one to a grinding halt. The few deathstalkers and king tiajutus that made it past Jaune and the others' defenses received a massive steel sword through the back for their trouble.

And when even her gleaming white knight appeared to be overwhelmed, Weiss simply summoned _another_ Grimm to fight at her side, casting a glyph to bring a pale white boarbatusk to life, which charged and knocked her attackers back, sending them sprawling.

"You can cast _multiple_ summons!?" Jaune asked, flabbergasted as he finished off the last of the latest wave of Grimm to make past the wall.

"Yes," Weiss said, dismissing the boarbatusk summon. "In the event that my team cannot provide me adequate cover, at least. I'd prefer not to, however, as it's a significant drain on my aura."

Jaune raised an eyebrow at the none-too-veiled insult in her words.

"Well, if it's a question of aura," he said, not rising to her baiting. "Why don't you and I link up?"

The snide expression that Weiss gave the young man was only partially tempered by the apology that left her lips.

"Sorry, Jaune," she said, sounding somewhat impatient. "But I just don't think you and I have that kind of bond."

Jaune wasn't dissuaded, as he took a defensive position next to her, facing the breach. Nora and Ren were positioned up front as the vanguard, keeping watch for the next wave.

It was all industrial warehouses this close to the wall, the buildings around them plain and simple. Solid steel beams and steel siding protected the empty storehouses, yet for all that, there were scorch marks and twisted metal plainly visible near the breach where the blast had taken its toll. The creatures of Grimm continued to pour through the massive gaping hole in the wall around Atlas, while airborne Grimm waged war with the fleet in the skies overhead. All around them, the bodies of soldiers and fallen Huntsmen lay, those remaining survivors carried off to safety.

Central command had ordered all Atlesian Special Operatives to fall back from the breach and assist with the evacuation effort. However, Team RSJC operated outside of central command. And so here they stayed, determined to finish the job.

"Look, I'll admit it," Jaune said to Weiss as they stood side by side. "You're the strongest fighter in this lineup. You're probably doing more to stop the Grimm than the rest of my team put together."

Weiss tried not to look smug.

"Probably," she admitted.

"Which means…" Jaune continued patiently. "That right now, as your leader, my best option is to use _your_ abilities to their maximum extent. And that the best thing for _me_ to do right now is to act an extra source of aura to power those abilities."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. Jaune was being cleverer than she had initially given him credit for.

"You want to link auras with me," she surmised. "So that you can use your aura to enhance my abilities?"

"I've got the highest aura level of anyone in Team RSJC," Jaune stated simply. "Aura linking effectively combines our aura pools. If you can cast two summons with just your own aura, imagine what you could do if that aura pool was more than _doubled_."

Weiss nodded, understanding. The young Huntsmen may have had a knack for this leadership thing after all.

"Hmm…" Weiss mused, keeping her sword raised, the knight mirroring her position standing above her. "It's a worth a try."

"Next wave incoming, Jaune!" Nora called out from up ahead, readying her grenade launcher as she and Ren linked auras.

Jaune bared his shield and stood before Weiss, his sword raised.

"Well, we better hurry then," he told Weiss.

Weiss was already stretching out with her aura. Jaune felt it like a cold breeze brushing over him, which even in the temperate Atlesian climate was still refreshing after having been working up a sweat fighting off Grimm for the past while. Weiss was a creature of composure and control, and her discipline shone through as her semblance touched his. It was gentle and pure, but coiled like a snake, wasting not a drop of her aura as each task was performed nearly and efficiently.

Weiss, having only linked with Ruby and Winter before, wasn't expecting the sheer onslaught of aura that channeled into her when her aura brushed against Jaune's. She had gotten a lot better at linking auras since she'd started. Like so many things, it just came down to practice, and Weiss had been nothing if not diligent. Still, linking with her partner and her sister had ill-prepared her for Jaune's level of aura. It was like tapping into a well-spring! He had a greater reserve than anyone else on their team by half, possibly more! With this much aura, she might very well be able to summon a whole _score_ of Grimm to fight at her side!

"Weiss…" Jaune said nervously, leveling his shield as a sizable ursa began lumbering towards them from through the breach. "Any day now…"

Weiss opened her eyes as she felt Jaune's power swelling around her, before she swung her sword downwards towards the advancing Grimm.

BOOM!

The knight mirrored her action, and brought its great broadsword down on the ursa with swift and deadly accuracy, eliminating it and the next twenty feet of asphalt behind it.

"Whoa…" Jaune gaped in shock at the massive sword, and the equally massive figure clasping it. "Weiss…did your summon just get _bigger!?_ "

Weiss was still radiating with their shared aura pool, her whole body glowing white.

"I think I've seen this before," Weiss said, her voice light and breathy as the rush of energy kicked her adrenaline levels into overdrive. "Up in the northern wastes. When I link auras with someone, my summons receive a dramatic increase in size!"

Jaune had to crane his neck to look up at the massive figure of the white knight, its shoulder spaulders level with the two-story buildings around them. The knight took a step forward, each of its greaves the size of a small motorcycle, leaving a spiderweb of cracks in the concrete beneath its feet. And finally the summon lifted its sword, the massive hunk of iron the size of an industrial I-beam, to swing it once again, knocking over a dozen Grimm off their feet, splattering them into black dust.

Jaune was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Okay, new plan!" he said excitedly. "Time to go on the offensive!"

"Just what I was thinking," Weiss smiled, twirling her sword to lay the tip point forward besides her face, the knight mimicking her movements.

Jaune stared ahead at the breach. Nora and Ren were still fending off Grimm closer to the opening, with Nora taking the forward position, unloading round after round at anything that dared poke its head through the hole in the wall, with Ren fending off anything that got too close to her with a series of quick, dashing attacks. Nora had brought plenty of ammo for the engagement, so it made for an effective strategy for slowing down the Grimm's offensive, but one that was incapable of stopping the Grimm completely.

That was about to change.

"Nora! Ren!" Jaune hollered. "Clear a path!"

Jaune's two teammates were notoriously difficult to impress – one due to his calm, taciturn nature, and the other for her eccentric personality that was usually more over-the-top than anything the world ever threw at her. Had the situation not been so dire, Jaune might have found the expression of shock and awe on their faces rather humorous as they dashed out of the way in time for the knight to charge right on through the breach, leaving a trail of rubble in its wake, knocking away the remaining Grimm in its path like so many bowling pins.

"Whoa!" Nor shouted in astonishment as she leaped clear.

"Was that thing _always_ that big?" Ren asked skeptically as he dashed easily out of the knight's path.

Jaune and Weiss hurried towards them, hopping carefully over the broken asphalt, all that remained of the city street beneath their feet after the summon had blown through.

Outside the breach, the great white knight was standing guard, knocking away any Grimm that got close to it. Already a host of boarbatusks were encircling it, trying to ram the massive creature, but the summon was quick enough to bat the Grimm away with its sword. But looming in the distance was a stampede of goliaths, charging towards the city, and they looked like they would be much more difficult to content with, even for the oversized summon.

"Alright!" Jaune called out, his mind already on the next task ahead. "While we've got the chance – let's find a way to close that breach! Weiss!"

The Huntress gave the young man a sidelong glance, her primary focus still on controlling the knight from afar, holding her sword in a ready position to guide its movements.

"What would it take to cover that hole with ice?" Jaune asked curtly.

"A _lot_ more dust than what I have on me right now," Weiss replied just as curtly, her attention clearly elsewhere.

Jaune nodded, glancing around at the interior of the wall near the breach. They were in an industrial sector of Atlas, and it was mostly storage warehouses this close to the wall. The buildings around them looked pretty beaten up, but still remained relatively stable in spite of being riddled with shrapnel from the initial blast that opened the wall. They would have to be pretty sturdy to survive such a blast.

Sturdy enough, perhaps, to hold off the Grimm?

"What if I could get you some raw materials to work with?" Jaune asked. "The steel sidings of the buildings around us, for instance? If the team and I could break them down, could you freeze or weld them back into place against the wall and make a patch over the breach?"

Weiss arched her eyebrow at the young man's creativity. Glancing up at the buildings around her, considering her options. It wasn't a half bad plan, given the circumstances.

"It wouldn't be very pretty, but I could do it," she nodded. "I'd need to drop the summon though – that level of detailed work will require _way_ too much concentration, especially in the amount of time we have."

Jaune nodded. "Alright…Ren, Nora? You see these two buildings on either side of the breach?"

He pointed to the two warehouses closest to the wall, framing the massive scar blown open in its otherwise pristine steel side. His two teammates followed his gesture and nodded.

"Tear them down," Jaune ordered.

Nora grinned, extending Magnhild into its hammer form.

"With pleasure!" she beamed.

Ren just sighed and nodded. "Alright."

Nora and her partner both tore into the surrounding infrastructure. Ren's blades flew with precision, cutting key structural points in the tall steel siding, causing entire sheets of steel to come loose from the wall, one at a time. Nora's approach, on the other hand, involved a lot more-blunt force as her hammer flew, breaking through steel girders and cement pylons, bending solid steel to her whim.

All the while, Weiss' summon continued to occupy the Grimm on the other side of the breach, swinging its sword with reckless abandon. Weiss continued to move in concert with the creature, acting as puppeteer for the knight to perform on the stage beyond the wall. Jaune stood with his shield poised before her, his aura still linked to hers, extending both her power and her reach to her summon.

But it could only stray so far from her before she would lose control of it, she knew.

Before long, the Ren and Nora were standing over two haphazardly arranged piles of scrap metal. Ren had somehow managed to lay several pieces of sheet metal in a rather orderly pile, having essentially disassembled the hapless warehouse into its component pieces. Nora's leavings, on the other hand, were broken up into smaller pieces, many twisted and contorted with sizeable dents left in them, all collected into jumbled heap.

"Jaune!" Ren cried out, catching his leader's attention. "Done!"

"Right!" Jaune replied, turning to nod at the girl behind him. "Okay, Weiss. It's your show."

Weiss nodded, casting a glyph beneath her feet.

"Got it," she said. "Dropping the summon…now!"

The great white knight beyond the wall stopped moving, and its body slowly dissipated into nothing, as though it had never been there. The mangled bodies of over a hundred slain Grimm still twitched and contorted, slowly dissipating as well.

Yet on the horizon, more were coming. And the goliaths loomed ever closer.

"Nora! Ren!" Jaune called out, holding his sword out. "With me! Guard the breach until Weiss can seal it up."

"You got it!" Nora crowed, as the three of them lunged forward.

Ren and Nora slipped easily into their aura link, the two of them having practiced so much with that it was almost instinctive at this point. Jaune maintained his link with Weiss, taking care not to put too much distance between them as she maintained her focus, standing guard behind his other two teammates to prevent any stragglers from getting through.

All the while, Weiss got to work. It was a tricky series of glyphs. It was three principle techniques, yet they had to be used together in parallel so as to maintain the build throughout. Using a levitation glyph, she would lift one piece of sheet metal and hold it in place against the wall, covering part of the breach. Using a fire glyph, she heated the edges of the sheet metal until it was red hot and ready to be molded to fuse with anything that it came into contact with. And finally, a third ice glyph rapidly cooled the metal as it came into contact with the next piece of sheet metal.

It was strenuous work, one that was not ideally performed under the duress of an ongoing Grimm invasion, but Weiss was nothing if not possessing of a composure equal to the task. As for her aura, that was another story – if she hadn't been linked with Jaune, and her aura pool not been more than double what it usually was, she would not have been able to complete more than few pieces before tiring.

She was only about halfway done before the next wave of Grimm had arrived. The brief respite brought to them by her summoned knight had finally passed.

"Nora!" Jaune called out. "Hold them back!"

"I'm running low on ammo, Jaune!" Nora warned, firing off another shot with her grenade.

"Then call in a cargo drop from the _Aeneid_ or something!" Jaune hollered. "Weiss needs cover!"

"Too late!" Ren cautioned, as a deathstalker clamored through the wall, shoving past the two Huntsmen with its thick bony claws, its tail raised menacingly overhead.

Jaune set his jaw, before giving Weiss a determined look.

"Weiss!" he said. "Keep patching that wall! Whatever you do, _don't_ _stop!_ "

"Obviously!" Weiss blared impatiently. "What do you _think_ I…"

She trailed off as she saw Jaune level his shield at the beast and barrel into a running charge.

"Yahhhhhhhhhhh!" he screamed, as his shield began to glow bright white.

The deathstalker attempted to block the attack with its claws, but Jaune's shield was already indominated, and the beast was shoved forcibly back in the direction it had come, its feet scrambling uselessly against the broken asphalt beneath it as it flailed its claws and tail in confusion.

"Jaune!" Weiss called out in alarm, her work momentarily halting as she felt Jaune dip into their shared aura. "What are you doing!?"

"Jaune, stop!" Nora cried out, seeing immediately what he had in mind.

Jaune kept running, his shield still glowing white as he continued to charge, his shield now an unstoppable force, powered by his and Weiss' shared aura pool, forcing the deathstalker inexorably backwards.

"Stay inside the wall!" Jaune commanded. "Seal the breach!"

Then with that, he shoved the deathstalker back out through the wall, barreling on through after it himself.

"Jaune!" Nora cried out in protest, as he saw Jaune's form disappear through the breach.

"What is he, _crazy!?_ " Weiss demanded, gaping in disbelief. "He's going to get himself _killed_ out there!"

"Weiss!" Ren called out. "Keep patching that hole! We can't stop now!"

"But what about Jaune?" Weiss demanded. "We can't seal him _out!_ "

"Our team leader just gave you an order, Weiss!" Nora blared, her teeth bared as she fought back the urge to follow after him herself. "Keep sealing that breach!"

Weiss peered out through the hole, finding Jaune standing over the slain body of the deathstalker, withdrawing his sword from its thick, bony hide. But all around him were beowolves, ursi and creeps surrounding him as he stood beyond the wall, sword and shield drawn.

She then immediately got back to work, lifting up pieces of sheet metal into place, super-heating them to mold them to shape, and snap-freezing them to fuse them against once another. The structural integrity was nowhere near that of the walls of the city, but Nora's twisted hunks of scrap metal made good buffering between sheets of steel. And as Jaune continued to fight off Grimm, the breach slowly got smaller and small as Weiss added to the wall.

Through the narrowing gap, Ren and Nora could see their team leader swinging his sword like a madman. With each strike his sword glowed brightly, cutting true with every swing. He was surrounded on all sides by Grimm, and no matter which direction he turned, there was another enemy to fight. Linked as he was still to Weiss, he was attacking the Grimm around him with reckless abandon. He swung left and right without stopping for a breath, shielding where his sword could not parry, as the growing pile of dead Grimm at his feet continued to grow.

However, his and Weiss' shared pool was slowly dwindling, and her work was slowing as a consequence. He could feel her beginning to fade, and he knew that he would have to let go of his connection if he meant for his plan to succeed.

A shame, he thought. He had been so proud of himself for being able to link to someone he had idolized for so long, and that they had been able to work together and fight side by side like this. He regretted having to let that go.

But Weiss had her own destiny to follow.

"Jaune!" he heard Weiss' voice cry out in protest he dropped the connection. She was almost out of aura, and would be struggling to finish the patchwork seal before too long.

"Jaune!" Nora cried out in alarm, as she and Ren fought off those Grimm that had turned a blind eye to Jaune and made their way for the dwindling breach.

Jaune glanced back to see his team waiting for him. The breach had narrowed to the size of a doorway. Just large enough for someone to fit through. Weiss was poised to place the last piece of sheet metal over the hole, but seemed determine to wait for him to return.

It was worth a shot.

Withdrawing his sword from the Beowolf at his feet, he slid the blade into the scabbard within his shield. He then raised his shield arm to the sky, letting the shield rotate on his arm until the hilt of his sword aligned with his fist.

"HYAAAAGGGHHHH!" he let out a climactic war cry.

He then slammed his fist into the ground, striking the pommel of Crocea Mors into the earth, firing off the dust weapon hidden within. As he did, he poured the last of his aura into his semblance, and his entire body went pure white.

BOOOOOM!

A shockwave of fire rose up from where he struck the ground. There were still nearly two dozen Grimm in the immediate vicinity, and each one of them was instantly vaporized in the blast.

The rest of the his team was knocked backward from the blast it buffeted the patchwork seal, the tiny fraction of the shock wave blowing through the opening.

" _JAUNE!_ " Nora screamed in terror, fearing the blast had consumed him as well.

When the shock wave cleared, however, Jaune's glowing white form remained crouched on the ground where it had been, pristine and untouched by the blast.

His Indominance finally wore off, and Jaune staggered to his feet, looking completely drained, but alive as he made his way back to the hole in the wall.

"Seal it," he said as he climbed through, his clothes and armor covered with scuffs and scratches.

Weiss couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face.

"Yes Sir!" she said.

Weiss cast one more glyph to raise her last hunk of sheet metal to the hole in the wall, before welding it into place with a combination of fire and ice. She then began tacking on as many remaining pieces of steel siding as she could to reinforce the seal.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

There was a dull thudding as the Grimm on the far side tried to reopen the breach, slamming into the patchwork-seal with all their might. The wall shook with the force - the goliaths must have finally reached the wall. The seal had come up just in the nick of time, it seemed.

Weiss only smiled. Her work was not to be undone so easily. After a few vain attempts, the thudding eventually subsided as the Grimm beyond the wall evidently gave up, and were forced to retreat.

Jaune collapsed to his haunches, letting out an exhausted breath.

"Whew!" he exhaled loudly. "Goode job, team…"

Nora threw her arms around him, tackling him to the ground.

"Oh Jaune!" she cried in distressed. "I was so worried about you!"

"Yeah," Ren agreed. "Don't scare us like that again."

"Sorry," Jaune winced, straining under the force of Nora's embrace. "Had to improvise a little back there…"

"Seriously, Jaune," Weiss stepped up to the boy, hands on her hips. "That was the most insanely reckless stunt I've ever seen anyone pull in my life! And I'm on a team with _Ruby_ for crying out loud!"

Jaune laughed uneasily as he smiled up at her.

"Uhh…heheheh…" he scratched the back of his head. "I guess it _was_ pretty crazy…"

Weiss wrinkled her nose, her arms crossed.

"Still…" she admitted, looking away. "It was also one of the _bravest_ things I've ever seen as well."

Jaune blinked in surprise as she offered him a hand up.

"Well done," she said with smile.

Jaune felt a warm smile creep across his face as he accepted her helping hand. It felt like a validation, to hear her say those words. He knew that he must have appeared a childishly stubborn ass in his pursuit of her when they were still students. They had never truly reconciled afterwards. To be fair, there had been a war going on at the time, which had driven the lot of them to the four corners of the globe. And since then, Weiss had proven that she was more than capable of looking past his shortcomings to see his potential.

She had been instrumental in bringing that potential to the surface, and while much of that was also owed to Ruby and Pyrrha's guiding hands, it had been Weiss who had truly helped him see what he was capable of. Her unique brand of pragmatism and her unwillingness to accept anything but the best from her peers was what had allowed him to progress so far, and he had only just now been able to demonstrate what those aspirations had amounted to.

He was glad that she could finally see him as a Huntsman worth fighting besides.

"Thanks Weiss," he said, standing to his feet.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

The air raid siren broke the stillness. They had heard it once before, back in Mistral, when the Grimm had invaded the kingdom. It was a sound they all knew too well, but for it to go off now, with the battle raging above them already, was disconcerting. The Grimm in the air were already keeping the Atlesian fleet pinned. What more could be coming on the horizon?

"What's happening?" Jaune asked, peering up at the battle going on overhead.

The Atlesian fleet was holding its own – or at least, it appeared to be holding its own. It was difficult to tell with all the Grim clouding the skies. The two warring masses hovered like an angry storm over the center of the city, the monumental Atlesian Citadel pointing like a massive finger up towards the center of the formation. The fleet was embroiled in conflict, as gun turrets went off every second, illuminating the otherwise dark formation with brilliant flashes of light.

Then there came a sonorous roar that echoed across the entire kingdom.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

Jaune and his team all had to cover their ears from the noise, the sound was so deafening! The team looked up and all around at what could be causing the immense cacophony, when a fearsome shape appeared in the sky.

"Look!" Weiss called out, her keen eyes spotting the airborne beast emerge from the clouds.

There over their heads, tearing its way into Atlesian airspace over the wall in the direction the hordes of Grimm had been coming in from, the enormous Grimm dragon came into view.

"The dragon…" Ren breathed in trepidation. "It's back…"

Nora clung to Ren's arm in fear.

"It's just like Vale, all over again…" she shook her head in disbelief.

Weiss and Jaune exchanged a look, and they each went for their scrolls.

"I'm calling Ruby," Jaune said simply.

"I'll contact Winter," Weiss nodded.

Winter picked up on the first ring, Ruby on the third.

"Jaune!" Ruby blurted. "Do you see this?"

"I see it, Ruby," Jaune said, holding the scroll to his ear as he gazed up at the Grimm dragon as it made a beeline for the Atlesian fleet. "Still working on the believing part. Do we have a plan?"

"I…" Ruby hesitated, clearly at a loss. "I don't…"

" _What!?_ " Weiss blurted, interrupting them both. "What do you mean, dad hasn't gotten to the security bunker yet!?"

Jaune glanced at Weiss, who was speaking vehemently into her scroll at her sister, a panicked look on her face. He could hear Winter's voice faintly through his own scroll. Evidently, both Ruby and Winter were within earshot of one another.

"The entire estate is on lock-down," Winter's voice could be heard saying. "Nobody can get in or out! The mechanized security units have gone _completely_ out of control, and-"

"Wait, _mechanized security units!?_ " Weiss demanded incredulously. "Father still _uses_ those on the estate grounds!? After what happened in Vale!?"

Jaune and his team flinched as a feeling of dread sunk into the pits of their stomachs. The return of the Grimm dragon would have been bad enough, but if they were dealing with more rogue mechs as well, it really was starting to feel like Vale all over again.

There was hesitation in Winter's voice as she replied.

"I tried to talk him out of it when I first heard," she explained. "He hired the best cyber security technicians in the kingdom to enhance the mechs' anti-viral systems. He said that the major risks could be averted, and the cost benefit of autonomous forces over hired personnel more than outweighed-"

"Oh, for the love of…" Weiss bit off an expletive, before hanging up her scroll, pocketing the small device and drawing her sword once more.

"Weiss?" Jaune asked out loud, holding his scroll awkwardly with Ruby still on the other line. "What are you…?"

"Sorry, Jaune," Weiss said bluntly, bending down to one knee before casting a summoning glyph beneath her feet. "I've got to save my father."

"Jaune…?" Ruby's voice echoed through Jaune's scroll. "Jaune, are you still there?"

Jaune, Ren and Nora each recoiled as the glyph beneath Weiss' feet began to glow, and a white nevermore rose from out of the ground. The great winged creature was on the smaller side, but it was still large enough for Weiss to climb onto its back as its wings spread wide to buffet the air around them.

"What the-!?" Nora gasped in shock at the great white bird.

"You can summon _nevermores_ too?" Ren asked, perplexed.

"I can summon any creature I defeat," Weiss explained, standing atop the creature's back. "Now stand back! I'm taking off!"

"Weiss, your aura's way too low to fight on your own!" Jaune called up to her. "You need backup!"

Weiss glared down at Jaune, causing him to flinch. He was used to her being stubborn, but he was also used to her being _rational_. In fact, if he had to pick, Weiss was probably the most rational member on the team, aside from Ren perhaps. Charging off on her own like this wasn't like her at all! But it seemed that where family was concerned, Weiss' cool, calm-headed rationality went out the window.

"Back away, Jaune," she said simply. "I'm going. Now."

Jaune slowly nodded and took two steps back as the pristine white nevermore began flapping its wings, slowly lifting itself and Weiss up into the air.

"Jaune!" Ruby's shouting voice caught his attention on the other end of his scroll. "What's happening down there!?"

Jaune watched as Weiss' summoned creature rose higher in the air, flapping its wings, the slight bird straining under the weight of its passenger as it flew off in the direction of the Schnee estate.

"Ruby…" Jause raise, rising the scroll back his ear, his eyes not leaving Weiss' retreating form. "Our mission was a success. We sealed the breach. But…Weiss just took off."

Ruby was silent for a moment.

"I see," she said somberly. "She's going to try to save her father, isn't she?"

Winter's voice could be heard in the background.

"She _what!?_ "

Jaune exchanged a glance with the rest of his team as Ruby brought Winter up to speed, troubled looks on everyone's faces.

"Ruby," Jaune asked. "Can the _Aeneid_ provide backup?"

"I…I don't think so," Ruby said, regretfully. "We just dropped off the last of the refugees in our hold, but need to do something about this dragon. The fleet won't be able to hold out if we leave them. And if the fleet falls, so does Atlas. If you can't follow her, then…then Weiss is on her own for now."

Jaune gritted his teeth. "Damn it…"

He could sense the uneasiness in Ruby's voice. She didn't like leaving Weiss to fend for herself any more than he did.

In the background, he could hear Winter's voice as she fumed.

"Damn it, Weiss, answer your scroll!"

Ruby sighed.

"Good work on sealing the breach," she said brusquely, forcing herself back into leader-mode. "Winter and I will figure out what to do about that dragon. Rendezvous with us at the Citadel when you can."

Jaune raised his eyes to meet his teammates' gaze, who stared back forlornly.

"Roger that…" he said.

"Contact me if there's anything to report," Ruby's voice sounded hollow. "We'll keep trying to raise Weiss and see if we can reason with her. You guys just focus on getting back safely. Watch yourselves out there – there are still Grimm loose in the city."

Jaune nodded, hanging up his scroll, his head lowered as his teeth clenched in anger.

He was so sick of watching his friends run off to what would most certainly be their death, and being completely unable to help. He was so damn tired of it!

"Jaune?" Nora asked quietly. "Shouldn't we get to the Citadel?"

Jaune furrowed his brow, before he began thumbing through his contact list on his scroll. He paused when he came to a single name.

 **Neptune Vasilias**

"In a minute…" he said, thumbing the contact in his scroll and bringing it to his ear. "I've got one more call to make…"


	110. Chapter 110

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 110

* * *

Bumblebee had received a substantial upgrade since Yang had enlisted with Atlesian Special Forces. The motorcycle's engine now had the kick of nearly four hundred horsepower, and boasted a suite of special instruments for dealing with all manner of terrain. The tires had full-bore interlaced riveting that allowed the bike to climb at nearly a sixty-degree incline, and were so thick as to be virtually invulnerable to puncturing. And if it came across an incline too steep to climb, it also featured a miniature harpoon and tow cable that could allow it to scale even vertical surfaces if needed.

The bike also sported a hefty on-board weapon system. The barrels of twin vulcan machineguns sprouted out the front of the bike on either side of the headlights. The tail of the motorcycle also contained an array of micro-missiles that were very effective at deterring pursuit. The targeting system for these weapons were linked through an integrated computer built into the motocycle's dashboard, and even connected to Yang's scroll so they could be aimed and operated remotely.

The on-board computer system, which featured a GPS that could interface via scroll tower (and by extension, the _Aeneid_ ), allowed Yang to plot courses and track points of interest on the map. The information stream was limited to whatever was available to the scroll tower, but fortunately, the _Aeneid_ came equipped with a host of long range sensors that could potentially cover the entire kingdom of Atlas. The readout also loaded a holographic image over the bike's windshield, casting an augmented reality overlay across the immediately landscape.

The interface also linked into Blake's helmet visor, allowing Yang's passenger to perform more in-depth scanning and navigation tasks while Yang focused on driving. Linking this to a readout of the Atlesian military's emergency broadcast network, alerting the two Huntresses to any and all situations that arose within the city. Already the two of them had aided in clearing the road for Coco and her team, as well as assisting Atlesian emergency rescue crews with extracting citizens from difficult to reach locations all across town, and clearing the road of Grimm all the while.

However that only took care of the emergency cases that had been reported or were otherwise known to Atlesian authorities. The _Aeneid's_ scanners were picking up several isolated life signs throughout the city that the Atlesian rescue crews had no knowledge of, but through careful coordination with Winter aboard the _Aeneid_ , the two Huntresses were able to track those signals with pinpoint accuracy. With the speed and versatility of the hardware at Yang and Blake's fingertips, the two of them were able to mount a highly effective search and rescue operation virtually on their own.

CRASH!

Blake leaped out the window from the top floor of a burning building, the brick and mortar structure ablaze with flame behind her. Cradled in her arms was a young girl of about six or seven.

The city itself was becoming littered with the smoldering remains of crashed airships as more and more of the Atlesian fleet fell from the sky, and more and more Grimm were flooding the streets. Information had been trickling in through the emergency broadcast frequencies, and word of team JNPR's success with sealing the breach had reached their ears, which by all accounts should have meant that the number of Grimm running rampant would slowly go down as they were dealt with by Atlas' finest.

However, that had been _before_ the Grimm dragon had begun storming the Atlesian skies, roaring up a storm and keeping the fleet on the defensive. As the two opposing forces overhead waged war, the dragon bade its time by raining down scores of creeps, ursi, and beowolves to cause further chaos down on the streets below, which only continued to slow the efforts of the Atlesian military to get its citizens to safety.

This of course meant more work for Blake and Yang.

"Blake!" Yang called out from down below as she watched her partner fly through the shards of glass on the third floor of the building above.

Although Blake still wore her kitty-eared motocycle helmet (which included a built-in respirator, allowing her to traverse the smoke-filled building), she had still plowed through the window with her head tucked down around the child in her arms to minimize the damage from the glass. The heat from the fire spreading throughout the building behind her was sweltering, and her clothes were covered in soot after having traversed its floors, trying to find the lingering signs of life. She had discovered the little girl from the sound of her crying voice behind a door blocked by a fallen beam. Her swords had made quick work of the door, and after grabbing the girl, she had immediately gone for the nearest window as the fire continued to spread.

As Blake and the small bundle in her arms fell to the street below, she raised one arm to send one of her swords flying outward towards another building across the street. The carbon nano-filament blade on the end of the long monofilament cable sunk easily into the cement wall, and dug down as gravity bulled Blake and the child towards the street. She swung on the cable, landing with her feet outstretched against the wall about halfway down, as she slowly lowered herself down the cable, letting the line out one foot at a time, the crying child still nestled under her arm.

"Blake!" Yang shouted, running over to her from the street level, her bike parked not ten feet away. "Are you okay?"

Once she had reached the street level, Blake gave the cable she was attached to a good hard flick to dislodge it from the cement wall above, before reeling it back towards her, catch it in her hand. Sheathing her sword, she turned her attention back to the little girl in her arms.

The child had auburn hair and hazel eyes, and what at one time looked to have been a pristine white dressed was now covered with ash. Her face was red from tears from the smoke, her face blackened with soot. In spite of the tears in her eyes, she remained oddly silent, her eyes unfocused, as though in shock.

Blake crouched down next to the girl, holding her by the shoulders.

"Hey there," she said quietly, lifting up he visor to allow her yellow eyes to shine through. "Are you okay?"

Yang slowed as she approached the two of them, her eyes growing wide as she saw the little girl that Blake was speaking to.

The child was still silent and trembling, her breathing slow and wheezy. Her eyes were locked onto Blake's, wide with confusion as if she couldn't understand what she was seeing.

"Hey…" Blake said, tugging the helmet from her head to get a better look at the girl, and so that she could get a better look at her. "Look at me. You're safe now, alright?"

The girl's eyes widened as she saw Blake's face, and her eyes flitting upward, before slowly tugging away in fear.

"Are…are you a…a White Fang?" the child asked in a terrified voice, dry and cracking on the verge of fresh tears.

Blake blinked in silence for a moment. How in the world had this little girl jumped to that conclusion so quickly?

"Blake…" Yang spoke out as she saw what the girl saw. "Your ears."

The young Huntress lifted a hand to her head and felt her ears twitching freely in the cool morning air, the smoke and flickering light from the fires around them casting odd shadows everywhere. Her ribbon must have come loose inside her helmet. She was now plainly a Faunus in the heart of Atlas, her true nature visible for all to see.

And this little girl had spotted it immediately, and just as quickly attributed it to the White Fang, even in the midst of this crisis.

Blake drew in a breath. There was so much damage left to repair in the world, even beyond the work of Cinder and the Grimm. The world of Remnant had to change. It _needed_ to change. The Faunus needed to find their place in it, so that children born to predominantly human kingdoms didn't grow up believing that every Faunus they laid eyes on could be someone trying to hurt them.

Blake knelt down before her and shook her head, smiling.

"No," she said. "I'm not White Fang. I used to be, but I'm not anymore. I don't like the White Fang."

Yang watched in silence, lips pursed in interest as she watched Blake try to broker a peace with the young human girl.

"My daddy says the White Fang are bad…" the girl intoned, still looking at Blake with mistrusting eyes. "He says they'll take me away if I'm naughty."

Blake continued shaking her head.

"Well, I'm not White Fang," she said. "My name is Blake. I'd like to help you, if you'd let me. What's your name?"

The little girl spoke in a tiny voice.

"Gem," she peeped.

"Okay Gem," Blake nodded. "Where is your daddy?"

Gem shook her head.

"He's not here…"

Blake glanced up at Yang, who shrugged.

"Okay," Blake went on. "What about your mommy?"

"She's not here either…"

There was a low thundering howl off in the distance as the Grimm dragon let out a roar as it continued to do battle with the Atlesian fleet. Even as far away as it was, the sound was fearsome, echoing through the buildings around them and causing Gem to flinch and draw in a startled breath. The sudden inhalation of air caused the girl to break out into a coughing fit, making both Huntresses tense in concern as she hacked and wheezed, each breath thin and frail, the air being forced from her lungs in a manner that looked as painful as it sounded.

"We need to get this girl to a doctor," Yang said sternly. "She may have inhaled some smoke from that fire."

Blake nodded, resting her hand on the girl's back, not taking her eyes off of her.

"What about her parents?" she asked Yang.

Yang turned to walk towards her bike.

"You heard her," she said, taking the bike's handlebars in her hands. "They're not here."

Blake pursed her lips. She knew what Yang was saying. Their scanning devices had picked up no other life signs in the immediate area. Either the girl's parents had survived, and they were elsewhere in the city…or they hadn't, and it didn't matter where they were anymore. Either way, Gem was still alive, and needed to be taken to safety as soon as possible.

"Let's get moving then," Blake said, scooping the child up in her arms. "The nearest bunker isn't exactly close."

Gem did not struggle, although whether it was because she lacked the energy or the wherewithal, Black could not say. Yang swung her leg over the bike, and Blake gently set Gem down behind her partner.

"Gem, this is Yang," she said. "You need to hold on to her very tightly, understand?"

Gem looked back at Blake as she climbed onto the bike behind her, sandwiching her in between the two Huntresses.

"Where…" she wheezed, her voice still raw. "Where are we going?"

"It isn't safe here," Blake explained gently. "We're taking you to a bunker."

"Oh…" Gem muttered quietly. "Is…is that where mommy and daddy are?"

Blake felt a tightness close around her chest. She didn't like the idea of lying to the girl, but at the same time, she couldn't think of the words to explain what was going on right now. She couldn't tell her that there were Grimm roaming the streets, she couldn't tell her that there was a dragon currently circling the skies, and she couldn't tell her that they had no way of knowing whether her parents were living or dead.

"Maybe!" Yang offered, optimistically. "If they're not out looking for you, then chances are that's where they've been taken. I bet they're worried sick about you, so let's not keep them waiting, okay?"

Gem coughed again, before drawing in a labored breath.

"O-Okay…" she muttered.

Blake said nothing as she re-affixed her helmet and wrapped her arms around Yang, keeping the little girl between them tightly held in place. Gem wasn't very big, and didn't take up much room on the bike, and Bumblebee was more than capable of supporting their combined weight. She could feel the girl tense in fear as Yang slowly accelerated so as not to jostle their passenger. They could not drive at top speed, for all the debris that littered the street. Yang had to nimbly maneuver around flaming and twisted hunks of metal from fallen airships, rubble from toppled buildings, and crashed and abandoned motor vehicles. It was just as well that they avoid reckless driving. Without a helmet, their passenger was one accident away from death if she fell from the bike.

All the while, Gem said nothing, as she gently clenched at Yang's clothes, shivering in Blake's arms as the two Huntresses held her firmly in place over the course of the trip. At several points, they passed by some lumbering ursi or a pack of beowolves, but they did not have the time to stop and deal with them, and Yang managed push past them each time. Blake was glad for this, as discharging their weapons or drawing attention to the monsters around them would have only further terrified the child in their care.

Overhead, the mid-day sun was nearly blotted out with the amount of smoke in the air from the destruction all around. The Atlesian fleet was focusing fire on the Grimm dragon, but the nevermores and griffons in the air were taking their toll on the fleet as well. More and more airships were plummeting from the sky, raining down fire and death on the kingdom of Atlas. And for every moment the dragon was in flight, more and more Grimm were dropping from its hide, like weeping pustules of noxious contaminant.

The GPS tracker in Blake's helmet indicated that they were nearing a bunker entrance, and Yang turned to cut down an underpass towards a militarized blockade. Soldiers and Special Operatives guarded the entrance to a great steel vault door, not unlike the one Team RSJC had encountered in the frozen north. Scattered throughout the kingdom were entrances just like it, ranging in size to the size of an individual to the size of an Atlesian Paladin. Overhead, Bullhead aircraft outfitted with for emergency medevac landed and took off from the premises, ferrying citizens and refugees towards the shelter. The soldiers were waving the people through, while the Atlesian Special Forces were fending off any approaching Grimm.

Yang brought her bike to a halt outside the blockade, and Blake wasted no time in picking Gem up in her arms and carrying her towards the dozen or so soldiers stationed in front of the bunker.

"We've got a civilian over here!" Yang called out to them.

The soldiers parted to clear a path, waving them through.

"Understood," the captain said, a tall muscular man with a brown mustache visible beneath his helm as he waved for Blake to approach. "Don't worry, ma'am, you and your little girl are safe now."

Blake shook her head. "She's not mine. We rescued her from a burning building."

"We're Operatives ourselves," Yang explained. "The whereabouts of this girl's family are currently unknown. But she needs medical attention and someone to take her into the bunker while we continue to search for survivors."

The captain paused for a moment, before slinging his weapon over his shoulder and lifting his helmet off his head, revealing close-cut brown hair, and a tired but kindly face, his mouth and nose somewhat blackened from smoke and ash.

"Alright…" he said in a resigned voice. "I'll take her myself."

He reached for her, but Gem clung more tightly to Blake's arms in distress, her eyes flitting everywhere at all the strange sights and sounds. All around her, wounded civilians were crated from Bullheads on stretchers or on the backs of friends and loved ones. Distant firearms discharged as kneeling lines of soldiers kept marauding Grimm at bay, and all in all, the entire scene looked like something out of a nightmare.

"Don't worry, Gem," Blake said, raising the visor on her helmet to look at her. "It'll be okay. This man's going to take care of you until you can find your mommy and daddy."

Gem shook her head in protest.

"No…" she whimpered, unhappily.

"Gem…" Yang said, reaching to take her from Blake's arms.

"No!" she cried, screaming and flailing, the day's stress compounding and exploding out of her all at once.

"Gem!" Blake said, setting the girl down and kneeling before her, yanking her helmet off and taking the girl by the shoulders. "We need you to be brave now, okay? There are lots of other boys and girls out there who need our help! And remember – you still need to find your mommy and daddy."

Yang was gritting her teeth in agitation. Having grown up with Ruby, she was used to uncooperative children, but never in a situation quite this dire. Then her eyes fell on the captain, who had taken a step back and put his hand on his weapon, his eyes locked on Blake. Several of the other soldiers around them had taken notice, and were also keeping their weapons readied.

"Hey, listen," he said, cautioning. "I don't want any trouble here."

Yang felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise. The soldiers had seen Blake's Faunus ears. And in an emergency situation like this, they were likely to assume the worst.

"Captain!" Yang said forcefully. "She's _not_ White Fang. She's an Atlesian Special Operative! She has the badge to prove it!"

The captain did not appear to be convinced.

"We've all seen the vids," he said. "The White Fang were able to bring down the kingdom of Vale in the midst of a Grimm invasion, all because the wrong people let their guard down at the wrong time. I'm not letting that happen here. Not today."

Yang gritted her teeth, her eyes slowly shifting to red as anger overtook her.

"Are you serious!?" she growled angrily. "How you be such an ignorant, paranoid-?"

"Yang!" Blake said, interrupting her and standing up straight, leaving Gem standing before her, clutching her legs. "We don't have time for this!"

Turning her attention to the Captain, she held her hands up in the air.

"We're not here to cause trouble," she said. "We'll go. Just…take this one inside."

She gestured at the girl at her feet.

"No!" Gem cried, clutching Blake's legs. "She's not a White Fang! She's not!"

"Be brave, Gem!" Blake called out to her. "You need to stay inside this bunker until the fighting's over. I'll come and check on you after, okay?"

The little girl looked up at Blake, a look of hurt in her eyes, when the Captain reached forward and seized her by the shoulder.

"Alright then," he said gruffly, tugging her away from Blake's legs. "Come with me."

"No!" Gem cried in a panic. "No!"

"Men, take this one into the bunker," the Captain said to his soldiers, before giving Blake a dirty look. "And make sure you check her for anything suspicious before you do."

Blake felt the knot in her stomach growing by the minute. It took every ounce of her willpower not to reach out to the little girl as she was dragged away. She had been about the same age when her own life had first been torn apart before her eyes. As Gem cried out in protest, Blake could hear the voice of a young Faunus girl from years ago, crying out in the same helpless voice, watching as her parents were dragged away under suspicions of collusion White Fang.

"Be brave…" she whispered, tears in her eyes, as Gem disappeared behind the bunker doors.

Yang put her hand on Blake's shoulder as she stood and stared, the soldiers around them still not taking their eyes off them.

"Come on Blake," she said coldly, her eyes having faded back to lavender. "There's nothing more we can do here. We should go."

Blake said nothing as Yang ushered her back towards the motorcycle. She mechanically re-affixed her helmet and climbed aboard the vehicle behind Yang, her mind elsewhere as Yang sped away from the bunker.

"Man…talk about messed up…" Yang muttered, her voice catching in her helmet mic to reach Blake's ears through her own helmet transmitter. "The thought of those soldiers patting that girl down for bombs or something makes me sick. She's just a little girl! Who'd strap a bomb to a child like that?"

"I know someone that would…" Blake shuddered. "But as long as she gets into the shelter, that's the important part."

Yang snorted as she swerved to avoid a downed Bullhead as she pulled onto the highway.

"Ignorant jackasses," Yang practically spat. "Where do they get off, assuming any Faunus they see is a White Fang agent?"

"Well…" Blake said grimly. "Any Faunus _could_ be a member of the White Fang. To play it safe, the Atlesian military _has_ to assume the worst. That's why I've kept my identity hidden while I was here."

A pack of beowolves strode across the street ahead of them, and Yang thumbed a switch on Bumblebee's dashboard.

RATATATATATATATAT!

Within moments, the horde of Grimm had been reduced to dust as the two Huntresses drove on through the remains. Yang grumbled as she gunned the throttle, sending her bike careening forward along the highway, with Blake holding onto her tightly from behind.

"Why are you _defending_ what those soldiers did, Blake?" Yang demanded suddenly. "Why isn't this _pissing_ you off?"

"It _does_ , Yang," Blake said coldly. "But I've had to deal with this for my _entire life_. You don't get anywhere by making a commotion about it every time it happens. It doesn't help anyone. You just have to keep your head down, keep your wits about you, and pick your battles where you can win them."

Yang felt a cold knot of anger boiling in the pit of her stomach.

"As soon as we deal with this Grimm crisis, we're going to have to do _something_ about the way people treat the Faunus around here," she said, steering her bike towards the edge of town. "We have to show the world that the Faunus are people too!"

Blake felt herself chuckling wryly from inside her helmet.

"Gee Yang," she sighed. "It's not like you're asking for the moon and the stars or anything."

"I like to set my goals high," Yang smiled, glad that Blake's spirits were rising somewhat. "Anyway, I'm surprised by how good you are with kids, Blake."

Blake shook her head. "I'm not, really."

"Oh yeah?" Yang snickered. "Gem was clinging to you pretty tightly by the end there. That bozo of a captain even thought she was your daughter at first!"

Blake felt herself blushing. "Quit teasing me, would you? I-"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

An alert popped up on both girl's visors, indicating a distress signal in their general vicinity within the Kingdom.

"Hold that thought, Blake," Yang said, leaning into a turn and tearing down an off-ramp. "Time to go to work!"

With their passenger safely below ground, Yang could push her bike to the limits, engaging the nitro boost for an extra burst of speed. They tore across the city streets as the battle overhead raged above them. The two Huntresses found the source of the distress beacon soon enough – a recently downed Bullhead airship, smoke trailing from its engine as the ship lay smoldering against the edge of a building.

And perched atop the wreckage, a large black nevermore was pecking at the ship's hull with its beak, trying to get at the passengers inside.

"Yang," Blake said warning. "I'm getting numerous life signs from inside that airship. It was probably carrying refugees! We have to get that nevermore away from them."

Yang smirked. "Then let's get its attention, shall we?"

Thumbing the switch to her bike's vulcan machineguns, she unloaded a hail of gunfire into the beast's flank, causing it to flail and thrash its wings. It turned its head to the two girls, and let out an ear-splitting screech.

TSEEEEER!

"I think we have its attention!" Blake observed.

The nevermore took flight and chased after the speeding motorcycle as it zoomed past the crashed airship. As it neared them, Blake dropped a number of flash-bang grenades off the back of the bike, which blew up in the creature's face.

It let out a howl of anger as it crashed blindly into the ground, its wings crumpling as it toppled from its own momentum.

"Now!" Blake called to Yang.

Yang slammed on the brakes, spinning her tires to bring the bike into a U-turn, before taking aim at the beast with her on-board targeting computer.

"Eat this!" Yang crowed, as the satisfying _hiss_ of missiles deploying from the rear pod of the bike signaled the barrage of explosives aimed at the downed Grimm.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The nevermore let out a staggering cry of pain as its body was pummeled by munitions fire, flapping its wings uselessly before its whole body went limp, collapsing in defeat.

"Alright!" Blake hollered in triumph. "Good shot, Yang!"

"Now let's go see if anyone survived that crash…" Yang said, turning her bike towards the site of the downed airship.

Blake checked her helmet scanners for life signs, still seeing roughly a dozen signatures emanating from inside the airship.

"Let's hurry," Blake said, jumping off the bike and rushing towards the smoking Bullhead. "They're probably trapped inside!"

Yang followed after her, resting her helmet on the handlebars and then cracking her knuckles before putting a hand on Blake's shoulders.

"Allow me then…" she said confidently, before gripping the door handle of the bullhead with her mechanical arm, before tugging it off the airship in a whir of servo motors with a good hard yank.

BAM!

The strike came as fast as a lightning, leaving Yang no chance to dodge or deflect. A metallic fist struck her in the cranium, and she flew backward, sailing through the air before crumpling to the ground in a heap.

" _Yang!_ " Blake screamed in distress, yanking her own helmet off to get a clear view of the threat they faced.

The distress signal had been a lure, it seemed. The Bullhead was completely empty, save for a single occupant who stepped out from the now open door. Blake's eyes widened in horror as the familiar face greeted her eyes.

"No…" she shook her head, her lip quivering in fear. "No, it can't be…"

Adam Taurus smiled back at her, the cybernetic enhancements in his body reflecting the red, flaming light of the fires and the chaos spreading around them.

"Surprised to see me?" he breathed in a metallic voice. "Darling?"


	111. Chapter 111

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 111

* * *

Ruby knew next to nothing about aerial combat. But even she could tell the battle was not going well for the Atlesian fleet.

The fleet had taken severe losses. They were not out of the fight just yet, but more and more of their number littered the city streets below. Their prospects were not looking good. Had it just been the fleet and the smaller Grimm in the air, she would have bet on the fleet winning. Had the fleet been up against the dragon alone, they might have even stood a chance. But together, the dragon and its horde of flying minions were a force to be reckoned with. The dragon was just so immense, and the number of airborne Grimm just did not seem to be decreasing.

And what made matters worse was that the _Aeneid_ could not lend much in the way of air support. As Winter had put it, they just didn't have that much firepower. They were still cloaked, so they could fly unimpeded from the Grimm. Should they open fire, however, they may as well sign their own death warrant. They had already tried and failed in that regard in the skies above Vale, and had barely escaped with their lives. And the stakes were even higher now.

The evacuation of the citizens below was proceeding as smoothly as could be expected. The _Aeneid_ had contributed to the evacuation to some extent, but once the dragon had arrived, coordinating their ground teams from above had taken priority. Every so often, teams SSSN and CFVY would check in to give them a status update, as the progress steadily proceeded. Yang and Blake were also coordinating with the _Aeneid_ to pick up far reaching stragglers, and Winter was communicating regularly with the Atlesian emergency relief to send rescue vehicles to those pockets of stranded refugees too great and too far removed for Yang and Blake to offer aid to.

The news of Team JNPR's victory had been a welcome relief at the very least, although it had been dampened by the news of Weiss going AWOL. All their attempts to raise the Huntress had been ignored. It seemed she was determined to save her father, no matter what. Winter had been on edge ever since, and Ruby wasn't entirely sure that she wouldn't take the ship herself and head straight for the Schnee manor to back up her sister's foolhardy plan, their mission be damned. Winter stayed true to her station, however, although Ruby could tell that this position was strained.

The real handful was Dora, who was going stir crazy feeling like she wasn't contributing anything.

"Come on, Ruby!" Dora griped as she paced around the main cabin. "We've _got_ to do something about that dragon!"

Ruby tensed under the girl's ire. Dora wasn't saying anything that Ruby herself wasn't thinking herself. Sometimes, it felt to Ruby that Dora was like an untempered, less refined version of herself. Before she'd arrived at Beacon, Ruby might have thought to try to tackle the dragon head-on. Now that she was a little older, that option seemed childish and foolish to her now. But Dora was still very much a child.

"I'm open to suggestions, Dora," Ruby said from her seat behind Winter, crossing her arms. "Cause I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how to take down something the entire Atlesian fleet can barely handle."

"Why don't you and I just go topside and hit it with everything we've got?" Dora asked, clenching her fists anxiously. "Between the two of us, I think we can take it!"

Ruby tried not to roll her eyes. "And risk losing the only Guardian Maiden we haven't managed to let be captured by the Grimm? I'm sorry, Dora, but that's just too big of a risk without a solid plan."

Dora clenched her teeth, anger growing in her voice.

"When did you become such a _coward_ , Ruby?!" she demanded. "Your mother would have beaten that dragon by now! Summer Rose wouldn't be hesitating like this!"

Ruby's eyes flared angrily. Dora may have been like an adoptive sister to her, but when she made claims that made it seem like she knew her mother better than Ruby did, it really got under her skin.

"And now she's _dead!_ " Ruby said forcefully, turning back to throw a hard glare at the young girl. "Crystal, Amber, Vera, they're all _dead!_ "

Dora took a step back, a hurt look in her eyes.

"Ruby…" she breathed.

Winter glanced over her shoulder at the two young women, but declined to comment as she continued to keep the _Aeneid_ in a holding pattern above the battle. The leader of Team RSJC sat back down in her seat, a look of hopelessness on her face.

"Penny…" she breathed. "Pyrrha…"

Dora felt her throat clench as Ruby bit her lip, lowering her eyes in despair.

"I'm _so_ tired of losing people, Dora…" she muttered grimly. "I won't add your name to that list. I can't."

Dora slowly approached the older girl and gingerly placed her arms around her, embracing her.

"Ruby…" she whimpered.

Ruby's arms rose to wrap tightly around the other girl. She was all that was left of the Maidens that they were sworn to protect. The last of the world's innocence, distilled into a single precocious little girl. It was Ruby's job to keep her safe.

And she had no idea how.

"Commander…" Winter's voice interrupted the silence.

Ruby and Dora separated as the older girl rose to stand next to the elder Schnee.

"I hate to interrupt," Winter said, bringing up a holographic image super-imposed onto the windscreen. "But I found something that I think you should see…"

Dora joined Ruby up in the front of the cockpit and squinted as she and Ruby peered at the image Winter was showing them. It was a blurry, zoomed in close-up of the Grimm dragon, focusing on a small red blotch on its back.

"What…is that exactly?" Dora asked.

"I've been monitoring the dragon as you recommended, Ruby," Winter said frowning. "And its movements seemed irregular, when compared to the initial reports from Vale. It's deliberately _avoiding_ flying at odd or inverted angles, almost as if something – or someone – were riding on its back. So I did a heat scan to be sure, and found a warm spot here on the creature's back. This is a still image of the area."

Ruby blinked, and then her eyes widened as she peered closer at the still image on the screen. The flicker of red was tinged with just a bit of gold.

"It can't be…" she shook her head in disbelief. "Winter, can you get us close enough for a clearer visual without compromising our cloak? We need to be sure about this."

"On it," Winter said curtly as she grasped the control yokes of the airship and changed their course.

Dora gave Ruby a concerned look. "You don't think…?"

Ruby pursed her lips, shaking her head.

"Whoever they are, they're wearing red," she said. "That means it's either Pyrrha, my aunt Raven, or…"

As the _Aeneid_ matched its velocity to the Grimm dragon, the ship leveled off to get a better view, and the external cameras zoomed in to scan the ridges on the creature's scaly back.

And the ship's occupants stared at the glowering visage of Cinder Fall.

"Cinder…" Ruby breathed, anger tinging her voice.

"She's still alive…" Winter glared in outrage.

Dora's eyes went wide with disbelief.

"No way!" she cried. "She should have been crushed to death back up north! She should be dead and buried! There's no _way_ she could have survived that cave-in! How is she still alive!?"

Ruby shook her head dispassionately.

"It doesn't matter…" she said, crossing her arms. "She's here now. And it looks like she's in control of the Grimm dragon."

Winter sat back in her seat, brow furrowed in concentration as she steepled her fingers in front of her face.

"This will complicate matters considerably," she exhaled.

Dora blinked at the two older women in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked blithely. "This just got a whole lot simpler."

Winter and Ruby turned to stare at the girl.

"Dora?" Ruby asked.

The Summer Maiden stared back and forth between the two women.

"Guys," she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Cinder's still after the Maiden powers. We can _use_ that! We can use _me_ as bait to lure her – _and_ the dragon – away from the kingdom and the fleet! And maybe give the fleet a chance to beat the rest of the Grimm!"

Winter's eyes widened, and a hint of pride touched her face. The girl may have been young, but she was clever and brave beyond her years.

Ruby, on the other, looked utterly stunned at the proposition, her jaw dropping in disbelief.

"Dora, that's _insane!_ " she exclaimed. "Once we break the cloak, that's it! There's no going back! The dragon will be all over us! There's no way we can outrun that thing, even in the _Aeneid!_ "

"We have to do _something_ , Ruby!" Dora clenched her fists. "We'll lose the kingdom if we wait any longer!"

"Dora…" Ruby shook her head in refusal.

"This is Crystal's hometown!" Dora shouted. "The Winter Maiden guards Atlas! That's the way it's always been! Crystal Schnee left this kingdom unguarded for fifteen years for the sake of her family, and then she gave her life to save mine! The _least_ I can do is protect her city in her stead!"

Winter had to smile at that. She thought she could see a little of what it was that her mother had seen in the girl in that moment.

Ruby was still unconvinced, her jaw set tightly as she shook her head.

"It's just too big of a risk, Dora," she said firmly. "There's no way I'm going to let you put yourself at risk like that!"

Before Dora could rebut her, Winter broke in with a raised finger.

"The Guardian Maidens are guaranteed full autonomy, Ruby," the pilot said with a half-smile. "Remember?"

Dora and Ruby both blinked.

"Huh?" Ruby asked.

Winter turned to give the girl a knowing smile.

"As the general put it, Ruby, we only _guard_ the Maidens," Winter explained. "But we do _not_ dictate their actions. The judgment of where in Remnant their aid is most needed falls on the shoulders of the Maidens alone. They go where they are needed. And it is out job to guard them, wherever they choose to go. Simple as that."

Ruby turned her eyes to stare at Dora, a look of remorse on her face. She knew she was being overprotective – and were the situation reversed, she would have hated what was being done in the name of protection. But Dora wasn't just a little kid - she was also a Guardian Maiden, and she had a say in things too. Ruby had no right to keep her sheltered aboard the _Aeneid_ while the rest of her team risked their lives down below. Dora not only had the right but the responsibility to take action where she saw the greatest need. Even _if_ Ruby thought it was too risky, the choice lay in Dora's hands, not hers.

She had been afraid, Ruby realized. She had been afraid for a long, long time. And she didn't think she would ever stop.

"Dora…" Ruby shook her head. "I'm sorry…"

Dora smile, a forgiving look in her eyes.

"Trust me, Ruby," she said hopefully. "We can do this. We can _both_ do this. Together."

Ruby shook her head wistfully.

"How can you be so sure?" she asked.

Dora's grin was palpable.

"Cause I'm a Maiden, and you're a silver-eyed warrior," she said, thrusting her thumb at her chest. "We're both inheritors of the Sisters' first gifts!"

"Yeah," Ruby nodded weakly. "Who'd be crazy enough to try stop _us_ , huh?"

"Damn skippy!" Dora crossed her arms with a nod. "I mean, I'm already awesome enough! But you? You can smite Grimm where they stand and link auras with whoever you want and everything! No one in their right mind would try to face the _two_ of us!"

Ruby felt her heart skip a beat.

"Wait…" she said, eyes narrowing. "Say that again? What do you mean, I can link with _whoever_ I want?"

Dora pointed to her own eye.

"Your silver eyes," she said daftly. "They let you link auras with _anyone_ , so long as they're willing. It's one of the sisters' gifts. You didn't already _know_ that?"

Ruby's heart began racing.

"No! I-!" she said excited. "Wait a minute, you mean to tell me the reason I can link with everyone on my team is _because_ of my silver eyes!?"

"Not just your teammates," Dora shrugged. "You should be able to link with _anyone_. There's really no limit. At least, that's what the knowledge of the Maidens' tells me."

Ruby's jaw hung loose, as her mind raced at the possibilities.

"Even…" she said, staring at Dora, aghast. "…Even with _you!?_ "

Dora shrugged.

"Uh, yeah?" she said sarcastically. "Isn't that what we've been _talking_ about this whole time? What did you _think_ I meant? That we were going to go out there and fight a dragon _without_ aura linking? What are you, _nuts?_ "

Ruby felt a swelling of excitement in the pit of her stomach. Linking auras with each of her teammates individually had pumped her aura enough to take down Pyrrha in her enthralled state. Linking with Yang and her uncle had been even stronger.

But linking with a _Guardian Maiden!?_

She turned to face Winter Schnee, renewed hope in her eyes.

"Open the top hatch, Winter," she said, before standing and giving Dora a wide smile. "We're going topside!"


	112. Chapter 112

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 112

* * *

"You ever get tired of fighting losing battles?"

There was something depressing about the staunch white institutional refugee housing that was set up around the outskirts of Atlas. Each unit was almost perfectly cubic, unfolding from individual modules that housed a family of four and stacked upon one another for quick and easy refugee housing. From an engineering standpoint, the design was really quite ingenious, and it is what allowed Atlas to take in millions of refugees spanning the Atlesian countryside without having to turn anyone away or leave anyone starving or wanting for food and shelter as Mistral had. In this way, Atlas had managed the Grimm crisis better than almost any other kingdom.

On the other hand, the compact and compressed homes did not suit larger families that needed to be split up, nor were the emergency rations always sufficient, particularly those with dietary restrictions. Nor did the situation benefit them now as they were systematically evacuated to the emergency bunkers as the Grimm screamed across the Atlesian sky. The large numbers were not moved easily at all. And the overall confidence in the Atlesian military was at an all-time low. Many among the refugees included Faunus, who did not tend to receive priority treatment, which meant that the task of ensuring that all Faunus were accounted for fell almost entirely on the Special Forces.

It was still an improvement from Mistral by Neptune's estimation.

"I don't know," he said as he and Sun carried an armful of medical supplies as they followed an elderly Faunus couple to the docked Bullheads. "I feel like we were given the cushy job here."

Sun furrowed his brow, seemingly dissatisfied.

"That's kind of my point, actually," he muttered. "We're down here carting supplies while the rest of our team is out there doing the real work."

Neptune let out a sigh. "It's called covering your bases, dude. If we're here, watching out for the folks in the housing units, it's one less thing that Ruby and the others have to worry about. They trust us to handle things if something happens so that they can better focus on the task at hand."

The wind kicked up as the two of them approached the Bullhead, its engines still running as passengers hurried on board. Sun placed his crate inside the airship, and offered a hand to gently help the elderly man aboard, his white wolf ears faded by time.

"Here we are, sir," he said as the old man's legs wobbled precariously as he climbed aboard. "Watch your step."

"Oh my…" the old lady said as Neptune gently carried her aboard. "Thank you, young man…"

The two Faunus waved gratefully as the door tot he Bullhead slid closed, and the airship lifted away to ferry its passengers to safety, another Bullhead landing shortly afterward to take its place.

"Ever the charmer," Sun rolled his eyes, as he and Sun turned to the next task.

"You can take the player out of the game," Neptune smiled. "But you can't take the game out of the player."

Sun shook his head and raised his scroll to eye level.

"Scarlet, Sage, how do things look up top?" he asked.

Overhead, standing atop the highest of the housing units – they stacked up to four stories, but any more than that would risk collapsing – positioned as lookouts was the rest of Team SSSN, the two young men standing with their weapons drawn and their eyes on the roads around them.

"No change so far," Sage reported. "The Grimm seem to be concentrated at the city center."

"I wouldn't want to be Team CFVY right now," Scarlet added.

Sun let out a groan.

"See, this is what I'm talking about," he said, glancing at Neptune. "Coco and her team are out there doing the hard part while we're stuck here on guard duty. We should be out there helping."

"We _are_ helping, dude!" Neptune insisted, before leaning in to talk into Sun's scroll. "Sage, tell him we're helping!"

"I understand where you're coming from, Sun," Sage shook his head. "But we can't be in two places at once. We have our role to play, Team RWBY and JNPR and CFVY have theirs."

"Speak of the devil," Scarlet chimed in. "I just spotted that audacious bucket of bolts that Coco calls a car on its way back. They look like they're ready for another round of evacuees."

Sun nodded and gestured for Neptune to follow him.

"Keep up the good work you two," Sun said, before putting away his scroll. "Come on Neptune."

The two of them strode past the soldiers stationed around the housing units, as well as other Operatives assigned to their position. Some of the Huntsmen they both recognized from the Vytal tournament, including the Faunus girl on roller skates and her partner with the trumpet.

A convoy of armored vehicles began to slowly make their way towards the housing units, led by a familiar if much less pristine looking white car. The vehicle had no less than a dozen mounted turrets sprouting from the front, rear and both sides. For all that, the car was not in the best of shape. Claw marks, dents and scratches marred its surface, both headlights were demolished from ramming through scores of Grimm, and the windshield was a distant and shattered memory.

The car's occupants looked tense and on-edge. Velvet was clutching her handbag as if she expected to have need of it at any moment, Fox was casting his head about at every sound he heard, Yatsuhashi looked genuinely out of breath, and Emerald was simply passed out in the back seat. Even the normally witty and wry Coco Adel looked like she had seen better days, her hat and shades nowhere to be seen, her hair a tussled mess.

The convoy behind them looked like it had fared no better. No less than a dozen Atlesian troop transports, retrofitted to carry civilian passengers, rumbled and sputtered unceremoniously behind the Espresso Machine, each bearing a tapestry of claw marks, dents and punctures from extended engagement with the creatures of Grimm. The cavalcade had little in the way of medical supplies or personnel, so the ground vehicles were mostly devoted to those refugees healthy enough to walk, leaving the disabled or infirm to the precious few rescue aircraft coming and going from the housing units. It was a difficult process, as families were separated, husbands and wives placed on different vehicles, with next to no assurance of reuniting once the dust had settled.

Sun and Neptune approached Team CFVY's vehicle, a worried look on their faces.

"Are you guys alright?" Neptune asked.

"Yeah, this thing looks more banged up each time you roll through here," Sun shook his head.

Coco tried waving off the other Huntsman's concern like it was no big deal.

"Pfft, this is nothing," she said, waving her golden gun around cockily. "You should see the other guys."

Velvet gave the other girl a disconcerting look.

"You're sugar-coating it, Coco," she amended. "The city's a warzone. Grimm are roaming the streets in droves. Every time we pass through it, their numbers increase. We're not making a significant dent in their ranks, and to make matters worse, they are drawn to the negative emotions of our passengers."

"Nothing we can do about that," Yatsuhashi reasoned. "We just have to tough it out."

"Still, I don't think we should risk another run after this one," Fox added. "The convoy won't last another circuit. And most of the roads are blocked at this point."

Coco threw her teammates an astonished look. "You want to try to squeeze the entire rest of the refugee camp into these things? There's no way they'd all fit!"

"Then load them up into civilian vehicles," Sun suggested.

"Civilian vehicles?" Coco demanded. "Right, because driving a bunch of refugees to their doom was right at the top of my to do list! All the Grimm out there would tear them apart!"

"It won't be that way," Sun shook his head, drawing a picture with his hands. "Keep the civilian vehicles in the center of the convoy, putting the armored vehicles at the head and the rear, and along the sides where possible, interspersed where not. The armored vehicles will be able to provide cover in case of an attack."

"You can also recruit the rest of the Operatives stationed here at the housing development to guard the convoy now," Neptune added. "That would more than double your escort force. It's not like we need to hold this position after we're done here, after all."

Coco exchanged a glanced with her teammates, who each shrugged helplessly at one another.

"Alright, fine," Coco conceded. "We'll get it done. Be ready to move on my signal, boys."

The Huntsmen dispersed, filing into the housing development to gather the last of the refugees, explaining the situation to the local soldiers and remaining Operatives on station. It took some convincing, but eventually Teams SSSN and CFVY were able to persuade the remainder of the refugees to move as a whole, some three hundred souls in all, mostly women and children, many nestling into regular old cars and trucks that were parked in the general vicinity.

"Not a bad plan, Sun," Neptune said with a smirk as they began refueling some of the motor vehicles. "Really thinking outside the box."

"Oh, shut up," Sun said with a grin, lifting the red fuel canister in his hands to pour its contents into the gas tank of a minivan. "I just want to get these civilians somewhere safe so we can finish the fight without having to worry about them."

"You really think we have a chance?" Neptune asked, suddenly somber.

Sun took a moment to ponder the notion. He glanced up at the sky, at the Grimm and the dragon slowly wearing down the Atlesian fleet. Above it all, the air was filled with smoke, and the midday sun was completely obscured in darkness.

He didn't like their chances at all. But he couldn't give voice to those fears. So he narrowed his brow as he tried to think of some way to play it off like he wasn't concerned.

Before he could speak, however, Neptune's scroll rang a familiar ringtone.

"Hey..." Sun suddenly asked as he recognized the voice on the device. "Isn't that Weiss' song?"

"Oh, be quiet," Neptune chastised, bringing his scroll to his ear. "Hello?"

Sun watched his partner's eyes suddenly narrow as he heard a voice that sounded like Jaune's on the other line.

"Wait, what do you mean, she took off?" Neptune asked. "Wait, wait…slow down, Jaune! Tell me what's happened?"

Sun listened in close, but couldn't quite make out what Jaune was saying.

"They've gone rogue?" Neptune demanded. "How could they be so…? Wait, she _what!?_ "

He trailed off, and Sun could hear Jaune's voice on the other line. He thought he could hear the word 'please' being repeated over and over again.

"Okay, okay, I understand," Neptune said, a determined look in his eyes. "Don't worry, Jaune. I'm on my way."

He closed his scroll, and Sun set the gas tank down and put his hands on his hips.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

Neptune shook his head slowly.

"Weiss is in trouble," he said simply. "Sorry, man, but I gotta go."

"What?" Sun demanded in surprise. "Wait, hold on, what about the mission? The team needs you, man."

Neptune was already walking away.

"You've got more than enough Huntsmen to guard the convoy without me," he reasoned, not turning to meet his partner's gaze at all. "But Weiss needs help. I'm going."

Sun's expression started turning sour.

"Neptune, you can't just go disobeying orders like-" he started.

And then his own scroll began to chime. Reaching into his pocket, Sun put the scroll to his ear. And then his eyes widened as he heard Yang's voice on the other line.

"Sun…" she coughed weakly. "We need…we need backup…"

"Yang?" Sun stammered. "What's…?"

"It's Blake…" Yang's voice sounded thing and wispy. "She needs help…"

Sun's eyes widened. "Blake?"

"He's back, Sun…" Yang coughed. "Adam's back…"

A knot of fear rose in the pit of his stomach as Sun's eyes fell on Neptune's. Without exchanging a word, the two of them knew exactly what they each needed to do. A cry of distress from the people they both loved had reached their ears. As men, they could not deny the call. No matter what came of it.

"Hold on, you guys…I'll be there soon…" Sun said to Yang, before closing his scroll, his eyes not leaving Neptune's.

Neptune shook his head. There was nothing more to say.

"Go," Sun said dismissively. "Save Weiss. Meet me back at the Citadel when you can."

"Will do," Neptune smiled, thrusting his fist forward. "Go take care of Blake. And be safe out there, bro."

"You too, man," Sun concurred, bumping their knuckles together.

The two of them nodded, and took off in separate directions. Checking his scroll GPS for Blake's location, Sun made his way towards the center of town on foot, drawing his staff to leap atop the rooftops above. Likewise, Neptune used what he knew of the kingdom's landmarks and triangulated the exact location of the Schnee manor in his head, making a beeline for Weiss, glaive in hand.

Whether it was fate or destiny that had lead them both here, neither knew. All either of them knew was that the people most important to them were in trouble. And so, like moths to a flame, they both rushed forward, heedless of the dangers that awaited them. And the only thought on either of their minds was the hope and the prayer that they would make it in time to save the ones they loved.


	113. Chapter 113

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 113

* * *

William Eisenhardt Schnee raised his dust blade into the air, and brought it down, shearing through the automated Atlesian paladin that was running rampant through the Schnee manor.

"Get to the bunker!" he called out to the numerous maids, butlers, grounds keepers and other wait staff fleeing the premises.

William was now regretting the cost-saving measures he had implemented in his home security. Director Polendina had assured him that even if the anti-hacking suites he had installed on all of the mechanized units he had supplied him with could be compromised, the units could still be remotely shut down via a master shut-off switch accessible only through Schnee's personal scroll device. The president's outrage was palpable when he found that, on the eve of the largest attack on Atlesian soil in recent history, not only were the Knights and Paladins stationed on his property going rogue just like they had in Vale, but that his master shut-off switch was also failing to shut them down.

The grounds were far enough from the city center so as to be somewhat isolated from the Grimm attacks. Still, the Schnees were nothing if not diligent, so with the kingdom under attack, William and all staff members on the grounds were ushered to the private bunker beneath the Schnee manor. Of course, procedure also dictated that all security forces be deployed for the duration of the emergency, which meant that standing between the personnel on site and the bunker in the basement level, were no less than seventy autonomous Atlesian Knights, and nearly a dozen Paladins, each one emblazoned with the Schnee family crest, and all of them discharging their weapons at anything that moved.

President Schnee was a skilled fighter. He had taken it upon himself early on in his life to ensure that he diligently trained in the use of dust, in the application of glyphs, and in the way of the sword. He probably could have fended off even this number of mechanized troops if it came down to it. But he would be damned if he would allow even a single staff member of his household to come to harm from this threat that dared sully his property like this. These were _Schnee Dust Company employees_ \- men and women that furnished his household, prepared his meals, managed his affairs and saw to his every need - and so long as they were diligent in their duty to serve and accommodate his family, then he would fight to defend them. On this, he would stand firm. He refused to set even _one foot_ inside his private bunker while even one of his staff remained outside.

He had his pride as a Schnee, after all.

And so, sword in hand, his suit jacket discard, his pristine blue dress shirt impeccably pressed, President Schnee fought back against the enemy that dared to invade his home, making sure that everybody on the premises was safely escorted to the bunker below. It was slow going, as the mechanized troops did not seem inclined to avoid property damage, and the larger paladins seemed to brazenly plow through the walls of the manor, sending rubble flying everywhere as they searched for targets. William easily cut through the knights in his path, his dust sword swinging with ease as the frosty blade reduced the enemy-tampered mechs to frosty hunks of metal. The Paladins, however, did not go down so easily, and he could not afford to take the time to finish them off while the smaller Knights moved in on his people.

Clearing a path to the stairs, he gestured to the terrified house workers on the landing above as the trio of Knights before him lay in a haphazard pile of metallic limbs and sparking circuitry.

"Is that everyone!?" the president called out as the last of the maids went rushing down the stairs towards the basement.

"I don't know!" the girl said in a panic as she gingerly stepped around the broken mechs, the halls around them scarred and broken from gunfire.

"Wait!" another girl's voice called out from inside the bunker. "Where's Opal? I don't see Opal anywhere!"

William cursed himself. He had given Opal specific instructions to get into the bunker with rest of the staff. But knowing his personal assistant as well as he did…

"Seal the bunker until I get back then!" Schnee called back down the stairs. "I'll find her!"

He turned and rushed down the hallway, broken Atlesian mechs littering his path. His beautiful, elegant manor was in shambles! White walls had been been turned into so much rubble, columns and arches were marred with cracks, scorch-marks and gun-fire, and priceless paintings, antiques and statuary lay ruined and broken beyond repair. He did not pay these baubles any heed as he strode onward, determined to find Opal. There would be time enough to rebuild when _all_ of his people were safe.

And then he would ensure that those responsible would be made to pay for each and every scratch.

He found the young platinum blond woman in the main hall, still in her business suit, a pistol in her hands, cornered by five Atlesian Knights. Opal was no Huntress, but she was not completely defenseless either, William knew. Still, she would not last long against that many mechs.

"Opal!" he called out in alarm as he reached out, casting a series of white glyphs beneath each of the mechs.

The Atlesian Knights looked down in time to see five pillars of ice rise out of the ground, enveloping the lot of them as the mechs were engulfed and completely ensnared, the machineguns in their hands completely trapped inside the ice along with the machines that wielded them.

Opal recoiled, the sudden burst of frost taking her by surprise as she looked up at the president in alarm.

"Sir!" she called out, holding her sidearm at the ready, muzzle pointed upward. "Are you alright!?"

"Am I-?!" President Schnee gaped in astonishment, before shaking his head and marching over to her. "Opal, I gave you _explicit instructions_ to take shelter in the bunker!"

"Yes Sir!" the secretary said, before holstering her weapon and lifting a shimmering snowflake pendant attached to a thin silver chain. "I was just on my way there. But I had to retrieve this first."

William stared aghast at the trinket in her hands.

"Are you mad, woman?" he growled in anger. "Do you have any idea the danger you're in? Why would you risk your life for such a trinket? I will buy you a _dozen_ such ornaments if it would convince you to get yourself to safety!"

Opal drew in her breath, as though surprised by her boss' outrage.

"But, Sir, it…" she stammered, shaking her head as she held the jewelry out to him. "This belonged to your wife."

William stopped and stared for a moment, taking a closer look at the necklace in her hands. He hadn't recognized it at first, but now that he was looking more closely, he could see the twelve-pointed snowflake contouring to the Schnee family crest. It was carved from a very rare, elemental form of dust, refined until it crystalized into a gemstone about the size and shape of a decent sized coin. It was sturdier than diamond, never lost its luster or sheen, and even glowed dimly in the absence of light. He had given it to Crystal, not merely for its value and beauty, but for its rarity – there existed less than five ounces of that particular form of dust in the known world.

The secretary pursed her lips at the man's silence.

"Sir?" she asked warily.

The president's eyes snapped back into focus and his expression softened.

"I see…" he said quietly. "Thank you, Opal. The path is clear now. Please proceed to the bunker."

Before Opal could respond, the entire wall to their left exploded in a shower of stone.

BOOM!

William rushed to the young woman's side and threw up a glyph to shield her from the flying rubble, as an Atlesian Paladin emerged, standing in the freshly made hole in the wall.

"Get to the bunker!" the president shouted, raising his dust sword. "I'll deal with this thing!"

The secretary raised the necklace in her hands. "But Sir, what about-"

"I'm counting on you to protect it for me, Opal," William said softly, his eyes on the approaching mech. "Now get yourself to safety. Now, if you please."

Opal hesitated, looking up at the president of the Schnee Dust Company, a fearful look in her eyes.

"Yes Sir…" she said, before turning to flee, clutching the heirloom tightly to her chest.

William squared his stance as he faced off against the malfunctioning mech, a determined look in his eyes.

"Get out of my house!" he growled furiously, before casting a glyph beneath his feet tinged with yellow dust, giving himself a boost of propulsion.

He blasted forward, sword raised menacingly, slashing at the Paladin's leg, forcing it down on one knee. He leaped spun in the air as he lashed at the mech's arm-mounted turret, turning the weapon into scrap metal that crumbled to the floor..

The Paladin responded by leveling the intact machine gun on its other arm at the president, riddling the ornate sitting room with gunfire as William erected a single wide glyph as a shield to deflect the incoming munitions.

"Defective piece of hardware!" he glowered, sending his glyph flying forward to slam into the Paladin, its broken leg unable to stabilize itself as it toppled over backwards.

CRASH!

President Schnee let out a breath as the Paladin fell, but when he turned to head back towards the bunker, he saw his path blocked by numerous Atlesian Knights leveling their guns at him.

RATATATATATATATAT!

The Knights unloaded a hail of gunfire, forcing the president to raise his sword defensively. Using the massive dust blade as a shield, the president protected himself from the incoming fire as bits and pieces of his sword slowly chipped away from the relentless assault.

He took a breath, mentally gauging how much aura he had left. He had taken down much of the mech's number this day, but it had been draining. His speed glyph was still active, and would continue to drain aura as he used it. He finally decided that he should still have had strength enough for this next attack.

"Out of my way!" he roared, charging forward, his diminishing dust sword scraping against the floor as he lunged.

He swung his weapon relentlessly, his glyph-enhanced speed allowing to him pass over and under the mech's gunfire as he severed arms and legs, turning the Atlesian Knights into scrap metal as his sword flashed brightly with each strike.

When each of the Knights lay unmoving, he took a moment to catch his breath. In the back of his mind, he tried to take stock of how many mechanized units he had established on his property, and how many he had recently destroyed, and consequently, how many might lie between him and the bunker. As he performed the mental calculation, the lumbering sound of another approaching mech caught his attention, and as he turned, the Atlesian Paladin he had dealt with early came hobbling towards him. It was limping on its broken leg, but with its massive size, it was still able to slowly gain momentum as it approached, lowering its frame in an attempt to charge him.

William leaped clear, landing hard on his side, swinging his sword to fling the last remaining shards of dust from its blade into the Paladin's chassis, riddling its frame with crystalline spikes.

With a whir and a hiss, the giant mech slammed into one of the support columns in the main hall. However, its moment was enough to crack the column against which is had impacted, sending the massive stone pillar slowly tumbling the floor.

And it was falling directly towards President Schnee.

"Damn it!" he hissed as he tried to scramble to his feet.

And then right at that moment, his speed glyph finally wore off, and he suddenly found himself flagging. He stumbled from the abrupt change in his momentum, he felt a sharp, shooting pain in his leg as the column fell upon him, crushing the bone beneath it.

" _Yeeeaaarrrghhh!_ " he screamed in pain, clutching his leg, his knee trapped beneath the stone pillar.

He was not as young as he used to be, he lamented as his body began to tremble from shock, adrenaline flooding his system. He shoved and kicked at the massive stone column with his good leg, but it would not budge. He tugged at his leg, but every time he did, another lance of pain cut through his body like a knife.

He thought he might have enough aura left for a glyph strong enough to lift the several-ton column off the ground, when his eyes widened in despair as he heard the tell-tale thudding of another Atlesian Paladin marching into the main hall, before turning to spot the helpless old man pinned beneath the column.

He must have missed one, he realized.

William clutched the stiletto blade in his hand. It would take another twenty seconds for him to regrow the dust crystals that lined its shaft. He could maybe fight back with his glyphs, but even as he prepared one, he knew he didn't have the aura left to defeat another Paladin in his condition.

CRASH!

Another charging behemoth plowed through the stately walls surrounding the main hall, however this one looked nothing like the Atlesian Paladins he'd been fighting. This one looked more like a knight in shining armor.

And his youngest daughter was perched upon its back.

"Father!" she screamed, waving her sword forward, directing her mount to attack the malfunctioning mech.

The summoned knight responded by plowing headlong into the Atlesian Paladin, sending it crashing into the far wall.

Weiss jumped down off the knight's shoulder, stumbled a little on the polished marble floor, before staggering her way to where her father lay.

"Weiss…" he uttered in disbelief, shaking his head. "What are you doing here, young lady? You should be down in one of the bunkers where it's safe!"

Weiss fixed her father with stubborn smile as she stood over him, her sword held in hand.

"I told you before, father," she breathed. "I'm a Huntress. And my place is on the battlefield!"

With a determined flourish, she cast a set of glyphs on either side of the column that lay overtop of her father. He grunted in pain as the pillar slowly rose into the air, his pant leg appeared stained with blood as his knee bent at an odd angle. As he gritted his teeth through the pain, he watched as Weiss slowly moved the column away from him, directing her glyphs with her sword, before depositing massive stone obelisk on the floor ten feet away with a loud _thoom_.

Then she fell to one knee, the tip of her sword pressed into the marble floor as she rested her weight on the grip, panting for breath.

"Weiss!" William called out in alarm, reaching out towards her her as she rested before him. "You're exhausted! How much aura do you have left?"

Weiss attempted a weak smile at her father's concern.

"Don't worry about me, father," she assured him. "I'm fine…"

Weiss' father glanced over at the summon knight in the corner of the room, and watched in dismay as the summon slowly fizzled, its body dissipating into nothing as the aura sustaining it flickered out. The Atlesian Paladin behind it slowly began to climb back to its feet.

"You're not fine!" William shouted, gritting his teeth as he dragged himself over to her, trailing blood from his shattered leg, his stiletto in hand. "You need to leave here at once!"

Weiss slowly struggled to her feet.

"I won't!" she declared angrily, before falling back to one knee, her hand landing on the floor, sword raised. "I'm not leaving you here, father!"

"Weiss," her father shook his head, despairingly. "Now is not the time for your obstinacy! Forget about me, child! Please, get yourself to safety!"

Weiss clutched her sword in both hands as she faced off against the Paladin, her whole body trembling, her aura flickering in the red zone.

"My mother has already died for me, father!" Weiss screamed in outrage. "I won't let you do the same!"

William blinked his eyes disbelief. "Weiss…"

Weiss shook her head in despair as she watched the approaching mech come ever closer.

"Winter and I finally got to see mother again…" she whimpered. "She gave her life to save ours!"

"You…you _saw_ her…?" the old man gasped in wonder.

Weiss turned to give her father a tearful smile.

"She said to tell you…" she whispered. "That you were always her greatest adventure…"

William clenched his sword in his hand as his eyes softened.

"Crystal…" he breathed.

The ground shook as the Paladin marched closer to them, and William shook his head, clawing his way forward to position himself at Weiss' side, his stiletto raised.

"I won't let you die here, my child," he said stubbornly. "Your mother would never forgive me."

Weiss raised her sword, a glyph just barely appearing beneath her feet, its light flickering dimly as she struggled to cast it.

"And _I_ won't let you die for me either, father," she countered. "I'd never forgive _myself_."

The Paladin raised its guns to fire.

And that's when the marble floor beneath the mech's feet began to crack, the floorboards beneath rising and swelling as a water mane suddenly burst through the floor.

SPLOOSH!

A vast plume of water erupted from the floor below, sending the Paladin crashing up into the ceiling.

BOOM!

"What in the…?" Weiss gasped in astonishment.

The massive plume of water from the floor began to twist into a helix as the mech was ground into the ceiling above. As the vortex began to swirl into a massive cyclone, the Paladin was slowly dragged away as it was hurled and tossed about like a rag-doll, before being flung into the ground with a violent _crash_.

And then bursting from the broken spout below, his body engulfed in water, glaive in hand, was a familiar looking Huntsman.

"Neptune!" Weiss cried out in relief.

With a flourish, the young Huntsman extended his glaive, reconfiguring its blade into trident form. Clasping it with both hands, he descended upon the Paladin with a cry of anger, before sinking the prongs of his weapon into the mech's chassis. The Paladin shook as a burst of electricity flooded its system from the weapon, further agitated by all the water in its system.

"Hahhhhhhh!" Neptune shouted as he dug his weapon into the Atlesian Paladin.

With a pop, snap and a hiss, the mech finally collapsed, its system completely short-circuited.

Weiss stared at her rescuer in astonishment. He stood atop the fallen Paladin, his weapon still embedded in the unit's chassis, as he lifted his head to look at her, concern evident on his face.

"Weiss," he said slowly. "Are you alright?"

Weiss's lower lip was quivering as she spoke.

"Neptune…" she breathed in disbelief. "Your semblance…is _water?_ "

The broken water mane was still spewing its contents into the main hall, which puddled all around them. As if just noticing his surroundings, a shiver visibly ran its way down the Huntsman's body, his eyes going unfocused, before he regained his composure.

"Yes, Weiss…" he said tremulously, his body held tightly as though he was restraining himself from running away from the water mane as fast as he could. "Yes it is…"

Weiss shook her head in disbelief.

"But…" she stammered. "You're _terrified_ of water!"

Neptune shuddered, lowering his head in shame.

"Yes…yes, I am…" he agreed, his whole body shaking. "If you could maybe please refrain from drawing _attention_ to this fact, I _might_ be able to stop myself from freaking out right now…"

Weiss brought her hands to her lips.

"Oh!" she nodded bashfully. "Sorry!"

"Weiss…" William Schnee said to his daughter. "Is this one of your teammates?"

Weiss nodded quickly, suddenly remembering her manners.

"Oh, yes!" she said gesturing to the young man. "Father, this is Neptune Vasilias. Neptune, my father, President William Schnee."

Neptune waved his hand tremulously.

"It's…a pleasure to finally meet you, Sir…" he said, trying not to go into a panic attack from all the water accumulating around them.

William let out a breath of relief.

"Young man," he said simply. "You very well may have just saved my daughter's life, as well as my own. I am forever in your debt."

Neptune straightened his back respectfully.

"Oh, um…" he nodded slowly. "It was my pleasure, Sir."

Weiss immediately went to her father's side, taking him by the arm.

"Neptune, he's been hurt," she said in alarm. "We need to get him to a doctor!"

"The family physician should be in the bunker with the rest of the staff," William waved his daughter off. "Just get me downstairs. My staff should be able to handle things from there."

"Understood," Weiss nodded, before looking to her savior. "Neptune, do you think you could help me carry him?"

Neptune nodded, retracting and re-sheathing his weapon, before gingerly hopping down into the ankle deep water pooling around the Paladin. A shiver visibly ran up his spine, and he was barely able to walk as he tip-toed his way over to Weiss and her father, finally getting out of the water so he could sling one of the old man's arms over his shoulders.

"My thanks again to you, lad," William said kindly as Weiss took him by the other shoulder, as together the two of them began slowly walking him down the hall. "Vasilias, was it? Are you of any relation to Poseidon Vasilias, who runs Ionian Heavy Industries in Mistral?"

"The same," Neptune smiled politely, clearly used to the notoriety of his family. "I'm a bit of a black sheep for wanting to go off to be a Huntsman, but my folks were pretty open minded about the whole thing. My brother Triton's probably the one who's going to take over the company when he grows up."

"I see," President Schnee nodded, wincing as he limped forward under the two Huntsmen's care until they reached the stairs leading down to the basement level. "The lifestyle of a Huntsman does seem to draw in like minds, I must say. I am glad that my youngest daughter has someone like you that she can depend on."

Neptune smiled widely as they slowly made their way down the stairs. "Thank you, Sir…I'm honored."

"Father!" Weiss said, cheeks coloring. "Don't talk so much! You should save your strength!"

"My apologies, Weiss," William said as the two of them reached the basement, before coming to a man-sized vault door.

Lifting his arm up from around his daughter's shoulders, the president tapped a series of numbers into the keypad next to the vault door, which spun open automatically with an electronic _whirr_ of motors.

The first face to appear once the bunker opened was Opal.

"Sir!" she cried out in alarm, rushing out from behind the vault door. "You've been injured!"

"Just a scratch, Opal," William assured her, as she and two other butlers hurriedly began to lift him off of his feet. "Is everyone accounted for?"

"Everyone, Sir," she said reassuringly. "Come on, let's get you to the physician."

"In a moment," he said, before turning to face the two Huntsmen. "Weiss…are you _certain_ you cannot stay here in the bunker? There is room aplenty for the both of you in here."

"I'm certain, father," Weiss said kindly, standing beside Neptune. "Like I said, I'm a Huntress. My place is on the battlefield."

"So be it then," William said, reaching out to take his daughter's hand. "I will take heart knowing that you have someone out here with you to keep you safe."

He smiled at Neptune, who nodded back, scratching the back of his head.

"You can count on me, Sir!" he said helplessly.

William nodded in turn, and fixed his daughter with a warm expression.

"I love you very much, my child," he said. "Please be safe."

"I love you too, father," Weiss replied. "And I will."

The vault door closed, and two Huntsmen slowly made their way upstairs. The manor around them was practically demolished, several walls as well as many of the floors above having been completely leveled. It was still apparent that it had once been a household, but the building itself was in ruins.

Weiss drew in a breath as she looked around at the destruction of her home.

"Yet another thing the creatures of Grimm have to answer for," she lamented.

Neptune placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Weiss."

"Don't worry about it," she shook her head, stepping gingerly over rubble and broken ornaments as they made their way towards the exit. "I'm just thankful I was able to save my father in time."

She then threw a bashful smile towards the other boy.

"By the way…" she said. "Thanks for coming to my rescue, Neptune. I still can't believe your semblance is water! How have you been managing all this time?"

Neptune just let out a sigh. Each and every time he was around water, he was brought back to that time as a kid. It had been simple and innocent beach vacation with his family, and he and his brother had been playing in the water. The tide had come in, and Neptune found himself caught in the undertow. He could still vividly recall the sensation of water filling his lungs, the feeling of helplessness as he was dragged out to sea.

What a joke that his very semblance would later turn out to be the same water that he feared. Perhaps it was this fear of water that had brought out such a semblance within him. Or a cruel joke by the hand of fate. Either way, using his own semblance had utterly terrified him since that day.

"I just don't use my semblance," he explained dismissively as he followed the girl out of the ruins of her house. "It's better that way."

Weiss gave Neptune a look akin to shock.

"What?" she gasped. "You mean you've made it _this_ far without _ever_ using your semblance!?"

Neptune just shrugged helplessly.

"I guess so…" he sighed.

Weiss shook her head, still not believing what she was hearing.

"Still…" she gaped. "How did you ever manage to overcome your fear of water to come save me?"

"I don't know," Neptune said, giving her a wan smile. "I didn't really think about it. I just did it."

Weiss stared at him in confusion. "But… _why?_ "

Color reached his cheeks as he looked at her.

"Well, you were in trouble," he said bashfully. "I may be afraid of water…but I'm _much_ more afraid of losing you, Weiss.

Weiss drew in her breath, turning away, her cheeks flaring bright red.

"You…you _idiot!_ " she blared, blushing heavily. "You can't just… _say_ things like that!"

"What?" Neptune withered under her berating. "Weiss, I…I thought you'd be-"

He was silent when Weiss threw her arms around him and kissed him roughly on the lips. His eyes flew open in response, barely able to catch her as she flung herself around him. Her fingers tangled themselves through his crisp blue hair as she drew him closer, standing on her tiptoes to reach his lips, and for a brief moment, simply enveloped him in his entirety. In that moment, she knew just what he meant to her. In that moment, she knew that she never wanted to let him go.

When she finally released him, he was blinking in astonishment, his face red, and looking completely stunned.

"Whu…buh…huh?" he stammered, seemingly unable to form words.

Weiss was still blushing as she looked away, determined not to let her feelings distract her from the task at hand.

"Come on," she said, her eyes on the skyline, just visible beyond the leveled walls of Schnee manor. "We've still got work to do."

Neptune shook his head, regaining his senses as he followed quickly after Weiss as she hurried off.

"Alright, Weiss," he smiled. "Right behind you!"


	114. Chapter 114

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 114

* * *

Blake couldn't believe what she was seeing. For as long as she'd known him, Adam Taurus had been a staunch enemy of everything humanity represented. The Kingdom of Atlas had been the bastion of humanity's military might, and the foremost obstacle in the advancement in Faunus rights. As the world's leading producer of technology and engineering, after years of open conflict, opposing Atlas became synonymous with rejecting its technology, which was why Torchwick's plan to furnish the White Fang with Atlas Tech never really took off. It was _anathema_ for a member of the White Fang to even _associate_ themselves with Atlas tech.

And it appeared now that Adam had integrated this tech into his entire body!

"Adam…" Blake shook her head in sorrow as she stared aghast at the technological monstrosity that was his cybernetic body. "What have you _done_ to yourself!?"

Adam stood before her, his entire body coated in a thin, skintight film, revealing a metallic sheen. The articulation of muscle and sinew beneath his skin was accentuated by thin plate mail armor across his arms and torso, his black coat having been replaced by an armored body ensconced in reds and blacks. He wore a modified version of his White Fang mask, its triangular shape more pronounced, its red eye slits slanted and wicked looking. He carried no weapon, but at the end of each arm his hands opened to bear a set of fearsome metal claws, each one looking razor sharp.

"Spare me your pity, Blake," Adam seethed. "Your little friend there is the one responsible for this state I'm in."

Blake glanced behind her at Yang. She wasn't moving, but she couldn't risk taking her eyes off of Adam to go check on her. She had no _idea_ what he was capable of in this new body of his, but she had no reason to believe he'd become any weaker since they'd last fought. She couldn't take any chances. If she meant to save Yang, she'd have to lure Adam _away_ from her.

"But _Atlas tech?_ " she demanded in stupefaction. "Changing your body into this…this _atrocity?_ You've sacrificed everything you've ever stood for!"

Adam smiled, holding his arms out wide.

"No, my dear…" he said haughtily. "I've come to embody everything the White Fang represents! No longer will we fear the machine gods of Atlas! Instead, we will conquer the technology that once enslave us! We will embrace it! We will _master_ it! We will use the tools of our captors and make them our own, turning their own weapons against them! If they choose to strike us with fire, then we shall use fire in kind!"

With a _whir_ of actuators, his White Fang mask split down the middle, dividing into two perfect halves, each half swiveling to the side around his face to reveal a set of blood red cybernetic eyes.

"And from the ashes of this cleansing fire…" he breathed. "We will rise."

Blake took a step back in revulsion.

"You've gone too far, Adam…" she said in a tremulous voice. "Will you let your hatred for humanity consume you completely?"

She held her hand out, gesturing to the destruction around them.

"Look around you!" she cried out in desperation, trying one last time to save the man she used to love. "The Grimm are the real enemy! Do you think the Grimm will spare the Faunus once they're done here? They'll devour everyone, human and Faunus alike!"

Adam's lips curved into a smile. "If you want to make an omelet, Blake…"

Blake withered at his response.

"Don't you see?" she shook her head. "This is your chance, Adam! This is your chance to set aside your hatred! With that body, you could help us destroy the Grimm! We could finally set aside our differences and be done with this conflict! We don't _have_ to be enemies, Adam!"

Adam remained silent for a moment, before opening his claw-like hand, palm to the sky, as he stared down at the monstrosity he had become.

He shook his head.

"The Grimm are only a common enemy by convenience, Blake," he said dismissively. "Once they're gone…humanity will just go back to their old ways. No matter the contribution we make, we will only ever be viewed as subservient, primitive savages."

He looked up at her coldly.

"Our only future as Faunus, Blake…" he extended an arm to her, as if making his final offer to her. "Is a world without humans."

Blake slowly shook her head back and forth, her hands slowly moving towards her weapons.

"I don't believe that," she said flatly. "I _refuse_ to believe that."

Adam reared back, both claws extending outward as he prepared to lunge.

"Then you've chosen your side, Blake!" he blared, charging forward. "And you can die as one of them!"

He moved like lightning! His cybernetic enhanced body propelled his metal frame forward faster than Blake could blink her eyes! Fortunately, she was ready for him, and as he struck her, her form disappeared into an after-image, and she reappeared behind him. His reaction times were much faster than before, however, and without even looking, he swung his arm back around to claw at her form. Her after-image disappeared again, and she reappeared ten feet away, gasping for breath at the rapid use of her shadow clones.

She looked back, seeing the two halves of Adam's mask swivel shut once again, enclosing around his face to show only the monstrous visage of the White Fang.

"You can't keep running forever, Blake!" he called out to her.

Blake said nothing, her eyes darting between Adam and where Yang lay. If she attempted to rescue her, there was no way Blake would be able to defend herself. If she drew attention to her partner, he may decide to finish her off. Her only option was to try to draw him away from her.

Fortunately, he did not seem interested in Yang anymore.

This time when he lunged towards her, he did not approach her after-image. Blake's heart skipped a beat when she saw him closing in on the exact spot she had been planning to drop from her shadow clone. In the hair's breadth of time she had left, she managed to raise her swords up to block his clawing attack, sending her skidding backwards, her useless after-image fizzling to nothing behind him.

Adam flexed his claws as he eyed the weapons with which she had deflected him.

"I see you've upgraded your arsenal since we last fought, Blake…" he laughed.

Blake's eyes widened as she slowly realized what had he had just done.

"W-What…?" she gaped in fear. "How…?"

Adam smiled and tapped a finger to his mask.

"I told you, Blake," he grinned maliciously. "You can't run forever."

Blake mentally cursed. That visor of his must have allowed him to track her aura somehow! His cybernetic enhancements made it so he could predict her movements when she shadow-stepped! Her semblance was _useless_ now!

Thinking quickly, she dropped a smoke bomb and leaped away, trying to buy herself some time to think of a plan. He was trying to force her to face him head on, where he had the advantage. She must not allow him to get her into that position. There was no way she could win in that situation.

Then as she ran, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as Adam suddenly emerged from the smoke to rush her.

Of course! If he could sense her aura well enough to know when she was using her semblance, there was no way he couldn't also sense her through the smoke! And with his cybernetic body, it was doubtful that any of his other senses were vulnerable to the stinging fumes.

With one of her swords, Blake managed to strike one of the fearsome claws that came flying towards her. And with the other sword, she flung the blade into the building her right, before zipping towards the blade as the monofilament wires attached to her blade were reeled into the spools at her waist.

Blake landed with her feel on the cement wall of the building, having only narrowly escaped Adam's wrath. It seemed her tow cables at least were quick enough to evade him. Fitting that the weapon that was originally to handle machinery was the most effective against a machine weapon like Adam was now.

There was no time to ponder the implications, as Adam came charging towards her once again. This time, Blake responded by sending one of her swords skyward, digging it into the lip at the edge of the rooftop overhead, at least four stories up, and shooting up towards the rooftop like a rocket. With swing and a flip, she cartwheeled head over heels and landing upon the ledge of the building, looking down at where Adam was standing with his claw-like hands on his hips.

"Impressive new weapons you have there, Blake," he called up mockingly. "Have you forgotten about Gambol Shroud already?"

Blake thrust the tip of her sword towards him.

"You're the one who destroyed the weapon you gave me!" she spat. "But Cassius and Jin are mine and mine alone!"

Adam shook his head, almost looking disappointed as he recognized the names of her storybook heroes.

"Still a child after all these years…"

With a single bound, he leaped into the air, dashing up the wall in all of three steps. Blake was already running in the other direction, sending one of her carbon nano-filament swords flying towards the other end of the rooftop, embedding itself in the far wall, before rocketing towards it and off the ledge.

By the time Adam landed on the rooftop, she was already sailing away, using her swords as grappling hooks as she darted from building to building, the power and force of the tow cables nearly wrenching her arms out of their sockets with each recoil. However she was at least able to put some distance between herself and Adam, and more importantly, between him and Yang. The further he was from her, the safer she felt.

Because Adam was right. She would not be able to run for long, even with Cassius and Jin at her side. His enhanced body was unbelievably strong, and seemed to allow him to cover vast distances on foot now. For all her progress, Adam was still right on her tail, leaping between rooftops in a single bound, as the war with the Grimm continued to rage overhead.

Sooner or later, she would have to stand and fight.

So she chose her battlefield – a nice wide rooftop, free of obstacles or distractions. She would be unable to make use of such things with his cybernetic abilities anyway. If his optic enhancements were truly nested inside his mask, as his earlier gesture had seemed to indicate, then perhaps destroying the mask would take away this advantage, she wondered.

She landed atop the rooftop, and in the few remaining seconds she had before Adam caught up to her, she began to lay down her trap.

Adam reached the ledge of the rooftop, facing her with a sardonic smile, appearing to be no more out of breath than when he began.

"Finally decided to stop running?" he asked maliciously.

Blake said nothing as she stood at the ready, waiting for him to make his move.

Not sensing her aura anywhere else, Adam charged forward, claws outstretched.

Blake caught his first claw against Cassius' blade, the second claw with Jin, both held reverse-style. Then Adam recoiled as a third and fourth sword seemed to come out of nowhere as one of Blake's shadow clones emerged from _inside_ her body to strike.

"What the-?" he flinched back, dodging the unseen strikes.

Even as her shadow clone's blades missed their mark, a fifth and sixth sword strike came as a second shadow clone emerged from the first. Unable to dodge all six attacks in such rapid succession, Adam went on the defensive, clenching his claws into fists to block the carbon nano-fillament blades with his arms.

He jumped and twisted backwards, skidding across the roof of the building as he looked up to see three perfect copies of Blake. As the three of them slowly approached him, their bodies seemed to pass through one another, until they were once again conjoined into a single whole.

"That's a neat trick," the corner of Adam's mouth crooked upward.

"I told you…" she said with a sneer. "You don't know me at all."

Blake held her swords at the ready. She had been learning how to keep her shadow clones out for longer and longer these days. Training and aura linking with Sun had provided her with many benefits. Their semblances were similar enough that their techniques could be adapted between the two of them. So even when they were not aura linked, she could use her semblance in new and inventive ways.

She couldn't keep her clones out for too long, and using them offensively like this required that she put a little more of her aura into each one. This also meant that she couldn't afford to let any of them take a hit for her or fizzle out, as she would lose all of the aura she had invested in them. It was a risky strategy without Sun around to bolster her aura, and provide her with his Via Sun semblance. But with any luck, Adam wouldn't be able to adapt to the new technique in time.

With that, Blake went on the offensive, launching at her ex-lover with relentless fury, striking with three times the destructive force as before. Adam was forced onto the defensive once again, his metallic claws rising to deflect the six carbon blades coming towards him. Every swing of her sword came from a different direction, as blades, arms and even entire bodies seemed to emerge from Blake's form at her whim. The three shadow clones were occupying the same space at the same time, and so could attack several times in succession from the same position. This also meant that their aura signature was close enough together that Adam could not predict their movements, like before. Alternative, they could leap clear of Blake herself and attack her target from multiple angles. And because they were so aura-intensive – each possessed roughly one-third of Blake's total aura – Adam could not distinguish one from the other.

But for all that, it was still an exhausting exercise. Adam was defending each of her blows without letting any of her attacks get through. Blake was running through her aura three times as fast with this technique, and she didn't have a great quantity to begin with. She wished Yang were still at her side, or Ruby or Weiss, or anyone on her team for that matter. She needed to link with _someone_ to bolster her aura. Otherwise, this was a losing battle.

Finally, Adam managed to counter one of her attacks, knocking one of her clone's swords to the side and striking at its body with his claw in the same instant. Blake attempted to withdraw the clone, but Adam went back on the offensive, lunging towards the second clone, and suddenly Blake was torn between saving two different bodies, and found herself over-extended.

When he whirled into a feint, diverting his attack from the clones towards her main body, she had no choice but to use one of her shadow clones to block, the force of the blow sending one of her copies toppling and fizzling out. She attempted to converge on him with the other clone, but he was ready for her this time. With a savage lash of his claws, he had dispensed with the second copy as well.

Blake suddenly found herself standing alone against Adam, her aura flickering in the red zone.

Her eyes flitted left and right, her heart racing, as her adrenaline began to make her queasy. She'd used every trick in her book against him, and nothing seemed to work! Her only recourse was to run. But she was already exhausted, and he had seen all of her moves!

She dropped a flash bang and attempted one last ditch effort to grapple off of the roof, but he had already predicted that move as well, and moved to intercept her. Bright lights exploded in her field of vision as his fist connected with her stomach, knocking the wind out of her as she tumbled end over end, before landing in a heap at the edge of the rooftop.

Blake lifted her head slowly, her body sore and bruised all over, as she saw Adam standing over, shaking his head in disappointment.

"It's over…" he said menacingly.

Then came a voice that made her heart soar.

"Think again!"

Adam turned his head up to see Sun Wukong leaping off of the adjacent rooftop to bring his staff down upon him. Adam raised a claw to block the staff, which impacted so hard, his feet cratered into a spiderweb of cracks in the cement rooftop where he stood.

"Sun!" Blake gasped in surprise,

Sun didn't respond as he rappelled off of Adam's claws, landing between Blake and the White Fang.

"I'm only going to tell you this _once_ , asshole!" he said, holding his staff before him, a righteous glare on his face. "Leave. Her. Alone!"

Adam's expression was a smirk of disapproval.

"I suppose that would make you 'the other man' then?" he glowered.

Sun sneered before splitting his staff into its nanchaku form to lash out at his opponent while he was on the defensive.

"Sun!" Blake called out in alarm, clutching the lip of the rooftop as she tried to climb to her feet. "He's too dangerous! Don't fight him on your own!"

"Your aura's too low, Blake!" Sun called back to her, not breaking eye contact with his opponent, a cocky smile on his face as he twirled his weapons. "Don't worry! I've got a few tricks to show this guy!"

"No, stop!" Blake shook her head, her heart racing in fear. "We have to link up! Sun!"

Sun didn't respond. Adam was finally pushing back, and forcing Sun on the defensive. Now that he had sized up his opponent, he was attacking back in full force, and Sun was having difficulty compensating. After being tossed backwards, twirling through the air to land gracefully on his feet, Sun slammed his fists together, creating _four_ Via Sun clones to surround Adam from all sides.

Blake tried to climb to her feet, but her knees were shaking. Her adrenaline was spiking and she could barely see straight, but she tried reaching out to the other Huntsman with her aura all the same. She and Sun had linked auras before, so why wasn't he linking with her now? Was he just too focused on the battle? Or did he really think she couldn't handle this fight? Either way, Blake was on the verge of despair.

Adam snorted as he looked around at the shimmering golden duplicates.

"This again?" he growled in frustration.

Sun smirked as his clone forms began to lunge into an all-out attack, swinging ten pairs of nunchaku, each one releasing a concussive blast that forced Adam back again, deflecting with his metallic claws.

Blake was shaking her head in dismay. Sun was making the same mistake she did. His clones took up an equal portion of his aura, so while he could direct his attacks from five different angles, each one was a fifth as strong as it would have been. And there was still the matter of Adam's ability to see aura, which would allow him to see this weakness right away.

"Sun!" cried out, desperately trying to stand. "Link up with me! Please!"

Adam swung back at one of the clones, his claw impacting with the copy of Jingu Bang, disintegrating it and the glowing golden figure attached to it. Sun tried to compensate for the loss, but Adam was already pushing him backwards towards Blake. Soon another Via Sun clone fell to Adam's relentless assault. And another.

Blake was on the verge of tears. Nothing she ever did on her own ever seemed to be enough to see her through. She always seemed to be relying on everyone else. It was always the same sad story with her – the poor, helpless little girl, always having to rely on someone else to save her, whether that was Sun or Yang or someone else on her team. She was never strong enough to stand on her own.

And that meant her teammates always got hurt trying to defend her.

"Sun!" she screamed, as she finally reached her feet. "Get out of there!"

She stumbled forward as Sun leaped back. Adam caught one of the nunchaku in his claw, crushing it within his grip as he yanked one of the clones off-balance before slashing at it with another claw, ripping it asunder. The last Via Sun clone tried to flank the other Faunus while Sun rushed him. Adam responded with a backhand strike that Sun had to block with his staff, sending him skidding backward while Adam tackled the last clone, tearing it to pieces.

And all the while Blake wept, knowing full well just how outmatched they were.

"Sun…" she gasped as she staggered forward, bruised and aching, her swords hanging limply at her sides as she practically dragged herself towards him. "You need to get out of here! Forget about me and just run!"

Sun turned and gave her a fearsome look.

"I won't leave you, Blake!" he said, holding his staff out defensively as Adam rose to approach the two of them. "I told you before that I'd never let anything happen to you!"

Adam's lips curved into a wicked smile.

"How quaint," he mused, flexing his claws menacingly as he locked his gaze on Blake. "Is this really who you thought to replace me with, Blake? I had honestly expected better of you."

Sun gritted his teeth and charged ahead, staff raised.

"Don't count me out just yet, you bastard!" he yelled, spinning his staff with all his might.

Adam ducked beneath the staff, brushing him off with a back-handed claw strike, sending him tumbling to the side with a grunt of pain.

"Your delusions never cease to amuse me, Blake," Adam sighed, slowly approaching the young Faunus girl as she backed away from him, her eyes on Sun's battered form. "You really think this can end with happily ever after?"

Blake slowly raised her swords, gasping for breath. She knew she couldn't fend off another attack in her condition. But she was too weak to run anymore. She had to try.

"There's only one way this ends, Blake…" Adam growled triumphantly, raising his claws to strike her. "With _blood!_ "

Blake held her swords out defensively to block. But suddenly, Sun Wukong was between her and Adam, blocking his claws over his head with his raised staff.

"I said…" Sun growled ferociously. "Don't _touch_ her!"

The White Fang gripped the staff held before him, his strength contesting with Sun's as his wicked iron claws clutched at the raised red weapon. The two men glared at each other, while Blake could only watch in disbelief.

"Sun!" she wailed.

Adam let out a bloodthirsty growl as his grip tightened.

"Out of the way, boy!" he roared.

"I'm not…going… _anywhere!_ " Sun cried out defiantly as his knees began to buckle.

"Sun!" Blake screamed, shaking her head in terror. " _No!_ "

Sun's eyes widened in shock as the White Fang's claws finally tore through his weapon like so much tin foil. Before he knew what hit him, the vicious set of metal talons came down on him, ripping through the last of his aura and sinking into his chest, tearing through flesh, bone and sinew, his body spewing bright red blood.

With a gasp of confusion, he fell backwards, landing hard on his back in a pool of his own blood, staring up in shock as Blake's terrified face stared back at his. His entire chest was an open wound, and he could feel his essence ebbing by the second. Anger mixed with confusion as he felt his entire body going numb as every nerve in his body began to shut down.

He had been so sure of himself. He had been so keen on protecting Blake, so desperate to fix the broken parts of her life, so confident that he had finally found his chance to prove himself to her. How had he managed to mess this up so thoroughly? Neptune would never forgive him for this. And neither would Blake, if she knew what was best for herself.

The last thing he saw was her eyes as tears streamed down her face. If only she knew how much she meant to him, how amazing and beautiful and terrifying she was. She had had inspired him to strive so much harder than he ever had before in his life, and he only hoped that she could inspire herself in kind one day. As his eyes met hers, all he could think of was how unfair it all was. There were so many things he had left to do, so many things he had left to say to her. He couldn't leave her like this. It wasn't supposed to be like this. But try as he might, he couldn't stop the cruel hand of fate.

As he drifted away, he tried to force his mouth into a smile as he gazed up at the girl that he loved.

"Blake…" he coughed, as his vision slowly drifted into blackness. "I'm sorry…"

The girl's eyes were narrow pupils as she watched him fade away, her entire body quaking. She trembled as she fell to her knees. She couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. It couldn't be real, she thought. Sun wasn't supposed to die. The only reason she'd left Vale was so that she could protect him. She'd braved treacherous wilds and countless miles and so many sleepless nights just to avert this very fate! And then she'd finally found him! She'd been given every opportunity to keep him safe! She'd been standing right beside him for so long!

And she hadn't been able to do a god damned thing!

"Sun…" her words escaped her lips like a plea, a grievous voice that trembled as it fell.

Her head refused to grapple what she had allowed to happen, and her heart refused to accept it. It had happened so fast, she didn't even have time to grapple with the onslaught of emotions that hit her in that moment. How could she have let this happen? He'd been ready to give himself to her completely, and what had she done but run away yet again. Fear, remorse, and self-loathing all welled up inside her, each one threatening to surmount the other.

But as Adam stood over the Huntsman's fallen form, grinning sickly at his kill, Blake felt a single feeling bubble to the surface, numbing all else.

Rage.

Blake slowly rose to her feet, and spoke in a voice so full of misery and hatred that it almost didn't sound human anymore.

" _You want_ **_blood_** _…?_ " she demanded through clenched teeth, her eyes dilated to slits as they locked onto Adam, her fury like smoke on her lips. " _I'll_ _ **give**_ _you blood!_ "

Adam couldn't even follow the attack that came. Blake's swords seemed to split the very air as they struck. One moment, she had been on her knees, the next, she had all but passed through him, landing on her feet at his back.

KRRRSSSHHH!

The mask on Adam's face shattered a heartbeat later, a trickle of blood running down his forehead from the impact as the pieces of the symbol of the White Fang fell to the rooftop beneath his feet.

"Wha-!?" he gasped, turning to face her.

But the next attack was already coming, and he had barely any time to raise his claw to block.

SHHHNNNGGG!

A second swing of the sword struck true, and suddenly Adam was left staring at the sparking stump that used to be his arm, as one of the metallic claws he had used to bring down his latest prey lay twitching at his feet.

Adam gaped at Blake in astonishment. Her eyes had dilated to slits, her yellow cat's eyes practically feral in their intensity. Her ears lay flat against her head, her hair raised like hackles as she crouched, her legs poised for her next strike. Her swords were clenched tightly in both hands, held low and ready as she bared her fangs, her canines prominently displayed. And her aura, which had once been flickering in the red zone, was flaring up in a fiery hailstorm of fury.

He had never seen a berserker rage quite like this before. Most Faunus went their entire lives never experiencing the deep, unquelling bestial aggression that linked them to their primordial ancestors. He himself had experienced it briefly in their last battle in Vacuo, but he had never witnessed it in another with such intensity before. Once a Faunus' aura dropped below a certain point, if there was sufficient adrenaline in their system, their stamina received a sudden brief yet powerful boost. The drawback, of course, was losing all sense of restraint as basic survival instincts took over.

Or, in certain cases, pure blood-fueled hatred.

"HRRRRAAARRRGGGHHH!" Blake screamed as she lunged towards him again with the rage of charging tiger.

Blake couldn't even feel the sting of her injuries, nor the ache in her heart. Her body moved as if on its own, seeking out the only thing that might grant her solace. Her eyes saw only a target that needed to be destroyed, a monster that needed to be put down. Adam could scarcely keep up with her as she swung at him again and again. Her blades moved like lightning, and the force behind her sword strikes was overwhelming. Every lunge forced the monster back, and her attacks were unrelenting.

Each climactic impact destroyed a part of the rooftop, as Adam dodged and parried Blake's mercilessly swings, his cybernetic body scrambling for purchase across the concrete beneath his feet. Chunks of the building fell to the ground below as their battle raged on. The sky overhead was dark and overcast with smoke and fire, as the Grimm continued to ravage the Atlesian fleet. However the chaos overhead seemed little more than an afterthought next to the savagery and fury with which Blake fought.

Her mind was a blank as she released a lifetime of pent up rage and aggression. Adam had been an ever present force in her life, even after she had left him. He was an ache that never went away, a nagging presence that never relented. He had threatened her life and her friends lives for too long. She was wouldn't take it anymore. She was finished with forever being shackled to him. Her every facet had been shaped by him, her every fear sculpted at his whim.

No longer!

"RAAARRRGGGHHH!" she released a howl of animalistic rage as she charged him.

Her swords bit into his metallic flesh, crackling sparks of electricity releasing in lieu of blood. Adam's artificial form was carried backward, as the two of them barreled over the edge of the rooftop. The two Faunus thrashed and flailed, each trying to gain the upper hand as they fell, locked in combat, twisting and contorting in mid-air. Blake swung her swords and Adam lashed out with his last remaining claw, neither seemingly able to gain the upper hand, before the two of them hit the rubble below with a great impact.

CRASH!

A cloud of dust and debris erupted as the two Faunus landed on the cold city street. As the dust began to clear, a single figure stood, grimacing in pain from the fall, the other lying in a twisted heap at their feet.

Adam clenched his fist as he stared down at the unmoving girl that he used to love. Her eyes were closed, her energy spent, her rage having at last evaporated, at least for the moment. It made no matter. She had finally broken free. He had no delusions – no matter what he did now, she would never be his ever again.

The only thing left to do was to end it.

He raised his claw to strike.

BOOM!

A concussive blast caught him blindside, sending him flying. He hit the ground, sprawling across the pavement, before scrambling to his feet to see what had hit him.

His eyes fell on Yang Xiao-Long, one of her eyes swollen black, with blood dripping from her forehead. And she was standing on a pile of rubble in the middle of a street with what appeared to be an _artillery cannon_ strapped to her arm!

" _BASTARD!_ " she screamed, unloading three more rounds from the cannon on her arm.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ground exploded beneath Adam's feet as he was sent flying. Tumbling to his feet, he finally realized that the tables had turned. His cybernetic body was battered and broken, sparking from several gashes, and the concussive assault from Yang's cannon left him little recourse but to retreat.

Without saying a word, he turned and fled, rushing back into the city center, disappearing amidst the crumbling buildings of Atlas.

Yang lowered her weapon, dropping it to the ground and nearly collapsing from the exertion needed to lift it. She had woken up with a splitting headache, her brain reeling from the impact of Adam's surprise attack. Her first thoughts after regaining consciousness was the need for more firepower, and had wasted no time in calling down a rocket-propelled locker from the _Aeneid_ , bearing her favorite weapon inside.

But it had taken her far too long to track down her target, and her mind had been in such a fog that she had barely been able to think straight. Only one thought had propelled her forward.

Find Blake.

With the White Fang driven off for now, Yang staggered ahead to find her partner's collapsed form. She fell to her knees, scooping the raven haired Faunus up in her arms, bringing the girl's face to her ear to check for signs of life.

She released a sigh of relief as she felt the slow and steady breath of air leaving and filling her lungs.

"Blake…" she gasped, holding the other girl tightly.

As she did, however, only one word escaped the girl's lips as Yang held her.

"Sun…" she exhaled, her eyes still closed, her consciousness flickering.

Yang blinked, her heart in her throat as she glanced up at the building overhead. She saw the end of a broken red bo staff, propped up against a jagged pile of rubble. Her eyes narrowed - Sun was supposed to be defending the civilian housing unit. What was he doing so close to the city center?

"Sun…" Blake whispered again, tears trickling down her cheek.

Yang's eyes widened in realization as she clenched her teeth in anger, holding onto Blake ever tighter. Sun had come here for precisely the same reason as Yang. Only he wasn't so lucky to have received a concussion to keep him out of harm's way.

Yang seethed.

Adam had put Blake through hell and back.

And now he had taken away the only man to ever treat her with the kindness she deserved.

She would never forgive him.

"We'll get him for this, Blake…" she whispered, shuddering as she held her partner's unconscious form beneath the scorched Atlesian sky. "I promise you…we _won't_ let him get away with this."


	115. Chapter 115

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 115

* * *

Ruby and Dora stood atop the dorsal deck of the _Aeneid_ as it edged closer to the Grimm dragon. The two girls were holding hands as the rough winds whipped at their clothes. The top deck was wide enough for them to traverse across for a decent length without falling over the edge, but still the long fall of the side of the ship to the city below made the prospect of venturing further from the hatch an undesirable one.

Ruby had an earpiece in her ear in order to keep her hands free, keeping a line of communication open with their pilot.

"Are you _sure_ this a good idea, Ruby?" Winter asked over her scroll.

Ruby held her earpiece in tighter to hear better amidst the blustering wind.

"We need her to _see_ us if we want her to chase us," she responded, pursing her lips.

"And when she does, then what?" Winter demanded, skeptically. "I don't have full maneuverability with you two outside the ship. If I go to full burn, you'll fall off the deck."

"I'm not saying there isn't an element of risk involved," Ruby sighed. "Just stand by. Dora and I are going to attempt an aura link."

She hung up the connection and turned her eyes towards the Summer Maiden.

"This is my first time aura linking with a Maiden," she admitted shyly. "Are you ready?"

The tiny Vacuan girl nodded confidently. "I was born ready!"

Ruby turned to her, letting her other hand slip into Dora's, so they were holding both of their hands together. She squeezed her hands gently as the two of them began to stretch out with their aura. At least, she _thought_ what she felt was Dora's aura. She couldn't quite explain _what_ she was feeling when her aura brushed against Dora, but it was unlike any of her teammates. It was difficult for Ruby to put into words. While each of her teammates had something that might be considered a distinct "color" or "flavor" that defined their semblance as their own, Dora's was…abundantly more complex. Ruby might've described the sensation of Weiss' semblance as "frosty" or Yang's as "spicy" or Jaune's as "wholesome," but Dora was something else entirely.

If each of her teammates was a single color, Dora's was an elaborate rainbow! If each of her teammates was a single flavor, Dora was a banquet! The depth and complexity of the Summer Maiden's aura was vast and rich. And the more Ruby wrapped herself in her aura, the more she realized that it wasn't simply Dora's aura she was experiencing. It was every Summer Maiden going back for generations on end! Each individual young woman who had ever received the Maiden's power, however briefly, left their mark on the next Maiden down the line. Their shared experience, their perspectives, their wisdom all accumulated and coalesced into a single cohesive whole.

This must have been the knowledge of the Maidens that she kept hearing about. The collective memories and emotions and…ultimately, the _auras_ of every Maiden who ever existed. That must have been what made the Maidens so formidable.

Then a single memory flickered to the surface from the shared connection. It was brief, but very powerful. The image of two young girls, playing in a field. One of dark crimson hair dressed in red, the other of vibrant gold dressed in yellow. The two girls were rushing towards her, arms outstretched and…

Her mother, Ruby realized as her stomach did a flip-flop. She was witnessing one of her mother's memories.

"Summer Rose…" Dora said, as she too experienced the memory that flickered across their shared connection. "She loved you very much, Ruby."

"Mom…" Ruby breathed, blinking back tears.

Linking with the Summer Maiden wouldn't just link her to Dora. It would link her to her _mother_ as well.

"Don't be afraid," Dora said calmly as her eyes began to glow. "Your mother has always connected us, Ruby. Now we're just making it official."

Ruby shuddered as she felt the energy of the Summer Maiden envelop her. Eons of power and wisdom flooded her body, and it was impossible to keep track of it all. The power of summer itself, heat, life, the sun, the sand, the wind, the water, the earth beneath their feet…it was all connected in a glorious whole, and the Maiden could wield this power.

No, not wield – the power of summer was not a cudgel to be barbarically hoisted about. Summer was the essence of life itself, and it flowed freely to all things. Any disparity in this energy was quickly counter-balanced, just as life emerges in the face of death. The power of summer was not _power_ ; it was life, it was nature, it was the very world around them. It was not controlled, merely guided, forecast, acknowledged, and most importantly, asked.

"You understand now, Ruby," Dora said, her whole body aglow with summer's light. "The Maidens are more than just stewards of the land and its people. We're gift-givers. We shepherd the bounty of earth and sky, and give freely to all those who have need of it. It's great honor and terrible responsibility, and so the knowledge of the Maidens guides our every action."

Ruby stared back at Dora as she spoke, perplexed by how loquacious she was being.

"Am I…still speaking to Dora?" she asked tentatively.

The Summer Maiden smiled kindly, the light in her eyes slowly fading out, back to Dora's own natural mocha color.

"It's still me, Ruby," she said reassuringly. "The Winter Maiden awakened the knowledge of the Maidens within me. I've been…learning, I guess…at least as much as I can in the time I've had. It's how I knew that your silver eyes would allow us to aura link. Those eyes too are a gift from the first Guardians."

Ruby shuddered as she realized just how much power two the of them were dealing with.

"And to think…" she thought out loud. "My mother possessed _both_ of these abilities. How in the world is that even possible? What would that kind of power _do_ to a person?"

Dora glanced around at the horizon, her eyes focusing on a shape across the bow of the ship.

"We'll be finding out soon enough now that we're linked," she muttered grimly. "Our little light show hasn't gone unnoticed."

Ruby looked around, and only just noticed that she too was glowing vibrantly as Dora was. Then her eyes fell on the Grimm dragon, which seemed no longer to be interested in the Atlesian fleet as its attention fell on the _Aeneid_.

Ruby tensed as the dragon drew nearer, but was puzzled when it suddenly reeled back, its massive serpentine body twisting and undulating in the sky, as if it were unable or unwilling to approach any closer.

Before Ruby could voice her concerns, however, they spotted the glowing form of Cinder Fall slowly rise from atop the dragons back, levitating into the air, before the tiny figure, dwarfed by the massive dragon, abandoned its mount to fly towards the _Aeneid_ directly.

"Crap, she's flying solo!" Dora blurted, once again adopting a childish mannerism. "I didn't think of that! We're not going to be able to draw the dragon away from the fleet!"

"Why isn't the dragon coming any closer?" Ruby asked curiously, as she saw the dragon retreat. "That red nevermore did something similar a while back. Do you think it's actually…scared of us?"

"I wouldn't count on it…" Dora said, withdrawing her oaken staff to hold at a ready position. "I think it's more likely that Cinder knows about your eyes, and isn't letting that thing anywhere _near_ you."

Ruby narrowed her brow as she drew Crescent Rose, extending it into its scythe form. Their plan hadn't even started, and they were already hitting roadblocks. They needed to improvise, and do it fast.

"What do we do then?" she asked, warily. "Cinder's more than powerful enough to take down this ship on her own."

Dora's mouth widened into a grin.

"Our enemy is flying by the grace of the Maidens," she said connivingly, her eyes glowing gold once again. "We should respond in kind."

Ruby watched as the winds around them kicked up, lifting Dora into the air.

"Dora, what are you doing?" Ruby demanded. "If we get separated, we'll break the link!"

"Then fly!" Dora shouted down at her like it was the most obvious thing.

"What?" Ruby demanded. "How?"

"Use my aura, dummy!" Dora blared. "Come on, hurry! She's closing in on us!"

"Oh!" Ruby stammered, shaking her head as her adrenaline started to rush. "Right!"

Ruby watched as the approaching form of Cinder Fall drew ever nearer. She could make out the glowing yellow lines in her red dress now, and her eyes glowed golden with her stolen Maiden power. Power that would only grow should she defeat them here…

 _Focus!_ she told herself angrily.

The wind began to kick up around her as Ruby felt herself beginning to lift into the air, Crescent Rose clutched tightly in her hands. It was a disquieting experience, not at all like flying as a bird with her uncle Qrow's power – more like becoming one with the very air around her as it moved. But she was slowly able to rise up to join Dora as she hovered fifteen feet over the _Aeneid_. She was surprised how easy it was – the aura surrounding her body was so intense! The Summer Maiden was tapped into the very elements of the world of Remnant, and those elements were being harnessed to do their bidding. It was a startling notion to consider. Small wonder such power was so violently sought after by the enemy. But of course, that didn't make it right.

She tried not to lose her nerve as she glanced downward at the ship drifted beneath their feet, the ground beneath the ship suddenly looking much farther away, and realizing at once that their ship would only be a liability with the two of them in the air. As Cinder closed in on them, Ruby thumbed her earpiece to open a channel to her operations commander.

"Winter, we're in the air," she reported. "Get the _Aeneid_ to a safe distance."

"Wait a minute, what?" Winter demanded incredulously. "Are you certain about this? You're completely exposed out there!"

"Trust me!" Ruby said. "You're not going to be much use in this fight, and you're an asset too. For now, go check with the rest of the team, and gather up everyone who's completed their mission. Rendezvous at the Citadel! I'll radio in when we need you."

There was a pause as Winter hesitated, clearly averse to leaving Ruby and the Summer Maiden to fight by themselves. But ultimately, she acquiesced.

"Okay, Ruby," she said tentatively. "I'll be standing by. Good luck."

"Thanks," Ruby said, switching off her mic.

The _Aeneid_ turned and flew away, and moments later, Cinder was floating before them, her body ensconced in the Maiden's power as she too hovered on a cushion of air. Her clothes were somewhat tattered, appearing not to have changed outfits since their previous battle. Beneath her left eye was a thin, red scar. She wasn't even carrying her weapons, instead seemingly satisfied by simply drifting in the air before them, a wicked smile on her face.

A smile that looked…slightly more manic than usual.

"You really don't learn, do you!?" Cinder demanded with a cacophonous laugh.

Ruby and Dora tensed as Cinder threw her head back in elation.

"You must really wish to make my job so much easier!" she cackled. "I really need to thank you, Ruby Rose! First you lead me straight to the Winter Maiden, and now you practically deliver the Summer Maiden to me on a silver platter?"

Ruby clenched her scythe firmly, meeting the other woman's gaze as she tried to anticipate what her next move would be.

"Be careful, Ruby…" Dora said in quiet voice. "There's something… _off_ about her. It feels like her whole aura is off balance."

"Is it because of the stolen Maiden's powers?" Ruby suggested under her breath.

"I don't think so…" Dora breathed. "This is something different…"

Ruby narrowed her brow and clenched her teeth, before raising her voice to speak up.

"Cinder!" she called out pleadingly. "Why are you doing all this!?"

Cinder's smirk was palpable as raised her arms wide.

"You ask me this _now_ , Huntress?" she demanded incredulously. "After everything that's happened?"

Ruby clenched her weapon.

"I've never understood why you're doing any of this…" she said. "Stealing's the Maidens' power…laying waste to the kingdoms of Remnant…letting the Grimm run rampant…"

Ruby shook her head as she gave her a look of utter stupefaction.

"What's it all _for!?_ " she cried.

Cinder let out a dismissive sigh.

"We are simply reclaiming what is _ours_ , little girl," she glowered. "Your kind have sat comfortably upon the seats of power of this world for _far_ too long. Your Huntsmen…your Maidens…all of these things exist to maintain the status quo of _human_ dominance in the world. I don't expect you to understand."

Ruby glanced at Dora in confusion.

"But you're human too!" Ruby pointed out. "Aren't you?"

Cinder's nose wrinkled as a disgusted look appeared on her face.

"Unfortunately, inescapably, I am," she grimaced, as if the very thought made her stomach lurch. "And it is for this very reason, Ruby Rose, that those silver eyes of yours will have no effect on me!"

Ruby recoiled as Cinder's twin sabers materialized from the dust fibers in her dress. Holding her scythe before he, Ruby faced down her opponent as she leveled her own weapons back at her.

"You quieted my dragon once, Huntress!" Cinder called out in challenge, pointing one of her swords at Ruby. "I won't allow you anywhere near the beast! Not until I've claimed what I've come for!"

Ruby held up her scythe defensively as Cinder lunged at her through the air, flying towards her, her swords flashing viciously. But they never reached their intended target, as Dora's wooden staff was suddenly between the two of them, deflecting Cinder's attack as the Summer Maiden glared back at the woman in red.

"You just don't get it, do you!?" Dora growled belligerently. "The power of the Maidens isn't yours for the taking!"

Cinder riposted angrily, redirecting her attacks towards Dora, who continued to deflect with her staff.

"Spare me your self-righteous prattle, child!" Cinder guffawed. "You are but one in a vast line of pretenders! Your forebears were no worthier than you are to wield this power!"

Dora swung back, the tip of her staff ricocheting off of Cinder's blades.

"That's because it doesn't belong to us either!" Dora exclaimed. "It belongs to _no one!_ The power exists for the sake of _all people_ of Remnant, in equal portion! The Maidens just carry it for a while!"

Ruby joined the fray, as Crescent Rose flew into action. Using the shared power of the Maidens to fling herself through the air, Ruby launched herself at her opponent, swinging her weapon with all her might. It was disorienting, fighting in the air like this. Everything she knew about aerial combat was designed to be executed with gravity in mind, but here, that didn't apply. She could move herself freely, forward, back, left, right, up and down. And she quickly found the prospect liberating, as she moved to flank Cinder while Dora continued to jab at her with her staff. Cinder quickly found herself fending off two opponents, each of her swords occupied with defending against two different weapons.

"The power of the Maidens is _not_ about empowering the Maiden herself!" Dora blared as she continued to wailed away at Cinder's defenses. "No Maiden would be so rash to presume that the power belongs to themselves alone! If anything, it's the other way around! We _give_ ourselves to the power! And through the power of the Maidens, we give ourselves to the world of Remnant!"

Ruby felt Dora drawing energy reserves from their shared aura pool as she tapped into her Maiden powers. There was barely any sand or earth around them to speak of at this height, but the powerful gusts of wind around them began to kick up as Cinder was tossed like a rag doll by the power of the Summer Maiden.

"That's what the Maidens are!" Dora cried. "We're _gift-givers!_ Spring gives the gift of life! Summer gives the gift of joy! From Autumn, the gift of bounty, and from Winter, the gift of peace!"

As Dora recited what she had learned from the knowledge of the Maidens, she continued to slam Cinder Fall with all of her power, driving her further and further back towards the battle between the Grimm and the fleet. With each swing of her staff, the winds turned at her whim, sending Cinder tossing and turning uncontrollably through the air. Ruby watched in awe, astounded by the force with which she fought, and marveling at the words she spoke.

"Take any _one_ of these things away, and the whole world falls apart!" Dora exclaimed. "It's a terrible burden to bear, one that I bear proudly! And one that I doubt you could ever comprehend!"

The wind suddenly rushed out from all sides as Cinder righted herself. She stood poised in midair, a calm eye at the heart of a burgeoning storm. The temperature around them began to drop, as the winds suddenly started to shift. From all around her, the air began to fill with shards of ice, as three glowing crests of light emanated from her eyes.

"Then allow me to _relieve_ you of this burden!" Cinder cried, the force of her voice carrying out across the sky as a hailstorm suddenly erupted all around them.

Dora recoiled in fear as she turned to look at Ruby in panic.

"Ruby!" she cried. "It's the Winter Maiden! She's got her power too!"

"What!?" Ruby shouted in disbelief, struggling to remain in position from the shifting winds. "How!?"

"I don't know!" Dora yelled, she suddenly twisted from the force of the snow storm coming towards them. "Look out!"

Ruby looked up as Cinder directed what had suddenly become a _blizzard_ in their direction. With an effort, she attempted to tap into her and Dora's shared Maiden powers to fight back against the storm, but she was too inexperienced to counter such a violent tempest. Dora was able to maintain her position, but the wind seemed to push Ruby in random directions, and shards of ice began to pelt her at rapid speed. She attempted to swing her scythe to deflect the onslaught, but her body kept twisting and turning uncontrollably as she was yanked this way and that.

Without anything to hold onto, Ruby was hurled backward, as Dora reached out feebly to her.

"Ruby!" the little girl shouted.

Ruby couldn't even see straight anymore. She was tossed and turned by the blizzard, the frigid wind blistering her skin and dulling her senses, until she couldn't feel anything but the cold. The stinging ice storm began to make her feel completely numb as she was hurled precariously, blinding by the ensuing snow.

The sudden feeling of loss and emptiness hit her like a freight train, as she realized in an instant what was happening. She had lost her connection to Dora! Cinder had managed to separate them, and now, once again, Ruby was hurling through the air, completely on her own! The wind whipped at her clothes as she tumbled and fell, the Maiden's power of flight completely lost to her.

She tried to squint through the rushing wind, and could see only clouds. She was falling backwards, Crescent Rose still gripped in her frozen fingers. With an effort, she tried turning herself in mid-air to face towards herself, and nearly swallowed her tongue at the fast-approaching streets below.

She took aim with her scythe, planting her feet against its blade, before letting off a volley of blasts with her concussive rifle to gradually slow her fall.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

The buildings passing around her began to slow their ascent as Ruby slowly drifted downward to the city streets below, landing with a rolling tumble, letting out a grunt as she hit the asphalt.

"Oof…" she groaned in pain.

Climbing to her feet, she scanned the skies for any sign of Dora or Cinder. Panic began to set in all at once. The Summer Maiden had been no match for Cinder back in the frozen north when she had the power of both the Spring and Fall Maidens, and now she had the Winter Maiden's power as well. And now that she wasn't connected to Ruby, she didn't stand a chance.

Ruby's eyes flitted back and forth. There was so much debris falling from the skies as the Atlesian fleet was losing ship after ship, the skies above darkened with swarms of Grimm. Finally, her eyes were drawn to the cloud of white that was Cinder's floating snow-storm, and the two figures locked together, little more than a single tiny blotch from her distance, that burst out from beneath it, hurdling towards the ground like a meteor.

"Dora…" she breathed.

Ruby's eyes widened as she realized how precious little time she had, her eyes following the two figures as they fell. As she watched, her heart sank as the tiny blotch hit the ground some distance away, sending a plume of dust and rubble into the air.

Retracting and sheathing her scythe, Ruby took off in the direction of the impact. They couldn't have been more than a mile away, but that was still far too much distance to cross in time. Putting everything she had into her speed, Ruby zipped across the Atlesian city-scape, her body little more than a swirling red plume as she hurled through the air, sailing over vehicles and Grimm as they marched unimpeded over the road.

She had to make it! She had to make it in time, or everything was lost! They had already lost Amber, Vera, and Crystal! If they lost Dora too, the whole world would be at the mercy of the Grimm! All the work they'd done, all the sacrifices they'd made…it would all be for nothing!

Rage fueled her, and she could feel the now familiar energy bubbling beneath the surface. Without so much as thinking about it, she tapped into the silver eyed power stirring with her as she sped through the city. As she passed over the wandering beowolves and ursi as they plodded along, they had but a moment to glance up, before petrifying instantly as Ruby passed them by. Creatures of Grimm by the score were left as little more than husks as the silver eyed warrior zipped through, not even paying the monsters any heed.

She had but one destination, and would not permit herself any distractions.

Ruby finally came to a crater close to the center of town. The impact of Cinder and the Summer Maiden had been collosal. The intersection in the middle of the road had been completely hollowed out by the cavitation, a deep pit carved into the asphalt. There were dozens of Grimm arranged around the crater in a circle, beowolves and ursa and creeps alike gathered together, peering down into the crater, standing completely still as if to witness a ceremony taking place at the crater's center.

Ruby tore through the Grimm without a second thought, drawing her scythe and destroying them as she landed just within the rim of the crater.

At its center, Dora lay prone, with Cinder standing over her, her gloved hand raised over the Maiden's head.

Ruby's eyes flared bright white as she charged forward.

" _DORA!_ " she screamed, scythe raised, her eyes flashing brilliantly in the dim overcast light.

As she landed, the surrounding Grimm were snuffed out in an instant, a blinding flash washing over them from the center of the crater. Ruby landed with her feet planted firmly and Crescent Rose extended to its full war-scythe form as she swung. Her eyes were piercing silver as she glared down at her enemy, who raised her free hand to clasp around the blade of ruby's scythe, halting its path.

Hatred boiled in Cinder's eyes as she glared back at Ruby.

"I told you," she fumed. "Those eyes won't work on me!"

With a burst of heat from Cinder's hand, Ruby's weapon lit up like a torch, before Crescent Rose disintegrated into a million tiny pieces that fluttered away in the breeze.

Ruby fell tumbled forward, landing on her hands and knees, caught off balance and completely stunned. Her eyes were blank, unmoving orbs, her whole body quaking in disbelief.

How?

Her own weapon…gone in an instant.

She had given everything she had, every ounce of energy, time, care and devotion. She had tried everything she could think of, everything she knew how to do to make it right.

She had tried to be a Huntress. To be a leader. To defend the Maidens. To defend _Dora_. To protect her _friend!_

And Cinder had taken it all in an instant.

"R-Ruby…" Dora's voice choked out, her eyes obscured in black strands of silk as the creature from Cinder's glove cast its webbing across her face. The girl's pupils were dilated in terror, a desperate plea for helping contained within a single expression as her eyes locked with Ruby's.

Ruby snapped back to the present, adrenaline flooding her system as she lunged forward with all the speed she could muster.

" _NOOO!_ "

Her arms came around Dora's form as the black tendrils yanked away from her face, leaving her features blank and unmoving. Ruby scrambled across the broken terrain, dragging Dora's body away from Cinder as the woman in red began to glow with a radiant power. She held her friend gingerly, delicately, her body limp in her arms.

The twelve year old girl let out a single breath, and then went completely limp.

No…

Ruby clutched her tightly, tears falling from her face as she hands encircled the girl's cheeks. Dora's headwrap had come undone, leaving her short earthy hair free and untamed. Her eyes were half-lidded and lifeless, her lips hanging partly open, her tiny body growing colder and colder. Ruby held the girl's face tightly, shaking gently in an attempt to stir to life what was already dead.

Ruby touched her forehead to the child's, her tears falling to the ground like rain.

"Dora…" she whimpered helplessly, holding the frail body in her arms, her face soaked in tears.

Scant seconds ago, she had been loud, vibrant and full of life. And now, there was nothing in Ruby's arms but an empty shell.

Ruby raised her head to the sky.

" _Dora!_ " she wailed in despair.

As Ruby knelt over the Summer Maiden's fallen form, Cinder Fall stood at the center of the crater, her body aglow with the full power of all four Maidens. She didn't even pay the Huntress any heed, instead simply staring at her hands, amazed by the power contained within.

"At last…" she breathed in astonishment.

Ruby's eyes were filled with anger and rage as she clenched her teeth, glaring at her enemy in loathing anguish.

" _WHY!?_ " she demanded furiously. " _WHHHYYY!?_ "

Cinder looked down at the girl, as if perplexed by her very existence.

"She's done _nothing_ to you!" Ruby screamed in outrage, clutching the child's body in her arms. "She was _just_ a little girl!"

Cinder shook her head.

"I already told you…" she said simply. "Her very _existence_ was an abomination. With her death, and the death of her brethren, humanity will _finally_ fall."

Ruby stared back at the other woman in disbelief.

" _Why!?_ " she demanded angrily. " _Why_ do you hate humanity so much!? What did we _ever_ do you to you!?"

Ruby wailed in despair as her tears fell, her voice screaming out at the top of her lungs.

"We only wanted to _live_ in this world!"

Cinder's eyes grew cold as a bow and arrow materialized in her hands.

"So did we…" she whispered.

Ruby stared aghast as Cinder knocked an arrow and aimed it at her. She didn't even have the energy left to try to escape. Despair consumed as she knelt there, her fallen companion still lying dead in her arms.

She didn't care anymore. What did it matter? She was so sick of fighting losing battles. She was so sick of always being beaten when it mattered most. She was _so_ sick of showing up just when it was too late!

She saw the arrow fly towards her.

And then a hair's breadth later, it bounced off of an invisible force field.

"Don't worry, Ruby!" came an exuberant voice.

Cinder's eyes flared angrily. Ruby's heart was in her throat. All around her was a spherical bubble shield made of transparent hexagonal shapes, encircling the ground where she and Dora lay, arching over her head to form a small dome, separating the two of them from Cinder.

And as she cast her eyes back, her heart leaped into her throat.

Penny Polendina stood with her arms extended, the force field emanating from her outstretched arms.

"I'm back!" she said with a determined look. "I'm better than ever! And I am once again combat ready!"


	116. Chapter 116

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 116

* * *

The Atlesian Titan stood roughly sixty feet high. The mech was bipedal and humanoid in shape. Each arm ended in five-digit hands, its feet ending in long sturdy metal struts acting as feet, its calves and forearms bulky and oversized. Armor covered the machine from top to bottom, each component riveted into place by a series of cast iron bolts. Like all mechs in military service, it was painted Atlesian white, with blue and black trim, the symbol of the kingdom cresting its top left breastplate. And atop its shoulders, the mech's head sat, its faceplate deceptively human, its eyes unfeeling camera lenses, its sculpted statuesque lips still and unmoving. While it carried no visible weapons, various parts of its frame sprouted with the muzzles of turrets covering its arms and chest and head, each the size of an airship's artillery cannon. And more weaponry still was concealed within its massive frame.

Ciel Soleil reviewed the specs for the war machine on her scroll as she stood upon the elevator that slowly raised her to the boarding platform within the confines of the Citadel where the mech was docked. The Titan was visible to her through the transparent glass door on the side of the elevator car, the looming form slowly rising in the backdrop as she glanced between the mech and her schematics. The Titan boasted almost three times the firepower of the strongest Atlesian airship in the fleet, ten times the durability of any other mech in service, and was the single largest technological creation in the kingdom apart from the Citadel itself.

For all that, Ciel pursed her lips, it was not without its drawbacks. Unlike an airship, it was land-locked. An airborne foe like the Grimm dragon would be a challenge. The unit's arms boasted a grappling harpoon launcher attached to a thousand-foot tow cable, but even that was only a limited reach across the range of the entire kingdom. And deploying the mech inside the city borders would also present a problem, as its movement would be restricted by the buildings around it. While some minor collateral damage was to be expected, any destruction of Atlas city property would leave a mark on her record.

And that was not even the most severe encumbrance. The entire unit was manually operated, due in part to the precedent of enemy viral attacks. Because of this, the system had no form of auto-pilot. The entire operation of the machine fell to its pilot, which was an enormous undertaking for a single individual. The Titan lacked any kind of neural interface, so the operation of the mech fell to manual controls. While the machine had automated systems in place for balancing on its feet and putting one foot in front of the other, complex maneuvers like jumping or melee combat were not likely to be as effective due to the lack of coordination.

Matters would have been different had they the expertise of Director Polendina on their side, Ciel reflected. His insights into neuro-mechanical operations was nothing short of brilliant, as she had learned in her previous task of being the active monitor of Atlesian prototype construct P.E.N.N.Y. Unfortunately, the construct had been destroyed during the Vytal festival. In spite of this, however, Ciel's interest in neuro-mechanical operations had remained, and so she had devoted her every waking moment to mastering Atlas' next engineering milestone, logging in over a thousand hours in the training simulator.

The elevator reached its destination at the Titan's chest height, and the smooth glass door slid open, allowing Ciel to step out onto the catwalk leading to the cockpit. As she stepped out over the precipice leading towards the mech, her every footstep was an exercise in controlled calm. There was not a hair out of place on her person, and her officer's jacket and pleated skirt were prim and pressed to perfection, as they were every morning of every day since she'd been assigned to active duty within Atlas. Brass studs lined her uniform, from her long white boots to her black elbow-length fingerless gloves, an ode to a family legacy of military service. A thin blue time-piece was affixed to her wrist, directly connecting to her scroll, as well as the entire Atlesian network. Her only other adornment, apart from her sky blue beret on her head, was the sun-stone emblem painted on her forehead, a small yet constant acknowledgement to her family's Vacuan heritage.

As she approached, she saw that the mech's chest plate was raised to reveal the more delicate framework within, and a door-sized panel in the Titan's stomach cavity was open and waiting for its pilot. She did not hesitate to enter, climbing in through the hatch with a brisk step. She knew that this launch would not be under ideal circumstances, that the city was facing a dire crisis, and that launching the Titan was an act of desperation. She also knew that the Titan represented the kingdom's last hope against the Grimm, and so she would approach the task as she did every other task that had been assigned to her – with pure and utter devotion.

As she sat down in the pilot's seat, she fastened the safety harness around her chest, and donned the microphone headset to her ear, an AR visor swinging out to cover her left eye with a blue, translucent screen.

The front hatch swung closed, and the loud whirring sounded as the main chest-plate oscillated back into place. Ciel was ensconced in darkness for a moment, before the Titan's camera's flickered on, and the cockpit was surrounded by a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the docking bay.

"This is Operative Soleil," she reported into the microphone, before keying the main control systems. "Initiating startup sequences on the Titan."

The radio chatter that met her ear was rote and uneventful as the Citadel staff readied the mech for launch. While she had heard the same words repeated to her innumerable times within the simulation, her ears had since been trained to pick up on any hiccups to stand out to her, of which there were none. The process was not at all like launching an airship, although there were several models in service to the Atlesian fleet that Ciel was also fully qualified to operate. Preparations needed to be made on the ground so as to minimize collateral damage. The main reason it had taken so long to initiate deployment of the war machine was due to the need to evacuate the civilians on the ground. Now that virtually every citizen of the kingdom was out of harm's way, the Titan could operate on the ground without the additional concern of incurring civilian casualties in addition to property damage.

Ciel thumbed a set of activation switches on the console before her, enabling numerous on-board functions that would be necessary for this particular engagement. With the rubble on the ground, she would need added stability to the pneumatic actuators that powered the Titan's legs. With the unseasonably dim lighting under the smoke-filled sky, the Titan's sensor array would be best enhanced with thermal imaging and false coloring. Against an opponent at range, she selected high velocity fifty caliber rounds for increased accuracy. A dozen other technical considerations, fired off in rapid succession within Soleil's head, as she weighed each of them accordingly, before she was interrupted by a priority communication chimed on her screen.

Ciel touched the blinking message box on the screen, and the rectangle enlarged to display General Ironwood's stern yet tired face.

"General," she said, saluting. "The Titan is beginning final preparations for launch."

Ironwood nodded gravely. "That's good to hear. The fleet won't last much longer as things stand."

Ciel nodded. She knew things were bad, but the general's tone was still troubling.

"What's the situation up there, sir?" she asked.

The general's pursed his lips in a grim expression

"You want to know if we're losing?" he asked somberly.

Ciel drew in a breath.

"I know that we're losing, general," she clarified. "I want to know if we've lost."

Ironwood shook his head.

"A beast knocks at our door, Operative Soleil," he intoned. "If a beast of our own were to answer in kind, I'd feel much more secure about our odds."

Ciel nodded curtly. "Roger that."

The final activation sequence began, and a digital readout on her screen began to display a countdown clock, which started to tick downward from thirty seconds.

"Ready to launch on your command, sir!" Ciel reported.

"Understood, Soleil," the general said.

BWWWAAANNNHHH! BWWWAAANNNHHH! BWWWAAANNNHHH!

A loading dock warning bell sounded as the hangar doors before her display split down the middle and began to slide open. The Kingdom of Atlas slowly became visible from between the massive bay doors. All around her, the Titan began to hum to life as the twin dust core engines powering the enormous machine began to kick into high gear. Once the doors were open, the loading platform upon which the giant mech stood began to slide forward along their rails, slowly ferrying the unit outside of the Citadel to stand at rest beneath the Atlesian sky.

As Ciel moved the Titan's head around to aim her cameras around and ascertain more intel on her immediate surroundings, she was struck by the destruction that had already rained down upon her kingdom. Crashed airships and debris littered her field of view, and overhead, the Atlesian fleet still held its ground against staggering odds, the dragon still visible against the smoke and clouds above.

As the timer passed the ten second mark, an explosion rocked the general's flagship, and through their message window, she could see him gripping the bulkhead in front of him to stabilize himself.

"General!" Ciel called out in alarm.

"We're fine," Ironwood said stiffly. "Just get out there and deal with that dragon. Buy the fleet as much time as you can, and maybe we can salvage this mission."

The countdown clocked hit zero, and red indicator lights lining the inside of the cockpit flipped to green.

"Understood!" Ciel replied, gripping the control yokes before her. "Atlesian Titan, engage!"

She thrust the control yokes forward, and the colossal mech charged out into the city.


	117. Chapter 117

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 117

* * *

Penny had changed.

Through her tears, Ruby could make out the details of her old friend. Her body was no longer a frail marionette's form. She was taller, older looking, her figure lithe, muscular, and built for combat. Her dress was more form form-fitting now, her shoulders bared, pale grays, blacks and greens lining the more mature looking outfit. Even her backpack looked more utilitarian and efficient. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, leaving her bangs hanging off to one side, her hair bow a thing of the past.

Cinder Fall stared at the force field surrounding the two girls with contempt, her eyes narrowing at the odd creature to come to the Huntress' aid.

"What is this?" she demanded, evidently not recognizing the construct from the Vytal tournament.

Ruby would not have recognized her either, had it not been for her distinctive voice, her orange-red hair and the pale green eyes that gazed back at her.

"P-Penny?" she said in a tremulous voice. "Is…is it really you?"

The girl gave Ruby a warm smile and for a brief moment appeared no different from the first day she met her.

"More or less," she said charismatically, her arms still outstretched to maintain the field around them. "My memory backup only goes up until the night before the termination of my previous body, but everything up until that point is still fairly clear."

She gave Ruby a quizzical look.

"Although, from what I understand," she said curiously, "A significant amount of time has passed since then. I'm sorry if my departure has caused you any undue distress, Ruby."

Ruby was still on her knees, the Summer Maiden's body still lying limply in her arms.

"Penny…" she breathed, not knowing where to begin.

It was too much to grapple with. She was still trying to process losing Dora. It had yet to even sink in yet. She hadn't even gotten a chance to say goodbye to her friend. And now all the raw emotion she had felt at losing Penny had risen to the surface. She had just finished telling Dora how she wasn't willing to let her name be added to the list of friends she had lost. And now, one of those names had come back to her, as if she'd never left.

It was too much to deal with. Her emotions couldn't handle the whiplash. It was like…it was like she had traded one friend for another. And it was making her sick.

BOOM!

Penny and Ruby looked up as Cinder hurled hunks of glowing red debris at the bubble shield that protected them, lifting pieces of the asphalt around them to bash the force field relentlessly.

"Come on out, Ruby Rose!" Cinder called out tauntingly, her eyes looking more and more maniacal by the moment. "Are you afraid to face me!?"

Ruby swallowed hard as Cinder's power flared menacingly. She couldn't face her. Not now. Not like this. She was in no condition to do anything in the state she was in. She could barely stand, her nerves were so shot. And Cinder was just so powerful…

Dora…

Penny…

Her friend from Vale had come back to her from the dead. She couldn't afford to lose her again after so long!

Before she could muster the courage to stand, a feminine and oddly robotic sounding voice seemed to emanate from somewhere around them.

 **"** **Penny, our over-shield will not last long,"** the voice said. **"Permission to engage."**

Ruby looked around for the source of the voice, but could see no one else amongst them. Penny just nodded, as though she had been expecting whoever had spoken to her.

"Go ahead then, Persephone," she said out loud.

The robotic female voice sounded again. It seemed to be coming from Penny herself.

 **"** **Acknowledged,"** the voice said coldly. **"Assuming direct control."**

Penny's eyes suddenly shifted from their usual pale green to a deep, ocean blue. The green bands on her arms and legs began to glow as well, and the symbol on her back of her choker suddenly displayed single message in bright glowing letters:

 **SIDE B**

Ruby inhaled a breath as the force field around them suddenly dropped, and Cinder readied her next attack, several jagged pieces of rubble poised to launch at the two of them.

"P-Penny…?" Ruby gasped.

Penny said nothing. Instead, she lunged forward, almost faster than Ruby could follow.

Cinder reacted just as quickly, dropping the glowing shards of debris to defend against the attack with her arms across her chest. Her aura absorbed the attack, and she gritted her teeth in aggravation.

"What…what the-!?" she exclaimed in anger.

Ruby was still staring, completely taken aback. Penny hadn't even drawn her weapons yet, and she was already forcing Cinder back.

The robotic blue eyes focused and refocused on Cinder, as if taking stock of the situation.

 **"** **Normal aura output exceeded,"** her lips moved, as the robotic voice escaped from the girl's throat. **"Release of artificial aura restrictions authorized."**

Cinder's swords materialized in her hands once again as she attempted to swing them both at the robotic girl. Both swords clashed against an invisible force field that seemed to protect her body.

"What is this!?" Cinder demanded angrily.

Penny's response was to raise her arm into the air, as nearly a dozen of her mechanized gun-swords swarmed out of her backpack and into the air over her head. The weapons were somewhat different than they'd been before, straight and angular, segmented like razor-blades, each bearing the familiar power symbol as before at their hilt.

One sword landed handle-first in Penny's open palm, while the rest began to swivel and reconfigure their shape to attach to the one in her hand. One after another, the blades attached themselves to one another, until they were all collected together into a single, massive sword. Without any further preamble, Penny brought down the enormous weapon as easily as if it had been made out of cardboard.

Cinder raised both her swords to block in a cross shape.

BOOM!

The ground under Cinder's feet caved in under the impact, and Cinder visibly strained beneath the force of the blow, staring up at the girl in astonishment. Penny's cold dead blue eyes were focused on her opponent, completely emotionless and taciturn, as if perpetually sizing up her opponent, not an ounce of tension visible on her face.

Cinder leaped backward, away from the range of the massive sword, and she clenched her fists around herself as her eyes began to flare bright gold, four conjoined crests of power emanating from either side of her face as she tapped into the power of the four Maidens. All around her, the winds began to turn, as fire, ice, and sand began to swirl in a growing, violent vortex.

As she did, however, Penny's swords separated into pieces, before reconfiguring into their gun forms, each weapon attaching to one another in an intricate pattern to form a single, massive cannon that hovered before Penny herself, her arm swinging forward as if she were a conductor orchestrating a symphony.

Cinder had just barely enough time to get out of the way as the cannon opened fire.

BZZZMMM!

A focused laser blast emanated from the barrel of the massive gun, the green blast missing Cinder by a slim margin, but cutting through several buildings behind her, each of them collapsing in a heap of rubble as the beam carved through them like a hot knife through butter.

Cinder landed a dozen feet away, an aura of swirling elemental energy around her, a look of anger on her face as she glanced back at the destructive power that had just been leveled at her. With a wave of her hand, plant roots began to sprout from below Penny's feet, lashing out to try to ensnare her.

Penny's eyes turned to lock onto the vines, her face still cold and unfeeling.

 **"** **Organic threat detected,"** the robotic voice emanated from Penny's throat.

As the vines drew near, the weapon hovering before her split into its component pieces once more, before the individual weapons began savagely hacking away at the vines around her until they were reduced to unmoving brambles. As they did, more gun-swords emerged from Penny's back, and began revolving in a circle before her to charge up a powerful energy blast.

Cinder's eyes widened as she dodged the incoming barrage, before launching a volley of fire towards the robot girl, with the Huntress still kneeling somewhere behind her, intent on hitting both girls.

The gout of fire engulfed Penny as it scorched the earth on either side of the Huntress. Ruby winced as the intensity of the flames overwhelmed her, and she clutched the body of the Summer Maiden protectively, the tongues of flames licking the edges of her cloak.

When the fire subsided, however, Penny appeared barely singed by the attack. Her force field had somehow managed to absorb it all!

 **"** **Fire suppression systems engaged,"** the robotic voice said, as various panels across the girl's body opened and began to spray a white, foamy substance all around her that quenched the lingering fires surrounding her.

Anger flared in Cinder's eyes as Penny's swords flew towards her, as if controlled by invisible strings. She dodged the swinging blades, before her body exploded with golden power as she attacked again with ice, hitting the approaching target with a winter blast that encased her in a block of ice.

Ruby gasped as suddenly the ground around her was coated with a layer of snow, and she was suddenly shivering as her friend remained poised before her, encased in in a tomb of ice. The girl appeared to have been frozen solid, and for a second, Ruby thought Penny had been defeated. But after only a few seconds, Penny's body began to glow hot white inside, and before she knew it, the icy block began melting into a pool of water, as steam evaporated off of Penny's body.

Before long, she once again stood poised before her opponent, ready to fight once again.

 **"** **Exothermic countermeasures deployed,"** the voice again reported, flat and emotionless.

A twinge of fear crossed Cinder's eyes. She started throwing everything she had at the girl. Sand, lightning, blades of leaves, and chunks of debris. Everything that hit her just got absorbed by the invisible energy shield surrounding her body, which also served to shield Ruby Rose behind her. Everything she threw at her got sliced or blasted by the floating gun-swords that surrounded Penny's body. Even as Cinder's body floated into the air so that she could attempt to target her from different angles, Penny defenses simply reoriented to intercept.

"What _are_ you?!" Cinder repeated furiously.

Ruby was tempted to ask the same question herself. This was a completely different girl than the one she'd been speaking to a minute ago. She'd seen Penny fight back in Vale and during the Vytal tournament, but nothing like _this!_ This was sheer destructive force at a basic level. Not only was she acting with all the deadly efficiency of an Atlesian mech, but was also wielding an aura that was comparable to the Maidens themselves!

Cinder couldn't even _touch_ her!

Although, the reverse also held true, it seemed. Penny's attacks, while ruthlessly efficient, lacked the speed and ferocity to penetrate Cinder's defenses either. Cinder could evade and deflect Penny's attacks just as easily as Penny could her own. Had this battle taken place at any point before Cinder had attained all four Maiden powers, however, that might not have been the case.

The woman in red growled in fury as she lashed out at the girl. It was like her opponent couldn't be blind-sided at all! Everything she threw at her, the girl seemed to counter almost instantly, as if she knew how to contend with every situation. Fire couldn't harm her, ice turned to steam in her midst, and she shot down any projectile she threw her way!

And still the girl stood before her, her gun-swords revolving around her like satellites, blasting and slicing through whatever came near her. Even as Cinder tried to target the gun-swords directly, more seemed to emerge from the back of the girl's body, her supply seemingly limitless.

Cinder withdrew to a safe distance, quickly flipping out her scroll. She had finally recognized who she was dealing with, and while she had no idea how she had come back since the Vytal tournament, she knew that all constructs had the same weakness.

"Let's see how you handle _this_ …" she glowered wickedly as she thumbed the switch on her scroll, as the black queen appeared on its screen.

Penny's head turned, as her glowing blue eyes seemed to flicker for a moment, her weapons withdrawing to hover around her defensively.

 **"** **Digital threat detected,"** she said simply. **"Activating adaptive anti-viral countermeasures."**

Cinder stared down at the chess piece on her scroll as she watched its progress. Her expression darkened however as the image of the black queen began to suddenly flicker.

"What the…?!" she gasped as the image on her scroll suddenly vanished.

CRACK! POP!

Cinder flinched and dropped her scroll, the device in her hands suddenly combusting, smoke emanating from its charred surface.

 **"** **Virus quarantined,"** Penny's robotic voice stated flatly, her gun-swords raised back to an offensive position.

Fear began to spread across Cinder's face.

"What _ARE_ you!?" she demanded in outrage.

Penny looked like she was ready to press the attack, when suddenly the ground began to shake. There was a great reverberation on par with an earthquake as an earsplitting alarm not unlike that of a loading dock went off.

BWWWAAANNNHHH! BWWWAAANNNHHH! BWWWAAANNNHHH!

Ruby looked all around at the chaos engulfing the city around her, trying to make sense of what she was seeing and hearing. There was too much going on to keep track of, and she was still too shaken by recent events to so much as stand.

But she would have had to have been blind not to see the Citadel split down the middle, as a pair of unbelievably massive doors began to open. The ground continued to shake as the opening widened, revealing a hollow space within the confines of the great skyscraper that was the Atlesian capital building and Huntsman academy.

And standing within the opening of the Citadel, easily half as tall as the building itself, was a giant white Atlesian mech, its two eyes glowing brightly as it hummed to life.

Ruby's eyes widened in disbelief at what she was seeing. She had been impressed by the Atlesian Paladin, but this was on a completely different level! Its head alone was easily as large as a Bullhead, and it stood shoulder-to-shoulder with most of the other buildings around it. It looked as if it could step on most of the Grimm that came its way!

Cinder and Penny were staring too, each one seeming to weigh how the new player on the field would affect their future prospects. As they stared, the mech began to slowly roll out of the Citadel, as if on some sort of conveyor belt. As it did, its head began to swivel this way and that, eying its surroundings.

Then with a tremendous rush, the mech began to take its first steps, putting one foot in front of the other.

THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!

"What in the world…?" Ruby asked tremulously.

The act of simply walking was like a thunderstorm as the titanic machine stormed forward. Each footfall shook the ground, its colossal treads crushing the asphalt into rubble beneath its feet, each one big enough around to crush a military vehicle beneath it.

As the mech slowed to a halt, it took position a short distance away from the Citadel, turning to face the battle over its head. Its legs widened to more evenly distribute its massive weight, before turrets began spouting across the surface of its body. As over two dozen cannons whirred to life, the titanic mech's arms, shoulders, chest and head all pointed towards the swarming cloud of Grimm.

Specifically, at the Grimm dragon.

Cinder's eyes flared in outrage as the massive robot took aim, quadruple-crested plumes of energy flaring out on either side of her face.

And then the mech began to fire.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The dragon let out a cry of anguish as the mech's volley hit home, rocking it in the air as it swerved from the force of the blast. Its body lit up like a bonfire as round after round impacted it scaly hide, forcing it visibly to careen around haphazardly, completely blindsided by the assault.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

As the dragon screamed in anger, Cinder let out a cry of outrage as she immediately took to the air. Summoning every ounce of wind power she possessed, she took off like a rocket towards the Grimm dragon, rushing to its aid, and leaving the construct and the Huntress in her tracks.

Ruby thought for a moment that Penny might have given chase, but instead she lowered her weapons, as they once again began revolving around her like a halo.

 **"** **Hostile forces retreating,"** the unfamiliar robotic voice said. **"Reinstating aura limiters."**

Ruby slowly found her feet, reluctant to leave Dora's side. Her curiosity and her desire to see to Penny won out, however, as she slowly climbed the edge of the crater as she approached her old friend. Ruby's body was still shaking and shivering as she neared the other girl, who was still standing perfectly straight, her body turned away as she faced their fleeing enemy.

"P-Penny…?" Ruby asked quietly, reaching out towards her where she stood at the lip of the crater.

As soon as she came within arm's reach of the girl, Penny suddenly wheeled on her, her gun-swords rearing defensively to strike at her.

 **"** **Hostile detected!"** the robot voice said suddenly as Penny turned her cold blue eyes on Ruby.

"Gahhh!" Ruby shouted in alarm, falling onto her backside, arms raised defensively.

From within Penny's body, however, the girl's original voice suddenly sounded in a panic, her words sounding thin and hollow as if being fed through a filter.

 _"_ _Persephone, wait!"_ Penny's voice cried out desperately. _"That's Ruby! She's a friend! Please don't hurt her!"_

The gun-swords lowered slightly, although Penny's arms were still raised as though to strike.

 **"** **Are you absolutely certain, Penny?"** the harsh robotic voice sounded as Penny moved her lips. **"It is my job to ensure your protection against all possible threats, including perceived allies. It would be best if I eliminate her to be safe."**

Ruby flinched as the gun-swords came up again.

 _"_ _No, no, that will not be necessary!"_ Penny's real voice came from somewhere deep inside her own throat, her lips unmoving. _"Please go to stand-by mode now, Persephone!"_

Penny's blue eyes flickered momentarily.

 **"** **As you wish, Penny,"** the feminine robot voice finally said as she lowered her arms. **"Relinquishing control."**

The glowing lines in Penny's outfit began to fade, and her eyes shifted from cold blue back to pale green, the bold _Side B_ label on her collar disappearing.

She blinked several times, before she suddenly smiled once again.

"Sorry about that Ruby," Penny said, her voice once again back to normal. "Persephone can be a little…over-protective."

Ruby's jaw was still hanging low as she stared up at Penny, still somewhat fearful.

"Per…Persephone…?" she stammered breathily, unable to think of anything else to say.

Penny smiled sweetly.

"My sister," she explained. "She's been kind enough to let me stay in her body for a while."

She glanced down curiously at Ruby as she continued to lay on her backside, elbows propped as the Huntress gazed back up at her.

"Do you want to get up?" Penny said, offering a hand as though in greeting, repeating the words that her friends said to her once upon a time.

Ruby eyed the proffered arm with trepidation, before gingerly reaching up to clasp hold of it, still not convinced that this 'Persephone' might try to kill her if she got too close.

Penny pulled Ruby to her feet, before grasping her by the arms.

"Oh, it's so wonderful to see you again, Ruby!" Penny exclaimed in excitement, looking almost bubbly in spite of the circumstances. "I'm almost surprised you recognized me! I tried to adapt my appearance to look as familiar as possible, but this is still my sister's body after all!"

Ruby was staring blankly at Penny, her emotions still completely fried.

"Penny…" she muttered, completely lost. "H-How…?"

Penny blinked curiously. "How what, Ruby?"

Ruby's eyes began to water.

"I…I saw you _die_ , Penny…" she began to whimper. "How did you…how did you _survive!?_ "

Penny's face saddened.

"Oh…" she muttered despondently. "I'm afraid that I _didn't_ survive, Ruby. My body was destroyed, and every memory that I made that day was lost to me forever."

Ruby shook her head, blinking through tears. "That day?"

Penny nodded fervently.

"Oh yes!" she explained. "Every memory I make is precious to me, Ruby! They're what make me who I am! I make backups of my memories every night before going to bed, but…I still have no firsthand recollection of what happened to me the day I died."

Penny hung her head.

"I know that I lost my fight with Pyrrha Nikos because somebody in the crowd used hypnosis on her to make her lash out," she said. "At least, that's what my father told me after my memories were implanted into my sister's body."

Ruby still looked incredulous.

"Penny, I don't understand…" she whimpered. "Your memories were… _implanted?_ Into your _sister's_ body?"

Penny nodded.

"Oh yes," she explained. "Father was still in the middle of building Persephone when I died. After what happened in Vale, he was never able to finish her, at least on the inside. But her body was in working order, and is even stronger than my own, so he told me that I'd be safer if my sister and I shared her body."

Ruby peered at the other girl in disbelief.

"And…your sister…?" she asked in a tiny voice. "She was just…okay with this?"

Persephone's robotic voice trilled from somewhere inside of Penny's throat.

 **"** **My memory core has sufficient capacity to house both our personalities simultaneously,"** the voice explained. **"It was the logical choice for Penny's memories to be housed within me."**

Ruby blinked in surprised, still unused to the metallic voice coming from Penny's body. Penny herself remained stationary as she allowed her sister to speak. Ruby leaned in close to peer into Penny's eyes.

"Persephone?" she asked, confused. "You're…Penny's sister?"

 **"** **Yes,"** Persephone replied, her flat voice emanating from Penny's throat while the girl's lips remained unmoving. **"It is nice to meet you, Ruby Rose. I have been assigned the task of** **protecting Penny from coming to any harm following the incident at the Vytal tournament. This body is designed for heavy combat, and is capable of generating an artificial aura in excess of one-thousand percent the normal human output."**

Ruby's eyes widened a little at that.

"Whoa…" she breathed in astonishment. "How are you so powerful? I've never seen _anyone_ shrug off Cinder's attacks like that before."

 **"** **Normal human aura output is limited by the resilience of their tissue cells,"** Persephone explained. **"While a human could theoretically exceed this limit, if they were to generate the level of aura I am capable of, their body would rapidly deteriorate in the process. My body is composed of a far denser material, and capable of sustaining a much higher aura. As such, the aura core within me has been optimized to its maximum capacity. Simply being around this level of aura is dangerous to other humans, and as such, this body is normally under the inhibition of aura limiters, which may be removed in the event of an emergency."**

"Oh…" Ruby could only nod, still somewhat baffled.

 **"** **I am also equipped with an adaptive cyber-security suite capable of learning and defending against any viral infection that might compromise my mainframe,"** Persephone further elaborated. **"I am effectively immune to viral attacks like the ones that subjugated the Atlesian mechanized forces."**

"Yes," Penny's said cheerfully, her lips finally moving. "She insists on taking control of her body whenever there's danger. Even though she's my younger sister, Persephone still takes care of me."

 **"** **My personality matrix is also unfinished, and as such, I lack normal human empathy,"** Persephone continued. **"This makes me the ideal candidate for ensuring Penny's safety, as I am not swayed by petty human morality, and am capable of killing without mercy. Keeping my sister safe is my number one priority, and I will eliminate any and all threats to her safety."**

Penny started looking more and more nervous as Ruby stared obliquely at her.

" _Thank you_ , Persephone!" she said uneasily. "I don't think we need to bore Ruby with all these details."

 **"** **Apologies,"** Persephone's voice intoned. **"I lack the complex algorithms required to fully emulate human behavior. Penny has been instrumental in furthering my understanding of social cues and customs. She also acts as my conscience, as it were, and keeps me company when I am alone. In this way, our arrangement is of mutual benefit. We have formed something of a symbiotic relationship together."**

Penny actually blushed and scratched her head sheepishly. "Well, there you have it, Ruby.

Ruby nodded, slowly beginning to understand.

"Okay…" she breathed. "Well, I…I mean, you saved my life back there, Penny. Err…Persephone. So thank you."

 **"** **You are welcome, Ruby,"** Persephone's voice intoned.

Penny nodded.

"Of course Ruby!" she said emphatically. "You are my friend! And I will always do my best to help you whenever possible! Although…"

Penny's expression saddened as she gazed past where Ruby stood.

"I…" she said, a pang of remorse in her voice. "I regret that I was not able to arrive in time to save your other friend."

Ruby's expression darkened as her eyes disappeared behind her hair. She turned and looked at Dora's crumpled form, where she lay draped across the rubble at the bottom of the crater.

"She…" Ruby said slowly. "She was someone that I was supposed to protect…"

Penny stepped forward, placing her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Ruby," she said, attempting to sound sympathetic."I'm sure that you did everything that you could…

Ruby did not turn to face her. She made her way back down into the crater, slowly approaching Dora's body and kneeling down beside her, head lowered in admonishment.

"I failed her…" Ruby said bitterly, tears welling up in her eyes. "I couldn't protect her. And now the candidate my mother chose to receive the Maiden's gift is gone. She'll never laugh or cry ever again. The enemy now has the power of all four Maidens. And it's my fault…"

Penny looked anxiously at the grieving Huntress, her eyes flitting back and forth between Ruby and the battle going on between the Grimm dragon and the Atlesian Titan. The one that Ruby called Cinder appeared to have rejoined the dragon, fighting alongside the beast in order to fend off the mech's attacks.

"I don't understand a lot of what's going on right now, Ruby…" Penny offered helplessly, kneeling down next to the other girl. "I just woke up today, and so many things have happened all at once…"

Ruby lifted her head to look at Penny. There were still tears in her eyes.

"But, I…" Penny breathed, looking down at Dora's body. "I can tell that there are bad people out there, trying to do bad things…"

Penny clasped her hands together and lowered her eyes, as if offering up a prayer for the dead.

"My father used to tell me…" she whispered. "That bad people win when good people do nothing."

Ruby kept her eyes on Penny as she lifted her gaze back towards her.

"You and your friends are all trying to do _something_ about all this, right Ruby?" Penny asked earnestly. "As long as you all do your best, that's all that really matters in the end."

Ruby fixed Penny with a discerning look.

"Used to?" she asked, fear in her voice.

Penny's expression fell.

"Yes," she said flatly. "My father was dead by the time I woke up. Killed by one of the very patients he tried to save. There was nothing I could do for him."

Ruby stared blankly ahead of her, her eyes unfocused and unfeeling. She knew that it wasn't over. As much as it would hurt to do so, she would have to move on. As many people as she had lost, there were still so many more that she had to protect. She would have to take whatever pain she felt from this, and turn that pain into strength. She would have to learn from her past, and use that to avoid losing anyone else in the future. No matter what came, she couldn't give up. For their sakes. And for her own.

"Keep moving forward…" she exhaled steadily. "Just got to keep moving forward…"

Penny blinked, tilting her head to the side. "Hmm?"

Ruby slapped her own cheeks, trying to coax some feeling back into her face.

"Nothing, Penny," she said, standing up and pulling out her scroll.

She began typing a hurried message to Winter.

 **Need pickup.**

A response came moments later.

 **Locked onto your position. ETA five minutes.**

"Okay…" Ruby breathed, pocketing her scroll. "Now I just need to figure out our next move. How to deal with the Grimm, how to deal with the dragon, and how to deal with Cinder…"

Penny glanced back at that battle raging overhead.

"Well, it would seem that the dragon is currently being dealt with," she offered.

Ruby glanced up, and only just seemed to remember the giant robot that was currently battling it out with the Grimm dragon.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Ruby watched in awe as the titanic machine towered over the buildings around it, leveling its arms at the massive Grimm as it flew by. Each of its arms supported a mounted cannon, each about the same size as the main gun of an Atlesian capital ship. As the dragon flew by overhead, the mech let off a salvo of heavy fire at the beast, the clouds and smoke behind it erupting into flames as it swooped this way and that to avoid the attack.

"I had no idea Atlas had a mech that was so big…" Ruby breathed in disbelief.

"The Atlesian Titan," Penny confirmed. "Our father was asked to work on it. He refused."

Ruby glanced oddly at Penny. "Why?"

Persephone answered for her sister.

 **"** **Our father's contract with Atlas was terminated after the incident in Vale,"** her voice said. **"His years of devotion were repaid with scorn. Furthermore, he had since dedicated his life to saving lives and not creating weapons of war."**

Penny seemed perturbed by this.

"But the Titan _will_ save lives," she argued. "Right now, it's all that stands between the people of Atlas, and the Grimm. I know you've recently spent more time with our father than _I_ have, Persephone, but surely you do not think that he would put his pride before the lives that may be lost in this attack."

 **"** **I do not claim to know what our father believes,"** Persephone said. **"I can only report on what he has confided in me."**

"But look at the Titan!" Penny went on. "It's structurally incomplete! And the marriage between pilot and mech is barely at fifty percent efficiency! Our father's research could _vastly_ improve the Titan's output!"

 **"** **Our father is gone, sister,"** Persephone quipped. **"This conversation is entirely academic."**

Penny held her arms before her body, a dejected look on her face. Ruby watched as the girl in front of her appeared to be having an argument with herself. And overhead, the battle raged ever onward.

The dragon was too far away to make out the shape of its rider, but the glow of Cinder's aura on its back was visible even from this distance. As the dragon flew, its body still dropping Grimm to the city below, Cinder pelted the mech with fire, ice and lightning, causing it to stumble backwards, its oversized bulk unstable on its feet.

The mech was not out of the fight, however, as it leveled an arm at its prey once again, the turret mounted on its forearm swiveling downward, only to be replaced by what appeared to be a grappling claw. The Titan took aim and fired, sending a massive three-pronged pincer into the air, an extensive tow-cable trailing for hundreds of feet behind it.

The dragon veered in mid-air in an attempt to dodge, but the grappling claw snared the creature's hind leg, and it started violently flapping its wings in protest as the cable began to retract.

 **"** **To your teammate's credit,"** Persephone's voice broke the silence as they all watched in fascination, **"Ciel Soleil is doing an admirable job as the Titan's pilot."**

Penny's eyes widened in surprise.

"Ciel?" she asked in a tiny voice. "Ciel is the pilot?"

 **"** **I am detecting her contact signature within the Titan,"** Persephone confirmed. **"What you choose to infer from this information is for you to determine."**

The Titan's tow cable was latched onto the dragon's hind leg, and was slowly reeling the dragon closer and closer towards the ground, like a fishing line. All the while, the dragon flapped and flapped its wings, tugging in the opposite direction, flailing up and down as the cable whipped and was tugged in every direction. With its free arm, the titan continued to fire upon the Grimm, pummeling it with turret fire, while on the dragon's back, Cinder lobbed volley after volley of fire and ice back at the Titan.

As the dragon was dragged closer and closer to the city, the cable was dragged against the skyscrapers of downtown Atlas as the creature thrashed this way and that in a vain attempt to escape, scraping at the steel finish of the buildings and shattering windows and radio antennae in the process. However, as the Grimm was forced inexorably closer to the Titan, Cinder's elemental attacks began to get more and more concentrated, and soon the giant mech was staggering back under the assault of the barrage.

Ruby and Penny both clenched their fists in agitation, neither of them liking the prospect of waiting on the sidelines. Fortunately, neither had to ponder the prospect for much longer, as the _Aeneid_ began to circle around overhead, and slowly descend towards them.

"That's my ride," Ruby said, glancing up at the ship. "Will you come with me, Penny? My team and I could really use your help."

Penny bit her lip as she glanced back at the Atlesian Titan. It had fallen to one knee under the assault of Cinder's elemental bombardment.

"I'm sorry, Ruby," Penny said remorsefully. "But if my teammate really is on board the Titan, then I need to go and help her."

"You mean Ciel?" Ruby asked, blithely. "But I thought she didn't even like you. You said that she was _ordered_ to be your friend."

"Maybe so," Penny said plainly. "But she is still my friend."

Ruby withered. She couldn't fault her for that.

"Alright," she said woefully. "But promise me you'll be safe out there."

"Of course I will," Penny smiled. "I have Persephone to back me up."

"Ok…" Ruby smiled, before throwing her arms around the girl. "Thanks again for saving me, Penny! Contact me on my scroll as soon as you can to Let me know when you're safe and sound, okay?"

"I will, Ruby!" Penny beamed as she embraced the other girl tightly.

"You too, Persephone," Ruby added.

 **"** **Acknowledged,"** the little voice said.

With that, Penny parted from her, and leaped away, dashing off into the city at a blinding speed, heading in the direction of the fallen Titan. Ruby watched her go, praying to whatever god would listen that she be alright when this was over. Her negligence had already cost her one friend today; she would never forgive herself for letting the same thing happen to Penny.

As the _Aeneid's_ afterburners kicked up the wind and dust around her, Ruby turned back to where Dora lay. Gingerly, she scooped up her body in her arms and began to climb her way back up. The Summer Maiden was so thin and frail, her body already grown cold. There was nothing more that Ruby could do for her now. But she would not leave her here.

The _Aeneid_ landed at the lip of the crater, and the boarding hatch lowered to admit Ruby's entrance. Before the hatch even closed, the ship began to rise again as they were once again airborne.

Inside the _Aeneid's_ cargo bay, a makeshift triage unit had been set up to act as a sick bay. Ruby nearly dropped the Summer Maiden when she saw Blake lying on one of the cots, an IV drip attached to her arm.

"Blake!" she cried out in alarm as she entered the triage unit, seeing Yang sitting by the girl's side. "What happened to her!?"

Yang looked up at Ruby, her face still battered and bruised, the artillery cannon resting by her side as she glanced at her sister with tired eyes.

"Adam's back," she said simply, before her expression darkened as she caught sight of the body in her sister's arms. "Oh my God…Ruby!"

Ruby lowered her eyes as she drew in her breath.

"I tried, Yang…" she muttered softly. "There was nothing I could do."

Yang slowly, achingly climbed to her feet, limping over to her sister's side to help her carry her burden to one of the open cots.

"Ruby…" she shook her head, tears in her eyes as she embraced the younger girl. "I'm so sorry…I know how close you two were…"

Ruby wiped away a tear with her sleeve, sniffing back the rest.

"I failed her, Yang…" she muttered sorrowfully. "I failed…"

She trailed off, however, when her eyes fell on the third cot. There was a male's body lying under a white sheet. Her throat began to constrict on itself as panic started to set in.

"Yang…" Ruby's pupils narrowed to fine points, her pulse quickening. "Wha…who…?"

Yang's arms pressed around Ruby's shoulders even tighter.

"It's Sun, Ruby," she said through clenched teeth. "The bastard got Sun. I wasn't fast enough. I…I failed too."

Ruby's eyes were locked onto Sun's unmoving form beneath the ghostly sheet. Even as Yang embraced her, her eyes lay fixed to the bodies surrounding her. All around them, the rest of her team began to slowly filter into the cargo hold from above deck to see her, but Ruby didn't even notice. All she could think of was how many she had let die, and how many more might follow if she did not do something.

Ruby felt small. Like a leaf tossed in the wind. She felt tiny and insignificant and like nothing she did made any difference in the world. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't protect everyone! She couldn't be everywhere at once! How was she supposed to get through life as a Huntress without constantly worrying that someone wasn't going to get hurt? It was an exercise in futility!

The rest of Team RSJC watched as Ruby remained still and statuesque. Even Yang looked concerned when Ruby's gaze remained unfocused. Her eyes were still red from the tears she had shed, but no more tears remained on her face at that moment. Only cold, unmitigated anguish.

Her heart had been filled with remorse when she had watched Penny die. Regret had plagued her when she failed to save Pyrrha. Sorrow had overwhelmed her when she had allowed Dora to perish. Now another of her teammates had fallen.

And the only thing Ruby felt was anger.

Ruby clenched her fists at her side. A cold bitter rage permeated every fiber of her being. She was sick of losing people. Sick of her enemies beating her to the punch. Sick of failing the people she cared for again and again.

It stopped now.

"No more…" she breathed in scarcely controlled rage. "I'm done…"

The rest of the team exchanged odd glances with one another. Weiss still had her arm around Neptune's shoulder in consolation. Emerald had disappeared as soon as she'd laid eyes on Dora's body. Everybody else looked battered and bruised, confused and concerned by Ruby's sudden shift in tone.

"Ruby…?" Yang was the first person brave enough to speak up. "What are you…?"

She was silenced, however, as she saw the fire in Ruby's eyes.

"I have _had_ it…" Ruby said, hot ice on her lips. "I am _not_ taking this lying down anymore…"

Jaune and his team exchanged troubled glances.

"What are you saying, Ruby?" he asked, still somewhat disturbed by her tone of voice.

Yang actually pulled away as Ruby began to shout.

"I'm putting an _end_ to these Grimm!" she blared furiously. "Right here! Right now!"

Ruby turned to face the rest of her team, each of them stunned by the force behind her voice as she spoke.

"Team RSJC, sound off!" she barked angrily. "Everyone still fit to fight!"

Everyone jumped at her command, as most of the team lined up before her. Even Yang and Weiss, who looked like they could barely stand. To Ruby's eyes, every one of them needed a break, but if they said that they were fit for duty, she trusted their judgement.

"Good," she said, nodding. "I need Weiss, Yang, Jaune and Velvet, front and center. The rest of you, man the guns. Shoot down as many Grimm as you can."

She pried the scroll from her waistband and thrust it to her face.

"Winter, take us to the Citadel," she ordered. "Right now."

"Aye aye, ma'am," Winter's voice responded curtly.

The four Huntsmen and Huntresses Ruby had called forward exchanged curious glances as they approached their leader, the rest of Team RSJC climbing back up to the main deck.

"Ruby…?" Weiss asked timidly, still somewhat leery of her team leader's shift in attitude. "What are you planning."

Ruby's brow was narrowed as she glared back out the window at the fight visible down below, the Grimm and the Titan still locked in combat.

She spoke in a voice that broached utterly no argument.

"We are taking down that dragon."


	118. Chapter 118

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 118

* * *

Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Jaune and Velvet stood atop the Atlesian Citadel as the battle with the Grimm raged all around them. The fleet overhead was giving it all they got, but they were flagging under the swarm of airborne Grimm. The _Aeneid_ had joined the fight, pelting the Grimm with turret fire, making whatever small contribution they could. And not far from the Citadel, the Atlesian Titan was locked in combat with the Grimm dragon, however it too was flagging.

The dragon had finally managed to free itself from the Titan's grappling cable, but not before cannon-fire from the Titan had torn through the creature's wings, shredding them to ribbons, keeping it from taking off for the time being. However, with Cinder Fall on the creature's back, the dragon was still dangerous. Fire, ice and lightning had forced the Titan back, and now the giant mech was overwhelmed by the power of the four Maidens.

The battle could not last much longer.

"Weiss," Ruby said impatiently. "All I need to know is, _can_ it be done?"

The five Huntsmen were arranged in a square atop the Citadel's rooftop, with Ruby standing at its center. The Schnee heir apparent cast a glance around at the other four Huntsmen, trying to determine the best way to explain to her friend how crazy her plan was.

"Ruby, you're asking me to merge five different glyphs on top of each other," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Even if I _could_ orchestrate something that complicated, I…I just don't have the _aura_ for it!"

Ruby smiled wryly.

"Don't worry," she said. "The rest of us will be providing you with all the aura that you need."

Yang put her hands on her hips.

"You're gonna try aura linking?" she asked, flabbergasted. "With _five_ of us? Ruby, we could barely manage _three_ before! Now you're jumping straight to _five!?_ "

Ruby nodded.

"I am, Yang," she said confidently. "Don't worry. It'll work. Just trust me."

The team all watched in awe as her silver eyes began to glow vibrantly. It did not look the same as the day it had gone off back at Beacon, or when she had used it against the great red nevermore. This was a slow, controlled burn, her eyes casting an eerie glow that resonated amongst the other Huntsmen.

Ruby looked almost otherworldly.

"I finally figured out why I'm such a natural at aura linking," she elaborated. "It's these silver eyes of mine. They let me link with anyone I want. According to Dora…there's _no_ limit to how many people I can link with."

The Huntsmen each exchanged worried glances.

"But four at once?" Jaune stammered. "Are you sure you're up for that?"

Ruby sighed, shaking her head at Jaune.

"I'm through being coddled, Jaune," she said bitterly. "I'm through letting people go easy on me, and I'm through being easy on myself."

She locked eyes with the four Huntsmen and Huntresses on the rooftop of the Citadel.

"Apart from Pyrrha, the four of you are the ones I experienced the _strongest_ connection with during training," she explained. "If this is going to work with any of us, it'll be the four of you. Each of us will share our aura pool with one another, and each of us will share our semblance."

She looked back at Jaune.

"Jaune, your aura pool is greater than anyone on the team," Ruby said.

She looked at Yang.

"Yang, your damage output is off the chart," she continued.

She looked at Weiss.

"And Weiss, your glyphs will bring all our powers together into a single entity."

Velvet timidly raised her hand.

"Umm…Ruby?" she asked quietly. "What about me? Why am _I_ here? I mean…we were never even teammates before this. And the things that I said to you before…I didn't think…"

Ruby's lip curved into a grin.

"I need _your_ semblance too, Velvet," she said. "Trust me, every one of you is here for a reason."

Ruby's eyes continued to glow as she stretched out with her aura, brushing against each of them in turn. She felt their hesitation, their uncertainty, their fear. She felt her friends and teammates verging on the edge of despair.

It was time to show them all what they could do together.

"Focus on me," she said in a low voice. "Bring your aura to the surface and merge it with mine. And through me, you will be connected to one another."

Each Huntsman in turn began to follow her lead, stretching out with their auras to link their essence with Ruby.

"Each of us are teammates," Ruby assured them all. "We are part of each other, and we make each other stronger. Together, we are unstoppable."

Ruby's eyes bathed the group with an ethereal light as closed her eyes.

"Remember what we learned," she said. "All aura is aura."

The four Huntsmen and Huntresses all stood still as they faced Ruby at the center of the circle. Each of them began to glow, the aura from their worn and tired bodies still flickering. Many of them had returned from their respective missions exhausted and had been given barely any time to recover aboard the _Aeneid_. They had each gone through hell and back today, and Ruby was asking them to put everything they had left into this one last ditch effort. And not a one of them had hesitated to step up to the plate.

Ruby couldn't have been more proud.

As her eyes shimmered, she felt each of their auras in turn. Jaune's was a bastion of strength, Yang's was a roaring flame, Weiss's was a pristine snowflake, and Velvet's was a work of art. Each of them brought their own strengths to the equation, and while not all of them could connect with each other very strongly, each and every one of them connected to Ruby.

And now that she was finally tapped into her silver eyes, that would be enough.

All at once, their auras began to equalize. Yang's bruised face slowly began to heal, and Weiss's hands grew steadier as she readied her blade. Each of them was channeling their aura through Ruby and out to each other. Ruby was their conduit. And through her, their strength was whole.

"Do it, Weiss!" Ruby ordered.

Weiss raised her hand forward towards Ruby, and five white glyphs appeared under each of them. The four corners of the square blossomed outward into circles until they brushed up against one another. And the fifth circle at the center of the square expanded outward to encompass them all.

Weiss kept her eyes closed in concentration. She could sense each of her teammates channeling their aura into her for this incantation. The glyphs at her feet were getting larger and larger, each of them linking to the Huntsman or Huntress upon them. Now that their semblances were all connected, each glyph began to resonate with their appointed Huntsman, as the four orbital glyphs resolved around Ruby's fifth, each one harmonizing with the other.

As the aura levels mounted, the four orbital glyphs began to rise up into the air around their respective Huntsman, encircling their bodies as they each remained focused and stationary, continuing to channel their aura. The larger fifth glyph at the center began to grow wider and wider as more and more aura was added to fuel the incantation. As the glyph surpassed first the other Huntsman and then the border of the Citadel itself, expanding over the edge of the building like a wide, flat dish, the clouds above began to swirl around them in response as the wind began to rise.

The clouds slowly parted in a circle overhead as the power of Weiss' glyphs began to create a small vortex. The opening above grew wider and wider as the clouds around them became thicker and denser. The disparity in pressure and temperature began to crackle as static discharge flared overhead. The aura levels continued to grow, and soon, bolts of lightning were discharging the electrical buildup above their heads as the Huntsmen continued to channel their aura as one.

"Weiss…" Ruby queried, eying the growing storm overhead nervously. "Is this normal?"

"Nothing about this is normal!" Weiss snapped as the wind whipped at her dress. "The build-up of energy is causing an atmospheric disturbance! This much aura is enough to reshape the very landscape around us!"

She had her sword hand extended, her other placed against the flat of her blade as she continued to focus on the glyph. The wind was rushing all around her, and her hair whipped about every which way, but still Weiss maintained the glyph. The main glyph itself now exceeded the width of the Citadel by a wide margin, and each of the four smaller glyphs had risen above head level now, and now Weiss and the other four Huntsmen were bathed in their radiant light.

"What does that mean?" Ruby asked frantically.

"It _means_ that this may be the single largest quantity of aura that's _ever_ been accumulated in one place before in recorded history!" Weiss called out over the gusting wind. "Nothing like this has ever even been _attempted_ before now!"

"So will it work!?" Ruby demanded anxiously over the wind.

"I don't know!" Weiss admitted loudly. "Just hold on! This is going to be _big!_ "

Even as she spoke, the incantation was reaching its zenith. And as the aura gathered within the system of glyphs finally reached critical mass, the summon began to manifest.

A shape began to emerge from the massive glyph. Beneath the Huntsmen's feet, a pristine white helm the size of a small airship slowly rose. The Huntsmen staggered as the smooth metallic surface lifted up from nothingness, each of them suddenly finding themselves standing upon the giant armored crown. From there, the head fully emerged from the glyph and the body following soon after, rising up like a giant monster from the depths of the ocean.

"Whoa..." Jaune said as he wobbled precarious atop the knight's helm. "This is a _lot_ bigger than I was expecting..."

Lightning continued to crackle across the sky as Weiss continued to maintain the summoning glyph, while the rest of the Huntsmen each knelt down to steady themselves upon the knight's crown. It was difficult maintaining the connection to one another under the circumstances, but Ruby's resolve held firm, and through her, the aura link was maintained. Weiss channeled the aura needed to fuel such a giant creature as it rose, the colossal summon slowly rising out of the glyph atop the Citadel.

Linking with one Huntsmen was enough to nearly double the summon in size. Ruby had determined that linking with more would only further increase the size of the summon. And the creature was now being summoned with the aura of _five_ Huntsmen! And with Jaune's ridiculous aura levels thrown into the mix, the summoning was gigantic!

Easily equal in size to the Atlesian Titan, it stood atop the Citadel, still suspended on Weiss' glyph, staring down at the city below. From their vantage point, the huntsmen could see the Titan itself laying on its back farther across town, the Grimm dragon standing over it, as if savoring its victory. As the summon rose up, the dragon raised its head to gaze up at the colossal knight, before letting out a roar of outrage.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

Atop the knight's crown, Weiss, Yang, Jaune and Velvet each knelt, exchanging nervous glances with their team leader. But the look of confidence on Ruby's face could not be undone.

"We can do this, guys," she said, patting the white surface of the knight's helm. "Just stick together, maintain the aura link, and let Weiss do her job. On my signal, I want you each to activate your semblance. You'll know what to do."

Jaune, Weiss, Velvet and Yang each nodded. They had to stay within range of each other to maintain the aura link, and Weiss needed to stay within range of her summon in order to control it. Which meant that the five of them were going for a ride.

"Got it!" Yang said, answering for each of them. "Let's kick some _ass!_ "

Ruby smiled. "Alright, Weiss. Let's go!"

Weiss gestured forward with her sword, directing the knight to leap off of the Citadel. The great summon took a single leaping bound, before the colossal creature began to fall towards the city. Ruby and her friends each clutched at the back of the knight's helm for stability as it plummeted to the ground.

THOOOM!

The ground came up to meet them, and the summon landed in a crouch to soften the impact for its passengers. Still, the drop had been stomach lurching.

"Hnnnghhhh…" Jaune groaned loudly. "Can we please not do that again?"

The summon rose to its feet up, staring down the city street at the Grimm dragon, the two creatures towering over the buildings around them. The dragon let out another ear splitting roar as it charged on all fours at the summon, leaving the Atlesian Titan where it had fallen and lumbering towards them, its wings tattered and useless.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

Weiss waved her sword, and the knight reached behind its back to draw its own sword, a massive steel blade that dwarfed most of the buildings that surrounded them. Weiss gritted her teeth, unaccustomed to such an unwieldy blade, and as the dragon rushed the knight, it managed to charge beneath its attack and barge into its chest.

CRASH!

The summon toppled backward, tumbling to the ground as the Huntsmen clinging to its helm tossed and turned, barely holding onto the knight's crown. As they each looked up from the fall, the Huntsmen could see the Grimm monster leaping over the fallen knight, claws and teeth bared to land upon them.

"Now, Velvet!" Ruby shouted.

Velvet activated her semblance, and the glyph beneath her feet channeled her unique aura into the summon. Within her repertoire of weapons, she selected the idea tool for the situation. Within moments, an enormous white heater shield appeared on the knight's left arm, an exact replica of Crocea Mors, and about as big around as the _Aeneid_ itself.

The summoned knight raised its newfound shield and deflected the charging dragon, bashing it away and knocking it aside.

BAM!

The impact of the blow shattered windows for blocks around as the dragon was knocked end over end, tumbling in confusion. Weiss ordered the knight to climb to its feet, the city street below turning to rubble as it did, before raising its sword once again to charge.

The dragon was ready for them, and the creature swung its claws and teeth defensively. Weiss raised the knight's shield to counter the assault, before swinging its sword overhand and bringing it down across the creature's back, leaving a deep, gaping gash across the its flank.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

The dragon let out a howl of pain as the knight scored a direct hit, and the glowing speck on the dragon's back began to glow as Cinder lifted massive hunks of debris from around where the dragon lay, sculpting them into bright, massive scathing blades, each about as large as the knight's own sword, before launching them at the Huntsmen's creation.

"Jaune!" Ruby cried. "Now!"

The knight raised its shield to defend, and all at once, the entire summon began to glow bright with indominance as Jaune channeled his aura into the glyph beneath his feet, imparting his semblance on the entire summon. The molten hot blades became reduced to rubble once more as they shattered off of the knight like shards of glass against a statue.

After the attack subsided, the knight swung its sword again, which once again glowed with Jaune's indominance, landing another blow across the dragon's chest, sending the creature sprawling and leaving a gaping wound as it once again screamed in pain.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

"We've got this, you guys!" Ruby crowed in victory. "Don't let up! We just have to - _whoah!_ "

As the dragon toppled over, it swung its tail back at the summon, catching the knight broadside and knocking it back. The summoned creature staggered backwards, as the massive force of the tail swipe slammed against the Huntsmen like a tidal wave, knocking everybody off their feet.

CRASH!

The summon fell against a building behind it, crushing most of the concrete structure under its weight. Ruby was nearly flung off the knight's crown, before Yang reached out and seized the hood of her cape with her mechanical arm, the tiny girl dangling precariously over the ledge before Yang dragged her back to safety.

"I've got you!" Yang hollered.

The rest of the Huntsmen were clinging to the creature's helm, completely rattled by the impact. The force of the blow disrupted Velvet's semblance, and the shield on the knight's arm dematerialized. With Weiss off her feet, the knight had also lost its grip on its sword, and the titanic blade fell from its hand to the city street below, crushing the cars beneath its feet.

The dragon reared up, anger and rage evident in its eyes, as dark viscous blood poured from the open wounds on its flank. Ice began to form around the injuries as Cinder attempt to repair the damage, at least temporarily, before the dragon charged forward for another attack, letting out another roar.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

As Ruby and the others tried to right themselves, they stared up as the dragon came at them, teeth and claws outstretched.

Ruby clenched her fists. They must have sustained enough damage by now.

"Yang!" she blared. "Do it!"

"Hahhhhhh!" Yang hollered in aggression.

She slammed her fists together, engulfing the entire summon in a golden flame. The knight lifted a single arm, planting its gauntleted fist right into the Grimm's maw, stopping the dragon dead in its tracks.

BAM!

The entire summon began to radiate power as Yang's aura flowed through it, transforming all of the damage they had absorbed until that point, and turning it into raw energy as the dragon smashed into them like a wave upon the shore. With its fist between the Grimm's teeth, the knight clenched its fingers around the creature's maw, seizing the dragon by the face! The great beast tried to recoil, struggling to overcome their grip as the knight slowly rose back to its feet, the Huntsmen staring down their foe defiantly.

On the creature's back, they could see the real enemy, as Cinder Fall glared back at them, readying another elemental attack, her eyes glowing bright with the power of the four Maidens.

"Velvet!" Ruby called out.

"On it!" Velvet cried.

The Faunus girl channeled her aura into the summon as well, and upon the knight's arms, twin bangles appeared, perfect replicas of Ember Celica as they expanded into a pair of gigantic shotgun gauntlets.

"Weiss!" Ruby prodded.

"Right!" she replied.

Weiss commanded the summon to open fire, as the massive gauntlets let loose a hailstorm of fury directly into the creature's mouth, sending it flying backwards, .

BOOM!

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

The creature recoiled, completely stunned, as Cinder's elemental barrage fired off wildly into the air. The knight pressed its attack, throwing punch after punch, each one landing a concussive blast of pure energy into the dragon's face and chest, its aura fueled by Yang's semblance as she drove the dragon backward with a flurry of blows.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The dragon toppled onto its back, giving the knight more than enough time to grab its sword from the ground below, scraping the tip of the blade along the street, opening an angry gash across the asphalt as the summoned creature reclaimed its weapon.

"Jaune!" Ruby hollered. " _Finish it!_ "

"Yahhhh!" Jaune bellowed, activating his semblance.

The knight stood above the fallen dragon, Weiss directing her creation to raise its sword point downward. With a flick of her wrist, the blade came down, and as the colossal weapon descended, it began to glow brightly with Jaune's indomitable power.

SHHHNNNK!

As the blade sank unimpeded into the dragon's flesh, Ruby's eyes flared brightly as the Maiden's gift of silver flowed through her veins. She channeled every last ounce of her power into the strike along with Jaune, Weiss, Yang and Velvet. As the sword penetrated, the dragon let out one last howl of anguish as Ruby and her team hit the beast with everything they had.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

The dragon finally collapsed to the street below in a colossal heap, its body smashing against buildings and vehicles, its head hitting the ground limply with a final, climactic crash.

Where the knight's blade met scaly flesh, the Grimm's body begun to lose all color. From the gaping wound, petrification began to spread outward across its flank as the Maiden's gift of silver slowly sapped the Grimm of its essence. As the monster's flesh turned to pale, empty gray, it slowly began to crumble away into ash.

An eerie silence fell over the city as the knight rose to its feet. Ruby and her teammates stood, panting for breath, poised on the summon's crown, staring down at the Grimm dragon as it began to melt away. It's body was crumbling like burnt wood, until before long, the creature had been reduced to a fine powder that scattered away in the wind.

"Did we do it?" Jaune asked warily.

The team each exchanged looks of hesitant excitement. Adrenaline was still coursing through everyone's veins, and none of them were keen on being caught off guard. But as the dragon turned to dust on the air, Yang caught sight of a familiar glowing speck that hurriedly lifted away from where the dragon had been moments earlier. The speck flitted away into the air, flying off towards the horizon.

"Look!" she said, pointing off into the air. "She's running away!"

The team watched in amazement as Cinder Fall abandoned the remains of her army and fled. Overhead, the swarm of Grimm surrounding the Atlesian fleet began to disperse as well. Like a storm cloud, or a plague of locusts, the darkness abruptly withdrew. the airborne Grimm moving away from the fleet and then from Atlesian airspace entirely. Like a passing storm cloud, the hordes of griffons and nervermores went into a full retreat as they flew across the sky towards the horizon, following the sight of Cinder's fading form.

They were all flying in the direction of Vale.

"I think we did it, guys," Ruby breathed, looking up at the remains of the Atlesian fleet as she took stock of the situation.

The number of airships had been reduced by half, and many of the ships that remained were battered and trailing smoke and were not pursuing the fleeing Grimm. But for all that, the fleet was still intact. The citizens and the refugees had all been evacuated with minimal casualties. There was still be the matter of all the Grimm left on the ground, but Atlas was not without its Huntsmen. The streets would be cleared soon enough. The fleet would need to undergo repairs, but most of the airships still looked sky worthy. The Titan was also in bad shape, but if it too could be repaired, the city's defenses would hold for now.

The kingdom of Atlas had been saved.

"We did it!" Jaune exclaimed, clenching his fists excitedly.

"And that's how it's done!" Weiss proclaimed, patting the knight's helm appreciatively.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Velvet sighed, nearly collapsing to her knees.

"Hahah!" Yang grinned, punching her fist into the air, glowering at the fleeing Grimm. "Yeah, that's right! You _better_ run!"

Ruby smiled as her teammates began to laugh and cheer, clapping each other on the back and embracing one another.

"Well done everyone," she smiled.

"That was incredible, you guys!" Jaune exclaimed.

"Weiss, this summon is _amazing!_ " Velvet gushed, whipping out her camera. "I simply _must_ take a photo!"

"Go right ahead," Weiss beamed at the praise. "As long as we're all still linked like this, it's actually not that hard to maintain."

"We couldn't have done this without you, Weiss," Ruby smiled fondly.

"Yeah Weiss," Yang said, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Your back must be sore from having to _carry_ this whole team on your shoulders like this!"

"Oh, stop," Weiss shook her head, gesturing for their team leader to join them for the photo. "It was all possible thanks to Ruby's daring plan and her unique talent."

Ruby nodded meekly as she stood beside Weiss as Velvet lined them up for the photo.

"A talent that _you_ helped me develop, Weiss," she reminded her partner fondly.

"Well, yes," Weiss said, straightening her posture. "I suppose I _am_ something of a genius after all."

Yang grinned, grabbing Jaune by the shoulders with her mechanical arm, dragging him in close.

"Come on, Jaune," she laughed. "Get in here too."

Jaune blushed under the treatment as Yang practically held him hostage as Velvet pointed her camera at the four of them.

"Aww, come on, you guys," he withered. "You know how camera shy I am..."

Ruby just smiled as Velvet took the photo. It felt good to win something this big. They had slayed dragon, and driven away a horde of Grimm. Atlas would not be falling today, and Team RSJC had proven just how powerful they could be when pushed. Together, they had almost single-handedly repelled a foe that Atlas and her entire fleet could not. With the power of aura linking and her silver eyes, the possibilities for Ruby and her team were practically limitless.

But they had suffered such heavy losses. They had lost Dora and her powers to the enemy, and now it was clear that Cinder had managed to steal Crystal's power as well.

And they had lost Sun. They had lost one of their own. Team SSSN, not to mention Blake, would need time to heal. Team RSJC would never be the same ever again after this. And now it seemed the Adam was back, which meant that the White Fang was still out there as well.

Ruby had no illusions. They had their work cut out for them. Cinder had only fled because her dragon had been defeated. She was still in possession of all four Maidens' powers, and still held the advantage. Both she and the remaining Grimm had fled in the direction of Vale, no doubt to consolidate their power. There was no telling what nefarious scheme she had in mind for the Maiden powers. They just didn't have enough intel to call this a victory just yet.

They may have won the battle. But they still may very well lose the war.

More airships became visible off in the distance as. Dozens, large and small, flying Atlesian and Vacuan colors across their hulls. The first of Professor Jasmine's support ships, including the contingent left by General Ironwood, coming to their aid from Vacuo.

"About time," Weiss said indignantly, crossing her arms up at the approaching ships.

"Better late than never," Jaune shrugged sheepishly.

The summoned knight still towered over the city, the team of Huntsmen and Huntress atop its crest. Even as the Titan, the kingdom's greatest creation lay crumpled at its feet, the knight still stood tall and proud in victory for all to see. All around them, Atlesian soldiers and Special Forces raised their arms to sky, and the dim but constant sound of cheering began to reach their ears, echoing on forever.

And overhead, the _Aeneid_ soared majestically, slowly approaching the towering figure that stood at the center of the kingdom like a beacon of hope.

"That was one heck of a job down there, team," Winter's voice sounded over Ruby's scroll. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before."

As the team waved up at the airship, Ruby brought her scroll to eye level.

"Winter," she nodded to her commanding officer. "Glad to see you're still flying."

Cast her eyes at the rest of her team, Ruby fixed them all with a serious look.

"Come and pick us up," she said with a smile. "We've still got work to do."


	119. Chapter 119

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 119

* * *

Ciel opened her eyes. The last thing she remembered was firing every last gun in the Titan's arsenal at the oncoming Grimm dragon, before the giant creature suddenly stormed her, knocking the massive mech to the ground. She had attempted to regain her footing, but the Titan's manual controls were ill-suited to fine motor control, and being set upon by a raging dragon had not been conducive to delicate detail work. The dragon had pinned the Titan to the ground as the mech had flailed helplessly while whatever it was that was riding on its back had pelted Ciel with fire, ice, and most alarmingly, lightning.

The Titan had built in electrical dampeners, but only to an extent. The mech's armor plating was weakening against the constant shifting of hot and cold from the fire and ice. And the enemy was throwing electricity in amperage equivalent to a full blown lightning storm. The Titan simply wasn't able to compensate. Systems had started to short-out as the dragon's claws tore through the Titan's armor, severing vital connections and shutting down primary power. The lights and the main feed had powered down, leaving the pilot trapped in a metal tomb.

Ciel lay on her back in the Titan's useless cockpit, struggling to engage the Titan's backup systems, the dim red emergency lightning gently flickering off and on. Ticking through the mental checklist in her head, Ciel suddenly found herself out of options. The lightning had shorted out everything, even the emergency power. No backup systems, no life support, not even the ejector seat. The Titan had foundered, and she had no way out except straight into the jaws of death.

A cold sweat broke out across Ciel's brow. She was completely outmatched. There was no recourse for where she currently found herself. She had no other tool at her disposal. She had exhausted every alternative she had. Every system and backup system had been used to no success. Every backup plan and fallback strategy had been attempted and met with failure.

Protocol had failed her. For Ciel, this meant disaster. For Ciel, life was a chaotic mess that could only be rationalized by implementing a rigorous procedure that calculated every possible outcome at every possible second. Every action must to be thoroughly plotted, its repercussions understood and calculated to the Nth degree. And everything she did had to fit to a tight, rigorous schedule. To do otherwise was to invite chaos.

For Ciel, undertaking the task of piloting the Atlesian Titan had been feasible specifically because it was an operation that could be broken down into a flow-chart of possibilities and what-ifs. Every action had a suitable and definite recourse, all of it beautifully and elegantly mapped out in her head. Every emergency situation could be met with a designated contingency. And so long as one could memorize each and every recourse and contingency, then there would be no problem. Whether that undertaking was lacing up one's boots or undergoing an all-out campaign, Ciel's strategy was the same. Map out a plan, come up with a suitable response for every conceivable outcome, and execute. The operation of the Titan was no greater a task than any other in this regard.

For those contingencies not to function at all, however, was the ultimate indication that the procedure itself was a failure. If her rigorous system of action and recourse was so fallible, then that meant that she herself and her entire defining principle was also a failure. Without this guiding principle, then she was doomed to the chaos of an unchecked and unbalanced world. If actions and reactions could occur at random with no defining reason or outcome, then her raison d'etre, her entire modus operandi, was completely moot.

And so, Ciel sat in isolation, near total darkness obscuring her from the world, as she patiently waited for it all to come to an end.

There came a rumbling noise audible from outside, and the hatch before her suddenly opened. Ciel's weapon lay holstered at her side, undrawn. Whatever monster had come to finish her off would not be met with any resistance. The Titan had been her kingdom's last resort. For it to have failed meant that her kingdom was doomed. There was simply no point in fighting back now.

However, after the sudden burst of light from the sky flooded the cockpit, the first thing that her eyes fell upon was not the horrific visage of a creature of Grimm, but rather the familiar face an old teammate from long ago.

"Ciel!" a worried voice cried out.

The Operative blinked and blinked again, not understanding what she was seeing. She should be facing her inevitable demise, not staring down the face of a ghost from the past.

When the truth about Penny Polendina's true nature had been revealed to the world, Ciel had taken the news in stride. If one assumed that the technology available to Atlas could create such a thing as an artificial construct with the ability to produce aura, then it stood to reason that the existence of someone like Penny was not only possible but inevitable. That someone like Ciel would be assigned as her babysitter only followed, and given the sensitive nature of the subject, it made sense that she not be privy to the full truth of the matter.

The puzzler for Ciel was what the simulacrum of a girl was doing in the middle of this war zone, prying Ciel out of her broken mech. Being an artificial creation, it was not beyond the scope of reason for this creation to be rebuilt with a new body. That mystery could be explained away. However, that did not explain Penny's current presence, nor did it explain why the machine girl was removing Ciel from her safety harness and hoisting her out of the pilot's chair of the Atlesian Titan.

"Penny…" Ciel rasped, her breathing strained. The impact from the Titan crashing into the street seemed to have cracked a rib or two. "What…what are you doing here?"

"Don't worry!" the artificial girl said bravely as she lifted Ciel from the pilot's chair of the Titan. "I'm getting you out of here!"

Ciel watched in fascination as the construct lifted her into her arms with ease, before leaping up and away from the fallen mech. As the two of them sailed over the city streets, she could see the creatures of Grimm crawling over her Titan, and the massive form of the Grimm dragon looming off in the distance, though Ciel could not see what it was doing. Her attention was suddenly muddled as Penny landed feet first on the side of a nearby building, Ciel still in her arms, before bounding up the length of the wall as though she were doing little more than running uphill.

She reached the top of the wall, before leaping over top of it, landing upon the roof overlooking the city and the wreckage of the great mech below. The robot set the other girl down on top of the roof, leaning her back against the lip spanning the edge of the precipice, and knelt down beside her.

Ciel couldn't help but notice the odd flicker of blue in the construct's eyes.

 **"** **I'm detecting multiple contusions and two partially fractured ribs, but nothing life threatening,"** came an odd robotic sounding voice from seemingly nowhere. **"I recommend evacuating to a safe distance."**

Penny's lips had not moved, and she continued to say nothing as she continued to stare down at Ciel with concern. There was no indication of where the other voice had come from, or who it belonged to. Perhaps the construct possessed a communication device through she was in contact with another? Either way, now that Ciel had a chance to study the construct's features more closely, she could see that she in fact did not entirely resemble the girl Ciel thought she had been. Her features were older, more developed. And her abilities far exceeded those Penny had exhibited before.

And yet, for all that, the more Ciel observed, the more obvious it was that the creature before her was an artificial construct. Her face, while stretched into a simulation of worry, was still flat and featureless in a number of areas, giving Penny a distant look in her eyes wherever she turned her gaze. Had Ciel been of a lesser temperament, she might have found the attention she was receiving from the construct disquieting. Instead, she only felt the same confusion she had felt before.

"Penny…" she observed, as if she were appraising a vehicle. "You're back."

The construct nodded, a happy expression on her face.

"Indeed I am, Ciel," she beamed, seemingly proud of having intervened in time to get the Operative out of harm's way. "Not to worry! I'll have you out of here in a jiffy!"

Ciel remained nonplussed at the cavalier attitude in which the artificial girl spoke.

"How?" she stammered, still shaken. "You were destroyed. I saw it happen."

"Well," Penny said shyly. "My father fixed me."

Ciel was still shaking her head.

"But…why are you here?" she asked again, gritting her teeth through the pain in her ribcage. "Why are you saving me?"

The thing called Penny shook her head, looking absolutely baffled.

"What are you talking about?" she asked incredulously. "Why wouldn't I? You're my teammate and friend. We're supposed to help each other, Ciel."

Ciel shook her head, equally baffled.

"None of this makes any sense," Ciel said stiffly, eyes narrowed as she pressed a hand to her side where her ribs ached in pain. "Why would you come back for _me_ , of all people? I've done nothing but treat you like a burden. You don't owe me anything."

The creature called Penny blinked in confusion.

"I don't understand, Ciel," she tilted her head. "I thought you would be happy to see me again."

Before Ciel could respond, the robotic voice broke in once again.

 **"** **Based on what I've learned of the subtleties in human behavior, Operative Soleil appears to be wrestling with the notion of feeling gratitude towards a non-living thing."**

Ciel blinked in surprise at the second voice.

"And who else am I speaking to, exactly?" she asked, glancing around, positive that there was some type of communication device somewhere.

 **"** **I am Persephone,"** the voice said. **"Penny's sister and guardian."**

Ciel blinked, before slowly shaking her head.

"Well, I'm afraid you've got it all wrong, Persephone," she said, opting to deal with the mental hurdle of who Penny's counterpart was at a later time. "I have no issue with Penny's lack of humanity."

Penny tilted her head to the side.

"Then what is wrong, Ciel?" she asked sweetly.

Ciel tightened her lips.

"I should have died back there," she said, as if doing little more than commenting on her exam scores. "I knew the Titan was inadequately suited for the task it was given, but I accepted the task willingly."

Penny's face grew more and more concerned as she listened.

"I trained for days upon end," Ciel explained. "I followed procedure to the letter. But when it came down to it, what I had to offer simply was not good enough."

Ciel attempted to sit up from where she lay atop the roof, but was unable to muster the strength, before collapsing with a sigh. She reached up to straighten her hat, only to find it missing from her head, and her brow furrowed in dismay.

"There were no mistakes made, nor was it human error," she said, her voice lowering. "It was a failure of the system itself. All the variables simply pointed to my inevitable defeat. I should be dead right now. And yet here I am."

The construct's face became a mask of sorrow as tears began to stream down the artificial girl's cheeks. Why her creator had seen it necessary to artificially simulate sadness to such an extent was yet another mystery to Ciel.

"Oh, Ciel!" she cried out, throwing her arms around the girl. "You shouldn't say things like that! You mustn't give up hope just because the situation looks bleak! No matter how bad things look, there's always a chance to find a way out! My friend Ruby taught me that!"

Ciel gave the strange robot girl a quizzical look, trying to ignore the pain in her ribs and not to let her discomfort at being hugged show.

"Such an illogical way of thinking…" she commented soberly, voice strained. "You would deny what the facts tell you plainly, and offer aid when none is required of you. Neither of these variables ever even entered the equation for me. None of my scenarios would ever account for such a haphazard philosophy. Yet it is due to both of these things that I am alive."

Penny nodded, her iron grip still locked around Ciel's shoulders.

"I don't know anything about variables or philosophy, Ciel," she said plainly. "All I know is that you're my friend, and friends are supposed to help each other. No matter what."

Ciel found herself smiling as she pried the girl off of her, holding her by the shoulders.

"You are an anomaly, Penny Polendina," she said wistfully. "You are an artificial construct, yet despite this, you embrace chaos, whimsy, and all the fundamental flaws of humanity. A machine that wishes to be more human."

Persephone took the opportunity to chime in.

 **"** **And you,"** she pointed. **"You are flesh and bone, and yet you are bound by rigid, logical procedure. A human that wishes to be more of a machine."**

Ciel let out a breath. She had never thought of it that way before. She supposed there had been more than one reason she and Penny had been paired together.

"I suppose I owe you my gratitude then," Ciel nodded by way of concession. "Thank you, Penny."

Penny wiped the tears from her eyes and her smile was back.

"Oh, you are most welcome, Ciel!" she beamed. "Anything for a friend."

Wincing once again in pain, the Atlesian Special Operative gave the other girl a helpless look.

"I…don't suppose you could help me to my feet, could you?" she asked feebly, reaching out with her arm.

"Of course!" Penny said exuberantly.

Still beaming, Penny reached down and took hold of Ciel's hand, and abruptly lifted her off her off the roof, her feet dangling precarious as she held her in the air. Ciel saw stars as her blood suddenly rushed to her extremities, and she gasped for breath as Penny deposited her onto her feet, the Operative hunching over with her hands on her knees.

"Thank you…" she said again, out of breath. "On a related note, we may have to work on your delicate touch."

Penny blushed childishly.

"Uh…heheh…" she fidgeted. "Sorry."

Ciel took a steadying breath, slowly standing up straight as her body strained in protest. When she finally did, however, an unbelievable sight greeted her eyes.

"Uh…Penny…?" she stammered, her eyes widening in disbelief. "What…is that?"

Penny turned her eyes to where Ciel was staring, and saw the gigantic form of a massive suit of armor standing in the street. It was easily as tall as the Titan, and stood tall and proud over the quickly disintegrating form of the Grimm dragon.

And standing atop the knight's crown, visible to Penny's binocular vision, was a familiar group of Huntsmen.

"Oh," she grinned widely. "That's Ruby and her team. It appears that they've saved us after all."

Ciel looked around at the retreating forms of the Grimm all around them. In the skies overhead, the swarms of griffons and nevermores fled the vicinity. And scurrying through the streets in a disorganized flurry, were beowolves, ursi, creeps and all manner of land-locked Grimm, now panicking as their leadership fled.

The Grimm were pulling back.

"Unbelievable…" Ciel breathed.

"Nope…" Penny smiled, before producing a familiar, if slightly scuffed blue beret and offering it to Ciel. "Just improbable."

Ciel Soleil took the lost hat, staring fondly at it as she shook her head. Nothing about this made any sense. Without warning or explanation, the entire kingdom of Atlas had gone from a state of imminent defeat to certain victory. And all with the single stroke of a small group of Huntsmen.

Utter chaos. No rhyme or reason. Completely unpredictable. No way to plan, calculate or logically predict any of it.

Perhaps she could learn a thing or two from Penny and her friends.


	120. Chapter 120

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 120

* * *

Ironwood honestly wasn't sure how he and his kingdom were still standing. The aerial battle had been nigh unwinnable. His fleet had been out-numbered from the outset, with reinforcements hours away. And with that dragon dominating the skies, it seemed that their chances of victory had slipped into the negatives. Launching the Titan before it was ready had been a Hail Mary that had proved to be little more than a fool's errand, but it had at least served the task of keeping the dragon occupied for a time. For this reason alone, he felt, the Atlesian fleet had not been _completely_ decimated. Still, their losses had been steep. Little more than half of the Atlesian fleet remained, and while that number was slowly being bolstered by the contingent left behind to guard their neighbors in Vacuo, bringing their fleet strength to about seventy percent, the loss of life and the terror inflicted on the city had been disastrous. As low as morale had become with the arrival of the dragon, however, their victory had brought with it a much needed boost to morale, in no small part due to the nature of their victory this day.

It had been the arrival of another titanic creation that had won the day, it seemed. A glyph-summon of a possession-type Grimm, inhabiting a suit of armor, and boosted through aura linking to the size of a skyscraper. The Schnees were once again proving to be invaluable assets to the foundation of Atlas, though of course Weiss' leader could not be discounted as well. Ruby's plan had been audacious and daring, and Ironwood wished he had a thousand more commanders in his legion just like her. It had been Weiss' summon, however, that had drawn everyone's eye. It was Schnee glyphs that had summoned the giant monster, and so it was the Schnee name that passed on between the soldiers' mouths. Throughout the ranks, there was talk about the glory of the Schnee name, which was doing much in the way of allaying the Schnee Dust Company's reservations in continuing its support for the war, allowing Weiss and Winter to continue to serve their duties at peak performance levels, which suited Ironwood just fine.

For all that, the general knew what the real game changer was in this battle. If five Huntsmen could generate enough aura to create something like that through aura linking, he shuddered to imagine what a hundred could do. And now that the power of aura linking had been witnessed on such a wide scale, every division of the military and combat-oriented department in Atlas wanted to know about it. Plans were already being drafted for introducing the technique to the academy's core curriculum. Had they mind for it, the members of Team RSJC would have a life-long position open for each of them within the ranks of Atlas as teachers to train its Huntsmen and Operatives in the uses of aura linking, assuming the world of Remnant survived that long.

Although, it seemed his hopes for an aura linked army were still something of a pipe dream.

"Would you care to run that by me again, Operative Rose?" Ironwood asked, arms crossed.

Ruby was standing before the General of Atlas command, with Yang Xiao Long and Weiss Schnee in attendance. Operative Belladonna had been confined to a hospital bed since the attack had subsided, although the physicians indicated that she'd make a full recovery. The three remaining members of Team JNPR were also present, however a number of members from Team RSJC were not. Some were missing in action, most notably the Nikos girl, as well as the leader of Team SSSN, both of whom had been promising individuals in Ironwood's eyes. Those that remained of Team SSSN were on the ground, assisting with the clearing out the remaining Grimm on the streets. The _Aeneid_ was also in need of repairs after the battle, and Winter had asked Team CFVY to assist her in this task. The green haired ruffian who had accompanied the Summer Maiden was also absent.

And most seriously, the Summer Maiden herself was missing as well.

The group was meeting in Ironwood's office on the top floor of the Citadel. The windows cast a long pale glow across the room as the setting sun trickled in through the waning smoke from the day's battle. Across the general's desk, a communication's array lay open, and the face of Professor Jasmine was present on the holographic view screen, connected through the comm buoy system all the way to the kingdom of Vacuo. The headmistress sat with her hands steepled, having been silent ever since hearing the news of the Summer Maiden. The report from Team RSJC had shaken both leaders to their core. But one part of Ruby's report seemed to affect Jasmine more than anything.

"I was born with silver eyes," the young Huntress said in a low tone of voice, reciting the words as Weiss had summarized for her to best present her situation to the two leaders. "Based on what my uncle Qrow told me, and what Dora learned from Crystal Schnee, I'm a descendant of some sort of…ancient race of warriors that were given extraordinary powers by the first Guardian Maidens. These powers include an innate gift for aura linking, as well as the ability to neutralize the creatures of Grimm upon contact. With the help of Dora, my uncle and my teammates, I've finally learned how to tap into this power."

Jasmine's eyes narrowed as Ruby elaborated on her situation.

"You refer to the legend of the Argentine Warriors?" she asked skeptically. "You expect us to believe that such tales were true?"

Ruby threw Weiss a helpless look, before the Schnee heir apparent shook her head and took a step forward.

"In Vacuan mythology, they were called Argentine Warriors," she said. "In Mistralian folklore, they were called Gintama. In Vale, they were known simply as Grimmslayers. Every culture in Remnant has a story surrounding these Silver Eyed warriors, and every culture agreed that they not only existed, but exceeded in suppressing the creatures of Grimm long before the first reported Huntsmen came about."

Ruby's eyes flashed in recognition at one of the words Weiss used. Jasmine remained silent as she contemplated what Weiss said. Ironwood, for his part, seemed bored with the history lesson.

"I just want some clarification on one specific detail," he said pointedly. "You're telling me that only someone with the capabilities of a Silver Eyed Warrior such as yourself is able to recreate that feat with the summoning that the entire kingdom of Atlas bore witness to this morning?"

Ruby nodded slowly.

"So far as I know," she said simply. "It may still be possible for someone without silver eyes, but I have to imagine it would be way more difficult. And even then, it wasn't without help. By myself, I couldn't manage a fraction of the power needed to repel a creature of Grimm that big. It was only through the power of aura linking that it was even possible."

Ironwood nodded, massaging the bridge of his nose.

"Well then congratulations Ruby Rose," he said nonchalantly. "You've just become the single most powerful asset the kingdom of Atlas has in this war."

Ruby and her teammates exchanged worrisome glances, but said nothing as Ironwood turned to Professor Jasmine.

"Professor," he said brusquely. "How soon can your Huntsmen be ready to move?"

She glanced at him in incredulity. "James?"

He clenched his fist tightly.

"The enemy is in possession of all four Guardian Maiden powers, and will only consolidate their power from here on out," he declared. "We've managed to push them back, and even defeat their dragon, but it's only a matter of time before they strike again. Our best option is to strike first. We know that they've made their stronghold in Vale, so that's where we'll hit them."

Jasmine crossed her arms skeptically.

"With what, James?" she demanded. "A suicide attack? Your fleet will take time to rebuild, and should you devote the remainder of your fleet to such a foolhardy strike, you would leave your entire kingdom vulnerable!"

The general smiled.

"Not necessarily," he said, thumbing a button on his scroll. "Operative Ciel, would you bring in our newest recruit please?"

A familiar voice sounded through his scroll.

"Yes sir."

Moments later, the doors to Ironwood's office whooshed open, and Ruby and her teammates turned to see who entered. In stepped two operatives, one in cerulean blue, the other in pale green.

Ruby's eyes lit up as she recognized her friend.

"Penny…" she whispered.

Penny waved joyfully at Ruby, before Ciel surreptitiously elbowed her and she immediately stood at attention, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Operative Polendina," Ironwood said, gravity in his voice. "I truly appreciate your decision to re-enlist with the kingdom of Atlas."

Penny inclined her head.

"It was the least I could do in light of our history, General," she said, clasping her hands together before her hips. "My father and I both understood that he parted with Atlas due to political pressure. But given the circumstances, it seems only prudent to put such differences behind us."

"Pardon me for interrupting, James," Jasmine broke in. "But how are these two Operatives supposed to make a difference to our future battle strategy?"

James nodded and gestured to Ciel.

"Operative Soleil, if you would please," he said.

Ciel nodded curtly.

"Within Penny's databanks lies the complete archives of one Director Giuseppe Polendina," she said to the group. "These records include detailed schematics for our mechanized forces, upgrades to our existing airship designs, an adaptive anti-viral suite that should enable us to safely reintroduce our mechanized troops into production, and even a theoretical upgrade to the Titan Project."

Ruby fixed Penny with an odd look. The other girl had the strangest and most conflicted expression on her face, although Ruby might have been imagining things.

"This upgrade would be easy to implement, and would drastically increase its functionality as a strategic weapon," Ciel elaborated. "It would involve the integration of a second pilot, one that could work in tandem with the primary operator to support them. This second operator would be tasked with much of the fine motor control, and must be able to complement the primary operator in almost every way. The two pilots must work in perfection synchronization in order to successfully operate the Titan."

Ironwood nodded.

"So all we need to do is find Ciel a suitable co-pilot," he summarized, "and the effective output of the Atlesian Titan will increase tenfold."

"If not more," Ciel commented. "And actually, sir…with your permission, I've already chosen a candidate."

The general raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Ciel turned her head towards Penny. The girl stepped up and saluted.

"I will act as Ciel's co-pilot sir," she said. "As her former partner, and with my unique abilities, I would have the greatest potential to support her operation of the Titan out in the field."

Then the robotic voice of Persephone chimed in from within Penny's throat.

 **"** **Penny, getting involved with the Titan Project goes directly against father's wishes,"** the voice said. **"As does sharing his most dangerous works with Atlas. Father would never approve."**

The rest of the group stared at Penny strangely. Penny herself just shook her head calmly.

"Yes," she said sadly. "But as you so eloquently put it, Persephone…Father is gone. We must act according to our own ideals now."

 **"** **As you wish,"** the voice replied.

Penny turned her attention to the general.

"My sister Persephone," she explained. "She and I share this body, and she assists me in combat to assure that I don't come to harm."

"Given the events of the Vytal tournament," Ciel added. "I feel that allowing this arrangement to remain be most prudent."

Ironwood crossed his arms.

"An interesting development," he said. "Penny, Given your physical capabilities, I had hoped to make use of your combat skills on the ground. Are you sure this is the best place for you? Being Ciel's co-pilot?"

"That is my only condition, sir," Penny said flatly. "I will disclose everything I know of my father's work. In exchange, you will permit Ciel and I to work together from now on."

Ciel nodded, fixing her general with a stare. "Is that acceptable, sir?"

Ironwood threw his arms up. "It seems I have no choice in the matter. Very well, if that is your wish."

Ciel and Penny exchanged a smile as Ruby clasped her hands in excitement.

"You mentioned that the two of you need to work in perfect synchronization," she commented. "That sounds an awful lot like aura linking to me. Maybe I could teach you both how to aura link to help you become even stronger together!"

Penny and Ciel both gave Ruby an approving look.

"This aura linking seems a fascinating practice," she nodded. "And Penny _does_ generate an aura, just as we do. I would be keenly interested in assessing its strengths."

"It's worth a try!" Penny added.

"Let's arrange for a training session before we head out to Vale then," Ironwood said. "For now, you two should report to engineering to check on the status of the Titan."

The two girls saluted and marched out of Ironwood's office, with Penny waving cheerfully at Ruby as she left.

Ruby waved back, and Jasmine looked unimpressed by Ironwood's little demonstration.

"Pardon my skepticism," she pointed out. "But what good is an upgrade to the Titan project if the mech itself lies in ruins on your city streets?"

"Do not underestimate Atlas' military engineers," Ironwood said with a smile. "Repairs are already underway to the Titan, as well as the Atlesian fleet. And with the information Penny has given us, we'll have the Titan up and running again before long."

Jasmine pursed her lips.

"So your plan is to have these two pilot your newly improve Titan mech so that it might offer support to the main fleet?"

"No actually," the general shook his head. "I plan to keep the Titan here in Atlas, so that it can defend the kingdom while the fleet goes on the offensive. With the Titan guarding the city, the fleet may go on an extended excursion without fear of leaving the city undefended."

Jasmine's eyes seemed to light up at that.

"Ah, I believe I'm starting to make sense of this plan of yours," she said with a half-smile. "Very well. If the Atlesian Fleet can fly unencumbered, then Vacuan boots will rain down from their holds. I will be in touch when my Huntsmen are ready to mobilize."

The general nodded. "Thank you, Professor."

Jasmine closed the connection, and Ironwood turned to Ruby and her team.

"That's where Team RSJC comes in, Operative Rose," he said. "I want the _Aeneid_ right at the head of that fleet."

"Yes sir!" Ruby nodded, saluting. "You can count on-"

The doors suddenly whooshed open as Blake Belladonna almost casually strolled into the office, looking completely recovered.

"Blake!" Yang blurted, turning to rush over to her. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be up right now!"

Ironwood frowned at the Faunus girl. Her hairbow had been discarded, revealing her true nature for all to see. That was not what gave him pause, however. When he had last seen her, she had been barely conscious, battered and bruised. Even with the best aura booster shots that Kingdom of Atlas had to offer, recovery of that nature still took time.

"Don't worry, Yang," Blake said. "I'm fine."

"What's going on here exactly?" Ironwood asked pointedly. "How can you be in such good health, Operative Belladona?"

Blake looked down at her hands, shaking her head. "I…I don't know."

Ruby glanced between Blake and Yang, before her eyes widened.

"Yang," she asked. "Did you and Blake ever link auras since the attack?"

Yang glanced at Blake and then back to Ruby.

"I don't know, maybe," she said. "We've been doing it so much these days, it's almost become second nature."

Ruby nodded. "When we all linked auras during the summon, Yang's bruises were healed. Do you think something similar could have happened to Blake?"

Ironwood drew in a breath.

"Incredible," he said. "Using aura linking as a form of medical rehabilitation therapy."

This was an area he hadn't even considered. He would need to alert his engineers to the possibilities. This had more theoretical applications than he could even ponder at this point.

"General, this isn't why I'm here," Blake spoke up, shrugging off Yang and addressing the commander directly. "I've come to tell you that we have to go to Menagerie."

Ironwood's eyes narrowed.

"Oh?" he asked. "And why is that?"

The young Faunus shook her head.

"The White Fang is back, sir," she said soberly. "Their leader is still alive, and he will not rest until both the kingdom of Atlas and the entire human race is defeated."

The general clasped his hands behind his back.

"While I don't doubt your intel, Operative Belladonna," he said, "I can assure you, once the Titan is up and running, the White Fang will not pose a significant threat to Atlas. Certainly not enough to spur a pre-emptive strike on the White Fang's home soil."

Blake looked fearful.

"You mustn't underestimate Adam, sir," she said. "He's acquired some type of…cybernetic enhancement. He's completely lost his mind. He'll stop at nothing!"

Yang put a hand on her partner's shoulder.

"Blake…" she said. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Blake threw Yang an injured look, a deadly look in her eyes.

"You _know_ I'm not," she accused.

Yang narrowed her brow. "Blake…"

Ruby cleared her throat.

"My team and I _were_ planning to follow up on a lead we discovered in Menagerie," she suggested. "Maybe Team RSJC could make a reconnaissance run. We could assess the White Fang's presence there, find out how strong they are, and be back before the fleet is ready to make a push for Vale?"

Ironwood shook his head.

"Absolutely not," he said firmly. "I _need_ you and your team here with the fleet! If the enemy should strike before we are ready, you're the only thing standing between Atlas and total destruction."

Ruby pursed her lips, wondering whether that stunt with the massive summoning hadn't over-emphasized her own team's importance in this war. She and her team couldn't be everywhere at once, and there were things that they needed to do before they took the fight to Cinder.

"Now listen," the general continued, looking at Blake. "I understand you just lost a friend. That's never easy. But I cannot help but wonder if your interest in pursuing the White Fang might not be motivated by revenge."

Blake furrowed her brow.

"What does it _matter_ what my personal stake is?" she demanded. "That doesn't make Adam any less of a threat!"

"Enough," Ironwood said harshly. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that we have larger concerns to-"

CRASH!

A window shattered. Everyone craned their heads up to see the black bird that burst through the window, fluttering haphazardly, before crumpling to the ground.

"What in the…?" Ironwood gasped.

Ruby and Yang rushed to the small creature's side as it slowly began to transform back into the beaten and battered form of the Wizard.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted in alarm, kneeling down next to him where he lay on the floor of the general's office. " _Uncle Qrow!_ "

Ironwood's eyes widened as he approached the man, seeing blood from several open wounds. Wasting no time, he thumbed a switch on his scroll, opening up a comm channel.

"I need a medical team in here right now!"

Ruby and Yang hoisted their uncle up. He looked exhausted, his cape torn, blood trailing down the side of his face and staining his clothes.

But he was alive. And at least appeared somewhat lucid.

"Oh good…" he smiled somberly, looking up at the Huntsmen crowding around him. "You're all not dead…"

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby called out again. "Are you alright!?"

"What happened to you?" Yang pressed, taking her attention away from Blake for the moment. "Winter said you flew off to Menagerie! Who did this to you?"

"Heh," he muttered in good humor, gritting his teeth through his pain. "You should see the other guy…"

Blake's eyes lit up when she heard the name of the Faunus homeland. Ironwood's narrowed, however.

"Qrow," Ironwood said, more forcefully as he approached. "What happened?"

Qrow smiled weakly up at the general, before sitting up with an effort.

"It's a long story, Jimmy," he said with a smirk. "And I've flown a long way. Don't suppose you'd let me wet my whistle first, do you?"

Ironwood grunted in annoyance as he reached into his jacket pocket, producing a flask.

"Here," he huffed, offering him the bottle.

Qrow smiled and reached up to accept the flask, twisting the cap off, before guzzling down its contents.

"Ahh…" he sighed, sounding a lot livelier. "That's better…"

"Uncle Qrow…" Ruby said, her voice cracking faintly. "Where _were_ you?"

"Yeah!" Yang added angrily. "We _needed_ you here!"

"Dora…" Ruby whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes. "The Summer Maiden…she's _gone!_ Cinder _killed_ her, uncle Qrow! And I couldn't do anything!"

Qrow lowered his eyes.

"Yeah," he said. "I know, kid. I'm sorry."

Angered flared up in Yang's eyes.

"You're _sorry!?_ " she demanded. "You're the _Wizard_ , aren't you!? Isn't it your job to protect the Maidens!?"

Qrow shook his head despairingly.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I guess I'm not a very good Wizard, am I…?"

Ruby looked at him, tears in her eyes.

"But _why?_ " she pleaded. "Why did you have to go?"

He let out a sigh as he sat awkwardly on the floor of the office.

"It's hard to explain, kid," he said with some difficulty. "You're just going to have to see it to believe it. Especially you two…"

He locked eyes with Ruby and Yang.

"The two of you _need_ to see what I found."

Ruby and Yang exchanged a nervous glance with each other.

"What _did_ you find?" Yang said in a lower voice, eyes narrowed.

Ironwood still had his arms crossed.

"Yes indeed," he asked pointedly. "I think we'd _all_ like to know what you found in Menagerie."

Qrow handed the flask back to the general.

"You're gonna wanna sit down for this one, Jim," he said grimly. "I'll give it to you straight – the White Fang is gathering in force."

Ironwood's eyes widened. "In force?"

Qrow nodded. "Weapons, airships, even mechanized troops. The White Fortress is positively _crawling_ with stolen Atlas tech. The White Fang have gathered enough firepower to take on a small army."

The general leaned against his desk, a distant look in his eyes.

"That's…that's impossible…" he said shaking his head, before turning to call up some readouts on his screen. "The White Fang has always been a disjointed group of rebels. They've never organized to this degree before."

"The White Fang is more organized than you think, general," Blake warned forebodingly. "I _told_ you not underestimate them."

"And times change," Qrow frowned. "A group of people get desperate enough…or follows a desperate enough leader…"

He threw a glance at Yang.

"Speaking of which, I ran into our old friend," he said wryly.

Yang's expression darkened. So did Blake's.

"Adam?" Yang demanded furiously. "You ran into _Adam_ back in Menagerie? He's all the way on the other side of the world!?"

While Ironwood busied himself in reviewing his latest intel on the White Fang, Qrow gritted his teeth, nursing a particularly gruesome laceration on his arm.

"The guy's fast, I'll give him that much," he said. "I wasn't expecting his cybernetic enhancements either. He got the jump on me before I could hit him with a time dilation. I barely made it out of there alive."

"Oh, uncle Qrow…" Ruby said sympathetically, automatically reaching out with her aura. "Here, link up with me. If we link auras, you'll heal faster."

Qrow gave his niece a sympathetic look as he felt their auras merge, and almost immediately, the bleeding from his injuries began to slow, before stopping completely.

"Thanks, kid…"

"Still…" Yang furrowed her brow, glancing back at Blake. "To think that Adam could have made it so far in just a day."

Blake didn't seem inclined to comment.

"Matter of fact…" Yang said, turned back on Qrow. "How did _you_ manage to get there and back again in just a day yourself?"

"I've been learning to better use the Wizard's power," Qrow smirked. "Dial your own time up fast enough, and you can cover a lot of ground in just a few hours. It's exhausting work, but it was a good thing I did. Left me a little too worn out to defend myself though."

Ruby's eyes lit up.

"That's it!" she inhaled. "That's how we get to Menagerie in time! We bring uncle Qrow! With you on board the _Aeneid_ , we can make it back to Atlas before the fleet needs us!"

Ironwood turned his attention at Ruby, shaking his head in exasperation. "Operative Rose, I thought I made my point perfectly clear to you."

"General, the situation has changed!" Ruby shot back. "If the White Fang is as well-equipped as my uncle says, then Atlas is going to have its hands full! You've said it before - we can't fight a war on two fronts! Team RSJC needs to go to Menagerie!"

"And do what?" Yang demanded. "Sabotage an entire army by ourselves?"

"In a manner of speaking," Ruby said, turning to Qrow. "Like you said uncle Qrow, a group following a desperate leader can do terrible things. But if you take that leader out of power…"

Qrow nodded, smiling at his niece's wisdom.

"The whole group could very easily fall apart," he said, climbing to his feet.

Weiss tapped a finger to her chin. "So all we would have to do is neutralize Adam Taurus, and the hierarchy of the White Fang would be in disarray?"

Blake seemed lost on thought, however Yang punched her metal fist into the palm of her hand.

"Hell yeah!" she grinned. "Time to finally get some payback on the asshole!"

Ironwood frowned. "Now hold on…you're talking about pulling a coup on the entire White Fang. I'm not doubting your abilities, but even with the Wizard's time dilation, that could take days. Or weeks. The fleet needs you and your team, Operative Rose. The assault on Vale can't wait that long."

"And I can dilate my own time a lot easier than a whole airship," Qrow pointed out. "Don't count on me for too much, kid. Even the Wizard has limits."

As if on cue, the medical team that Ironwood had summoned came to collect the Wizard. By this point, he was already on his feet.

"Never-mind the gurney, boys," he said waving off the EMTs. "I'm fine now."

The physicians weren't assuaged, and got to work checking Qrow's vital statistics, much to the old man's chagrin. Meanwhile, Ruby crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she pondered their current conundrum.

"Alright, we'll need to split up the team again," she declared, giving her uncle a knowing look. "A smaller group could sneak around the White Fortress more easily, and since Yang, Blake and I have a vested interest in this place, Team RWBY will go with Qrow to Menagerie."

Weiss crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.

"The heir to the Schnee Dust Company, traipsing about through the White Fang stronghold," he said dryly. "Lovely…"

Yang's confidence seemed to waver as she glanced at Blake.

"I don't know, Ruby," she said, grimly. "The last time we split up the team, it didn't end so well."

"War is risky business, Yang," Ruby said. "That's just a risk we'll have to take. Besides, uncle Qrow will be with us this time."

"I told you, kid," Qrow said, as an EMT prodded his stomach. "Don't count on me for - oww! Hey, watch where you're poking!"

Ruby turned her attention to the general

"The rest of Team RSJC will stay here with the fleet," she said. "They can even keep the _Aeneid_ here. Team RWBY can get to Menagerie in a shuttle craft."

Ironwood crossed his arms, closing his eyes as he massaged his forehead.

"No," he said soberly. "Take the _Aeneid_. If Team RWBY is going in alone, it will need all the support it can get."

Ruby blinked in surprise. "Sir?"

He let out a sigh.

"You're right, Operative Rose," he said. "We can't fight a war on two fronts. But without _you_ leading the home team, I really don't like our chances. So I want to give Team RWBY the best chance it has of succeeding so you can make it back in one piece as quickly as possible."

Ruby smiled. "Thanks general. But you won't have to worry about me. Jaune will lead Team RSJC while I'm in Menagerie."

That caught the young Arc lad by surprise.

"Say what!?" he blurted, giving Ruby an incredulous look.

"Come on, Jaune," Ruby said, turning to face him. "You did an amazing job leading your team today. You're a great leader. You can do this!"

"She's right Jaune," Weiss said, crossing her arms. "Loath as I am to admit it, you've come a long way since Beacon. I'll follow you into battle any day."

"You said it!" Nora agrred.

"Mm-hmm," Ren nodded.

"Aww…" Jaune blushed. "Thanks guys…"

Yang grinned and punched him in the shoulder.

"Don't let it get to your head, tough guy," she winked.

Ruby glanced at Blake, who had been remaining oddly silent throughout the discussion as they made plans to overthrow the organization where she had essentially been born and raised.

"Blake," she pried. "You haven't said a word since we mentioned Adam. We could use your input on all this."

Blake still said nothing. In fact, she didn't even seem to be reacting to anything the other Huntresses were saying to her.

"Blake, are you okay?" Yang asked, touching her shoulder.

At her touch, Blake's image suddenly vanished.

"Blake!?" Ruby gaped in shock.

"A shadow clone…" Yang inhaled, recognizing her partner's technique instantly.

Before anyone could try to figure out where Blake had gone, an alert popped up on the general's comm screen.

"General," a curt voice sounded over the comm. "We have an un-authorized take-off in hangar three."

Agitation flared up on Ironwood's face as he pulled up a video feed. The holographic projector screen displayed an image of a Bullhead lifting away from the Citadel.

The general thumbed the comm switch to speak into the transceiver.

"Can you head them off?" he asked.

"Negative sir," came the reply. "Most of the fleet is docked for repairs. The remainder is too spread out to block their escape."

Qrow finally freed himself from the prying hands of the EMTs.

"Damn," he commented icily, crossing his arms. "That kid's got some guts."

Ruby and Yang exchanged a look.

"You don't think…?" Ruby asked.

"Do you even have to ask?" Yang rolled her eyes.

"She does have a history of running off on her own," Weiss pointed out.

Ironwood was gritting his teeth as he went over the options for dealing with this latest development.

"Can you track its course at least?" he demanded.

"Don't bother, general," Yang cut in. "We already know exactly where she's going."

Ruby sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Okay…" she said, glancing up at Ironwood. "Slight adjustment to our mission plan. Team RWBY will fly out to Menagerie. We will reconvene with Blake. And _then_ we will deal with Adam."

The general wrinkled his brow.

"This is getting out of hand, Operative Rose," he said sternly. "You're _sure_ you and your team can pull this off under these circumstances?"

"We can, general," Ruby nodded confidently. "We have to."

He let a prolonged sighed.

"Very well," Ironwood said. "You'll need to Aeneid if you expect to catch up to her in time."

"Thank you, Sir," Ruby said. "I'm leaving Jaune in charge of Team RSJC while I'm away."

Jaune saluted stiffly.

"I won't let you down, sir!" he said awkwardly.

Ironwood nodded non-committally.

"I'll trust your judgement on this, Operative Rose," he said. "However, when you return, we're going to have a very _long_ discussion about your teammates and their lack of regard for military protocol."

"Understood, sir," Ruby nodded.

"Dismissed," he said curtly.

Ruby and her team hurried out of the office and towards the elevator.

"That idiot…" Yang fumed angrily as they walked. "What is she thinking?"

"She's going to get herself killed, that's what," Weiss said. "She's in no shape to tackle the White Fang all on her own."

"We'll just have to reach her before that happens," Ruby said firmly.

"Pretty damn ballsy move on her part, you got to admit," Qrow said, eyeing the dried blood on his clothes. "Hey, I'm gonna go get cleaned up. I'll meet you on the ship as soon as I'm ready to go."

He ruffled Ruby's hair.

"Good job in there by the way, kid," he smiled fondly. "You've sure turned into one hell of a leader."

Ruby smiled. "Thanks uncle Qrow."

"Don't pass out in the shower or anything, old man," Yang quipped, though the barb had no force behind it whatsoever.

"Bite me," Qrow snorted as he took off.

After reaching the elevator, the six remaining teammates waiting together in the isolated elevator car, and they were each left to contemplate what their next missions had in store. They had only just begun licking their wounds from the last one. They had lost Sun. They had lost Dora. And now they were getting set to launch into the fray once more. Ruby wasn't sure how much longer her team could hold on at this rate. But she had faith in them. She wouldn't have signed on to be the leader of Team RSJC if she didn't think they had it in them.

The only question was, did any of _them_ still think that they had it in them anymore?

When the elevator door opened at the hangar level, Ruby turned to Jaune as her team exited the enclosed steel doors. Team JNPR was remaining aboard the elevator to ride down to the ground level.

This was where they would part ways.

"Good luck out there, Jaune," Ruby said, hoping she sounded as reassuring as possible. "Gather up the rest of the team, and let them know what's happening."

Jaune looked nervous as all get-out.

"Are you sure about this, Ruby?" he asked.

Ruby sighed. Her heart went out to the Huntsman. He was giving voice to the same concerns that she herself would be feeling. If anyone knew what it was not to have confidence in one's self, it was Ruby. She only wished that Jaune could see himself how she saw him.

"You'll do _fine_ , Jaune," she insisted with a tremulous smile. "Just follow the general's lead, take care of Team RSJC, and if all else fails, trust in your instincts."

Jaune nodded.

"Ok," he agreed. "Be safe out there, Ruby."

Yang held the door open as Ruby hesitated for a moment longer, before she threw her arms around the boy before her, and squeezed him tightly in her grasp.

"I haven't forgotten about Pyrrha," she whispered into the embrace. "We'll find her, Jaune. Once we get to Vale, we'll find her together."

Jaune nodded sadly.

"Yeah…" he said.

They parted, and Ren and Nora both waved cheerfully as the door slowly closed. They knew it could be a long time before they saw each other again, but they were each determined to see their missions through.

Ruby couldn't have been prouder to call them her teammates.

She slapped her cheeks and withdrew her scroll as her team marched towards the hanger.

"Winter," she said, contacting her operations commander. "We need to head to Menagerie ASAP. How soon can the _Aeneid_ be ready?"

"We can be ready in a few minutes, Ruby," Winter said hesitantly. "However, there's a bit of a complication."

"What's that?" Ruby asked.

Winter looked hesitant.

"Is Weiss with you?" she asked.

"Right here," Weiss leaned her face in besides Ruby. "What's the issue, Winter? Is father alright?"

The elder Schnee pursed her lips.

"He's received treatment for his injuries and has been discharged from Ivory Medical," she said. "He'll need some prosthetic work done, but his life is not in any danger. However, I've just received word that there's to be an emergency meeting of Schnee Dust Company board members to take place in less than an hour."

"An emergency meeting?" Weiss demanded. "So soon after a crisis? Concerning what?"

"I wasn't told," Winter said. "But it looks as though _all_ major shareholders have been asked to attend."

Weiss blinked in surprise, grabbing the scroll from Ruby. " _All_ of them?"

"Hey!" Ruby blurted.

"All of them," Winter nodded gravely. "You know what that means, Weiss."

Weiss' expression darkened.

"They're going to call for a vote of no confidence," Weiss nodded, her eyes widening in disbelief. "The slipping profit margins, the defective mechs…Father's going to be expelled from the board!"

Ruby and Yang exchanged a look as Weiss stood there, dumbfounded.

"Can they…do that?" Ruby asked.

"If they get enough votes…" Weiss stammered, her eyes unfocused, "Then absolutely. The shareholders may not have a controlling interest, but they're allowed to protect their investments."

"They wouldn't call for such a vote unless they were _absolutely_ sure they could do it," Winter said, a remorseful look in her eyes. "Weiss, this is our family's _legacy_. Father _needs_ us at this meeting, or we could lose _everything!_ "

Ruby had never seen Winter make such an expression before.

"Weiss…" Ruby said, turning to her partner. "I'm sorry about your father's company, but…we _need_ you and Winter to fly the ship. We _need_ you for this mission! I can't just _leave_ you here!"

"And we can't afford to wait either," Yang urged. "Blake's getting farther and farther away by the second."

Weiss glanced back and forth between her scroll and her team.

"You guys…" she pleaded, her eyes on the verge of tears. "I really… _really_ want to help, but…this is my _family!_ I can't just…"

"If I might interject," Winter said calmly. "I believe I have a solution. Father is still confined to his bed, and will be attending the meeting via remote comm session. At least one member of the Schnee family should be there in person, but I see no reason why _both_ of us have to be there physically."

Weiss raised her eyebrows. "Winter?"

"I'll be leaving piloting duties to you, Weiss," her sister said. "If I can re-route some of our back-up comm buoys, I should be able to allow the _Aeneid_ to connect you to the Schnee Dust Company board room via remote session as well. You can attend the meeting remotely, just as father will, and you can be well on your way to Menagerie before it has concluded."

Weiss's expression lifted as the full extent of Winter's plan became clear to her.

"Winter…" she breathed.

Winter smiled knowingly.

"Take care of my ship while I'm gone, Weiss," she said. "I'll see you shortly."

Winter closed the connection, and Weiss handed the scroll back to Ruby.

"I'm so sorry, Weiss," Ruby offered sympathetically. "This must be _so_ tough for you…"

Weiss took a breath and nodded.

"We're not out of the woods yet," she said. "Let's get to the ship. We've got a wayward teammate to go save."

Yang put her hands on her hips. "Yes we do."

Ruby nodded and smiled.

"Alright then," she said. "Team RWBY, move out!"


	121. Chapter 121

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 121

* * *

Raven watched as Cinder drifted back towards the monolith of Beacon tower. After everything it had been through, the Grimm that had stormed its carapace, the battering it had withstood, it was a small wonder how the structure still remained. It was testament to the architecture that rooted it in place from years past. Beacon may not have been the first Huntsman academy, but the tower itself predated the existence of Huntsmen by a wide margin. The tower had been the school's namesake, the light shining from its zenith reaching out all across Vale, a beacon of hope for those who sought a light in the darkness. Beacon had sprung up around it in due course, a natural gathering place for those who wished to add to its light.

How times had changed under the tower's gaze.

Raven remained hidden from sight. A simple application of dust concealing her from view, one of the many tools in her arsenal that she had found in her travels. There was no one around to see her, save for the Fall Maiden candidate who remained affixed to one of the tower's stony pillars, her spirit all but broken. Of all the many guilts that plagued Raven's heart, the subjugation of the young woman ranked among the worst. All of the pain and suffering Raven had inflicted, and all of it seemed so avoidable. Her human heart constantly tried to rationalize her action, but she often came away doubting herself. How easy it would be to simply set the poor girl free. One flick of her wrist, and Pyrrha would be home with her friends, and Cinder none the wiser for it.

But that was not how the cards were meant to be played. The end goal had yet to be fulfilled. Should she waver, even for a moment, it would all be for naught.

After all, Cinder was not the _true_ threat…

"Krysmen!" the woman in red blared as she landed, her eyes manic and desperate. "Krysmen, where are you!?"

Krymsen. It was a moniker Raven had donned to disguise her true identity. Cinder relied on Raven for many things, not the least of which was the crimson dust she used to traverse the distance between spaces. It allowed Cinder to move as she pleased, as well as reach the parasitic Grimm that resided in the glove which needed to ensnare the Maidens' power. And so Raven had taken the color of this dust as her identity to further cement the mystery of her presence in Cinder's plans.

She knew that even having never encountered the woman before, Cinder could still peer back into the veil of memory, particularly that of her brother. Raven's mask had been a careful construction to keep her identity hidden for many years, until the day her brother ascended, and so too did she. The physical changes to Raven's visage made the mask no longer necessary. Cinder had not questioned the change in her appearance. She had been too distracted to put two and two together, and had not bothered to question what was right in front of her face. Raven knew this because the Pool knew this, and the Pool did not lie.

And now, slowly, Cinder was being undone.

"I am here…" Raven said, emerging from the dust veil like a lark on the wing.

Cinder's face was a mask of fury, her eyes bloodshot, the power concealed within radiating with her anger.

"What did you do to me!?" Cinder demanded, not even acknowledging the Fall Maiden candidate still strung to the pillar above. "What…what's _happening_ to me!?"

Raven's face was a mask of indifference. She knew all too well what was happening. Cinder had pushed herself past her limits, as Raven knew that she would. And in so doing, she had all but sealed her fate.

"You appear to have acquired the final Maiden's power," she said, feigning ignorance.

Cinder's face contorted with frustration.

"I know _damn well_ what I've accomplished!" she growled. "I want to know why I can't seem to even _think_ straight anymore! I am…I _overwhelmed_ by anger…grief…and _fear_ …"

Raven cocked her head to the side, playing the dutiful attendee.

"You fought in battle yourself, did you?" she asked coyly.

"Obviously!" Cinder shouted in disdain.

Raven slowly shook her head.

"I warned you not to use your Maiden powers for some time," she chastised. "Straining yourself physically and emotionally after releasing the level of negativity that you have…"

Cinder's eyes flared with outrage.

"What!?" she demanded, her anger bubbling to the surface. "Tell me what's happening to me!"

Raven wrinkled her nose, shaking her head like a disapproving physician.

"Your negative emotions are out of balance," she explained calmly. "Fear, anger, and sadness are all carefully managed in the amygdala of your midbrain, but these emotions were all drained to feed your dragon, and your body is now struggling to compensate."

Cinder's eyes widened in disbelief as she listened to what Raven was telling her.

"You can't be serious…" she breathed.

"I'm afraid not," Raven sighed. "You'll likely experience fluctuations in your emotional state for the next few days. You'll be subject to extremes in either direction. Periods of joy or hapless grief…fear or reckless abandon…dispassion or…"

BOOM!

Cinder clenched her hand into a fist, slamming it into one of the few remaining walls atop of Ozpin's tower disintegrated into a million pieces. Cinder's face was twisted into a mask of pure rage, her aura flaring outward in all directions, four tails of light streaming from her eyes.

Even Pyrrha looked terrified by the outburst.

"…Or violent anger…" Raven concluded. "These emotions will likely cloud your judgement. I recommend abstaining from combat or any high stress situation for the time being-"

"You idiot!" Cinder screamed in outrage, frustration and disbelief in her eyes. "I can't simply _remove_ myself from the field! Not at _this_ stage! We are at a _crucial_ point in my plan! If I cannot even trust my own judgement, then how am I to-!?"

 _"_ _Cinder…"_

The voice was like a cold hand gripping their hearts. Cinder visibly shook from the voice, and Raven had to steel herself not to shudder. The voice was like a manifestation of darkness itself. To hear it aloud was to feel warmth drained from one's body.

The voice of the old enemy.

Cinder threw a glare at Raven and waved her away.

"Be gone! Before you are seen!" she hissed, before turning her attention to Pyrrha. "And you…"

She waved her hand, enforcing her will on the girl, the young woman's eyes glazing over as the subconscious control took over.

"Go patrol the grounds!" she commanded under her breath. "I am not ready for you to be revealed to my master just yet. I may yet be able to salvage this…"

As Pyrrha was loosed from the chains that bound her, slipping to the floor before turning to go obey her master's command, Raven slipped back into invisibility, disappearing behind one of the pillars to complete the illusion of an ethereal nature that kept Cinder so compelled to hang on her every word. From her veil of shadow, she watched Cinder slowly try to compose herself.

 _"_ _Cinder…"_

Raven watched with no small amount of pleasure as Cinder shook with fright. Her emotions were getting the better of her, and she had no one but herself to blame. Raven may have provided the means, but Cinder was the simplest of foes to contend with. All one had to do was provide her with exactly what she wanted, and she would unfailingly defeat herself.

 _"_ _Cinder…"_

Cinder finally worked up the nerve to withdraw the Shadowglass from the pouch on her hip. Raven watched from the veil of shadow as the face of her enemy resolved on the small, transparent surface.

A face was white as a ghost, eyes black as death, her pupils tinged with a blood red hue. She was smiling now, and every second that passed even in her sight was like being witness to a demon made flesh. This was the face of the true enemy. The enemy of all mankind. This was the one for whom so many sacrifices had been made to defeat.

This was the mother of Grimm.

"Cinder…" her voice rang clearly and fluidly like a sour note. "It's time."

Raven watched Cinder feebly attempting to squelch the fear that was threatening to overwhelm her. For so long, Cinder had nurtured a strong resentment for her master, as was to be expected. Being the conniving individual that she was, she had invariably plotted to betray the Witch, and the time had come for her to make her move. Only now, her position was in a precarious state, one that just may cause her to waver.

Raven watched with bated breath as Cinder stared down her master. How she handled this exchange would forever shape the outcome of events to come. What Cinder did here and now was a crucial phase in the scenario. Thousands of variables had been shifted to bring about these exact circumstances. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Raven had moved heaven and earth to arrange for the events as they lined up here today.

Now, at long last, she would witness the fruits of her labor.

"Time, master?" Cinder asked innocently.

The face on the other side of the mirror seemed unamused.

"Time to fulfil your promise to me, my dear," she said, her voice as silk laced with snake venom. "It's time to open the Nexus."

Cinder's confidence seemed to waver, before she straightened her back.

"And if I say no?" she asked bluntly, sweat beading on her forehead.

Raven expected a pause or a beat for the Witch to process what Cinder had said, but she replied without so much as a hint of hesitation.

"You're not going to say no," she said simply. "Not to me."

Cinder seemed distressed by this, but Raven watched silently as she continued, unrelenting.

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked pointedly, her breath shaking. "I have the power of all four Maidens! I could hold dominion over the world should I choose! Why should I hand that all over to you, master?"

Salem's smile was a sick, twisted grin.

"My dear, sweet child…" she chuckled. "Who exactly do you think I am?"

Uncertainty crossed Cinder's face as Raven's excitement grew.

"I am the bringer of night, shepherd of darkness, and queen of all damnation," Salem explained. "And you, my child, are the Daughter of Fire, blood of my blood, and inheritor of all I despise. You were brought into the world on the heels of treachery and deceit. Deception is in your very _nature_ , dear one."

Cinder's face fell as Salem's words echoed across the Shadowglass.

"Do you honestly think that I would not _anticipate_ your intentions?" she smiled sinisterly. "That _I_ , in all my years of wisdom, would not suspect that _you_ , in all your cleverness, would not seek some angle to gain leverage over me? I would honestly have been disappointed if you _hadn't_ planned to betray me, my child."

Utter confusion painted Cinder's face, and Raven knew at once that the lady in red was lost.

"W-What…?" she breathed.

"Come now…" Salem said in a maternal voice. "I am nothing if not generous. It's not even as if I intend to reclaim the power of the Maidens from you so soon. By all means, keep the power. Do with it as you wish. I have no intention of stopping you."

Cinder was blinking in stupefaction now. Raven smiled from the veil of shadows that surrounded her. It seemed as though Salem was as keen on moving ahead with her plans as Raven was in letting her. And now the pieces were all starting to fall into place.

"You…what…?" Cinder asked, utterly baffled, her fear suddenly evaporating.

"I only ask that you lend me your power for one simple task…" Salem asked in a honeyed voice. "After that, you may rule the world to your heart's content. My only intentions beyond that are to make your rule even easier."

Cinder was shaking her head, as if trying to make sense of what she was hearing. The fog hanging around her head was clouding her judgement, and she was unable to process what was happening.

"Why?" she finally gasped in disbelief. "Why would you allow this of me?"

Salem's smile was like that of a python as it slowly constricted around its prey.

"My dear, you are still mortal," the Witch said calmly. "Nothing you or I do can change that. I have waited millennia to have my revenge, and I am nothing if not a patient woman. I see nothing wrong with letting you have your just rewards for what remains of your mortal life. Your life is yours to lead, my dear. Spend it however you wish. Enjoy your place at the top of the world until you are old and gray. The Maiden's power will return to its rightful place in due time."

Cinder clenched her teeth. Raven could see her slipping. She couldn't think straight enough to foresee the long-term consequences of such a suggestion, and Salem was putting her on the spot. Raven clenched her fists in anticipation. This would be it!

"What would you prefer?" the Witch asked coyly. "Holding dominion over a world full of humans which you despise…or holding dominion over a world of Grimm who would obey your every word?"

Raven had to admit, Salem was a smooth negotiator. Had Cinder not been such a suspicious sort, she might not have even required the coaxing of her addled mind. Although there was one caveat in the Witch's offer that Cinder had not yet stumbled upon. Everything would hinge on whether she did or not.

"Do we have a deal?" Salem asked sinisterly.

Cinder seemed to teeter over the edge of indecision. To Raven, it was like watching a tyrant bargain with a devil. Whichever side won, the world stood to lose all. Cinder would now single-handed decide whether to face the world on her own, and make every sacrifice made up until this point be in vain, or let loose a terror that may very well devour the world of Remnant whole.

Raven could only hope that her children would be able to pick up the pieces that shattered in their wake.

"If you'll keep your word…" Cinder said, not knowing what else to say. "Then I accept."

"Excellent…" Salem grinned wickedly. "We are decided then. Head down to the vault. You know what to do, my child."

Raven tried to contain her excitement. Cinder had taken the bait, but there were still many precious moments between now and the time when the deed was done for her to turn back. She followed silently, her presence masked by shadowy dust, her footfalls making not a sound as she trailed behind Cinder as she descended the tower.

Without power, the descent towards the vault was a slow one, unaided by escalator or any other machinery. The vault of Beacon had existed long before the tower ever had. Raven had never seen it in person before, she had only glimpsed its confines through the Pool. She knew its depths contained many forbidden secrets, the most terrible of which was the object Cinder and her master sought now.

Once they reached the sub-basement level, Cinder stepped through the door to face the great steel fault door. With a blast of power, Cinder blew the vault door open, the gigantic steel plate popping open and slamming to the floor with a loud, climactic _clung!_

Marching through, Cinder's steps began to slow, as if contemplating the enormity of what she was about to unleash, until she finally halted in her tracks, stopping completely.

 _Don't you_ dare _turn back now, you whore-child!_ Raven thought bitterly as she slowed her step so as not to plow into her. _Not after everything I've given up to get here! Not after everything my family has sacrificed! Damn it all, you will_ see _this through to the end, so help me!_

The mind-blade was clutched stiffly at Raven's side, ready to be drawn at a moment's notice. It was not the ideal solution, but if would get Cinder those last few steps if need be. It would also completely blow Raven's cover after Cinder returned to her senses, and more importantly, it would alert Salem to her intentions. Dealing with Salem would be much more of a problem afterward, and Raven did _not_ like her children's odds in that situation.

As if sensing her malice, Cinder turned to face the dark emptiness behind her. She narrowed her gaze, her suspicious nature getting the better of her, as she peered back in Raven's direction, gazing at the bent light that warped around the dust veil surrounding the woman's body. Raven held her breath, freezing in place, and silencing her thoughts for good measure. Cinder could not discover her presence now, or she risked losing _everything!_

 _"_ _What's taking so long?"_ came the eerie voice of Salem through the Shadowglass at Cinder's hip. _"Having second thoughts already?"_

Cinder stared back at the apparition standing behind her a moment longer, before turning to face the opening of the vault.

"No…" she breathed, before finally turning back to continue on her path. "I'm nearly there…"

Raven gently exhaled and continued her pursuit, watching as Cinder finally reached the center of the vault, staring down at a stone carving in the floor beneath her feet.

A wide, circular opening was visible within the floor of the vault, revealing a patch of dirt barely fifteen feet wide and scarcely a foot deep within. Laid upon the soil was an array of flagstones were arranged in a circular pattern just within, each one placed end to end. There was grass and moss grown over the flagstones, even this deep underground. The stones were laid out upon bare dirt, as though the vault had been built around the arrangement on the ground millennia ago, the tower itself built on top of it all.

Yet even this far underground, the stones generated an eerie glow from an array of runes carved into each of their surfaces, symbols shining in a faint, ultraviolet glow. The symbols, Raven knew, were each letters of a forgotten dialect of ancient Vaccuan, the oldest known language in Remnant. The letters spelled a series of words that translated roughly to _The Pale Gates_.

Raven knew it by another name.

"The Nexus…" Cinder breathed in awe.

As if responding to her presence, the flagstones began to glow even brighter, each of their symbols raising in hue and temperature, as in inflame. The the steel and stone walls of the vault, once only dimly lit, were now aglow in a pale violet light. Cinder stood before the glowing circle of stones, their insignias getting slowly brighter and brighter, the long dormant spells woven into them still active after so many years.

 _"_ _Yes…"_ Salem's voice sounded from the Shadowglass. _"The key has been entered…all that remains is to turn it. Don't fail me, child!"_

Raven watched in fascination as Cinder's form began to glow as the woman in red tapped into the four Maiden powers within her body. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter each coalesced around her, and she could feel the air within the vault beginning to stir into a gentle, stormy breeze. Pollen, rose petals, leaves and snowflakes all swirled together as one. Blotches of heat and cold passed by as the four seasons each manifested simultaneously within the confined space of the vault, until Cinder at last directed the power downward.

FOOM!

All at once, the pale glow that had enveloped the interior of the vault began to glow even brighter, as the space within the flagstone circle began to shimmer in the darkness. The earth itself seemed to fall away within the enclosure, replaced instead by an eerie, viscous morass. The temperature in the vault suddenly dropped significantly, as if the warmth was being sucked out all at once. Raven watched in rapt fascination, knowing full well the horror of what was about to occur, but still entranced all the same. She had traversed the space between dimensions on a regular basis, but this was her first time glimpsing another world entirely.

After this, there would be no going back.

Cinder's power died down as she gasped for breath as she gazed down at the flagstone circle, the stones still aglow with pale violet light. The space within the circle was no longer an empty patch of dirt, but instead a field of stars. Lining the rim of the circle was a shimmering violet field as the thin membrane between the two worlds was held in place. Interspersed among the stars below were patches of storm clouds, purple and swirling with terrible thunder. She was looking down at the sky from the other world. It was a dizzying sight to see beneath their feet, and Raven almost felt like it would swallow her up entirely.

Standing at the edge of the circle, Cinder peered downward into the void. As if gazing at her reflection in a still pond, another face peered back up at her. However, the gaze that stared back at her was not her own, but that of the white Witch herself, her posture mirroring her almost completely. She stood at the edge of the precipice beneath Cinder's feet, standing upon what appeared to be the ceiling of the floor below, the shimmering flagstones the only thing standing between the two of them, the eternal night sky swirling with clouds over her head further down.

The world Salem inhabited looked completely upside down from this vantage point, but Raven knew it was merely an illusion, albeit an apt one. Everything about that other world was twisted and warped, an inversion of everything that existed within the world of Remnant. From the Witch's perspective, however, it was _they_ who were inverted.

With a sickening smile, Salem slowly pitched forward, as if casting herself into the void, teetering over downward – or upward – as she slowly fell towards the divide, moving in slow motion as if slowed by water. As she crossed the threshold between worlds, her body lay parallel. As her momentum – or some other force – carried her upward and out into the world of Remnant, Raven gazed at last at the face of her true enemy.

The temperature in the vault, already chilling, seemed to lower even further as Salem's feet touched the cold hard ground of the vault at long last. As Raven gazed upon her, she knew that she ought not tarry. Salem would have no way of sensing Raven's presence through the Shadowglass, but now that she walked the world of Remnant, Raven knew that she must take great care not to be noticed. Still, she was bewitched by the sight of her enemy, and the sick look of pleasure on her face as she reached out to stroke Cinder's cheek.

"Good…" she breathed, her voice like that of an adder. "You make me so proud, dear one…"

Turning to face the Nexus, Salem raised an arm, and the flagstones once again began to glow.

"Rise, my children…" she breathed. "Rise…there is much work to be done…"

Raven watched in horror as creatures of Grimm began to emerge from the Nexus, in shapes and forms she'd never even seen before. The first creature to meet her gaze was humanoid in shape, but gigantic in size. It stood eight feet tall, walked upright, its arms and legs muscular and sinuous. A pair of horns curved out from its domed head, a skeletal mask adorning its face, eyes glowing red. A pair of large leathery bat-like wings sprouted out from its back, enormous even while furled. And within its claws was fearsome looking black poleaxe, which it clutched menacingly as the creature gnashed its teeth.

Raven took a step back. She had never seen a Grimm that wielded a weapon such as this before. And from the looks of, more were on their way.

It was high time that she leave this place.

As more gargoyles clawed their way from the Nexus, adrenaline coursed through Raven's bloodstream as she made her retreat, backing away slowly and silently from the oncoming horde of Grimm that arose from the Nexus. She cleared the threshold of the vault and finally made it to the stairs. Once she had put enough distance between herself the portal, Raven drew her crimson blade to cut a hole through space and time to make her escape.

The last thing she saw as she departed was Salem lifting her arms into the air, as Cinder stood meekly at her side, the two of them already surrounded by Grimm that slowly ascended from the Nexus.

"Come, my children!" the Witch called out in a voice that echoed throughout the vault. "No longer will you be confined to the shadows! The world of Remnant is yours to devour! After all these years, the age of the Grimm has come at last!"


	122. Chapter 122

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 122

* * *

Coco surveyed the loading dock where the _Aeneid_ was being serviced. It wasn't one of the larger hangars, which were devoted to the capital ships in the Atlesian armada, but the bay was still large enough to hold about half a dozen ships the size of the _Aeneid_ , which it seemed was indeed currently the case. The aerial battle over the city had been a long and arduous one, and many of the airships that had set out that morning had not returned to their berths. Those that had were all in need of repair, and the _Aeneid_ had been no exception.

While the damage had been mostly superfluous by comparison to the rest of the fleet, Winter's personal airship also served as an experimental testing craft for much of the Atlas tech that had been in development. Nothing spurned on the invention of new technology more than war. Sometimes this technology took the form of something small that could be easily loaded into their engineering bay, such as the nano-machines that made up Coco's new weapon. Sometimes, however, that tech took the form of a brand new engine.

 _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

The loading machinery squawked loudly as the airship's primary engine slid back into the _Aeneid's_ fuselage, having been retrofitted with a drive coil based on the hydrogen gas ampules used by Vacuan airships, as well as the comm buoys that currently connected the two kingdoms. The joint engineering program had produced a tandem engine capable of both the high speed dust-powered flight of its predecessor, but was additionally capable of sustained high altitudes that were impossible with dust-powered engines.

Coco crossed her arms. She was hardly an expert in airship engineering, but she was learning more every day. And spending time with all the technicians who worked in the Citadel loading docks was providing her with invaluable experience that she could have never achieved working in the fashion industry, or even back at Beacon. And after spending so much time fighting Grimm and roughing it out in the wilderness, it was a rewarding experience to be able to immerse herself in the rote methodological simplicity of engine mechanics.

Velvet on the other hand…

"Oof!" the poor girl exclaimed as she fell forward, dropping an armful of supply crates on her way to the _Aeneid_.

"Oh, Velvet!" Coco called out, trying not to laugh as she hurried over to help the young Faunus woman to her feet. "Are you alright?"

Velvet winced as she slowly got back up to begin collecting the crates she had dropped.

"Yes…" she muttered through gritted teeth. "I think so…"

Velvet fixed her teammate with a discerning look as she slowly recollected herself.

"What are you carrying around these crates for anyway?" she asked.

Velvet hoisted the armful of cargo off the ground once again with an effort.

"Nngh…well…" she grunted. "The _Aeneid_ needs to resupply. Food, ammunition, medical supplies…things like that. These supplies have to come from somewhere."

Coco rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean…why are _you_ the one doing the schlepping?" she asked bluntly. "Isn't Yatsuhashi on cargo duty?"

Velvet stifled a guilty expression, taking a wobbly step forward.

"Well…there were a _lot_ of supplies…" she blushed. "He may be a big guy, but he can't be expected to do _all_ the heavy lifting."

"Velvet…" she sighed, shaking her head. "You know how I always tell you that you have a way of doting on someone without _actually_ doting on them?"

Velvet blinked awkwardly, before nearly dropping her burden yet again.

"Not really… _wahhh!_ "

She cried out in alarm as her stack of crates nearly hit the deck, before Coco reached out to stabilize her, gently taking some of the boxes from her, opting to carry them herself.

"Well, you do," Coco tisked. "If you want Yatsuhashi to notice you, you'll have to do more than just help him with his chores."

Velvet's cheeks went bright red, and she very nearly toppled over again, despite carrying half her allotted load.

"W-What are you suggesting!?" she demanded as the two of them made their way towards the _Aeneid_.

If Velvet didn't know any better, she might have suspected that Coco had a smidgen of cat Faunus in her blood, the way she grinned at her.

"Oh come on!" she smirked. "Why else would you be so determined to do his job for him, despite the fact that you've clearly bitten off more than you can chew, and he could probably bench twice this much by himself?"

Velvet leaned her forehead against the crates in her arms.

"I just…wanted to help him out…" she mumbled, childishly. "That's all…"

Coco sighed as they began to slowly trudge their way up the ramp.

"Velvet," she sighed. "You know I love you, but you can be so incredibly dense sometimes."

"Well, sorry," Velvet pouted her lips cutely as they made their way on board. "We can't _all_ be miss perfect like _you_ Coco. _You_ could probably just bat your eyelashes and have any guy on the team eating out of the palm of your hand."

Coco had to stop herself from giggling.

"That's not… _completely_ far-fetched…" she grinned salaciously. "But you shouldn't sell yourself short, dear. You've got a lot going for you. The trick is to just get yourself _out_ there."

Velvet placed her load of cargo down onto the floor of the _Aeneid's_ hold, gasping for breath.

"That's easy for _you_ to say," she moaned. "I don't have a fraction of your confidence!"

Coco set her burden down besides Velvet's.

"You know," she said. "If you want to do something nice for Yatsuhashi, you could just cook him a nice meal or something."

Velvet's ears drooped as her cheeks reddened.

"B-But…that's so _forward!_ " Velvet protested. "And besides…I can't cook at all!"

Coco fixed the Faunus girl with a companionable grin.

"I'll help you out," she assured her. "It's easy. Besides, I have it on good authority that Yatsuhashi really likes brown rice."

Velvet's ears perked up. "He does?"

"Mm-hmm," Coco nodded, a catlike smirk on her face. "He's Mistrali-born, after all. Now imagine how happy he'd be if you gave him a bento box full of brown rice balls molded to look like a bunch of cute little bunnies."

Velvet's entire face went red at all the implications that arose with the idea, and she buried her face in her hands.

Coco gave the Faunus girl a reassuring pat on the back.

"Okay, okay, maybe not something _quite_ so cutesy," she eased off. "But we could start with something simple and work our way up."

Velvet still had her face in her hands, but shook her head at Coco's suggestion.

"No…" she said in a muffled voice. "I'll do…"

Then she muttered something unintelligible.

"What was that?" Coco asked.

Velvet lifted her head up, cheeks still flushed as she clenched her fists.

"I'll make him a bento box!" she declared. "I'll do it!"

Coco's smile widened as she squeezed her teammate by the shoulder.

"That's the spirit!" she said happily. "We'll make him the best damn boxed lunch he's ever had! And it'll taste amazing cause it'll be made with lots of love!"

Velvet cringed. "Oh no…is it too late to change my mind?"

Coco shook her head, ushering her further into the ship.

"Come on, you," she said encouragingly. "Let's go see what…"

Her voice trailed off as a loud banging noise began to echo across the cargo hold.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Coco and Velvet exchanged a worried glance. The noise was muffled, but was clearly coming from somewhere inside the cargo bay.

"What do you suppose that could be?" Velvet asked curiously.

"No idea…" Coco admitted, no nonsense. "But it doesn't sound good…"

Turning a corner, the two Huntresses found a pile of boxes strew across the floor, innumerable crates tumbled and lain haphazardly across the hold. The mess had not been there before they left the ship, which meant someone – or some _thing_ – was on board.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The two of them put their hands on their weapons as they slowly made their way towards the source of clanging noise, meandering around crates and boxes and the makeshift triage unit set up in the cargo hold. Then to both girls' surprise, they heard a familiar voice uttering an angry string of curses.

"Damn it!" came the voice. "Damn it! Stupid… _damn it!_ "

Velvet and Coco exchanged another glance, before turning to look around the corner of boxes to find the source of the sound coming from a loud and precious young woman.

"Emerald?" Velvet whispered in confusion.

The green haired girl was standing amongst a pile of overturned crates, punching and kicking everything in sight. She was grabbing boxes at random and hurling them about, and generally throwing a complete tantrum, tears streaming down her cheeks as she beat the living hell out of the supply crates in her wake.

"Had to just go and…" she growled furiously, before hurling another crate against the wall and kicking another crate several times.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

"Damn it!" she growled furiously. "Stupid! _Stupid!_ "

"Hey-hey-hey!" Coco cried, running over to her, interrupting her tirade. "What's gotten into you, Winterfresh?"

Emerald's eyes flashed widely in panic as the two Huntresses approached her.

"Wh-what do _you_ want!?" she demanded, tears in her eyes. "You guys got a problem or what!?"

Coco shook her head, exhaling in disbelief.

"Honey," she said in an authoritative tone. "Look around at what you're doing. _We're_ not the ones with the problem here. Now why don't you tell us what's going on?"

Emerald turned away, crossing her arms.

"Nothing!" she insisted, stomping away. "Just leave me alone!"

Coco threw a concerned look towards Velvet, before stepping forward to stop Emerald from leaving, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"You're _clearly_ bullshitting me here, sweetheart," she said in voice that broached no quarter. "Now how about instead of trashing the place, why don't we sit down and talk?"

Emerald gave Coco an angry look, but before Coco could say anything, Velvet reached out somewhere ahead of them both, placing her hand on the shoulder of another Emerald who seemingly materialized out of nowhere, as the one in Coco's grasped seemed to vanish just as quickly.

"Now, now, none of that!" Velvet remarked sweetly. "Emerald, we're your friends! You don't have to resort to your illusions around us!"

Emerald gave Velvet a betrayed look. She had clearly not had enough focus to muster ensnaring the both of them, and had simply targeted Coco instinctively, hoping she could get away before Velvet noticed. Clearly the Faunus girl was keener than she had given her credit for.

"Get your hands off me!" Emerald growled angrily, pulling away from the other girl.

Coco put her hands up, gesturing to Velvet not to press the issue.

"Emerald," she said firmly, using her real name for the first time that she could recall. "If whatever this is you're going through is too personal or whatever, that's fine. We don't have to talk about it. But Velvet's right – we're your friends. You can _talk_ to us, okay? We won't judge you or anything. We're not going anywhere. Alright?"

Emerald gave the other two girls a dirty look, crossing her arms.

"Why should I bother?" she demanded, eyes still red. "It's not like either of you would get it anyway."

Coco put her hand on her hips.

"Try me," she said.

Emerald grunted and clenched her fists, stomping around the cargo hold.

"Even if you _did_ , it's not like there's anything any of you could _do_ about it," she said, before placing her hands up on the bulkhead, hanging her head. "You're just wasting your time."

Coco crossed her arms, looking unconvinced.

"All I was doing up until now was watching them load the new engines onto the ship," she said. "Pretty fascinating stuff. Nothing I could do to help – the engineers here are all _worlds_ better than I am, but I still felt like I learned something by watching it happen."

She stepped over to stand next to the distraught young woman.

"Sometimes it helps to just talk these things out, you know?" she suggested. "It may not solve anything, but if there is a solution to be found, sometimes a fresh perspective can be all it takes."

Emerald snorted derisively. "Yeah, right."

Coco shrugged. "And even if there's no solution, talking about it can help you deal with it. It certainly must be healthier than knocking over everything in sight."

Emerald ground her teeth as Coco stood there at her side, waiting patiently, with Velvet stewing in agitation as she watched them both.

"What does it _matter_ how I deal with it?" Emerald grumbled angrily. "The stupid brat's dead either way."

Coco glanced over at Velvet, her eyes lighting up.

"You're talking about Dora?" she asked, curiously.

Emerald clenched her eyes shut.

"Stupid little kid!" Emerald said, tears once again welling up in her eyes. "What the _hell_ was she thinking, running off to get herself killed like that!? And not a _damn_ thing I could do about it! Stupid, stupid, _stupid!_ "

Coco let out a breath, taking a step closer to Emerald.

"I didn't realize the two of you were that close," she said sympathetically.

"We're not!" Emerald blared, before lowering her head. "I mean…we _weren't_. She was just a sniveling little brat! Always butting her head into other people's business, acting like she knew what was best for everyone…what the _hell_ was she thinking, trying to take on Cinder _alone_ like that!? She must have known she was just going to get herself killed!"

Coco leaned against the bulkhead next to Emerald.

"Maybe she did it anyway, because she knew that she had to," she suggested. "Maybe there was no other choice. Personally, I think what she did was really brave."

"Brave and stupid!" Emerald gnashed her teeth. "Brave only gets you killed!"

"Yeah," Coco muttered. "I got that part."

Emerald wiped her eyes.

"Who the hell's going to take care of all those kids back in Vacuo now?" she demanded, tears streaming down her cheeks. "They looked up to her! They _depended_ on her! And now she's gone! What the _hell_ was thinking, trying to stand up to dad like that!"

Coco blinked in confusion. "… _Dad?_ "

Emerald's eyes widened and her face paled, an absolutely mortified look on her face.

"I mean…" she said, panicking. "I mean – Cinder! I…I…"

Velvet looked just as confused as Coco did when she saw her face. Coco glanced back at her teammate, before she set her jaw.

"Velvet, could you go and find Fox for me?" she said.

Velvet looked confused for a moment, before her eyes widened in realization.

"Oh…" she said, softly. "Okay…"

Velvet scurried off.

Coco removed her shades and looked at the green haired girl. She had a blank expression on her face as she tried to process what she had just revealed. Emerald was always such a private person, and she clearly had not meant to reveal that much about herself. But she had. And now it was time for some answers.

"Emerald…" Coco said gently. "You weren't…talking about Dora just now…were you?"

Emerald's expression soured. "What do _you_ know about it?"

Coco sighed as she crossed her arms.

"I know that you don't have a lot of friends," she said. "I know that you grew up on the street. I know that you're braver than you think you are, and I know that Dora took you in too, just like those other kids."

"So?" Emerald growled angrily. "That doesn't mean anything!"

Coco placed a hand on Emerald's shoulder.

"At first, I assumed that you didn't have any parents growing up…" she said softly. "But now I'm thinking…you ran away as a kid, didn't you?"

Emerald glared angrily. "You don't know a _damn_ thing about it!"

"I would if you told me, Emerald," Coco said firmly. "Now why don't you tell me what happened?"

Emerald shook her head, her tears filling her eyes.

"Emerald…" Coco's voice came out as a soft whisper. "What was your father like?"

Emeralds eyes flashed a warning at the other girl, but she otherwise said nothing.

Coco drew in her breath, undeterred.

"Okay then…" she said kindly. "What about your mother?"

Emerald clenched her eyes shut and curled in on herself, lowering her head.

"She…always tried to protect me…" Emerald said. "She always tried to be brave…"

Coco's eyes darkened. "And…your father?"

"She shouldn't have stood up to him…" Emerald croaked, her voice spilling out in a broken slur. "She should have known better! Stupid, stupid, stupid…"

Coco slowly nodded her head, finally beginning to understand.

"And so you ran…" she said simply.

Emerald heaved in her breath.

"I wasn't going to end up like her…" she grimaced. "I'm smarter than that! Always have been…"

"But you still needed her…" Coco shook her head. "And that's why you went to Cinder…"

"Yeah, so what if I did?" Emerald crossed her arms. "I don't need to justify myself to you!"

"And when Cinder betrayed you, you ran away again," Coco said, putting the pieces together. "Until you finally found Dora."

Emerald wrinkled her nose. "She was just a little brat! I needed a place to lie low, and she was the only game in town! I didn't need her for anything more than that!"

"And yet she was like a mother to all those kids…" Coco pointed out. "She gave them direction, purpose, a place to call home."

"Not to me!" Emerald insisted. "That was _never_ my home!"

"But it might have been," Coco shook her head, finally figuring it out. "If Dora hadn't sacrificed herself like she did."

"She abandoned all those kids!" Emerald broke out into pangs of grief. "She abandoned her family! She…she abandoned _me!_ "

"Emerald…" Coco said soothingly, wrapping her arms around the girl.

"She just had to go and face the impossible!" Emerald sobbed. "Just had to go and be brave! Stupid, stupid… _why!?_ Why did she have to go and get herself killed like that, huh!? Why did she have to be the brave one!?"

Coco run her hands up the other girl's back, stroking back and forth.

"Emerald…" she breathed.

"She _must_ have known how it would end!" Emerald wept. "She _must_ have known that she'd be _gone_ after she did it! That we'd be left all alone without her!"

Coco held the other girl tightly as she let loose her tears of grief.

"Stupid, stupid…" Emerald bawled. "Didn't she _realize_ what it would _do_ to me!? Didn't she _know_ that I still _needed_ her!? That I…I…!?"

For a while, Coco just stood there, embracing Emerald tightly while she wept. She didn't pretend to know anything about the girl, but the more she found out, the more she realized how much she needed a team like theirs. Odd that Coco would be the one, of all people, that Emerald would confide in. Emerald hadn't exactly endeared herself to her when they'd first met, but then again, Coco herself exactly been terribly welcoming when they'd met afterward. For all that, however, Coco found that she liked the girl. Emerald wasn't a bad person, and never had been. She only did what she did to survive, to try to cope with what she had lost. But what Coco hadn't appreciated before was just how much she needed others more than she could ever admit.

She hoped that she and her friends could be there for her. Now that Dora was gone, Emerald would need them all more than ever.

"You don't have to be brave if you don't want to be," Coco finally said. "But I think that you _are_ brave, Emerald. I think that Dora would be proud of you. And I think that…maybe your mother would be too."

Emerald said nothing as the other girl continued to hold her, and for a while, Emerald just let her mind go, leaning all of herself into the embrace. She had never told this story to anyone, not Dora, not Blake, not Mercury, not even Cinder.

Coco was right. It felt good to finally get it off her chest.

After a while, Velvet came back with Fox in tow. Emerald had stopped crying by that point, and the two Huntsmen were making plenty of noise, allowing Emerald to compose herself.

"Oh yeah, bento boxes are fairly easy to make," Fox was saying. "The trick is to vary it up, and not just use one ingredient. A bento box with just one kind of food is a pretty boring thing."

"Oh, I see," Velvet said as they rounded the corner.

Coco smiled at the two of them, with Emerald standing quietly beside her.

"Hey guys," she said, slipping her shades back on. "Thanks for swinging by."

She threw a smile towards Emerald.

"Why don't we all get something to eat?" she suggested. "I'm starving."

Emerald looked a little unsure of the sudden shift in tone, or why they weren't all making a big deal of her outburst, or indeed making note of the mess she had left.

"I…" she muttered.

"Oh yes!" Velvet smiled eagerly, taking Coco's cue. "There's this great little vegan café not far from here. I wonder if the owners will let us in after the Grimm attack…"

"We did more or less just save the city," Fox smiled. "I think they'll make an exception for us."

Emerald watched in confusion as the Huntsmen began to file out of the cargo hold. Coco nudged Emerald and before she knew what was happening, she was following along with them, like just another member of the group.

"Ugh," Coco rolled her eyes. "Does it _have_ to be vegan? Can't we get something with some meat?"

"Coco!" Velvet wrinkled her nose. "You _know_ I don't eat meat!"

In spite of her bickering, Coco was keeping on eye on Emerald through the entire conversation. She hoped that eventually she'd be able to trust her and her team, but she knew these things would take time. In the meantime, all she could do was provide as welcoming and comforting environment as she could.

"What do you think, Snowpea?" Coco asked jovially. "What are you in the mood for?"

It felt odd to be included, like she was part of the group. Emerald knew that it was just an illusion, that she wasn't truly one of them.

But for the moment…

"Oh…vegan sounds fine to me," Emerald said, giving Velvet a fond smile.

"Blah," Coco groaned. "Outvoted again. Alright, I guess I can eat what my food eats for a day."

They got another few steps before a loud voice could be heard somewhere back inside the cargo hold.

"What the…?" a male voice said. "Where did this huge mess come from!?"

Coco winced and Emerald felt a guilty look spread across her face.

"That…would be Yatsuhashi…" Coco said hurriedly. "We better go before he finds us and chews us out."

Fox raised his eyebrows. "Something we should know about?"

Coco winked at Emerald.

"Hey, he's on cargo duty," she said. "Nothing he can't handle."

Fox shrugged as Coco and Emerald moved forward, as Velvet turned and clasped her hands together in apology in the direction of her unfortunate partner.

"Sorry…" she muttered.

As the four of them descended the ramp from the cargo hold, however, they came across Team RWBY as they made their way towards the _Aeneid_. Or at least, some of them. Blake was nowhere to be seen. Filling in for her was Neptune, who was busy having a heart-to-heart with Weiss, it seemed.

"Hey guys," Ruby called out to them as Yang followed behind her. "Is the ship ready for takeoff?"

"Hey Ruby," Coco called back. "It will be soon enough. They just need to run some diagnostics on the new engine. Shouldn't take more than half an hour or so."

"There's also that mess in the cargo hold…" Velvet said under her breath, before Coco elbowed her.

"Well, any chance they can scramble that?" Yang pressed. "We really need to get moving."

Coco threw a glance around at her teammates.

"Another mission already?" she asked. "The general's pushing us kind of hard, isn't he?"

Ruby shook her head.

"Team RWBY's going solo for this one," she said. "Blake's already en route, and we need to catch up to her and provide support. The rest of you need to stay here and back up the fleet whenever it's ready to set out."

Coco fixed Ruby with a troubled look.

"You're going out all by yourselves?" she asked. "Shouldn't we all move as a team?"

"The fleet needs us too," Ruby said. "The general was adamant. The rest of Team RSJC needs to stay in Atlas."

Coco eyed the rest of her teammates, finding the same troubled looks in each of their eyes. She turned her eyes to look up at the ship, and its brand-new engine, and imagined all the trouble it could get into without her on board.

"If you're taking the _Aeneid_ , you'll need a mechanic at the very least," she said.

"Don't worry," came a low, sonorous male voice. "I've fixed an engine or two in my day."

Everyone turned to see the Wizard marching towards them, all cleaned up and impeccably dressed.

"Uncle Qrow," Ruby smiled. "Are you ready to go?"

"All set," he nodded. "The sooner the better."

Coco crossed her arms, still skeptical.

"You sure you can handle this ship?" she asked.

"Don't worry," he winked. "I'll treat her well."

Coco looked uneasily back at Ruby.

"And who's going to be leading Team RSJC while you're gone, may I ask?" she asked.

"Jaune will," Ruby said firmly.

"Jaune, huh?" Coco said absently. "I suppose we could do worse."

Ruby and her team began to file up into the _Aeneid_. The last to go was Weiss, who seemed to be lingering with Neptune.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Weiss asked him. "I really wish I didn't have to leave like this."

"Hey, your team needs you, Weiss," the young man assured her, though his voice sounded weak. "Go on. I'll be fine."

Weiss shook her head.

"Neptune, I can tell when you're putting on a brave face," she chastised, clasping both his hands in hers. "You just lost your partner. If you need me to stick around for you, I will."

Neptune shook his head back.

"But Weiss," he said. "What about your father's company? What about the mission? I can't hold you back from all that. No matter how much I'll miss you while you're gone."

Weiss leaned in to kiss him, and Coco threw a choking expression towards Emerald. Emerald snickered and Velvet gave them both a reprimanding look.

Weiss and Neptune ignored them.

"I'll be back soon, Neptune," she assured him. "I promise."

"I'll be waiting for you, Weiss," Neptune promised her back.

Weiss kissed him again and hurried up the ramp into the _Aeneid._

Neptune gave the other Huntsmen a snarky smile.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Coco laughed, giving a knowing smile to Emerald. "Nothing."

Emerald laughed again. Neptune shrugged and wandered off.

Shortly afterward, Yatsuhashi came wandering down the ramp as the _Aeneid's_ engines started to cycle on, the tall lumbering young Huntsman looking somewhat comical for how rushed he was.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" he asked, as he scratched his head in confusion. "I got shooed off the ship so quickly, I didn't even have time to clean up the cargo hold."

Velvet stifled a guilty expression, but Coco covered for her.

"Team RWBY's going on a solo mission," she said. "We're stuck here in Atlas until the fleet's ready to move. Jaune's in charge until Ruby gets back."

"Huh," he said, seeming somewhat dissatisfied with that answer.

The _Aeneid_ slowly lifted off the tarmac, before slowly drifting away. As Team CFVY watched the ship go, though neither of them gave voice to the feeling, every one of them was wondering if they would ever see the ship again.

"Hey Yatsu, you hungry?" Coco offered, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "The rest of the team and I were thinking about grabbing some food."

That seemed to lift the big guy's spirits.

"That sounds good," he said. "I know this really nice vegan café nearby…"

"Arrgh!" Coco crumpled her hat in her hands. "Heathens! All of you!"

Emerald watched as they all turned to go.

She paused her step. For the first time that she could recall in while, Emerald found herself smiling. She didn't know why Coco had offered to listen to her story, and had even less of a clue as to why she herself had shared that much about herself. Perhaps it was because she wanted to trust someone. Or maybe it was because she _needed_ to trust someone. Whatever the reason, she had felt no malice from the leader of Team CFVY, no judgement, no desire to manipulate. All she was felt was compassion.

And that was something she had never felt before.

"Hey Em, you coming?" Velvet called out to her.

Emerald watched as the small group of friends waited for her, each of them turning to see if she would follow. Any other time in her life, she would have turned away. Any other point in her life, sticking around would have been the most difficult choice she'd ever have to make.

But maybe…

"Alright, alright," she said, hurrying after them. "I'm coming."

Maybe it didn't have to be so difficult after all.


	123. Chapter 123

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 123

* * *

Grímnir was an elegant blade for its size. Four separate composite metallic segments, each one bound by tensile actuators that systematically shifted each segment along its connecting ridge, as well as linking to another four set of extendable red blades that protruded from the underside of the main segments. All of this was connected to a single gear-bound mechanism that controlled a telescoping handle, as well as a break action twelve-gauge shotgun that could be aimed independently of the main blade.

All of this, Ruby knew in exhaustive detail. She had based Crescent Rose's design off of many aspects of Grímnir. When she was much younger, her uncle had let her hold it, and she would sometimes sneak off to play with it, much to the chagrin of her parents.

As intimately familiar as she was with the weapon, she still felt some reluctance to remove it from beneath the mattress where she slept on the _Aeneid_. But that did not stop her from raising the slim piece of canvas up every so often to admire the blade. Particularly now that Crescent Rose was gone.

Crescent Rose…

Ruby had spent so much time mourning the loss of Dora and Sun that she hadn't even begun to process the loss of her weapon. She had sought out Grímnir because it had been the logical choice. She was about to head into a dangerous mission. She needed a weapon. Her uncle Qrow had given her a weapon. It only made sense that she make use of it.

But it just…didn't seem right. This wasn't _her_ weapon. She had no claim over it, no ownership of it, no matter what her uncle said. And to move on so soon after she had lost Crescent Rose…

She wasn't a fool. She knew these weapons were just tools. Despite what she may outwardly claim about her weapon, she knew her scythe hadn't had feelings of its own. But Crescent Rose had still been a part of her, and it felt _wrong_ not to have the comfortable weight on her hip. It may not have been a conscious entity, but it had still had a personality all its own. Even should that weapon be replaced by another, even it that weapon was the one carried by her uncle in battle, it wouldn't feel the same. Even if she were to rebuild her old weapon from scratch, it would never feel the same.

It would take time, she knew. It was such a big step, and one that she wasn't at all confident in. Even from a practicality standpoint, learning the ins and outs of a new weapon took training and experience that she just didn't have the time for. Grímnir may have had a lot in common with Crescent Rose, but the two weapons were different enough that Ruby would be effectively fighting at a novice level until she'd truly grown accustomed to it.

"Hey…" came a voice from the doorway to Ruby's quarters.

Ruby looked up from where she had been staring at her uncle's weapon, and found her sister Yang leaning against the bulkhead.

"Hey Yang," Ruby sighed, trying to smile. "Rough day, huh?"

Yang flexed her arms across her chest.

"It's not over yet…" she said, before nodding at the sword positioned under her sister's bunk. "You thinking about using that for our next mission?"

Ruby bit her lip, torn between putting on a brave face and revealing all the insecurities she was feeling.

"I don't know…" Ruby said. "I know I should, but…I just don't feel…worthy, I guess."

Yang shrugged.

"It's your choice, Ruby," she said flippantly, her mind clearly elsewhere. "Uncle Qrow wouldn't have given it to you if he didn't want you to use it. You know you can always talk to him about it if you're having second thoughts."

Ruby shook her head.

"No…" she sighed. "I'm just nervous, that's all. I mean…what if I'm not very good with it?"

Yang opened and closed her robotic hand, palm raised outward.

"You think that's bad?" she smirked. "Try getting used to one of these."

Ruby's face fell.

"Oh my gosh, Yang!" she said in a nervous tone. "I'm _so_ sorry! I should have been more considerate! I…"

Yang laughed and waved her off.

"Relax, Ruby, I was joking," she snorted. "I just want to make sure your head's in the game. Blake's going to need our support, and you've been running full tilt since before dawn."

Ruby scowled anxiously, turning her eyes back to her uncle's sword.

"I know, Yang…I know…" she muttered. "I can't stop now though. If I think too hard about Dora…or Sun…I-I don't know. I can't afford to choke up right in the middle of an op. Right now, I just want to focus on the mission. Otherwise…"

Ruby swallowed hard, before finally reaching out to clasp the hilt of Grímnir, lifting it up to inspect the blade. She extended her arm, testing the sword's range, before gingerly sliding it into the hilt at her waist, giving her sister a determined look.

"Otherwise, more people may die," she said simply. "And the people we've already lost will have died for nothing."

Yang nodded.

"You're right," she agreed. "Maybe we could get some sparring time in to help you acclimate?"

Ruby rolled her eyes.

" _Where_ though?" she asked. "There's no room on board the airship for any kind of real combat training."

Yang scratched her head.

"Well, I guess you're going to be testing it out in the field then," Yang shrugged. "I wouldn't worry too much though. Didn't uncle Qrow say something about his scythe being _really_ good at killing Grimm or something?"

Lightning flashed across Ruby's eyes and she immediately got to her feet.

"That's it!" Ruby said hurried as she pushed past her sister and out the door of their quarters. "I _knew_ I was forgetting something!"

Yang blinked in surprise as she watched her sister fly past.

"What?" she asked, stupefied. "Was it something I said?"

Ruby didn't answer as she dashed down the corridor towards the main cabin. Yang, utterly confused, simply followed behind her sister as she made her way down past the strategic operations console, and towards the cockpit of the _Aeneid_. The sun had long since set as the airship flew out across the Atlesian sky, and the starts twinkled overhead, visible through the main windshield that stretched out over the main cabin of the ship. And the cockpit, of course, was occupied by one Weiss Schnee, who was currently engaged in probably the most important conference call of her life.

"…That the aforementioned did knowingly and willingly engage in risky business ventures, as outlined in subsection D, counter to the recommendations of this body," a prickly female voice was saying through the static-riddled transmission. "That he did knowingly and willingly sign business contracts with known persona-non-grata - see subsection F - and that the resources acquired in these transactions were used as liquid capital in the business ventures of this body, again counter to the recommendations of this body. That the aforementioned…"

Weiss was staring in blank-eyed silence as the Schnee Dust Company board member read off from a list of grievances levied against her father. The _Aeneid_ was currently set on auto-pilot, the course and readouts visible on the main display panel off the to the side. The main projector screen was occupied by a transmission feed of a long, white boardroom table in a conference room dominated by even more whites, presumably somewhere in the Schnee Dust Company headquarters. The comm buoy system was managing to maintain the connection between the airship and Atlas, but they were still speeding away from the kingdom with all haste, so the connection could not last forever.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out from behind. "There's something I…ohhhh! Right! The meeting…"

As Ruby approached, Weiss glanced back at her, and shook her head, indicating that she was quite busy and wasn't available to converse at the moment. Ruby and Yang shared a helpless glance, before positioning themselves in the cabin chairs behind the pilot and co-pilot seats, just outside Weiss' camera range, to watch the proceedings.

"…That the aforementioned did knowingly and willingly supply this body's clients with assets that were known to be unsafe and/or failed to meet proper company standards of quality," the stiff, rigid looking woman continued. "That the aforementioned did knowingly and willingly furnish key Schnee Dust Company personnel with assets were known to be unsafe and/or failed to meet proper company standards of quality. That the aforementioned-"

Finally, a familiar voice broke in.

"Lady Grimhilde, I believe you've made your point quite clear to this board," Weiss' father said, though his voice was even more riddled with static as Ruby spotted his face on another screen in the bottom corner of Weiss' display. "There is no further point in these theatrics."

The lady in question appeared to be the ringleader of the board's incessant coup against William Schnee. She was thin and wiry, with short graying hair, and eyeglasses that sat so low on her nose that she had no recourse but to look down at everyone she spoke to. She wore a plain black and white dress suit, and Ruby would describe the woman as the most evil looking librarian she had ever laid eyes on. Whoever she was, she did not appear to appreciate the president's interjection.

"Mister Schnee, I still have half a dozen grievances left to cover," she insisted in a voice that oozed snobbishness. "And now it seems that I must add flippant disregard for standard meeting procedure to my list."

The president huffed in disapproval, but ultimately acquiesced.

"Very well," he said. "Proceed."

The woman wasted no time in continuing where she left off. "As I was saying - that the aforementioned…"

"Who is that woman?" Ruby whispered conspiratorially into Weiss' ear from the seat behind her.

"Lady Grimhilde Narcissa," Weiss said under her breath, her lips and indeed her entire face barely moving as she was still being recorded by the teleconferencing camera. "A senior board member for the Schnee Dust Company, and one of the only members of old Mantle's nobility to retain possession of her title. She's been after my father's position for years, and has the political clout she needs to get what she wants. She's got most of the other board members under her thumb, and holds the second greatest number of controlling shares in the company after father himself. If my father is voted off the board, controlling interest falls to her."

Ruby wrinkled her nose as the noble woman continued to read off her list of grievances.

"…That the aforementioned failed to prevent numerous counts of theft of company assets, totaling to several _million_ lien in losses. That the aforementioned…"

Ruby scowled. She did not like the look of this woman one bit.

"What about you and Winter?" she asked Weiss.

"We hold shares, but Grimhilde's been in the company since before my sister and I were even born," Weiss explained. "For father to have devoted any more controlling interest to Winter or I, it would have weakened his own standing even further, and Grimhilde would have seized power long beforehand. As it is, father's had to make far too many concessions to her over the years. I think it's safe to say that she sees this as an opportunity to seize control once and for all."

Ruby winced as she exchanged a look with Yang.

"Is there anything you or Winter can do to stop her?" Yang asked.

Weiss drew in her breath. "I…I don't know…"

Grimhilde seemed to conclude her list of grievances, before turning to address the rest of the board.

"My fellow board members, I believe these findings speak for themselves," she said sternly. "You all agreed with me when I rose objections to President's Schnee's actions these past few months. You've all seen your portfolios in steady decline over the years. Some of you were even unfortunate enough to have been the recipient of the faulty Atlas tech that was so easily compromised by enemy viral infections – and those were the ones among you lucky enough to even _receive_ your allotment of mechanized units."

She turned to face the wall-sized screen where Weiss' father appeared at the end of the conference room.

"It is my understanding that even Director Polendina himself saw fit to annul his agreement with president Schnee," she said pointedly. "If even a man seen unfit to work for the kingdom of Atlas finds confidence in our president lacking, isn't that clear enough sign for you all?"

Ruby could see William's Schnee's face contorting into a scowl in the bottom of the screen.

"Grimhilde…" he gritted his teeth.

Despite the president's scarcely contained rage, there was a murmur of agreement among the other twenty-some board members in the room. The situation did not look too promising for the president of the Schnee Dust Company.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Grimhilde said, a subtle conniving smile on her face. "The time has come to put an end to this folly. Our kingdom is in the midst of a disaster, and you _know_ what that does to our stocks. In the face of such crisis, we can ill afford a leader so clearly incapable of fulfilling his duties as the head of the Schnee Dust Company as president Schnee."

William Schnee's face started growing red with anger.

"Grimhilde…" he seethed. "Choose your next words _very_ carefully…"

The old woman held up her hand.

"I think we've heard quite enough words for the time being, mister President," she declared, before turning to the room. "Members of the board, I call for a vote of no confidence in president Schnee's leadership."

There was a loud uproar amongst the boardroom, with many members raising arguments about tradition, propriety, decorum, and the logistics of changing leadership in the midst of such crisis. To Weiss' despair, the number of board members raising such concerns contributed to less than a third of the room. Ruby and Yang gritted their teeth, watching to see what Weiss would do.

But the Schnee heir apparent – though the title may no longer apply by day's end – remained utterly silent.

"Ladies and gentleman," Grimhilde silenced the crowd with a raised hand. "I will be accepting your votes at this time."

Just like that, an oh-so-convenient pop-up message appeared on Weiss' screen, allowing her to cast her ballot. A simple Yes or No choice was all that was presented to her. Weiss remained stationary for a moment as she stared at the message window in disgust. With a single electronic message, she was being asked to decide the fate of her entire family. Of course, her vote wouldn't count for much at all – Father had a few loyal supporters amongst the board, but too many of the board members supported Grimhilde. Given what she had seen of their reactions, she could point out about two or three members that she was absolutely positive would not abandon her father, but the rest…

Even if she and Winter voted to keep their father in charge, it seemed her grandfather's company was doomed no matter what.

Ruby and Yang looked uneasy as they watched in trepidation.

"What are you going to do, Weiss?" they asked.

Weiss didn't know how to answer. She could hardly speak. She had to stop herself from crying. This wasn't how things were supposed to go! This was all happening too fast! She hadn't been given any time to prepare for this! She had been too busy with her duties as a Huntress to afford her the proper means to make plans for her father's company. And now the board was rushing the decision while she was in the midst of a rescue operation, and Weiss was in no position to do anything!

Just like that, her future was evaporating before her very eyes.

Then a private message window popped up on Weiss' screen. A message from Winter.

 **Do you trust me?**

Weiss glanced through the display and found her sister sitting amongst the board members, surreptitiously texting on her scroll.

"Winter…?" she mouthed curiously.

Then she brought up the computer's keyboard and began typing.

 **Yes.**

Her response was immediate.

 **Then follow my lead. Vote yes.**

Weiss had to stop herself from exclaiming in disbelief. Vote _yes_ on the motion to remove their own father!? What the hell was Winter thinking!?

She glanced behind her at her two teammates, who both seemed equally perplexed by the notion. Without any other recourse, Weiss reached forward to tap one of the two large buttons indicated on her screen.

Grimhilde 's eyes lit up as her scroll beeped in confirmation.

"It seems we have our vote," she smiled in triumph. "The board is almost completely unanimous, mister president. Such a pity. We all had such high hopes for the Schnee family, but rest assured, the Schnee Dust Company will be in good hands."

William had just about turned purple in anger.

"Mark my words, Grimhilde…" he seethed. "I won't forget this."

"Nor will I, I suspect," the old woman smirked haughtily. "With your expulsion from the board, your shares will be liquidated, and controlling interest will be divided proportionally amongst existing shareholders. Congratulations, everyone – you all get a hefty bonus this year!"

There was a tepid murmur of ascent amongst the board, but no one seemed particularly thrilled at the prospect.

"With that, I believe that puts my net interest in the company to a solid thirty-two point eight-seven-nine percent," she said, eyes narrowed wickedly as she consulted her scroll, as if she had not already run the numbers countless times before this meeting. "Well above the next highest members on the board, which makes _me_ the obvious choice. I will be taking charge of this company effective immediately, and I will contact each of you within the next business day regarding updates to your current positions. There's going to be some changes around here."

William Eisenhardt Schnee slumped his head over in defeat. He was sitting up in what appeared to be his bed at home, wearing an ornately woven white silk shirt, a crystal glass filled with amber liquid resting on a table at his bedside. For all that, however, Weiss had never seen him looking more impoverished in his life.

"A moment, please," came Winter's voice.

Weiss' face lit up as Winter Schnee stood at her seat.

Grimhilde did not look as pleased with the interruption.

"Winter Schnee," the old woman said combatively. "You are not even officially a member of this board. You are little more than a representative of the Atlesian military. You are only sitting here by virtue of your family ties."

Winter did not appear ruffled by the attack.

"I still retain an interest in the company," she declared. "And as a shareholder, I have a right to speak on this board."

Grimhilde drew in her breath, clearly not inclined to allow the young woman to have her say. But after glancing around the room, she saw quite a few faces giving her questioning looks. They had supported her in seizing control of a man's company out from under him. But their loyalty might waver if she did not offer at least a modicum of decorum to that man's family.

She cleared her throat.

"Winter Schnee," she said stiffly, consulting her scroll. "Your interest in this company has risen as well, I see, and now rests at twenty-one point two-three-five percent with your father's dissolution. I will take whatever you have to say under advisement. But you would do well not waste this company's time."

Weiss watched with bated breath as Winter stood facing the board, in no way rattled by the numbers Grimhilde was throwing at her. The noble woman had nearly twice as much controlling interest in the company as Winter, and yet the elder Schnee woman stood tall and proud, regardless of her standing.

She was a Schnee. And she would see her grandfather's company safely through to the end.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the board," she said slowly. "Lady Narcissa is correct. We _are_ in need of new leadership."

There was a murmur of confusion amongst the board. Weiss watched as her father's face on the lower part of the screen began to wither as he heard what his eldest daughter had to say. The look of betrayal on his face nearly broke her.

"Winter…" Ruby muttered anxiously.

Winter began pacing about the board room.

"My father inherited this company from his father, the company's founder, and has run things to the best of his ability," she said, making eye contact with each and every board member. "Times were tough, as you know, and political tensions made things even more difficult to say the least. I would like to think that my father made the best decisions he could under the circumstances."

She turned to the main screen where former president Schnee gazed back, and gave him a sad smile.

"But the results unfortunately speak for themselves," she said quietly, before turning to the rest of the board. "It is time for a fresh face. The Schnee Dust Company needs a leader who is capable of adapting to these trying and tumultuous times. One who knows just what it is the world needs from us, and how it can best meet the needs of our members, partners and clients. But most of all…"

She turned to give Grimhilde a determined look.

"The Schnee Dust Company belongs to the Schnee family," she said. "And I will not see its legacy come to an end here today!"

William Schnee was gaping in disbelief now.

"Winter…" he breathed.

The board room seemed stunned by Winter's proposition. Grimhilde, however, was unimpressed by her bravado.

"A stirring speech, miss Schnee," she said stubbornly. "But I'm afraid the facts simply are not on your side. As I have said, you possess only twenty-one point two-three-five percent of the company's interest. I hold the controlling interest at thirty-two point eight-seven-nine percent. And I am not about to step aside to let _you_ assume control just to indulge your family's inflated ego. I must think of the good of the company first."

A few looks of discontent passed amongst the board room, but no one raised an objection.

Winter, for her part, looked unperturbed.

"I was not suggesting that you do, Lady Narcissa," Winter said sweetly. "I am a member of the Atlesian Military, and have no interest in running the Schnee Dust Company. There is another Schnee in the room, however, who would be much better suited for the position than I."

Weiss felt a cold shudder run through her body as pure terror gripped her heart. It took every ounce of her willpower not to shout out in protest. She wanted to jump up out of her seat and run back to her cabin. She wanted to jump out of the ship just to escape the horror of what she was hearing. Just what was Winter planning here!?

"Weiss Schnee?" Grimhilde said with a laugh, not even bothering to glance at the video screen where Weiss' face appeared. "You would suggest I hand the company over to _Weiss Schnee?_ Am I hearing you correctly?"

"Winter…" William breathed in astonishment. "You can't be serious…"

Winter nodded, casting a fond glance towards Weiss through the view screen.

"Weiss has proved her devotion to her family and her kingdom far more times than I have in my entire military career, Lady Narcissa," she said, before turning to the rest of the board. "She has fought and bled for this kingdom, and has only the most steadfast dedication to the Schnee Dust Company. While each of you remained locked away in an underground bunker, Weiss was _out there_ , in the field, fighting off the Grimm with her own hands! Do not doubt her resolve, ladies and gentleman! You may scoff and turn a blind eye, but make no mistake - Weiss Schnee was _born_ to run this company!"

The board members began to exchange worried glances. Grimhilde looked utterly incensed at the idea Winter was putting forward.

Weiss, for her part, was utterly mortified.

"Winter…" she hissed under her breath. "What are you _doing!?_ "

Grimhilde shook her head, casting off the idea as ridiculous.

"Regardless of her qualifications, I'm afraid the point is entirely academic, Miss Schnee," she said, confidently. "Weiss is in possession of even _fewer_ shares in the company than _you_ do. After your father's shares have been divided amongst the board, her interest comes to…"

She typed a few keys into her scroll.

"…Seventeen point four-two-six percent," she said conclusively. "Well below my controlling interest of thirty-two point eight-seven-nine. No, Miss Schnee, I'm afraid the Schnee Dust Company is no longer in the hands of the Schnees. And that will be the final word I'll hear on the matter!"

Winter's lips curved into a smile, and Weiss' terror began to mount exponentially.

"And what would Weiss' interest be if, say, I were to _donate_ my twenty-one point two-three-five percent of the shares to her?"

Utter silence.

Then the board room practically exploded into a furious uproar of protests, indictments, and complaints. No one had ever _donated_ their entire net worth in the history of the company before! It was unprecedented! It was an outrage! But it would also put Weiss' interest _well_ above Grimhilde's.

And as for Weiss…

"Whoa…" Yang said, crossing her arms as she nodded in appreciation. "Damn, Weiss…your sister's impressive!"

Weiss remained utterly petrified, standing completely still as she stared blankly at the screen before her, swallowing hard.

"What does this mean, Weiss?" Ruby asked cautiously. "Does that mean that…you might run the whole _company_ now?"

Weiss opened and closed her mouth slowly, but nothing came out. She was trembling. She had been mentally preparing herself to lose everything. And now it had all simply fallen into her lap.

The boardroom was still utter chaos when Lady Narcissa's voice rose over the cacophony.

"No!" Grimhilde blared angrily. "No, I will _not_ allow this, Miss Schnee! This simply will not do!"

"I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter, Lady Narcissa," Winter said smugly, placing a stack of documents onto the table. "I am well within my limits to make a donation to a fellow board member. My rights as a shareholder are clearly defined in the Schnee Dust Company board member's terms and regulations – a document that _you_ helped put together, I'll remind you."

Grimhilde's eyes widened to saucers. " _What!?_ "

"I will fill out all the necessary paperwork in due course," Winter stood elegantly with her hands on her hips. "But effective immediately, Weiss Schnee holds thirty-eight point six-six-one percent of the company stocks, as well as the controlling interest on this board."

The board room began to quiet as Grimhilde started to look less and less confident in her position.

"She…she's just a child!" the old lady argued. "She doesn't have the necessary experience! She unfit to run this company!"

"She's turning eighteen this year," Winter pointed out. "And if you had bothered to look at her credentials, you'll find that she's more than qualified. She's already an expert in the field of business enterprise, and has acquired much in the way of firsthand experience out in the field."

"But…but she's a Huntress!" Grimhidle protested, her brow tightening as her composure diminished. "When will she have the time to properly run this company!? She does not even have the time to come to this meeting in person! The Schnee Dust Company needs a leader who is _devoted_ to this company!"

"I told you," Winter narrowed her eyes. "Do _not_ doubt my sister's resolve! Her position as a Huntress will only _benefit_ this company! She has seen the world, and knows just how we fit into it! Do _not_ underestimate Weiss' capabilities. She will do right by this company!"

Winter fixed the view screen with a fond smile.

"I know she will," she said.

"Winter…" Weiss exhaled.

Grimhilde's scowl grew and grew, her composure crumbling by the second.

"No!" she blared, glaring furiously, veins throbbing in her forehead. "This is _not_ acceptable! I've wasted forty-seven years of my _life_ on this company, waiting for an opportunity such as this! And I will _not_ allow that opportunity to pass me by like this!"

That got some raised eyebrows from the board, and one by one, they began to shake their heads in disapproval. Lady Grimhilde Narcissa had revealed her true colors, and had stepped over far too many lines to retain the support of her underlings. The entire board room seemed to see the changing winds, and she gaped in disbelief as the shareholders whom she had swayed, harangued and belittled throughout her career all began to turn against her.

Winter remained statuesque in her composure.

"If you cannot abide by the decision of this board room, Lady Narcissa," Winter said in a silky voice, gesturing to the exit. "The door is _that_ way."

In her entire life, Weiss had never seen Grimhilde more incensed. With a huff and a stomp, she stormed out of the boardroom, fists clenched at her side.

The board room was left once again in utter silence.

"Weiss," Winter cleared her throat to break the silence. "Would you like to say a few words to the board room in light of your recent promotion?"

Weiss remained silent, still far too stunned for words.

"Weiss…" Ruby said softly, nudging her shoulder. "Weiss, that's your cue!"

Weiss blinked, before snapping to attention. She'd been practicing this speech her whole life! She had perfectly crafted every word she would say as she assumed control of her grandfather's company! But now that it was actually happening, she found that she could not remember a word of it!

She glanced down at her father's face in the bottom corner of the screen. There were tears in his eyes, and his lower lip was quivering in pride.

"Weiss…" he breathed.

She drew in her breath.

"I…I…" she stammered, looking around at all the faces around her. "Thank you…"

Her posture softened and she clasped her hands together.

"Thank you all!" she said, her voice coming out in a lilting titter. "Your support means so much to me! I _know_ things look bleak for this company right now, and I _know_ that you're all taking a significant risk putting your trust in me…"

She fixed her sister with a look of such utter gratitude that it defied all words.

"But I promise you…" she said sincerely. "I won't betray that trust! We will face this imminent crisis, and together, we will emerge from the other side with our heads held high! No more cutting corners, no more slashed paychecks, and no more empty promises!"

Weiss clenched a determined fist.

"The Schnee Dust Company will prosper, and we will do so with the honor and dignity befitting the Schnee name!" she declared. "I will be asking each of you to work harder than you _ever_ have before, and I will work _just_ as hard myself to ensure the success of this company! For now, and for many, many years to come! Again, thank you all!"

The board room broke into a round of applause as Weiss found herself smiling, tears trickling down her face. None of this was happening the way she'd imagined it. She couldn't have possibly imagined the crisis in which the world found itself the day she took charge. She couldn't have possibly imagined her _sister_ orchestrating such a phenomenal coup on her behalf! And she couldn't have ever imagined the friends she'd make along the way.

It was all happening so fast, and it felt like a miracle that she had somehow managed to stick the landing.

 _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Winter's scroll chirped incessantly, and she stood up, quieting the room with a gesture.

"I'm afraid we must cut this meeting short," Winter said, checking her scroll. "The airship carrying my sister and her Huntsmen team is about to exceed our transmission range. I will coordinate with my sister in the coming days to facility her transition into her new role. For now, I thank you all for coming, and pray that you all stay safe in these perilous times ahead."

The board members began to stand and file out of the conference hall. Turning her head to face the screen, Winter transferred the conference call to her scroll. The boardroom disappeared from Weiss's screen, leaving only the two sisters and their father in the conversation.

"Weiss…" William breathed in disbelief. "Is this… _truly_ what you want?"

Weiss nodded fervently, adrenaline coursing through her veins from being put on the spot so suddenly.

"It is, father…" she said. "It is."

William threw his arms up in submission.

"And I suppose this was Winter's plan all along then?" he guffawed.

Winter cleared her throat.

"There may have been some improvising thrown in," she admitted.

William let out another laugh.

"Weiss…" William said in a tremulous voice. "I…I want you to know that…I have faith in you, dear. I know you'll do well, whatever you set your mind to. I am sorry to have left my company in such a state, but under the circumstances, there's no one I'd rather leave this company to than you."

Tears streamed down Weiss cheeks as she smiled blissfully.

"Thank you, father…" she stammered. "You…you don't know how much that means to me…"

Weiss blinked through the tears at her father's smile. It seemed that for the first time in her life, he was finally seeing the real her. And the person that she knew he was seeing was not, in fact, the loneliest of all.

"Father, we're short on time," Winter warned. "Weiss is nearly beyond our range."

William nodded and smiled at his youngest daughter, touching his fingers to his lips before pressing them to the view screen.

"Safe travels, my dear," he said. "I love you so much."

Weiss touched her fingers to the screen.

"I love you too…"

Ruby and Yang tried not to squeal in delight as Weiss' father shut off the connection, leaving Weiss and Winter alone to converse.

"Well, good luck out there, Weiss," she said with a relieved sigh. "There will be plenty of work for you here when you get back."

Weiss wiped a tear from her eye.

"Winter…" she gasped. "I…I don't know what to say…"

Winter shook her head.

"Earn this, Weiss," she said. "You've shown to me how much you've longed to restore this company to its former glory. Now's your chance to prove it."

Weiss nodded. "I…I don't even know where to begin…"

Winter sighed. "It isn't going to be easy. Grimhilde won't forget this, and she's not one to quickly forgive."

"I know," Weiss said mirthfully. "Still…what you did for me back there…"

"I only did what was best for my sister, as well as the rest of my family," Winter said fondly, before clearing her throat. "Now then, I've got lots to do on my end here, and you've got a mission to focus on. Message me as soon as you're in range again. I'll rejoin you when I can."

Weiss nodded. "Will do."

The connection began to get fuzzier by the second as they stretched the limits of the comm buoys until they were nearly out of range.

"Stay safe out there…" Winter smiled almost playfully. "… _Madam president_."

Weiss's eyes widened as the transmission finally cut, leaving the three girls staring at a blank view port looking out across the horizon, the night sky filled with stars. Silence pervaded the cockpit as Weiss stared blankly ahead, as she and her teammates slowly absorbed what had just transpired.

"Wow…" Ruby breathed. "Did that…did that really just _happen!?_ "

"I…I think it just did…" Yang exhaled.

Weiss was still silent. She sat with hands on her knees, staring at the blinking lights on the console indicating that the auto-pilot was still running smoothly, making a beeline towards Menagerie.

"Weiss…" Ruby said softly. "You and Winter did it! You saved your family's company!"

Weiss turned her head to look at Ruby, her face still looking somewhat pale.

"Yeah…" she whispered. "I…I suppose we did, didn't we?"

"You okay, Weiss?" Yang asked maternally. "You look like you're about to have a panic attack."

Weiss shuddered and blinked her eyes several times.

"Who, me?" she asked blithely. "Panic? No, why would you think that? It's just my family's _entire_ legacy that I've been placed in charge of! Nothing to panic about…"

Ruby and Yang both rose from their chairs to crowd around their teammate.

"You can do it, Weiss!" Ruby said confidently. "If anyone can do it, you can."

Weiss gave her partner a suspicious look. "And what in the world makes you so sure of _that?_ "

"Dude!" Yang exclaimed, giving Weiss an incredulous look. "That speech you just gave? That was phenomenal! You're a shoe-in, Weiss! I mean… _madam president_."

Weiss' cheeks flared red. "Sh-shut up! Don't call me that already! This is all just too much for me to deal with right now!"

"Sorry Weiss," Ruby said meekly. "We're just trying to be supportive. Don't be angry."

Weiss rested her head in her hands.

"I'm not angry, I'm just…" she sighed, before looking at the other two girls. "What are you two even doing up here? Don't you have better things to worry about right now? Like preparing for the mission?"

Yang tapped Ruby on the shoulder.

"Hey, yeah," she said in recollection. "You ran out here so fast, I didn't get a chance to pick your brain about it. Why _are_ we up here?"

Ruby blinked in surprise, before her eyes lit up.

"Oh!" she said. "That's right! I needed to ask you something, Weiss."

Weiss let out a prolonged sigh.

"Good," she said. "Anything to take my mind off the hell-storm I'm about to face when I get back to Atlas."

Ruby winced.

"Ooh…" she said sympathetically. "Well, uh…remember what you told Professor Jasmine? About all the different myths behind the silver eyed warriors?"

Weiss nodded, eyes closed as she massaged her temples.

"Yeah…" she said. "I spent about twelve hours in the library looking all that stuff up, by the way."

Ruby nodded apologetically.

"Yes…" she said. "And I appreciate all that. But what were the warriors called again? You mentioned a bunch of names before."

Weiss opened one eye. "Argentine Warriors? Gintama?"

Ruby shook her head. "No, no…the other one…"

Weiss opened both eyes fully.

"Grimmslayers?"

Ruby snapped her fingers.

"Grimmslayers!" she exclaimed. "That's the word my uncle used when he talked about his sword!"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "His sword?"

Ruby drew the ancient weapon at her hip.

"Grímnir," Ruby said. "Uncle Qrow said it was passed down through his family through generations. It's supposed to be incredibly effective against creatures of Grimm. And he said it was a type of ancient weapon called a _Grimmslayer_."

Weiss narrowed her eyes as she inspected the ancient blade. For being such an old weapon, it was surprisingly modern in its design. She didn't recognize its patterns from any of the known eras.

Was it possible that it dated back to _before_ any modern records? There were some theories that the technology of old was more advanced than anything the world of Remnant had ever seen, but…was it possible that they were actually looking at a piece of physical _evidence_ of this?

Her eyes widened as her mind raced.

"Your uncle…" she said slowly. "Did he say anything about this sword using dust at all?"

Ruby scratched her head, but Yang nodded.

"Yeah!" she said. "He said it was forged with silver dust, didn't he Ruby?"

Ruby nodded slowly. "Yeah…I think that was it. I've never even _heard_ of silver dust before, but…"

The two girls glanced back at Weiss, whose eyes were widening into pale spheres.

"Weiss…?" Ruby asked warily. "Are you alright?"

The newly minted president of the Schnee dust company shook her head, snapping out of her reverie.

"It…may be nothing…" she said. "Just some theory that scholars have bandied about over the years."

Yang shrugged. "That didn't look like nothing, Weiss. What's up?"

"Well…" Weiss mused. "Think back to what they taught in dust class. Where does dust come from?"

Ruby scratched her head. "Ummm…crystals?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes. And where do the _crystals_ come from?"

"Uhh…underground?" Yang said blithely.

Weiss shook her head impatiently.

" _Yes_ , but how do they _get_ underground in the first place?" she asked. "That's what nobody knows!"

Ruby wrinkled her brow.

"Don't they just…grow there?" she asked.

"Yes, but you can't grow something from nothing," Weiss insisted. "Even normal crystals have a chemical component. So what chemical catalyst is it that gives dust its unique power?"

Yang shrugged, rolling her eyes, clearly not interested in puzzles.

"I don't know, Weiss," she said in a bored tone. "What chemical catalyst _does_ give dust its unique power?"

Weiss fixed her fellow Huntresses with a troubled look.

"Well…" she said. "Nobody knows for sure…but _some_ scientists have theorized that they grow from deposits of ancient organic matter."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "So…dead plants and animals?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes. Most dust deposits seem to originate around centers where there has been evidence of large pockets of ancient life. Long ago, these populations died off, and were buried underground by the natural shifting of the earth. Either extremely dense woodlands, massive herds of animals, and even ancient human civilizations."

Yang shrugged. "Okay, so…old dead things help create dust. So?"

Weiss sighed impatiently.

"Guys," she said. "What do _all_ living things have in common? Plants, animals, even people?"

Ruby's eyes suddenly flickered as she realized what Weiss was driving at.

"Aura."

"Exactly!" Weiss said, as she drew Mrytlenaster and gestured to its dust cartridges. "Dust deposits tend towards various elemental properties aligning to a certain color. Some of the colors seem to come out somewhat arbitrary, but many align to what we would think of as traditional shades of aura. Red for fire, blue for ice, yellow for time, black for polarity…"

Ruby lifted Grímnir up in her hands.

"So…where does silver dust come from?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Weiss stared long and hard at Ruby as the cockpit's occupants sat deathly still.

"You already know the answer to that, Ruby," Weiss said evenly.

Yang's eyes slowly began to widen as she finally caught up to what the other two were saying.

"Holy shit…" she breathed, staring at Grímnir with newfound dread. " _That's_ why these weapons are so good at killing Grimm! They're forged from the fossilized remains of silver eyed warriors! Your ancestors, Ruby! _That's_ why they were called Grimmslayers!"

Ruby was still staring at her uncle's weapon in awe, wondering if her uncle knew any of this.

"Is it possible…?" she exhaled in a tiny voice.

"Well…this _is_ just a theory, remember," Weiss pointed out nervously. "We don't know for sure whether this is the case or not…"

Yang nodded slowly.

"Yeah…" she breathed. "Still…shit…"

Ruby gazed up at the blade in newfound appreciation. This was her uncle's legacy. Her _mother's_ legacy. If her ancestors had fought and died in order to forge this weapon, who was she to reject it? Setting her jaw, she slowly re-sheathed the sword in the holster at her back.

"It doesn't matter what it was made from," she said in a stern voice. "This is my uncle's sword. And I'll carry it into battle either way. Besides, if there's any truth to this theory, then it'll make me _that_ much more effective against the Grimm."

Yang pursed her lip nervously. "Well…as long as you're sure, Ruby…"

Weiss re-sheathed her weapon as well.

"Ruby's right," she said. "We use dust for almost everything these days. If it's true for silver dust, then it's true for all other forms of dust too. Every time we fire a dust round, start up an engine, or so much as turn on a _light switch_ , we could very well be burning the fossilized auras of Huntsmen long past. But we can't cut out the use of dust in our lives and still do our jobs as Huntresses. It's just not feasible."

Yang glanced at her Ember Celica, inspecting the dust rounds loaded into their chambers.

"Still…the thought that you might be fighting with the remains of someone's great-great-great-great grand parents…"

"It would be many, _many_ more greats than that," Weiss pointed out.

"I said it doesn't matter," Ruby said bluntly. "We've still got a mission to do. Weiss, what's the ETA to Menagerie?"

Weiss glanced at the auto-pilot. "Another six hours or so. Blake can't be too much farther ahead of us in that bullhead. She won't be able to push the engines too hard and still have enough fuel to get her all the way there."

Ruby nodded. "Menagerie's four time zones ahead of Atlas. It'll be dawn by the time we get there. We should get some sleep."

"If I go to sleep, who's going to fly the ship?" Weiss shook her head. "Besides, I don't think I'll be falling asleep anytime soon. Not after what's happened today."

Yang nodded sullenly, scratching her head. "Me neither. I'm too worried about Blake. I don't think I could sleep right now if I _tried_."

Ruby let out a breath. She didn't want to sleep either. Memories of Dora's life being snuffed out…of Sun's unmoving body laying beneath a ghostly white sheet…

These images would haunt Ruby for the rest of her life.

"I guess we're _all_ staying up then," Ruby said helplessly. "Hope there's coffee on board."

The three girls continued to sit together in the cockpit of the airship. They had been fighting for their lives scant hours ago, and would be doing so again before too long. They had lost friends, loved ones, and the fate of so many more still rested on them all. Blake, Pyrrha, and everyone they had left behind. There was no guarantee that they would still be alive when Ruby and her friends found them again.

The three of them were exhausted, and yet none of them were inclined to go to their bunk. Weiss was not about to leave her post, and Ruby and Yang were loathe to leave her by herself at the helm, not after what she'd just been saddled with. And so the three girls remained, keeping each other company, offering each other comfort, talking about nothing in particular, all in a hopeless bid to keep each other awake. And more importantly, to keep the nightmares away.

By the time Qrow wandered in, he was greeted by the sight of all three girls nestled together for warmth. Ruby and Yang were quietly dozing, but Weiss seemed alert still by some feat of willpower.

"Hey…" the Wizard said as he wandered over. "I think I've got this ship's engine more or less figured out. Want me to take over so you can catch few winks?"

Weiss turned her head as if to identify where the voice had come from, before fixing Qrow with a perplexed look.

"You can fly an airship?" she asked.

He put on a devilish smirk. "You'd be surprised what I can do, kid."

Weiss shook her head, her eyes somewhat unfocused.

"No, I better not," she said, slowly turning her eyes up to observe the older man. "But…thanks for the offer."

Qrow sat down in the last empty seat behind the pilot's chair, crossing his arms.

"Just wish I could do more," he said. "I can't speed this ship up anymore than I already have."

Weiss checked the ship's odometer.

"I wondered why we were making such good time," she said with a light laugh.

Qrow wasn't smiling.

"You three have been through hell," he said staunchly. "And no offense little lady, but you kind of _look_ it too."

Weiss did not rise to the baiting.

"No choice," she said simply. "We don't have time to rest. Our teammate needs us. And knowing her, she's not planning on stopping anytime soon."

Qrow pursed his lips.

"Actually…" he mused, "There is _one_ thing I could do to help you all out…"

Weiss blinked and watched as he waved his hand over Ruby and Yang's head. All at once, they seemed to grow stiller and quieter, and for a moment, Weiss was concerned that they might not be breathing.

"What did you do?" she asked, blinking sleep from her eyes.

"I may not be able to speed up time for this ship," he explained. "But I can slow it down for these two. They'll wake up in two hours, feeling like they've slept for eight."

Weiss blinked, suddenly remembering that she was in the presence of a being with spectacular power.

"Huh…" she muttered, too bleary-eyed to think of anything more clever to say. "That's a neat trick."

"If you want," Qrow said kindly, "I could do the same for you. I'll keep an eye on the ship while you rest. You three need to be on top of your game if you're really planning to hit Menagerie."

Weiss considered. She was growing more and more tired by the moment. She had used a lot of aura during that last battle, and her body was craving sleep. She may not have had a very favorable opinion of Ruby's uncle, but for now at least, he seemed like a godsend.

"Very well…" she said, giving him a leery look. "I'll trust you for now…"

Qrow snorted good naturedly. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

He cast his spell over Weiss as she slowly drifted off to sleep. The time dilation not only slowed time for whoever was within, but it also happened to be conducive to restful slumber, ensuring that none of them would wake before they were ready. Fetching a couple of blankets from the main hold, the old man draped them across the three girls as they dozed in their seats, before settling down into the last remaining chair.

"The calm before the storm, huh?" he muttered to himself as he watched the stars flicker by overhead.

He glanced towards his two nieces, eyes narrowing as he studied Yang's mechanic arm. It had evolved substantially since she had first upgraded, the young woman turning her body ever more into a machine of war.

And unless his eyes deceived him, he spied the familiar haft of Grímnir sitting besides Ruby's chair.

"Gods, Raven…" Qrow lamented absently. "What have we turned these kids into?"

He continued to stare out the windshield of the _Aeneid_ as the night sky passed by overhead. His eyes glanced at the odometer, watching the ETA timer slowly click downward. Two hours and forty minutes left to go.

"I hate long waits…" he said, reaching up to draw on the strings of time.

He had been getting better and better with the Wizard's power lately. Though he couldn't speed up time for anyone other than himself for very long, sometimes, that was good enough.

The planet turned on its axis. The ground passed below them. The sun began to rise in the sky. The girls began to wake. The ETA timer now had about five minutes left on it. To Ruby and her team, it had felt like a full night's slumber. And to Qrow, it had felt like a matter of moments.

Time was all relative to the Wizard.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?"

Qrow smiled before glancing out the window as the first signs of land became visible down below.

"It's time to wake up," he said. "We're almost there."

Ruby got out of her seat, and Yang and Weiss both slowly followed her lead. As the Huntresses peered out the window at the foreign land stretching out beneath them, the White Fortress slowly came into view.

The White Fang had situated itself in one of the more intact ruins from days long ago. As Raven had so eloquently put it, Menagerie was a land of rich history and more war than any other land in Remnant. The White Fortress was just that – an ancient castle from days long past. Positioned atop a mountainous ridge, and bordered by a sandstone wall, the white castle stood tall and prominent. Four massive towers sprung up at each corner, though two of them were mostly collapsed. Still, for all the wear of time it had sustained, the fortress was immense, even by Atlas' standards.

In the early days of the White Fang before they militarized, they would have had no use for such a stronghold. Now, it only made sense that the terrorist group would scavenge what they could from wars long past.

"That's the White Fortress?" Ruby asked in trepidation.

Qrow nodded. "Yeah. It may not look like much, but don't let it fool you. The White Fang are entrenched. As long as they hold that castle, there won't be any stopping them. They've got food and supplies to last them the rest of the year, and now they've got enough weapons to mobilize against the entire kingdom of Atlas if they have a smart enough leader."

Yang gritted her teeth as she sized up the enemy stronghold. "Seems like something a small team like ours could easily infiltrate."

Weiss nodded. "Let's find a place to land out of sight. We don't want to attract attention."

Ruby pursed her lips. Something wasn't sitting right with her.

"Uncle Qrow…" she said slowly. "Be honest…this is about _more_ than just the White Fang, isn't it? That's why you wanted me and Yang here. This has something to do with what Aunt Raven found, doesn't it?"

Qrow nodded. "Yes and no. The two are related."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "The hell does that mean? Did you find that pool my mom was talking about or not?"

"Let's just worry about capturing the fortress first," Qrow said, a little too curtly. "We can worry about what Raven found later."

Weiss gave her two teammates an odd look, not fully understanding what they were getting at. She would have made a more in-depth inquiry, but at the moment, she was concentrating on keeping the _Aeneid_ out of sight of the White Fortress. Even from this distance, she could make out the tiny dots of distant armed militiamen patrolling the battlements of the castle.

"I wonder if Blake's here yet…" she asked out loud.

Yang pursed her lips. "Knowing her style, she'll lie in wait. She'll probably try to infiltrate undetected, and move under the cover of night…"

No sooner had the words left her mouth, when one of the castle's remaining towers suddenly burst into flame.

BOOM!

The entire mid-morning sky lit up like a torch as a good portion of the castle erupted into smoldering timbers and burning rubble. The burning wreckage of what had _used_ to be a Bullhead could be seen tumbling down the ridge, leaving a blazing trail of smoldering shrapnel in its wake.

Yang and Ruby exchanged a troubled glance.

"… _Or_ she might just make a blindingly obvious attack in the middle of broad daylight!" Yang rolled her eyes.

Ruby nodded.

"Time's up, everyone," she said. "Let's move."


	124. Chapter 124

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 124

* * *

It was with single-minded purpose and antithetical detachment that Blake guided her craft towards the White Fortress.

She had been born in Menagerie, and knew the ancient castle well. It was part of the landscape, a relic from history, and a well-known landmark. She had run across its ramparts and through its tunnels as a child, pretending she was a Huntress or one of the storybook heroes in the books she used to read. Those had been the days before all the violence, when all the White Fang had been was a group of peaceful protesters. The days when she still believed in all that they stood for.

Now the White Fang had become something atrocious, something that destroyed the peace and solidarity that it had once sought to achieve. And what made it all the more frightening was the effectiveness and reach that had come with this change. Power had come at the cost of fear. And no matter how far Blake had run, the White Fang always seemed to find her.

It was time to stop running. She would face her past. She would face the White Fang. And she would face Adam.

Adam…

Blake checked her fuel gauge. It was running dangerously low. Bullheads were simply not meant for transcontinental flight. She had managed to boost her fuel reserves, but that had only taken her so far. The White Fortress was just up ahead, however. She would have barely enough to make it there.

A hailing signal squawked on the ship's transmitter, but she stifled it. She did not have either the time nor the focus to try to stall her enemy over the comm channels. All that mattered was that the White Fang clearly saw her approach.

She was counting on it.

Taking up room in the main cabin of the bullhead were several canisters of refined dust. The extra fuel had been useful in making the journey overseas, however the majority of it was meant for another purpose entirely.

Blake watched as the first wave of surface-to-air-missiles sailed towards her craft. The fact that she was in an Atlesian airship, as well as her radio silence, must have prompted the White Fang to assume the worst. A smart move on their part. But also exactly as planned.

Blake nudged the control yokes ever so slightly to the left, changing her course and accelerating, causing the missiles to sail past her, before sweeping around to come at her bullhead from behind. Piloting skills were merely one among many of the skills she had picked up on during her time in the White Fang. She doubted any of her friends knew she could fly an airship, but the flight path Blake had in mind was not complicated. She maneuvered the ship closer and closer to the White Fortress, before taking the ship on a collision course for one of the two remaining towers on its ramparts.

She could recall standing atop that very same tower as a young girl, feeling the breeze in her hair and watching the sunset with her childhood friends.

A childhood that would never come again.

She locked the controls in place and rose from the pilot's chair. She turned and made her way to the back of the ship, before throwing open the doors, the wind whipping at her hair and clothes. She leaped from the aircraft, leaving the bullhead on its collision course, with the two missiles on its tail. Below her, Blake could see the mountainous ridge lining the edge of the castle. It was deep, rocky and craggy, the perfect place to disappear.

As she descended towards the ground below, wind whipping past her face, she could feel the heat from the explosion behind her as the bullhead impacted against the castle, the surface-to-air missiles only adding to the fury of the explosion as the tower erupted into flame. As the ground drew nearer, Blake lashed out with both swords, flinging them in either direction, skewering the rocky terrain to her left and right, yanking her towards the ground even faster, away from the explosion. As she neared the ravine, both her mono-filament wires drew taut, and swung along their point of contact, slowly arching in a wide parabola, the acceleration nearing causing her to black out, the strain on her arms nearly yanking them out of their sockets.

As her swords came loose from the rocky wall, Blake's downward momentum had been directed back up towards the castle. Like a massive slingshot, she rocketed towards the wall, shadow-stepping at just the right moment, allowing her to run up across its surface. Up she went, dashing like a shadow until she reached the stone wall's precipice, sailing over the ramparts.

The startled White Fang guard she encountered at the top didn't even know what hit him.

BAM!

One blow to the side of the head with the pommel of her sword, and the guard was out like a light. Before the other two guards to his left and right turned to see what the commotion was about, Blake had already disappeared over the other side of the wall.

Casting her swords across the courtyard, she swiftly traversed through the air to the inner wall. The scurrying forces down below were too busy rushing towards the burning tower to pay the deadly shadow above any heed. However, once she crested the top of the inner wall, three White Fang guards positioned atop the wall spotted her as she landed in a crouch along the guardrail.

"Hey!" one cried. "You there!"

Blake didn't spare the guards a moment's hesitation. She dashed forward and passed them, past one of the inner parapets where she and Adam used to hide as children.

"Intruder!" another guard called. "We have an intruder! This way!"

It was too late. She was already well past the guards. She knew inner cracks and crevices of this place better than they ever would. She used to hide in these nooks for hours, much to the chagrin of her family. There was only one other who knew them better, and that was the very man she sought to find.

Creeping and crawling her way through ancient passages and long defunct aqueducts, Blake skirted past rushing guards. As she glanced at the faces of the troops hurrying by, she saw trainees and cadets for the most part, Faunus who had probably seen real combat in their whole lives. Young faces, hungry for vengeance against the humans, their appetites whetted by Adam's promises of honor and glory. Kids who had no business being on the battlefield, conscripted to be cannon fodder in Adam's foolhardy move against Atlas. His unquenchable thirst for blood, their eagerness to prove themselves and do right by their families, it all came together in one perfect storm of bloodshed that would only spell the doom of Remnant in the wake of the Grimm.

Blake had to end this all. Right here, right now.

Squeezing through an iron grating, Blake passed by stockpiles of munitions, guns and ammunition by the crate load. For a moment, she debated the merits of sabotaging these stockpiles, but for all she knew, what she was seeing was a mere drop in the bucket. And besides, spending too much time here would distract from her overarching goal.

She had but one purpose now - to find Adam. And if she knew him as well as she thought she did, she had a fairly good idea where he'd be.

One last door between her and the inner sanctum. A long passageway circumnavigated the inner wall, but only the one door within the inner wall led to the central tower at the epicenter of the fortress. The sanctum had once belonged to the ancient rulers of Menagerie, and had been their private recluse, where they had sealed themselves away, cut off from their subjects and from all the world. Probably one of the many reasons why they no longer ruled here.

The cobblestones were cold and damp to the touch, the age-old mortar lined with moss and grime, but still Blake lay still as she waited for the sounds of footsteps to diminish. Once the guard patrol had vanished down the passageway, she crawled through the damp stones and dropped down from the tiny crevice between the age-old rocks where she had been hiding.

She landed without a sound, before tip-toeing towards the massive wooden door. It was locked of course. She would have to do a bit of lock-picking to get through it. Though this was hardly beyond her purview, doing so silently was not the easiest task, and not one that could be completed with haste. It would not be long before another guard patrol would be by, and she had precious little time before Adam would wise to her approach. Stealth and surprise were her best tools, and she needed to make as much use of them as she could.

However, desperate times called for desperate measures. So she went to work, fumbling with the modern mechanism that barricaded the door, an anachronistic accentuation to the ancient relic within which they lay. She had to jerk and fumble as the clock ticked ever downward, until finally the latch slid out of place.

CRRRNK!

The rusty hinges creaked loudly as she slid the door open. No amount of finesse would have spared her the noise that echoed down the hallway to either side. However, as her eyes fell on the second steel barred barricade between her and her target, her heart suddenly fell.

"Down here!" came an angry voice from down the hallway. "Stop her!"

Blake bared her teeth. A second door, also locked. This had not been here when she had last visited the White Fortress. Now her position was revealed, and she had no time left for stealth.

She faced off against six armed guards, each one wearing the mask of the White Fang. They carried swords and spears. Some had antlers, others animal ears. All of them were her brothers in arms.

"Traitor!" one of them shouted as they leveled a spear at her. "You're a spy for Atlas, aren't you!?"

Blake said nothing. Her eyes were studying her surroundings. The passageway was wide, made for sizable patrols. More than twenty feet separated the walls and the floor from the roof. The six guards before her were spread out too far for her to reach with a single strike. If she had been the same girl she'd been on her first day at Beacon, this situation might have been unwinnable for her.

However, Blake had grown _so_ much since then.

KSSSHHH!

One of her smoke bombs fell from her sleeve, spewing noxious gas into the air. Her mask came up as Blake darted forward as the guards raised their weapons, watching in terror as the cat girl seemed to disappear before their eyes.

The guards turned this way and that, raising their weapons as they coughed and hacked at the fumes, several of them nearly swinging at each other as they writhed in confusion. Terror clutched at their hearts as uncertainty gripped them. Clearly the prospect of fighting a fellow Faunus unnerved them. And it was clear from their reaction that no one among them had ever had to experience the harsh fumes of Atlesian riot police. Blake had long since gotten used to sting in her eyes, but the rookie cadets reeled in shock at the assault on their senses.

Blake's shadow step carried her to the center of the room, before her swords came loose in her hands. Her mono-filament wires extending, she lashed her weapons outwards in a wide circular arc, spiraling outward in a dazzling array, too fast for the naked eye to even see. With a few quick strikes, she had felled the lot of them, the cable spools on her hips retracting to reel in her swords back to her hands, where she stood calmly at the center of the room. As the smoke began to clear, only bodies littered the floor. She had been careful with her strikes. Their wounds were superficial enough to be treated with adequate care. Should they be fortunate enough to receive it.

No matter. Blake had other concerns.

"What was that?" came another loud voice from the hallway.

"Over there!" came another.

Blake gritted her teeth. She had wasted too much time on dealing with Adam's cannon fodder. She didn't have time to spend hacking through trainees and cadets. There was only one route open to her, but it was not a route she was terribly fond of.

Shadow stepping into a small adjacent room, she sealed the door behind her, before staring down at a wooden trapdoor at her feet. The room had once been a water closet in days of yore. Years of decay had long since dried up any lingering odors, but that was not what gave Blake pause.

Reaching for the trapdoor, she yanked the small square block out of the ground, and stared down at the wide empty expanse beneath her feet.

This was what kept the White Fortress so secure for so many years. The steep walls of the ravine outside its borders merely kept marauding hordes at bay. But it was within the inner walls where the true terror lay. For the castle had been erected around a deep, dark crevasse that went _deep_ into the belly of the earth. Shaped by the flow of wind and rain, spires of rock jutted out from the crevasse, like jagged spikes of stone, a naturally formed death trap for any so unlucky as to fall. And like a monolith at the center, one single solitary spire rose larger than the rest out from the epicenter, upon which the inner sanctum had been erected. The inner wall surrounded the spire, only a single draw bridge to cross the fifty-foot distance between the inner sanctum and the outside world.

Over the years, parts of the inner walls had crumbled away to plummet into the depths of the crevasse. This latrine, which had forgone the need for plumbing by discarding all of its refuse into the unending pit below, now offered passage not only to the empty pit below but to the bridge leading to the inner sanctum.

Blake just needed to climb upside down across about twenty feet of crumbling overhanging stone over a nearly bottomless pit to get there.

She could recall vividly how Adam used to dare her to make the climb when they were younger. She had tried many times, using Gambol Shroud as a lifeline. In the end, she had never been able to make it. And Adam had only laughed as she cowered in fear.

Not this time.

Jin soared downward into the dark abyss, and Cassius soon followed after. They both swung upward into the rocky outcropping below, hidden from view. Blake tugged the mono-filament tethers on her swords, checking them for purchase. They felt solid, but that was a duplicitous thing in such an ancient structure.

She swallowed hard. Her enemy sealed within the sanctum. This was her only way through. There was nothing for it now but to take the leap of faith.

Blake steeled herself and plunged into the darkness, slowly reeling in her cables as she fell, allowing the centrifugal force to pull her at an angle. Darkness enveloped her as she passed underneath the inner wall, deadly spire passing left and right. Gauging her arc by sense of touch, she swung through the gut-wrenching darkness, silent wind whipping past her hair, her heart encased in ice, expecting at any moment for her lifeline to snap.

She reached the pivot point on her swing, and she could see the first signs of daylight overhead, masked by the long narrow archway of the bridge connecting the inner wall from the sanctum. The cavernous outcropping under which she traversed was jagged and rocky as she swung past many other tiny spires jutting out from the darkness below. Slowly, she continued to winch herself up along her cable as her momentum carried her forward, gravity straining against her as she swung back upwards towards her destination.

SNAP!

Blake's stomach lurched as her swords suddenly came loose from the outcropping! All at once, she began to fall, and in a single moment, death was staring her in the face.

Instinct took over. She retracted her sword tethers as fast as she could, before sending her weapons sailing outwards once again in a desperate bid for purchase. With barely any frame of reference, she was flailing blindly as she fell, her whole body thrashing all but uselessly as she tumbled end over end.

By some miracle, one of the two carbon nano-filament blades managed to snag a hold of one of the support struts of the causeway, and Blake's fall broke with a lurch. With a grunt of pain, she found herself hanging by a thread, staring down at the endless abyss below her, her heart thudding in her chest. The hair on her neck was standing on end, and her pupils were dilated to fine points.

Still she reeled herself up along the mono-filament tether, dragging herself out of the abyss, before flinging herself end over end to land atop the bridge, shuddering as she found herself on solid ground once again. She fell to one knee, gasping for breath as adrenaline coursed through her body, her whole body shivering.

She was alive.

But as she looked up, there she saw him. Adam Taurus was standing before her on the bridge, blocking her path.

Blake's heart was in her throat. She was still trembling from the near-death experience. She had risked life and limb to get here. She knew that she had come here to face him one last time, but now that he was standing before her…

Adam smiled.

"Hello Blake…" he said in a low tone of voice, his metallic voice grainy and strained. "An impressive display. I knew you'd find your way here eventually, but I never thought you'd make it this far in so little time…"

Blake stared unblinkingly at him. His artificial skin still perfectly captured the malice on his face, the corded muscle and sinew of his form recreated almost perfectly from steel. The arm she had severed in their last fight had already been replaced – a crude and mechanical thing, seemingly jury rigged from an Atlesian Knight. It was a poor substitute for the original, but it was suitable enough, it seemed, to hold his new weapon.

"This sword belonged to our ancestors," he said, raising the ancient katana before him as he stared down his opponent. "It was used by great rulers throughout the generations to slay the enemies of the Faunus. It's been locked away for centuries in the inner sanctum of the White Fortress, but now it's ready to slay our foes once again."

As before, Blake said nothing in response. She was too busy eyeing her surroundings, trying to figure out how to gain some kind of edge. Adam was a dangerous foe, and that sword would make him all the more so. It was colored a deep, faded red, its leather and wooden scabbard still standing against the test of time. She could not see how sharp its blade was, but Faunus craftsmanship was second to none, and Blake had no reason to suspect that it was not just as deadly as Wilt and Blush had been.

If she were to have any hope of taking him down as he was now, Blake would need to use the terrain against him. This was a precarious position they found themselves in, standing atop a causeway overlooking an unending precipice of spires. Adam could have waited for her within the inner sanctum, but had instead decided to meet her out on the bridge, where there was limited footing. He had chosen this spot specifically to keep her from escaping, the door behind her still sealed shut, and the way she had come far too precarious to attempt a retreat. But this was a decision that she could ultimately exploit.

Measuring the distance between the two of them, Blake counted the number of paces it would take to reach him, how much room either of them had to move, and how much they each had to fall back on. The bridge was long and narrow, perhaps ten feet at its widest point. Suspension cables stretched out over top and from the bottom along either end, connecting it to the inner wall and to the sanctum.

And at the middle, perched atop one of the long, jutting spires coming up from the abyss, the fifty-foot bridge came to a halfway point, a tall narrow archway carved into the rock, allowing passage through. At one point, the arch had been carved into ornate depictions of famous battles long past. But now the relief had been weathered by time, and the archway simply served as another threshold. On one side, Blake stood. On the other side, Adam.

"How many of our kinsmen have you hurt in order to get here?" Adam demanded coldly. "These initiates will fight and die for our cause, Blake. But instead of facing our enemies, instead they find one of their own attacking them without mercy."

Blake's eyes were ice cold as she stared back at him, anger welling in her heart.

"You crossed that line long ago, Adam," she seethed. "I'm simply following your example."

Adam stared back at her. His mask was nowhere to be found. A scar ran down his face where she had cut him last, his cyborg face otherwise cold and unfeeling. All that remained of his former self were a menacing set of horns protruding from his scalp, and a pair of blood red eyes that glared back at her.

"Killing humans isn't the same as killing your own people!" he bared his teeth. "What about that don't you get, Blake? Have you turned your back on your own kind completely!?"

Blake's eyes narrowed as fury overtook her.

"What about Sun Wukong!?" she blared angrily, swords clutched in either hand. "He was one of us too, you hypocrite! A Faunus, just like all those kids back there who follow you! But that didn't stop you from _killing_ him!"

Adam slowly shook his head. "He was an obstacle, Blake. Just as you are."

Blake's fury boiled within her veins. Tears threatened to burst from her eyes as wave after wave of emotion battered at the floodgates of her heart. How had the man she used to love become such a lost cause? Was he so incapable of seeing what a monster he had become? Anger and pity coalesced into single whole, until it was like she was finally seeing Adam for what he truly was for the first time in her life.

"We used to play together around here," she said absently, her eyes cast downward. "Back when we were kids with no idea what was going on in the world. We used to come here to escape from that world, where we could pretend that we were a king and queen, living in a castle all on our own. Just the two of us, locked away from everything."

Adam's face reflected none of the sadness she expected.

"I remember," he said coldly.

Blake slowly shook her head, her eyes a reflection of just how much innocence had been lost.

"But then we grew up," she said sadly. "And we learned just how real the world was. And when we did…we both changed."

Adam's face was as cold and unfeeling of the ancient stones around him.

"We did," he said. "You sided with the humans. And I remained loyal to our kinsmen."

Blake shook her head in disgust.

"Humans and Faunus are not so different," she said, slowing her breath. "The differences between us are as superficial as those amongst two grains of sand. You might just as easily try to draw lines based on the color of our skin or the gods we believe in. But we all feel love and sadness, joy and hatred. We are all trying to find our place in the world. In the end, we are just two peoples facing the coming storm together."

"Spare me your naive idealism," Adam spat. "Kind words don't heal the wounds of a century of injustice and oppression."

Blake took a breath as she calmed her fury, lowering herself into a defensive stance, her heart rate slowing to a steady rhythm.

"You may pretend to be fighting for some noble cause…" she said coldly. "To end the suffering of the Faunus forever. But you've become so blinded by revenge that you've lost sight of everything else that ever mattered to either of us. And now that vengeance is all you have left, you refuse to surrender it, even if your people might benefit from cooperation."

"Ridiculous!" Adam sneered.

Blake pointed one of her blades at her foe, staring him down defiantly.

"In the end," she said in a low voice, "All you really care about is yourself."

Adam said nothing for a moment. He simply stood still, his red eyes fixated on her. Then he placed a hand on his sword, his mechanical arm whirring as he clutched the hilt tightly, preparing to draw.

"I will not enjoy watching you die, Blake," he said softly. "But I will do so nevertheless."

Blake readied her swords. And then she lunged.

Her attack came from behind, as he expected it would. He turned to meet her strike, partially drawing the ancient blade in his hand to meet hers. But as her sword struck his own, she disappeared once again, and her original form followed through with a strike of its own from the front. Turning once again to meet her, his sword struck only air as she re-emerged from behind him, switching back and forth from one form and the next, trying to keep him off balance.

He responded by swinging the sheathed sword in his metal hand, and the remaining claw in his right, attacking both targets. Just as quickly, both of them vanished, and Blake landed on her feet, standing off behind him.

Now both combatants stood on the far side of the bridge, the tall arching tower at its cross-section dividing the two halves.

She had positioned herself exactly where she wanted to be.

"No more tricks…" Adam breathed furiously, taking a step back and re-sheathing his sword, preparing for an iaido strike. "Time to end this."

Blake tensed as she felt the aura billowing inside him. Adam's full power was being channeled into the ancient sword. Her carbon nano-filament blades would wither like paper before such might. If she meant to take him down, she needed to do so _now!_

She charged forward, both blades outstretched, watching her enemy closely as he readied his strike. He could no longer sense her aura, but he knew _her_. He knew how she fought. He knew how the old Blake would handle this. If she tried any of her old tricks in this one moment, she would die.

Blake had spent the entire journey here pondering this very conundrum. Really, she had wrestled with this very issue ever since she'd left Beacon. She couldn't fight the way her friends did. Every time she had tried in the past, she had failed. She couldn't fight like Sun. She couldn't fight like Yang. Blake knew, in that moment, she had to find her _own_ way. She only had herself in that moment. No one was coming to save her. She had to find her own way to fight back.

Against Adam. Against her past. Against herself.

Adam drew his sword. The ancient blade emerged, silver and graceful as a crane taking wing, its deadly edge as swift as the wind.

It passed through only air as Blake twisted backwards, falling to her knees as she lunged, her ears brushing against the stone as she skidded forward, her head arching backwards. The elegant edge of Adam's blade passed before her face as she stared upward at the sky, her body still carried forward by her momentum as she slid on her knees, tucking her arms in as she drifted beneath the strike.

She skidded past him along the bridge, and then flung her swords in opposite directions, their mono-filament wires spinning as she let them fly.

Cassius arced outward towards her opponent, sailing out past Adam's face before coming taut. The sudden tension brought the blade back around, the infinitesimal wire suddenly coiling around his neck. As he felt the wire constrict around him, he brought his sword up, and as he did, the wire continued to spin around him, the weight of the sword at its end increasing its speed as it tightened around him. The wire came around to bind him by the shoulders, and suddenly he could no longer lift his sword. The wire came around again, binding his arms to his body, and again, binding his legs, until he fell to the floor, his body completely wrapped in the taught, unbreakable coil.

As Blake ensnared her opponent, Jin sailed up towards the stone arch at the bridge's midway point, embedding into the age old rock. As the blade found purchase, Blake activated both spools in her belt, recoiling her blades back towards her. As she did, both she and Adam went flying upwards towards the stone archway, the ancient sword in his hands flying from his grip. Adam was dragged forcefully towards the sky, the mono-filament wire digging into his neck as he let out a gasp of alarm.

The force of two thousand pounds of lifting potential sudden torqued as Blake brought her foe up and over the arch, her feet landing sideways upon the flat stone surface as she flung him over the other side. As the wire continued to constrict around his neck, Blake dropped down on her side, the cable drawing along the top of the arch, her feet hitting the floor of the bridge below as Adam dropped down the other side.

His feet, however, never touched the ground. The mono-filament wire caught against the top of the arch, and the wire went taught as his eyes suddenly widened, as all that force suddenly snared around his neck. Blake held the wire in her hands, the long thin cable holding him just above the ground as his body went rigid. His cyborg form was as durable as steel, but with that much force behind it, the mono-filament cable of Blake's weapon still crushed into his neck like it was made of tin foil. His body may have shed many of its former weaknesses, but it still needed to breathe. And as the thin cable slowly constricted around his windpipe, Adam's eyes began to grow dim.

Blake stood with her back to the man she used to love as he hung there. Her hands held firmly to the cable before her, and she held him aloft as he slowly suffocated. He dangled, inches from her back, his body unmoving as she slowly choked the life out of him. And as she strangled him to death, the tears finally began to flow.

"I remember…" he choked out with the last of his breath "We were…so happy once…"

Blake's tears ran rampant as she held him there, her whole body shaking. She could swear she felt the life leaving his body.

"No…" she whispered sadly. "We weren't…"

She opened her eyes, staring ahead at the door that had previously blocked her path to the inner wall. With a lurch, it blew open, and Blake expected to be stormed by a mob of angry Faunus initiates, determined to avenge their fallen commander.

Instead, she saw Yang, following by Ruby and Weiss, rushing out onto the bridge, weapons in hand.

"Blake!" Yang cried as she rushed over to her, the other two girls keeping guard at the door.

Blake said nothing as her partner's arms enveloped her. Her grip had not yet loosened on the cable, and Yang flinched when she saw what she was doing.

"Blake…" she gasped, seeing the body of Adam Taurus hanging limply behind her. "Is he…? Did you…?"

Blake didn't react. Her tears still streamed down her face as she shivered, her hands quaking as the wire cut into her own skin, she was holding on so tightly.

"Blake…" Yang frowned, reaching up to touch the other girl's whitened fingers with her good hand. "It's okay…you can let go…"

Slowly the Faunus girl shook her head. "No…"

Yang peered at her through the loose tresses of her hair.

"Blake, you have to let go…" she said, reaching up to pull on the wire with her mechanical hand, loosening the pressure on Blake's hands. "It'll be okay, Blake…just let go…"

Blake looked up, meeting Yang's eyes, and only just seemed to notice she was even there. Then she looked down at the cord in her hands, and with an effort, pried her own fingers open. The mono-filament wire came loose, and as her knuckles regained their color once again, her fingers began to bleed through her gloves.

Yang eased off the wire, as Adam's body slowly slumped to the ground behind her. Blake did not turn and see, but the sound was all she needed to know the deed had been done, and she tensed. Her tears sprung up anew as she threw her arms around Yang's shoulders, weeping her heart out at what she had just done.

"Yang!" she sobbed, burying her face in her hair. " _Yaaang!_ "

"Shhh…" Yang whispered, wrapping her arms around the other girl. "It's okay, Blake…we're here…"

Blake couldn't feel anything anymore except her grief. Not the ache of blood on her hands, not the warmth of her partner's embrace. She couldn't see the shine of the rising sun, nor could she hear the sound of gunfire as her other teammates held off the advancing forces of the White Fang. All that she knew was remorse.

"Blake…" Yang breathed, her fingers tangling through her raven hair. "Do you hear me? It'll be okay…"

Blake slowly raised her head as she fixed her partner with a defeated look. Her eyes were red and bloodshot from tears, as all the energy left in her body was gone. She had taken her revenge. And now there just wasn't anything left.

"No…" Blake said in a low, unfeeling tone. "No it won't…"

"Blake…" Yang withered. "Don't say that…"

Blake shook her head, fixing Yang with a pained gaze.

"Everything's still broken…" she whimpered. "All the people he's hurt…all the things he's taken from me…it's all still _gone!_ And now…"

Blake didn't even have the energy left to cry. She just felt numb to everything.

"Now…there's just nothing left…" she sighed.

Yang turned to see her teammates as they defended the door. On Ruby's face was a grim expression. She knew they needed to get moving, and she knew just as surely that there was no way that was happening with Blake in the state she was in.

Yang straightened her back.

"Blake…" she set her jaw as she stared back at her partner. "You're stronger than this. Don't let this moment break you."

Blake was shaking her head. "Yang…"

"You still have _so_ much left to fight for, Blake!" the other girl assured her. "We've come all this way just to keep you safe. You can always count on us, Blake. No matter what."

"Yang…" Blake lowered her eyes. "I…I don't know what to do anymore. Where…?"

She looked up at her partner, anguish in her eyes.

"Where do I _go_ from here!?" she demanded.

Yang's lips curved into a smile.

"The only direction left to go, Blake…" she said simply. "That's all any of us can ever do. No matter what happens…we all just have to keep moving _forward_."

Blake stared back at Yang in disbelief. How one person could still stay so strong after everything that's happened. After all the hurt she'd gone through, even at Blake's own hands. How could she have any strength left after all that?

"This is a moment to decide, Blake," Yang said, placing her good hand on her partner's cheek. "This moment doesn't have to be a painful one. You have the power now, Blake. To decide, right here and now, what to do from here on out."

Blake's eyes were locked upon her partner's, her gaze awash with a warm familiar glow. How it was possible for Yang to shine like the sun as she did, Blake would never know. But if she could come back home to such a smile for the rest of her days, then maybe…

"This moment can _mean_ something, Blake…" Yang assured her, squeezing her shoulders tightly. "All you have to do is decide _how_."

Blake looked up at her friends as they waited for her by the door. She looked back at Yang, her steadfast partner, who had proven time and again to be willing to wade through hell and back for her. She glanced back at the man she used to love, his body growing cold at her feet. How many lives had been lost to his blade, Blake would never know. The world was safer now without him in it, Blake knew, just as sure as she knew that she herself would never be the same now that he was gone.

But Yang was right. This moment was about more than her grief. This moment was about more than her revenge. This moment, it was time for Blake to accept that she still wasn't done fighting yet.

And she rose to her feet, clenching her hands into fists as she gazed back at her comrades who had come so far to find her, she knew that she never would be.

"Okay…" she said simply. "I think that I've decided…"


	125. Chapter 125

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 125

* * *

"I don't know if I can do this…" Blake said nervously.

Not for the first time since she'd rejoined her team, Weiss found herself embroiled in a particularly perilous venture that would potentially put her life at unnecessary risk. She and Blake were standing atop the parapet lining the inner wall looking down at the courtyard within the White Fortress. The White Fang stationed within the castle had not relented in their pursuit of the intruders, but Ruby and Yang were currently busy leading the lot of them on a merry chase throughout the entire compound. While the two of them bought their other two teammates enough time to get into position, Blake and Weiss busied themselves in formulating an exit strategy.

An exit strategy that, as it turned out, would put the two of them right in the spotlight. Weiss was more than comfortable assuming such a role. Blake, on the other hand, was not.

"Relax, you'll be fine," Weiss assured the Faunus girl, standing by her side. "Just remember, you're not trying to reason with them. People rarely make the most important decisions based on reason. If you want to win them over, you have to appeal to their sensibilities. Make them feel like whatever you're suggesting was _their_ idea all along, and you're just there to remind them of it. People _hate_ being bossed around, but they'll fight to their dying breath for your cause if they happen to believe in it too."

Blake wrapped her arms around her body, looking something like a wounded cat.

"But what if I screw it up?" Blake asked in a withering voice. "I'm _terrible_ at speaking in front of crowds!"

"Then we'll be no worse off than we were before," Weiss reasoned, arms crossed. "We'll be fighting our way out of here the old fashioned way."

"We'll have lost the element of surprise," Blake pointed out. "We'll be hopelessly outnumbered. And the White Fang will be fully aware of just how valuable _certain_ members of our team are."

Weiss arched an eyebrow the other girl.

"A team of four trained Huntresses against a leaderless compound of White Fang insurgents," she waved her hand dismissively. "Seems like even odds to me."

"A leaderless compound of White Fang insurgents armed with _Atlas Tech_ ," Blake pointed out dryly.

Weiss paused for a moment.

"Okay, you raise a valid point," she admitted. "But it won't come to that."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"

Weiss gave her friend a confident smile

"Because you _know_ the White Fang," she said. "These are _your_ people Blake. You know what they want. You know the lines they'll cross to get it. And perhaps more importantly, you know the lines they _won't_ cross, no matter what."

Blake stared back at Weiss, touched by the sincerity in her friend's words. If they weren't about to face down an army single-handedly, she might have even been flattered.

"Let's hope you're right," Blake said, still clearly too nervous to articulate anything else.

Weiss cast her eyes down at their baggage.

"Though I _will_ say that I'm _not_ a big fan of having _him_ along with us," she said in a disgusted tone.

Blake glanced down at the body of Adam Taurus, who lay draped unceremoniously across the parapet along with the two girls. It seemed in poor taste to be using his remains as a part of their plan, but at the same time, Blake felt that he owed her _something_ for all the trouble he put her through in life. If he could be of some use to her in death, she reasoned, then so much the better.

"What can I say?" she said somberly. "He always did have a flare for the dramatic."

Weiss gave the other girl a peculiar look, but didn't get the chance to raise any further questions as the sudden commotion from down below drew both girl's eyes to the courtyard.

From one door within the inner wall, Ruby Rose bounded out into the courtyard, wielding Grímnir in her hands, as no less than two dozen White Fang followed after her, firing their guns wildly at the Huntress. Weiss had to admit, Ruby carried the unfamiliar weapon well. Being more accustomed to a scythe, she primarily used Grímnir's scythe form, but Weiss was convinced that Ruby would eventually find the merits of its sword form as well. Not that Weiss had any particular affinity to swords or anything, she reasoned.

At about the same time, from another door within the inner wall, Yang Xiao-Long burst through in an explosion of fire, leaving precious little of the door remaining in her wake. Shortly before she landed within the courtyard, scores of White Fang insurgents leaped through as well in hot pursuit as Yang lead them out into the open, and began to open fire.

"That's your cue," Weiss said, nodding at the enemy force that was now neatly gathered for them within the courtyard, easily forty or fifty in all, though more were coming out of the woodwork. "Break a leg."

Blake nervously surveyed the number of people below her.

"Do you think that's all of them?" Blake asked, clearly stalling for time.

"It doesn't matter if it isn't," Weiss shook her head. "Just as long as there's enough down to get your point across."

"Okay…" Blake said, brushing off her clothes and giving Weiss a nervous smile. "How do I look?"

Weiss nodded appraisingly.

"Like you're ready to lead an army," she smiled.

Blake drew in her breath.

"Let's hope so," she said as she stepped out towards the edge of the parapet.

Ruby and Yang quickly ascended the inner wall with a burst of weapon fire, reaching the top of the wall on either side of Blake and Weiss, before landing behind them, out of sight of their pursuers. With the White Fang's attention drawn to the top of the wall, Blake stepped forward to face the collective insurgents below.

She swallowed hard as the numbers below began to grow as more and more fighters began to join their brothers in arms in pursuit of the intruders in their midst. There were over a hundred now, and more were beginning to file out of the castle in droves. Blake was now addressing the bulk of the White Fang's forces.

She took a breath. And spoke.

"Brothers of the White Fang!" she called out in a loud booming voice. "Hear me!"

Blake's voice echoed across the entire fortress. The White Fang insurgents below ceased their pursuit, although none among them lowered their weapons. Blake had effectively captured their attention with her voice. If a small glyph within her choker had managed to accentuate her voice to allow her to enunciate better, it was not evident to the Faunus below.

"My name is Blake Belladonna!" she cried, raising a clenched fist. "Like you, I am proud member of the White Fang, ready and willing to fight for the freedom of my fellow Faunus!"

Ruby gave Yang a nervous glance, but Yang had her arms crossed, a confident smile on her face. She clearly had faith that, whatever Blake had planned, she could pull it off.

"I look at all of you, and I see so much potential!" Blake called out, her voice echoing across the courtyard, the White Fang effectively stunned into silence. "I see so many eager young faces, ready to test your mettle in the field of combat! I was just like you all, not so long ago! Ready to prove myself in the fight for freedom! Ready to stake my life for the cause of justice!"

That got a few audible murmurs of ascent, Weiss could see. Blake had captured their attention, and now she was slowly winning them over to her side. For someone as inexperienced in public speaking as she was, she was doing rather well so far.

"But we can no longer suffer the duplicity in our ranks!" Blake shouted, before reaching out to clutch at the collar of Adam Taurus, lifting his body for all to see. "I give you…our fallen leader!"

There was a collective gasp audible amongst the crowd, and with a mighty heave, Blake tossed the body over the parapet, where it tumbled to the courtyard below. Several members of the White Fang suddenly backed away from where it fell, before the body hit the cobblestones. Adam's cybernetic form slammed into the ground with a sickening lurch, laying splayed out for them all to see.

It certainly made a dramatic point, Weiss had to agree. Outrage began to permeate the ranks of the White Fang. Their numbers continued to grow as more and more of them emerged out into the courtyard to see what all the commotion was about. Raised fists and shouts of anger began to rise as the insurgents gazed upon the slain body of their former leader, many of them encircling the body in grief.

Weiss bit her lip as Blake seemed to hesitate before the raw anger she saw in seeing their dead leader. This was the crucial turning point, she knew. This was the moment that would decide whether the White Fang were with them or against them.

Blake looked more nervous than she had ever been in her life. But she steeled herself, and opened her mouth once again.

"Look upon our leader, my brothers!" Blake shouted, a tear in her eye as she spread her arms wide. "Look at the abomination that he has become! Is this what is to become of us? Are these the depths we must reach? How far into _savagery_ will we descend to defeat our enemies?"

The anger seemed to rise amongst the crowd, more and more insurgents clutching their weapons defensively. Things did not seem to be going well. If there was one thing that all Faunus everywhere hated, it was being compared to animals. It was akin to a racial slur, as were terms like "freak" and "mutant." Blake clearly knew that perfectly well, Weiss thought as she held her breath. She hoped her friend had a plan for how to dig herself out of this hole.

Then Blake placed a hand over her heart.

"Brothers of the White Fang!" she shouted in a voice that pleaded at their very souls. "For too long have we compromised on our ideals! For too long have we tried to become something we are not! For too long have we been taken advantage of by those who wished only to do us harm! By allowing ourselves to descend to the level of our tormentors, we become the very monsters we seek to overcome!"

Weiss watched as Blake spoke out, her words echoing across the courtyard, the sincerity in her words ringing clear and true. Though she was sweating and anxious, her words did not waver. And with each word that came out of her mouth, the volume of the voices below seemed to diminish. One by one, the great mass of violent insurgents all seemed to slowly begin to take heed of her voice.

"Our leaders have lead us astray, brothers!" she called out to them. "They have been guided by vultures, feeding us false promises of freedom and absolution! They set us against one another, and seek to pick off what remains as though we were nothing more than carrion!"

Agitation seemed to permeate the crowd, as anger manifested and sought an outlet. Weiss nodded in approval. Blake seemed to have redirected the ire of the White Fang away from herself and towards their nebulous foe.

Now it was time to appeal to their sense of honor.

"I want each of you to look _deep_ inside yourselves!" Blake implored, following Weiss' directions to perfection. "And ask yourselves why it is that you fight! We fight to keep our families safe! To protect our homes! To show our oppressors that our lives are worth something! Am I wrong?"

The agitation down below turned back into murmurs of assent. Insurgents chattered amongst themselves as tension grew. Weapons began to rise, not in anger, but in righteous indignation.

"Adam Taurus has fallen by my hand!" Blake declared. "By the ancient rights on which this body was founded, all that was his falls to me now! And I will _proudly_ lead the White Fang to victory! But I cannot lead you down the same path as Adam did! Not when it may mean the end of everything!"

Blake extended her arm back to point to some distant location behind her.

"As we speak, the world of Remnant is at war!" Blake blared. "The Grimm are coming for us all, and they will _not_ stop with the human race! No longer can we Faunus bow and scrape to those complicit with the forces of the Grimm in the hope that they might spare us! Nor can we hope to hide ourselves away in some foolish effort to stave off the inevitable! By these principles, Adam has betrayed us! No, my brothers, the time has come for us to _fight_ these monsters! Not to raise arms against the human race, but against our common enemy! Against the creatures of Grimm!"

Murmurs of assent began to transform into cries of approval as weapons were raised into the air. The courtyard was now nearly _filled_ with Faunus. The dim overcast sky overhead did nothing to diminish the ferocity of the crow below. The White Fang was beginning to cry out in one voice, and they were all shouting in unison in favor of Blake's message.

"Wow…" Ruby whispered from behind the Faunus girl. "Blake's pretty good at this."

"That's my girl," Yang grinned with pride, arms crossed.

Blake was staring down at the crowds of Faunus before her, her heart crying out to each of them as they shouted back at her as one.

"Our conflict with the human race can yet be resolved through words!" Blake cried out in a voice that echoed across the masses below. "But the creatures of Grimm _cannot_ be negotiated with! They consume without mercy, and one by one, the kingdoms of Remnant are falling! Humanity has grown desperate in their hour of need, and their pride shall break before the last of their walls fall! Who does humanity have to turn to in such a crisis, if not us!? Who would humanity owe their salvation to, if not us!?"

Weiss nodded. Very careful and clever wording on Blake's part. Appeal to the White Fang's pride by insinuating that humanity would be coming to the Faunus on bended knees. The White Fang's code of honor dictated clear course of action in such matters. Under those circumstances, they would have no choice but to accept.

"Brothers of the White Fang," Blake continued. "Humanity needs us, just as we need them! Without our might, they will surely fall before the Grimm! And without their strength, we too shall perish one day! The time has come to set aside our differences, and work together towards a common goal! The goal of pushing back against the terror of the Grimm! And in so doing, we Faunus will cement our place in the world of Remnant! Not as subservient to the human race, but as their equals!"

Blake gestured to Weiss, who nodded and slowly stepped forward, before coming into view of the crowds below.

Now it was time for the real test.

"To this end, I present to you Weiss Schnee!" Blake announced. "The president of the Schnee Dust Company!"

A chilling silence descended over the courtyard. Nearly two hundred Faunus were staring up at the two Huntresses now in shock. Though many had been cheering at Blake's ideals, they were hushed by the presence of such a prominent figure of humanity's industrial might and authority. It was one thing to assent to vague concepts of unity and collaboration. It was quite another to be faced with the very symbol of one's oppressor and be asked to cooperate.

For all that, however, Weiss was the definition of poise and grace. She was cool, collected stature in a pristine white dress, and she was in her element now. Blake had performed her part beautifully. Now it was Weiss' turn to go to work.

"Members of the White Fang!" Weiss called out, accentuating the volume of her own voice with a tiny glyph at her throat, extending one hand out to the crowd while placing another over her heart. "For too long, your people have _suffered_ at the hands of my company! For too long, you've been treated like second class citizens! For too long, you've been made to shoulder _far_ more than your share of the burdens of this world!"

Weiss' words were having a visible effect, but not as much of an effect as her very presence incited. No one below wanted to _agree_ with a Schnee, but she was saying exactly what they all were feeling. The crowd was still silent, but a noticeable tension was pervading the masses below. It was just a question now of in what direction that tension would break.

"What my company did to you under the leadership of my father is unforgiveable!" Weiss declared sincerely. "Though it was my father's doing, I _cannot_ absolve myself of the responsibility I feel! As the company's new president, I _cannot_ abide by what has been done in my family's name!"

As Weiss shook her head, she gauged the crowd before her, and estimated them effectively primed.

"I'm not here to ask for your forgiveness!" she cried, before making a slashing motion with her open palm. "I'm here to tell you: _no more!_ "

 _That_ got a reaction out of the crowd. Fists pumped into the air as righteous fury began to once again pervade across the faces of the people before her. The sheer _audacity_ of a _Schnee_ coming to their homeland, and telling them all _exactly_ what they wanted to hear must have been almost impossible to swallow. And yet, somehow, they were _cheering_ for her!

"My first act as president of the Schnee Dust Company," Weiss declared with a raised finger, "Will be to abolish _every single_ practice and policy that has _ever_ been used to subjugate or infringe upon the rights of our Faunus workers!"

The cheering rose in volume. Blake was actually taken aback by how loudly the Faunus responded to Weiss' words.

"The Faunus have _every_ single right to honest and decent work that humans do!" Weiss shouted. "And I will make it my solemn duty to ensure that _each_ and _every_ Faunus in my company's employ will see _equal_ pay, _equal_ benefits, _equal_ opportunity for advancement as any other human worker, and can expect an _equal_ regard for their personal safety within _every_ area of the Schnee Dust Company!"

More cheers arose. Blake had to force herself not to stare at her teammate as she worked the crowd. Weiss had them all in an uproar!

"Members of the White Fang, take heart!" Weiss cried. "My company may only be one among many in Remnant, but change will come for the better! The fortitude of the Faunus is strong! And with that fortitude lent to the Schnee Dust Company, each and every human-controlled institution will have no choice but to take heed and follow our example!"

Weiss waved her arms out wide.

"The world of Remnant is _your_ home as much as it is humanity's!" she shouted. "The time has come for you to secure your place in that world! But first we must _defend_ it!"

The cheering diminished to somber silence as weapons were clasped tightly in outstretched hands.

"The creatures of Grimm hunt us all in equal measure," Weiss continued. "As we face this coming storm, it would be _my_ distinct honor to fight at the side of the White Fang! Should you find it within yourselves to stand with us to defend our future together…then _I_ will do everything in my power to ensure that _that_ future is a bright one for all Faunus everywhere!"

The cheering began to rise once again. Blake could hardly believe what she was seeing – the White Fang, _cheering_ for a member of the Schnee family!

Weiss reached out to clasp her hand within Blake's, who turned her head to stare at her teammate in awe.

"Weiss…" she whispered in disbelief.

Weiss smiled, before turning back to the masses of Faunus below.

"So long as you stand with Blake Belladonna," Weiss cried out, "So too shall the Schnee Dust Company! Our lives – our futures – are in _your_ hands, noble White Fang!"

Blake nodded, taking her cue to stand at Weiss' side as she stared out across the crowd of Faunus as they cheered and hollered at the sight they all beheld. The president of the Schnee Dust Company, and the leader of the White Fang. The youngest generation of two symbols of such bitter opposition. And they were clasping hands as equals. As allies. As friends.

It was a moment to go down in history books for generations to come.

"What say you, brothers!?" Blake shouted in elation, the jubilant energy of the masses around her filling her heart with elation and confidence. "What will our answer be? I say we _fight! Together!_ "

She raised Weiss' hand into the air, their clasped hands forming an arch between the two girls.

" _Who's with me!?_ " Blake demanded.

The cheers erupted into a crescendo of pride and renewed hope. Weapons raised into the air as vigorous shouts and thunderous applause blasted out from all the Faunus in the courtyard, young and old alike.

A tear trickled down Blake's cheek as she watched history being made. In a single voice, the White Fang – the symbol of hope and peace which she had grown up with all her life – was now uniting with the single largest dust manufacturer in the world in a gesture of unity and cooperation. That dust company would pioneer a generation of hope and equality for Faunus everywhere.

And it was all because she had made friends with a girl named Weiss Schnee.

"Thank you, Weiss…" Blake breathed euphorically as the White Fang continued to chant around them, the noonday sun slowly beginning to peek from behind the clouds.

Weiss smiled and waved at the crowds as they continued to cheer.

"Don't thank me," she said quietly, stifling the glyph at her neck so she could speak privately. "This is _your_ victory, Blake."

Blake let out a laugh that came out more like a sob. She never dreamed that this day might come.

"Thank you…" she muttered, before realizing her voice was still amplified, before quickly raising her hand to the crowd. "Thank you all! I'll be coordinating with your division leaders in short order! In the meantime, each of you be ready to mobilize! We've got a war to win!"

The crowds responded with one last cheer as Blake waved again, before finally retreating from view along with Weiss.

As soon as she did, Ruby threw her arms around her.

"Wow!" Ruby cried, unable to resist the urge to embrace the Faunus girl. "That was _amazing_ , Blake!"

"Yeah!" Yang concurred, punching her shoulder. "Leader of the White Fang! Nice job, Blake! You should be proud of yourself!"

Blake felt the adrenaline leaving her body, and was suddenly feeling lightheaded.

"You guys…" she stuttered breathlessly, her once again at a normal volume as Weiss dismissed the glyph that accentuated her voice.

"The way you spoke to all those Faunus, Blake…" Ruby said, clasping her hands together. "I almost didn't recognize you!"

Weiss smiled proudly. "See Blake? I told you that you could do it!"

"Yeah!" Yang grinned. "You really know how to work a crowd, girl! And now you've got your own private army!"

Blake pouted her lips. "The White Fang won't fight for just any reason. We're a civilian militia, we're only as organized as our ideals. As long as we have a cause to fight for, then we're a force to be reckoned with. But without all that…we're just people, trying to live our lives."

Ruby nodded. "Maybe so, but with all this Atlas tech lying around, the White Fang might be _just_ what we need to retake Vale."

Yang, Weiss and Blake all stared at Ruby as she spoke. It hadn't quite hit them all just what was at stake until she'd said it. Vale. Beacon. Where they had all met. They had lost it all, it seemed, so long ago. And now, after all this time, they were finally going back to where it had all began. It was easy to think of saving the world of Remnant when it was put into such lofty terms. But Vale had been their _home_. That home was precisely what was at stake. And that home was precisely where they would be headed now that their mission in Menagerie had finally concluded.

Or rather, nearly concluded.

"You guys," Qrow's voice caught the team's attention.

Ruby looked up at her uncle as he transformed back to his human form, having been a black bird two second prior as he flew up to the top of the wall.

"Uncle Qrow," Ruby nodded somberly, before gesturing proudly to her other teammates. "Blake has won the White Fang over to our side. They'll fight for us now."

The Wizard had a distant look in his eyes as he nodded, the other Huntresses eyeing him curiously as he stood before them.

"That's good, kid…" he muttered absently. "Listen, I…you guys need to come with me. There's something you need to see."

Ruby and her friends exchanged a worried glance as Qrow turned towards the cobblestone staircase, before slowly nodding, the four Huntresses moving to follow him.

"Just you two," Qrow said, shaking his head as he raised a hand, gesturing to Ruby and Yang.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked curiously.

The old man only shook his head. He did not look to be in a gaming mood.

Ruby and Yang glanced at each other, before giving Weiss and Blake an apologetic look.

"Sorry…" Yang muttered. "This is probably important…"

"It's fine," Weiss raised a hand before she could continue. "Blake and I can meet with the White Fang leaders and draft up with some plans for when we hit Vale. Come find us when you're ready to depart."

Weiss and Blake exchanged a look, before Blake nodded to Yang.

"Right," she said. "Go do what you have to do, Yang. I'll be waiting for you here."

Yang nodded slowly. "Right…"

Ruby still hadn't taken her eyes off her uncle.

"Uncle Qrow…?" she asked slowly. "What's going on?"

The Wizard said nothing as he descended the long stone staircase that lead back down into the inner wall of the White Fortress, leaving Blake and Weiss at the top of the wall. As they descended into the castle, however, suddenly Yang put her hand on Ruby's shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

"Ruby…" Yang said in a low, tense voice. "Look…"

Ruby glanced past where her uncle stood on the stair before them. At the bottom of the staircase, a woman was there waiting for them.

"Aunt Raven…" Ruby's eyes widened in recognition.

The tall silver haired woman was still wearing her robes of red, her sword of many blades still resting at her hip as she stared back up at the two girls and their uncle. The Wizard did not seem to be alarmed by the older woman's presence, though the two younger Huntresses appeared unconvinced.

"Mom…" Yang breathed, a deadly edge to her voice. "What are you doing here?"

Raven appeared unaffected by Yang's barbed words as Qrow remained at the two girls' sides while they all faced each one another.

Finally, the older woman turned.

"Come…" she said, descending further into the castle. "It's time you all learned the truth…"


	126. Chapter 126

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 126

* * *

Jaune faced off against a half dozen training mechs within one of the many Operative training chambers at the Atlesian Citadel. Each mech weighed in at roughly ninety kilos, and were vaguely humanoid in shape, though skeletal in structure with thin, spindly arms and round, flat, faceless masks across their heads. Each was equipped with both a stun baton and a stun gun in either hand, neither one of which could do much harm, but stung like nothing else when they made contact all the same. Jaune had numerous sore spots all across his flank attesting to this fact, and unlike himself, the training mechs did not get tired.

"Increase the difficulty," Jaune commanded out loud.

The computer screen built into the side of the wall chimed in confirmation, and the mech's visors each began to grow red.

" **Restarting simulation** ," their voices each recited in unison.

All at once, the mechs lined up to face him. Jaune squared off against the six robots as they leveled their batons at him, each of their weapons sparking menacingly. He ignored the creeping sensation of fear in his gut as he vividly recalled how much those shock sticks hurt, before lunging forward, bringing Crocea Mors down across the lead mech's chest.

With a _whirr_ of defeat, the mech's visor went blue, and a point marker appeared on the screen on the wall.

" **Target eliminated** ," came the mechanical sounding voice.

Jaune raised his shield as the remaining mechs began to counterattack, activating his semblance to repel the onslaught as each of their attacks bounced off of his glowing shield. He then pressed his attack, whirling in a tight circle to bash the three closest to him with his heater, sending all three of them flying backwards, landing roughly on the floor, their visors shifting to blue as well.

" **Tar-tar-target eliminated** ," the computerized voice struggled to keep up with his progress as three more digital markers appeared on the wall.

The remaining two mechs attempted to flank Jaune on either side, their batons raised offensively as the Huntsman kept them both in his sights. They both lunged at the same time with their batons, and Jaune raised both sword and shield to block both incoming strikes. He pushed back against both, his semblance activating as both parts of Crocea Mors began to glow once again. The force of his Indominance sent both robots teetering back, giving Jaune ample time to turn and swing at both of them.

" **All targets eliminated** ," the system said, emblazoning the wall with a rudimentary victory symbol with little bursting particles in a firework-like effect. " **Ending simulation.** "

Jaune stood back up straight, taking in a breath. These training simulations were useful for devising strategy, but they still paled in comparison to a fight with actual Grimm. If he wanted to progress for real, he needed to step things up.

"Increase the difficulty," he commanded again.

" **Warning** ," the computer chimed. " **Your current difficulty setting is above the recommended level for standard Operative training**."

"I understand," Jaune shook his head, raising his sword. "Increase the difficulty."

All six training mechs rose to their feet and brought their batons and stun guns to bear, their visors once again glowing red.

" **Restarting simulation** ," their voices sounded like an echo chamber as they each took aim with their stun guns.

Jaune managed to raise his shield in time to deflect the assault, but the combined impact of six light rounds was still enough to knock him backwards, sending him sprawling across the floor.

"Urgh!" he groaned in aggravation, rolling to his feet.

The stun guns had never hit quite this hard before, and he had not thought his semblance would be needed. This must be the added difficulty the computer had warned him of, he lamented. This may not be quite as easy as he'd hoped, he thought, as he watched three of the mechs continued to take aim with their guns while the other three advanced with their stun batons.

Jaune planted his shield into the floor, bracing for the combined impact of the light rounds that exploded off his heater. It wasn't quite as powerful as the initial assault had been, but the mechs did not relent, keeping him pinned with gunfire while the other three advanced on him with their melee weapons.

He could clearly see that the advancing party would be on him soon, and he would be at a disadvantage if he tried to fend them off while taking fire from the other three.

So he charged.

"Yeargh!" he hollered, barreling forward, using his shield as a battering ram.

Just before he impacted the first mech, his shield began to glow as he activated his semblance once again.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The three advancing mechs went sprawling as he charged right on through, but unlike before, their visors did not turn blue. The added difficulty curve must have meant that they each possessed more stamina than before, and would not go down so easily. And the other three mechs behind them were nimble enough to dodge out of the Huntsman's way, allowing Jaune to charge right on past them. In the end, his charge had barely made so much as a dent.

Jaune skidded to a halt, turning just in time to see all six training mechs brandishing stun batons, before preparing to charge him. As they all came at him at once, electrified rods raised offensively, adrenaline surged through the Huntsman as he brought up his shield. He did _not_ want to be hit with those shock sticks again!

"Damn it!" he cried, slamming his shield into the ground in a panic, bringing up his semblance to full power.

FOOM!

His whole body began to glow with his aura, and he closed his eyes waiting for the force of the impact. He knew he couldn't keep his semblance up for very long, but perhaps it would be enough to stave off the worst of it.

The impact never came, however. Instead, he heard a digitized voice.

" **Tar-tar-tar-tar-tar-target eliminated** ," the computer broke in.

Jaune opened his eyes to see the six training mechs lying strewn across the soft, spongy mat stretching across the floor. Their visors had each turned from red to blue, indicating they were once again inactive.

"Huh…" Jaune muttered to himself, glancing at his shield in surprise. "I guess I don't know my own strength…"

Despite the win, Jaune's confidence was not bolstered. He knew that he was prone to complacency, and had overestimated his own strength before. He was not keen on doing so again, especially now that he was leading Team RSJC. Sheathing his sword and stretching his arms, Jaune wandered over to the bench along the edge of the training room and grabbed a folded white towel from the long, flat seat.

"End simulation," he called out loud, before wiping brow with the towel in his hands.

" **Ending simulation** ," the computer confirmed.

Jaune toweled off his damp hair, before slinging the damp cloth around his neck.

"Phew!" he exhaled in exhilaration. "That was a workout…"

He trailed off as he remembered that no one else was in the training room with him, and he felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized the last time he had been in this training room had been with Pyrrha.

Pyrrha…

He would have never gotten this far without Pyrrha. She was the one who motivated him to keep pushing himself. There was a time when his semblance had been little more than a flickering idea in the back of his mind. There was a time when the idea of squaring off against six enemies at once would have been unthinkable. Now he was doing both of those things in an effort to prepare himself for something far worse, he knew. No matter how strong he became, he knew, he couldn't rest so long as his partner was still in enemy hands.

He'd get her back. One way or another, he promised himself, he would see her again.

Smacking his cheeks to get his blood flowing again, Jaune made his way out of the training room, meandering down the hallway towards the elevator. A few floors down, he eventually found the mess hall, where the rest of Team RSJC was gathered. He had been hoping to get some training in with the rest of his team, and maybe get a feel for how they fought. But he also wanted them to get adequate rest in light of their recent battle within the kingdom of Atlas. It would not be long, he knew, until the general sent them all back into the fray. The mission to retake Vale was imminent, he knew. Which made the time spent until that point very valuable indeed.

Which was why he was surprised to hear _shouting_ when he got to the mess hall.

"I'm _not_ trying to bail on the team!" a loud male voice hollered. "I'm just suggesting we take a break, that's all!"

Jaune slowly peered his head into the mess hall, the pristine white and brushed steel cafeteria. It was empty, save for the rest of Team RSJC, including the other two teammates from Team JNPR, all sitting or standing around one of the cafeteria tables. They are all watching what appeared to be a heated debate going on between Neptune Vasilias of Team SSSN and Coco Adel of Team CFVY.

"Do you think we have _time_ for a break, freshman!?" Coco demanded, her tone condescending. "We're in the middle of a _war!_ You of all people should know that!"

"You think I don't know that!?" Neptune growled back at her. "My best friend is _gone_ thanks to this war!"

"Now, now…" Velvet was holding up her hands between the two. "No need to make a scene, you two."

While Velvet played peacemaker, Fox, Yatsuhashi, Sage and Scarlet seemed intensely interested in everything in the room except the conversation currently going on. As Jaune entered, Nora and Ren turned towards him and deftly made their way over to their team leader.

"Jaune!" Nora hissed under her breath, staring nervously back at the two Huntsmen at each other's throats. "Help!"

"What's going on?" Jaune asked in a low tone, glancing between his friends at the two bickering Operatives.

"Neptune seems to have reservations about joining in the attack on Vale," Ren summarized briefly. "In light of his recently deceased teammate, it's perhaps understandable."

"But Coco just about bit his _head_ off when he brought it up!" Nora added. "They've been at each other's throats since then!"

Jaune nodded, turning his attention back to the two squabbling teammates. They were standing on opposites sides of one of the cafeteria tables, their respective teammates seated on either side of them. Velvet had positioned herself standing in between the two parties on the edge of the table. Jaune was used to Neptune being calm, cool and collected, but now he was looking completely frazzled, like he hadn't slept at all the previous night. As for Coco, Jaune didn't know her very well, but understood her to be a woman of conviction. And as a leader of her own team, Jaune had to imagine her not responding well to what she perceived as cowardice within her own ranks.

"We're in a dangerous line of work, freshman!" Coco shook her head, her eyes filled with disdain. "Death is an occupational hazard! I thought you knew that when you signed up for this job!"

"I know that, damn it!" Neptune snapped. "And we're not in school in anymore!Would you _stop_ calling me freshman?"

"I will once you stop acting like a whiny little _bitch!_ " Coco sneered.

The tension in the room rose dramatically as each of the Huntsmen collectively drew in a breath.

"What was that!?" Neptune demanded, eyes widening in outrage.

"Coco!" Velvet held her hands up in objection. "There's no need for coarse language!"

"I just call it like I see it, Velvet," Coco crossed her arms, her nose in the air. "You heard him. This loser doesn't have the _stones_ to tough it out with the big kids anymore!"

Neptune's eyes flared in anger, and Jaune could actually _feel_ his aura rising. If he didn't know any better, he almost thought that Neptune was about to _attack_ Coco!

"You don't know a _damn_ thing, Adel!" Neptune's hand moving dangerously close to his weapon. "I've had just about _enough_ of your attitude!"

Jaune was between the two of them before either one of them could say another word.

"Hey!" he shouted loudly, extending his arms between the two of them. "Back off! _Both_ of you!"

Jaune was standing across from Velvet, who likewise was holding her hands out cautioningly. The two Huntsmen between them had their hands over their weapons, and were glaring at each other through clenched teeth. Neither seemed particularly inclined to listen to Jaune.

But like it or not, he was their leader now. At least until Ruby got back.

Coco was the first relent, straightening her jacket as she turned away.

"Hmph…" she snorted. "Wouldn't have been much of a contest anyway…"

Neptune was still trembling in anger, his fists shaking with rage. His eyes were unfocused, as if he wasn't even present in that moment they were in. Jaune approached him steadily, putting his hands on the other young man's arms, their other teammates watching from the side.

"Hey man…" Jaune said in a gentle tone of voice. "You still with me here?"

Neptune shook his head, blinking a few times, before finally focusing on Jaune.

"Yeah…" he blurted, face reddening in shame as he looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. "Yeah, I'm fine…"

Jaune shook his head kindly.

"You're _not_ fine, Neptune," he said slowly. "You just flew off the handle at one of your own teammates."

Neptune threw other Huntress a bitter look.

"She's no teammate of mine…" he grunted.

Coco just rolled her eyes, grabbing her handbag.

"Whatever…" she said, getting to her feet.

"Coco, please don't go anywhere," Jaune said firmly, holding up a hand as she tried to leave. "I need to know what happened here, okay? This concerns you too. We can't have this kind of contention between teammates."

Coco let out a grunt of annoyance.

"Don't get all high and mighty just cause Ruby put you in charge, Jaune," she said bluntly. "I've had more than enough freshman trying to tell me what's what today."

"Coco," Jaune said firmly, fixing her with a firm look, keeping his eyes steady. "You've said enough. Please, just sit down."

Coco looked more than a little miffed at being talked down to, but the calm look in Jaune's eyes broached no argument.

"Fine…" she allowed, finally acquiescing, her other three teammates looking more on edge than ever.

Scarlet and Sage looked about as helpless as anyone could as they tried to console Neptune. Ren and Nora, meanwhile, were busy watching Jaune play the diplomat in stunned fascination.

"Thank you," Jaune nodded, turning his attention back to Neptune. "Now can you _please_ tell me what's going on, Neptune? We're supposed to be getting ready for our next mission, not fighting like cats and dogs."

Neptune wrinkled his nose, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I don't know, man…" he sighed. "I just thought that…maybe my team ought to sit this one out, you know?"

Jaune narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze on Neptune, who continued to point his eyes anywhere but in Jaune's direction.

"Your whole team?" Jaune asked, glancing at Scarlet and Sage.

The other two just shrugged noncommittally.

"Well…" Neptune allowed, looking less and less certain. "Mostly just _me_ then, really…"

Jaune let out a sigh. "Neptune…"

"Look…" the blue haired boy said. "I think maybe you all would be better off without me. I mean, the truth is…I'm not going to be much good to you without my partner backing me up. We've always been a team, him and me. And now…"

Jaune slowly shook his head.

"Hey man, listen…" he said gently. "I'm really sorry about Sun. We _all_ are."

Neptune shook his head before Jaune could even finish.

"Look, I've _heard_ all this before, man…" he muttered. "But I just don't think I'm up to another battle right now. Especially one that's _this_ important. I'll just be a liability."

Jaune frowned. They hadn't even gone into battle yet, and already Team RSJC was falling apart under his leadership. He had to do something if he wanted to keep this team together.

"Neptune…" he said slowly. "You can't _really_ think that Sun want you to give up, do you? Not when we're _this_ close."

Neptune shook his head, glaring at the floor.

"You don't _know_ that!" he blurted, gritting his teeth.

Jaune frowned.

"Look, I may not have known him like you did," he allowed. "But Sun was a good man. He wouldn't-"

"That's not what I mean!" Neptune shouted, probably a little louder than he meant to. "I mean, you _can't_ know that we're close to finishing this!"

Jaune was taken aback. "Neptune…"

"Even if we win this next battle, what _then!?_ " Neptune demanded, sounding helpless and desperate. "They'll just send us off to the next battle! And the next! How many more can we take, Jaune? These battles are only getting harder, and we're barely getting a moment to cool our heels! At this rate, we're just going to keep losing people until there's no one left!"

Jaune exchanged a look with the other Huntsmen. Ren and Nora had worried looks on their faces. So did Scarlet and Sage. Even Coco and her team didn't seem entirely confident in the situation anymore. Neptune may have been the first to crack under the pressure, but they were _all_ feeling it. It didn't take an experienced Huntsman to know that casualties were a reality that they'd all have to deal with in their line of work one day. And that reality was hitting them all in the face more and more these days.

They were all looking at Jaune. Without Ruby there to guide them, leadership of Team RSJC fell to him. It didn't matter if they were a few members short. They were still a team. And so long as he was the one responsible for that team, he would do whatever it took to take care of them.

Jaune let out a breath.

"I get it…" he said slowly, glancing between his own teammates and all the others, before finally focusing his attention back on Neptune. "Seriously, I get it. Losing your partner like that…it can make the thought of giving up just look _so_ tempting."

Neptune glanced up at Jaune, his lips pursed as a multitude of emotions pervaded across his face. Shame, guilt, anger and frustration all washed together into a perfect mess of anguish, his eyes full of sadness.

"Right…you lost your partner too…" he said, as if only just remembering.

Jaune sat down in one of the cafeteria seats in beside Neptune, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.

"You want to know how I got through it though?" he asked. "How I managed to stick it out, even after losing the best friend I ever had?"

Neptune gazed back at Jaune, genuine curiosity on his face.

"How?" he asked. "I can't even _imagine_ how you did it, man. How do you deal with this?"

Jaune smiled, glancing back at Ren and Nora.

"The first thing I did…" he said with a gentle laugh, "Was I reminded myself that I still have friends who were there for me through thick and thin."

Ren and Nora took their cue to step over to their leader, both of them placing a hand on his shoulders.

"Pyrrha was one of us," Ren said. "And we've never forgotten about her."

"But we look after each other too," Nora added. "No matter what."

Jaune smiled back at Neptune.

"You've still got the rest of your team," he said, before thrusting a thumb back at his own chest. "And us too. We're your team now too, Neptune. And we'll be here for you. You can count on that."

"Yeah!" Velvet took the opportunity to chime in. "All of us! Right?"

She gave Coco a playful nudge, who just averted her eyes cheeks coloring.

"I suppose…" she admitted. "Even if you _are_ an idiot."

"We've got your back," Sage smiled.

"Always," Scarlet nodded.

Neptune glance back at Scarlet and Sage as they smiled comfortingly at him.

"But…" he breathed, a pained look in his eyes as he returned his gaze to Jaune. "But…it still hurts."

Jaune nodded, setting his jaw. He had wrestled with this all before. Putting it into words felt like drawing blood from an old wound. But he couldn't let his friend continue on like this.

"Yeah," he said. "It does. And it's going to keep hurting. That pain you're feeling is never really going to go away. And it's going to take time to learn to live with it."

Neptune's eyes fell.

"Why are you telling me this, man?" he asked somberly.

Jaune drew in his breath.

"Because you should _never_ forget how this pain feels, Neptune," he said, slowly rising to his feet. "We're Huntsmen. We don't fight because it's easy, we fight because it's hard. Sometimes, it's the hardest thing we ever have to do, and sometimes we lose people. Sometimes we lose people who are so _important_ to us, it doesn't seem worth fighting anymore. But we _still_ keep fighting. You know why?"

Neptune was watching Jaune in rapt fascination.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because _we_ know what that pain feels like," Jaune said, pointing out towards the window. "Out there is a whole world full of people, and they each have someone that they love. We fight for _them_ , Neptune, so the people who _can't_ fight can still be safe. We fight so that _they_ don't have to feel this pain too. This pain is _ours_ to bear. And we fight so that no one else has to bear it."

Jaune squeezed his shoulder.

"No one else can," he said. "No one else should ever have to."

The team listened to Jaune as he spoke. No one said anything for a while after he finished. Nora had her hands clasped together, and Ren was looking more introspective than usual. Velvet had tears in her eyes, and even Coco was starting to look remorseful.

And as for Neptune…

"Heh…" he exhaled, his bangs covering his eyes as he looked at the floor. "Hehehe…I guess you're right, Jaune…guess I was just being selfish."

Jaune put a hand on his hip.

"We're allowed to be selfish every so often," he said. "Just don't let it get in the way of what matters."

Neptune nodded, finally smiling again.

"Right."

Jaune looked around at the rest of his team, smiling at each of them. He had spoken to Neptune, but his words had really been for all of them. He knew that the team was being pushed to its limits. He could see it all in their eyes. How Velvet kept stressing out about every little thing, how Sage and Scarlet remained quiet and taciturn, how someone as unflappable as Coco could be riled into an all-out shouting match. Losing a team member had hit them all hard, if not for the loss of a friend, than the ever-present reminder that none of them were invulnerable. Every one of them was a raw nerve, and it was no wonder they were getting into fights.

Jaune just hoped that he could hold them all together until Ruby got back.

"Get some rest, you guys," he said fondly. "We'll be moving out soon enough. I'm counting on you. All of you."

Every one of them nodded back. Including Neptune.

Jaune smiled and turned to head towards the exit. That little speech had taken a surprising amount of energy out of him. It was like reliving the days right after he lost Pyrrha. He knew that she was still out there somewhere, and as long as she was, hope was still alive. But for eight months counting, as far as he had known, she had been gone for good in all of their hearts.

It had been crushing. He still felt the weight of her loss, even more so now knowing that she was still alive. And what made it all the worse was how uncertain even this tiny granule of hope was. She had not appeared at all during the battle of Atlas, or if she had, Jaune had not seen or heard from her. The fact that she hadn't appeared terrified him. He could only pray that, after he and Ruby had defeated her in the frozen north, that she had not been deemed useless by that monster who was controlling her.

"Hey Jaune," came a voice, interrupting his reverie.

Jaune turned to see Coco, hands in her pockets as she approached him. He was out in the hallway, beyond sight of everyone in the mess hall. He had been hoping for a few moments to recuperate, not being used to playing such a role of responsibility among his team. With Coco suddenly in his face once again, he steeled himself for a barrage of fiery barbs.

"Uhh…yeah?" he asked, swallowing nervously.

Coco tilted her head as she looked at him.

"Nice little speech you gave back there," she said nonchalantly. "You practice that in front of a mirror or something?"

Jaune tried not to scowl at her presumptuousness.

"No," he said simply. "Ruby gave me the exact same pep talk not long after I lost Pyrrha. It helped me back then. I was hoping it might help Neptune now."

Coco blew a strand of hair out of her face.

"He's still going to be a liability, you know," she said. "If he freezes up in the middle of a fight, someone on this team might wind up getting hurt. Are you willing to take that chance?"

Jaune shook his head. "That's true for all of us, Coco. We all have our demons to deal with. I don't know a lot of the details, but Weiss told me that Neptune's been dealing with an awful lot since Mistral, and losing his partner on top of it all can't be helping. We all have a responsibility to look out for each other

Coco raised an eyebrow.

"That's a nice sentiment, Jaune," she said skeptically. "You really think you have what it takes to lead this team?"

Jaune threw his hands up. He was tired of being tested, least of all by his own teammates. Being a leader meant making compromises, he knew, but he was getting tired of trying to temper his feelings for the sake of decorum.

"Honestly?" he said. "I don't know what Ruby was thinking, putting me in charge! I've never understood why anyone ever puts their faith in me! All I ever seem to do is screw up! And yet somehow I still wind up being responsible for everyone around me!"

Coco raised an eyebrow, taken aback by his outburst.

"Oh?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jaune sighed. "I don't know _why_ Ruby made me your leader. But as long as I _am_ , I'm going to do _whatever_ it takes to keep everyone on this team alive until she gets back. We've come too far to stop now. I can't hesitate just because I'm scared. Whatever happens, I just have to keep moving forward."

Jaune swallowed hard, his heart racing as he poured out his feelings. He wasn't sure _why_ he was revealing all this about himself to someone who he didn't even _know_ that well. Doubtless, he was ruining all credibility he might ever have as her leader, and she would take his outburst as a sign that she should ignore his orders entirely and lead her own team by herself.

But then Coco's mouth curved into a smile.

"I was wrong about you, Jaune," she nodded approvingly. "Maybe you _do_ have what it takes after all."

Jaune blinked in surprise as Coco turned to go, meandering back towards the mess hall to rejoin the others.

"Oh…" he said, feeling foolish as he watched her leave.

After she was gone, Jaune found himself smiling once again. All this time, he felt like he would be letting Ruby and everyone else down. He was so scared of screwing something up. Seeing his friends argue with each other like that…he had been so sure it was a death knell for the whole team.

He was glad to see that he was wrong.

Jaune's train of thought was interrupted once again, this time by a chime on his scroll. He opened up his device to see general Ironwood's face on the screen.

"General?" he asked, completely taken aback.

"Operative Arc," the man said sternly. "Gather your team. The fleet will be mobilizing shortly. I want Team RSJC on board my flagship within the hour."

Jaune's heart sank to the pit of his stomach.

"Now sir?" he asked, his face growing white. "Without Ruby?"

"We can't afford to wait any longer," the general shook his head. "We always knew it was unlikely that Operative Rose and her team would make it back before we headed out. You'll be in charge of Team RSJC for the duration of the operation. We'll reconvene with the others if we can, but in the meantime, I'll counting on you for this mission, son."

Jaune swallowed hard. This would be it. In the back of his mind, he had always been counting on Ruby to show up at the last minute and take the responsibility of leadership out of his hands. But after this, there would be no turning back.

Jaune straightened his back. But he couldn't stop himself from shaking as he saluted to the screen in his scroll.

"Understood, sir!" he said in a determined voice.

Ironwood nodded, appearing satisfied.

"Very good, Arc," he said. "Dismissed."

Jaune hung up his scroll, pocketing the device, before leaning his weight against the wall. He had just finished telling his team that he expected the world of them. Now it was time to put them to the test once more. He hoped they were ready.

He hoped that he was.

Marching back into the mess hall, Jaune found Team RSJC sitting together, speaking in soft voices. Coco and Neptune seemed to be talking again, thanks to some cajoling on Velvet's part. Jaune would have to remember to thank her later.

But that would have to wait.

"Team RSJC!" Jaune called out to every. "It's time to move!"


	127. Chapter 127

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 127

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch furrowed her brow as she and her team crouched together on the far side of the bluff overlooking their objective. The three young women were laying on their stomachs to keep out of sight, as off in the distance, a little mining town lay. It was ensconced within tall grassy plain-lands for the most part, though the grass had turned to gold in the intense summer heat. The mining town lay on the edge of what looked to be a rocky ridgeline, and even from this distance, the Grimm were evident as they stomped and sniffed about the town. Every report that had been received told them that the town was mostly deserted. But several of the evacuees had insisted that there were still survivors down in the mine shaft.

Glynda wrinkled her nose. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Are you sure about this, Glynda?" her sister asked in a hushed voice.

Glynda turned to see her teammates Addaperle and Ella resting on their elbows next to her. Like her sister, Adda had long blonde hair, though hers was far curlier than Glynda's. She wore a blue combat skirt with gold trim, with a dust-channeling rod secured to her hip. To contrast, Ella had long raven hair held back in a ponytail, cool hazel eyes, and wore a slim green bodysuit that clung to her figure, twin swords crisscrossing her back. Both girls had nervous looks on their faces as they peered over the grassy hilltop towards the mining town alongside their leader. Ella wasn't the type to give voice to her concerns, but Addaperle wore her emotions on her sleeve, and had no qualms with speaking her mind. Regardless, Glynda sensed the trepidation of both girls, and did her best to put on a confident face.

"We're the only Huntsmen team in the area," she said stoutheartedly. "This attack happened a day ago. If there are still people trapped in the mine, then it's up to us to get them out. They won't survive if we wait around for backup from Beacon."

The other two girls exchanged a worried glance. It was clear to them both that the three of them were ill-prepared for a rescue mission such as this.

"If we charge in there by ourselves, we'll only be adding to the body count," Ella said pointedly.

"That's why I'm going to be providing a distraction," Glynda nodded sagely. "I'll draw the Grimm away from the town while you two head down into the mine to search for survivors."

Addaperle's eyes widened at that suggestion.

"No way!" she objected. "That's way too dangerous, Glynda! You can't face that many Grimm by yourself!"

"I won't be fighting them, Adda," Glynda chastised. "I'll be leading them all on a merry chase."

"And if they corner you?" Ella asked icily.

The corner of Glynda's lip raised.

"Well then, you two better hurry up with your part of the mission and come bail me out."

Addaperle peered back across the dry plain towards the abandoned mining town.

"I still don't like this, Glynda," she said.

"Hey, no one ever said being a Huntress was easy," Glynda said jauntily, before withdrawing her riding crop. "Now let's go. The longer we wait, the longer we keep those survivors away from their families."

The other two Huntresses slowly nodded, each of them drawing their weapons as they watched Glynda rise to her feet, though they both still looked somewhat distressed at their odds.

"Wait for my signal, and then make your way to the mineshaft," she ordered. "Stay in radio contact, and let me know when you find anything."

The two of them nodded wordlessly again as Glynda darted over the bluff and down the hillside towards the town. While the tall grass was yellow and dry as she rushed through it, the mining down was dusty and dry as she approached. The summer heat had parched the land, and drought had already been making things difficult for the townspeople, probably one of my contributing factors to the Grimm attack. Already, she could see ursi and beowolves raising their heads towards her, sniffing curiously. Some of them were within the town, others were circling its perimeter, scavenging for anything left alive, fairly standard behavior for the creatures of Grimm.

The beowolves and ursi began to growl as she darted past. Glynda pushed past those encircling the town as they began to converge on her, her tall black heeled boots pounding against the dirt as she ran. More and more began to follow after her, the only sign of life for miles around. As she entered the town, she began to veer between buildings to keep her pursuers just far enough at bay to give her room to maneuver, though there was barely more than a handful in this quaint little town - little more than a few homes, a general store and a church building. As more and more Grimm began to converge on her, Glynda looked up to see a bell tower atop the town church.

Perfect, she thought. Just what she needed to get their attention. She raised her riding crop, focusing her aura around the sturdy iron bell within the tower. With a flick of her wrist, she ripped the bell from its hinges, crashing through the wooden window siding of the steeple, before releasing her hold and letting the bell come crashing to the ground below.

CLUNG!

The large iron bell struck the earth below, ringing out loudly across the town. Glynda looked around to see the eyes of every creature of Grimm she could see locked upon her. Creeps began to leap on top of abandoned houses to catch sight of her, the ursi sniffing through stables peeking their heads up to snarl at her. She hoped her teammates would respond to her signal. As she turned to flee, she waved her crop and sent a bright bolt of light up into the sky for good measure.

She ran. The Grimm had her surrounded, but Glynda was nothing if not resourceful. The town was in ill-repair, having recently suffered a Grimm attack. She dodged nimbly as Beowolves swiped at her, her riding crop deflecting any incoming attacks that she could not dodge. Her sister was right; she could not hope to defeat so many Grimm on her own, even as a third year. But if all she had to do was escape, then that was well within her capacity.

Rustic buildings sat with their doors and windows left open, some of them knocked off their hinges. Discarded carts and carriages littered the dusty main road, as townsfolk had fled their homes with only what they could carry. It was a simple matter for Glynda to ensnare the odd door or overturned cart with her semblance to use as extra footing to leap and bound over and past any creatures of Grimm that sought to impede her, and once she was past them all, it was a merely a matter of maintaining her distance from them.

As she hurried back out into the field, she turned and smiled as she saw her two teammates scurrying towards the town off in the distance. They were taking the long way around, giving Glynda and her pursuers a wide berth. Just as planned, Glynda thought. Now all she had to do was keep the Grimm occupied. As she inspected her surroundings to determine her best course of action, her eyes fell on the long, narrow ridgeline lining the edge of the town. The terrain became much rockier, which would impede some of the larger Grimm.

As Glynda dashed up the rocky ridgeline, leaping from boulder to boulder, she turned to make sure the Grimm were still following her. Several seemed to have paused at the barrier the ridgeline presented, though the smaller creatures seemed unfazed, particularly the creeps, their frog-like bodies easily jumping and scaling the rocky ridgeline to follow her.

Glynda bashed one of them away with her riding crop as she flipped open her scroll.

"What's your status?" she asked, establishing a three-way connection with her team as she had many times before.

"Just made it into the mine," Ella reported. "Beginning our search."

Glynda smiled as she leaped up to higher ground. Ella, being a second year, usually took charge when the other two Huntresses broke off. Three person teams never stayed the same throughout the years, as they each consisted of a first year, a second year and a third year student that cycled in and out at the beginning of each year. The third year student always led the other two, and when they graduated, the second year student took over in their third year, and a new first year student always joined in with each new year. Team were constructed this way to establish mentor roles for incoming students, as well as a clear line of authority amongst team members. When Glynda graduated, Ella would truly be in charge, and her sister would take a mentor role to the next student to enter the group.

As she busied herself dodging swiping claws and hurling rocks at her pursuers, Glynda couldn't help but worry about her teammates in the mineshaft. She felt very fortunate to have had the opportunity to lead a team with her own sister. Addaperle had been so excited when she'd gotten accepted into Beacon, and even moreso when she found out that she got to be on a team with her sister. Ella had also been a good teammate and friend, and got along with Adda almost as well as Glynda herself. She had found, over the years, for Ella to be a very driven Huntress, which would be to Adda's benefit. As much as she loved her sister, Glynda had to admit that Addaperle often had her head in the clouds, and would need a firm hand like Ella's when Glynda graduated and wouldn't be around to keep her sister in line.

After ten minutes had passed with no word from her teammates, Glynda finally withdrew her scroll.

"How are things going in there?" she demanded impatiently. "Find anything?"

"Nothing yet," Ella responded in her usual no-nonsense tone. "If there are any survivors down here, we're not finding them. Adda, anything on your end?"

Her sister's face appeared on the screen next to Ella's.

"Nothing over here," the younger Huntress said, before her eyes lit up. "Wait…do you hear something?"

Ella's eyes pointed upward as she pricked up her ears.

"Yeah, I think I do…" she said, before turning back to the screen. "Let's go check it out."

Glynda raised her riding crop, sending a hail of rocks flying at an approaching beowolf, sending the hapless creature toppling and tumbling down the ridgeline.

"Be careful you two," she warned cautiously. "Stick together."

"Don't worry Glynda," her sister told her. "I won't-"

"Adda, look out!" Ella's voice broke in over the scroll.

Glynda felt a chill run down her spine as both her teammate's faces disappeared from the screen, the muffled sound of shuffling sounding from the speakers as the two Huntresses' attention was drawn away from their scrolls.

"Adda?" Glynda called out urgently into her scroll. "Ella?"

She heard some muffled shouting over the scroll, but nothing coherent. Glynda wanted to keep prodding, but had to leap away from an ursa that had managed to lumber its way up the ridgeline.

"Addaperle Goodwitch, this better not be your idea of a joke, young lady!" she snarled into the scroll in her hand.

There was still no answer on the other line. The screen showed only darkness, though occasional flashes of rock and clothing suggested the scrolls were being carried somewhere, seemingly while the Huntresses carrying them were running at full tilt.

Glynda swallowed hard. The two of them could take care of themselves, she reasoned. If she came rushing in, she'd be leading a horde of Grimm right to them, and be cutting off their escape route in the process. She just had to give them time.

Finally, a voice came through.

"Grimm!" Adda's voice shouted in panic. "There are Grimm down here!"

Glynda's blood ran cold, as she instantly turned and leaped back down the ridgeline. Of _course_ there would be Grimm down in the mineshaft! How had she not predicted that? There would be no chance of rescuing any townspeople in the mine; anyone trapped down there was already dead! And if they didn't act soon, Glynda's teammates would be too!

"Get out of there!" she hollered, side-stepping creeps and beowolves as she hurdled past them, landing roughly on the dusty terrain below. "Get out of the mines! Run!"

"Oh God…" Ella's voice breathed in disbelief. "It's…it's a _widowmaker!_ "

Glynda's eyes widened as she broke into a full sprint. Widowmakers hadn't been seen or heard from in _decades!_ They were a spiderlike Grimm that weaved a sticky webbing to ensnare their victims. It had been thought that the Huntsmen of Vale had finally manage to drive them from the kingdom. For one to show up now must mean it had survived a very long time, and gotten very, very powerful.

" _Get out of there!_ " Glynda screamed into her scroll as she ran full tilt back towards the mining town. "Ella! Adda! _Run!_ "

Glynda's heart was in her throat. She had no idea if her teammates could even hear her. All she could hear from the shuffling and whooshing of wind from the other line. All she could do was barrel across the scorching plans towards the mining town in the hopes that she could make it there in time to help.

But then she heard screams, and Glynda's heart leaped into her throat.

" _Ella!_ " she heard her sister scream. " _Help!_ I'm stuck!"

"Adda!?" Glynda shouted in terror. " _Adda!?_ "

"Adda!" Ella's voice sounded distant through the speakers. "Hold on!"

" _Adda!_ " Glynda cried, her voice quaking as she ran.

The mining town was getting closer. Just another two hundred yards or so. It was now devoid of Grimm. Glynda had done her job well. For all the good it did now.

"Adda!" Ella's static-riddled voice came again through the speakers. "Grab my hand!"

"I'm trying!" Adda's voice sounded tiny and faint. "I…I can't move!"

Glynda tried not to imagine her sister stuck in the widowmaker's sticky web, and focused her concentration on running. She was exhausted by the time she reached the mining town. She sprinted down the main road, ursi and beowlves still hot on her tail. She didn't care. All she cared about was reaching the mine shaft in time.

"Hold on!" she hollered in a voice that was raw from screaming. "I'm coming!"

Her eyes flickered between her destination and her scroll. On the screen, she could see brief glimpses of whirling weapons and flailing body parts, all of them ensconced in darkness. Then Adda's screen went suddenly still, as if she'd dropped her scroll, a trail of dust captured in a glowing beam of dim lamplight.

And swiftly approaching within the darkness was a set of eight glowing red eyes.

Glynda almost felt her heart stop.

" _ADDA!_ " she screamed.

Then she heard a dull thundering through her scroll, as she recognized the sound of Ella's explosive arrows. At the same time, she felt a faint rumbling beneath her feet as the ground shook from the discharged weapon.

"Adda!" Glynda cried as she finally reached the entrance to the mineshaft, a shallow pathway leading into the ground. "Ella!"

Glynda was stopped in her tracks when a sudden cloud of dust blasted out of the mineshaft, exploding in her face, forcing her to cover her nose and mouth.

"Gah!" she shouted, recoiling as she shielded her eyes. "Wha-!?"

"Cave in!" Ella's voice sounded faint and panicked through the scroll. " _Cave in!_ "

"No!" Glynda cried in panic, reaching through the cloud of dust until her hands fell on hard stone. "Ella! Adda! _No!_ "

It had been an act of desperation to discharge an explosive weapon within the mines, and Ella knew that. How desperate things must have gotten for her to do so anyway, Glynda did not want to ponder. She must not have had a choice. Either her life was in immediate danger…or Adda's had been. Either way, as the dust began to settle, Glynda found the entrance to the mineshaft collapsed, completely covered by rocks and rubble.

"Adda…" Glynda gasped, pulling out her scroll. "Adda!"

Both screens on her display flashed the same message:

 **Connection Lost**

"No…" Glynda cried, closing her scroll and withdrawing her riding crop. "Adda!"

She tapped into her aura and began to dig through the rubble, lifting massive boulders with her semblance one at a time, some of them massive in size. The more she moved, the more they seemed to tumble back down to cover the path that she had just cleared. Gasping for breath, desperate to save her team, she sent one boulder after an other hurling away, recklessly waving her crop. Her aura slowly began to drain as she hurled rocks away by the dozens, heedless of the creatures of Grimm that were slowly approaching from behind.

She didn't care. She had to save her team. She _had_ to!

Then the Grimm suddenly began to scatter as another dull rumbling shook the ground. Glynda paused in her digging, taking a step back as the rocks began to tumble on their own.

Could her team have found its way out on their own?

Then all at once, Glynda was thrown backwards as the pile of rubble before her exploded outward in all directions. Dust and stones pelted her as she was sent flying by the force of the blast. As the Huntress recoiled, rolling to her feet, she stared up in a horror as a massive Grimm spider clawed its way out of the mine shaft, its long hairy legs thrashing madly as it emerged from the ground.

HSSSSSSS!

The sound it emitted as its mandibles clacked was excruciating! The widowmaker was taller than most of the buildings around them, and when it reared up on its hind legs, it towered over everything in sight! Glynda fell onto her backside and scrambled away as the Grimm waved its two front legs towards her, slamming them into the dirt pathway leading down towards the mine.

"No!" Glynda cried in a panic. "Ella! Adda!"

She fumbled for her scroll as she skidded across the dusty path, falling twice before finally getting to her feet. She tried to reach her teammates over her scroll, but the window kept flashing the "Error – No connection" symbol every time she tried.

HSSSSSSS!

The widowmaker was right behind her as Glynda stumbled further and further away from the mine shaft entrance. The creature's front legs were the size of tree trunks as they bashed at the ground, forcing the Huntress to scramble back from its attacks, skinning her knees as she fled from the beast.

" _No…_ " Glynda wailed in despair. "Adda…"

She was no match for the creature. She knew that. The passage down the mineshaft was sealed shut, and there was no way to dig it open without dealing with the Grimm first. If she tried to take it down and died in the process, her teammates would be no better off. Their only chance, she knew, was if she could come back with help from Beacon.

So she ran. The widowmaker followed after her, swiping at her heels with its legs as Glynda barely dodged away. I continued after her for a time, but quickly shied away from the bright light outside its cavernous dwelling and returned to the mineshaft entrance. It could be guarding the entrance for days on end for all she knew. Glynda ran all the same. She ran until her lungs burned and her veins blistered. And as she ran, she just kept crying…and crying…and crying…

"Ella…" she wept, her tears evaporating in the blistering summer heat. "Adda…"

As she staggered forward, she knew the help that she sought wouldn't come swiftly enough.

"Adda…" she whimpered, her body trembling from over-taxation as she cried for her sister. "Oh, Addaperle…"

By the time she reached Beacon Academy, they would have no Huntsmen to spare. The nearest team would take three whole days to reach the mining town. By the time they got there and started digging, there would be nothing left to save.

"Ella…" Glynda gasped as her breath staggered as her consciousness began to flicker.

She hadn't been strong enough. She couldn't save them. She couldn't even manage to mount a rescue. She had been too weak, too overconfident, too foolish to attempt such a mission without backup. And her team had paid the ultimate price.

" _Glynda…_ " a familiar voice came.

Glynda's eyes flickered open to see a familiar figure standing before her. She no longer wore her fine green tunic and pants, and instead wore a dress of dust-woven red. She looked no older than she had when they had been students, but with her hair down, and eyes a deep amber in color, and the sultry smile on her face, she couldn't have looked further from her former self.

Glynda shook her head as her mind began to clear. She was in a classroom. All around her, she could see the familiar trappings of Beacon Academy. The other two professors were chained to the wall beside her, the students huddled amongst the tables and chairs, and the creatures of Grimm sat guarding each of the exits. Every Huntsman in the room had some sort of collar affixed to their necks, which seemed to somehow suppress their aura. Each of their weapons had also been seized as well.

Had it just been herself and the other two professors, Glynda might have made an escape attempt days ago. But there were still some thirty students that she was responsible for. And the only way she could keep them all safe under the circumstances was to acquiesce to Cinder's demands.

So she turned her eyes up and glared at her former teammate disdainfully. She had long since lost feeling in her hands as she remained manacled to the wall with her colleagues. Her riding crop was nowhere to be seen, and the aura suppression collar around her neck ensure that her semblance was beyond her reach.

"Have we been enjoying our little trip down memory lane?" Cinder asked wistfully.

Glynda schooled her face into a mask of anger. She could not recall how many times Cinder had made her relive that moment of her life. She had never been able to forget it. Like a nightmare, the events just kept playing out exactly the same each time, heedless of her wishes. She kept making the same mistake, and had to watch the same tragedy unfold. Over and over, her past mistakes were laid bare for her, until she had grown all but numb to them.

"You're not doing anything to me that I haven't already done to myself," Glynda said coldly.

Cinder looked amused.

"How does it feel then, I wonder?" she asked wickedly. "How does it feel to lead your team on a suicide mission, only to turn around and abandon them in their hour of need."

Glynda narrowed her eyes at the other woman.

"You've seen the memories for yourself, Ella," she rasped. "You know _damn_ well how hard I wept for you. I was overconfident and foolish. But you were my teammates, and my teammates were my _life_. I would _never_ have put your lives in such danger if I hadn't thought you all equal to the task."

Ella shook her head slowly. "Maybe so…but you're not the one who had to watch poor Addaperle get crushed to death under a pile of rock and then spend nearly a weak fumbling around in total darkness, knowing that you were doomed and abandoned by your team leader and friend."

Glynda shook her head vehemently. "I _tried_ to get you out, Ella! I was outmatched and had to go get backup!"

"You _ran!_ " Cinder sneered. "You abandoned your teammates and you _ran!_ If I had not found salvation within those mines…"

Glynda was still shaking her head mournfully. "Ella…"

Cinder waved her hand dismissively.

"But we're not even close to done, my dear," she smirked wickedly. "There are an untold number of memories that we could delve into together. I could pry into your deepest, darkest secrets if I wanted to. Find all sorts of little tidbits that no one else gets to see. Your family history…your past with Professor Ozpin…your feelings for _certain_ man in uniform…"

Glynda felt a shiver run unbidden down her spine at the sick look in Cinder's eyes. If James Ironwood was in her sights now, then there was no telling what she would do to him. She would have to be cautious how she reacted, she knew, and be sure not to give anything away.

From across the room, each of the student Huntsmen watched her in despair as they huddled together, the creatures of Grimm standing still and silent around them all. The other two professors on either side of her, however, took that moment to come to her rescue.

"Leave her alone, you foul creature!" Peter Port said, the chains fastening his wrists to the wall jangling as he shook his fists. "Haven't you tortured her enough already?"

Cinder's smile widened at her eyes fell on the elder Huntsman.

"Oh, Professor Port," she smiled menacingly as she stepped over to him. "Still teaching after all these years? I'm impressed. Shall we pry into _your_ memories instead?"

Professor Port straightened his back, thrusting out his chest.

"Do your worst, you witch!" he cried. "I have nothing to hide!"

"Oh?" Cinder purred, raising a finger to his forehead as she weaved her spell. "There aren't _any_ memories in there that you're ashamed of? Such a long career as a Huntsman, and there's not _one_ mission that's gone awry? Not a single misstep? Not _one_ failure?"

Professor Port's eyes became haunted as she began to pry into his mind, and Glynda watched in horror as his expression darkened as Cinder began to flood his mind with images of all the past horrors in his life.

Each of the students averted their eyes, and Cinder threw a glance at Glynda, as if daring her to protest. It was Doctor Oobleck who spoke out first, however.

"Leave him alone, you witch!" he shouted angrily.

Cinder withdrew from Professor Port, who abruptly hung his head in exhaustion at his release, looking completely shell-shocked.

"Another volunteer?" Cinder asked seductively. "I don't think you were around when I was at Beacon. You're rather young to be teaching at a Huntsman academy. Must mean you're rather clever…Professor Oobleck, was it?"

Bartholomew stared tersely back at the woman.

"It's _Doctor_ Oobleck, thank you very much," he scoffed.

Cinder chuckled.

"Yes, you must have worked _so_ hard to achieve such a title…" she giggled as she approached him. "Putting in so much time and effort…I can't _imagine_ how many sacrifices you've had to make over the course of your tenure…"

She raised a finger to his forehead, and Bartholomew's eyes glazed over.

"Fortunately, I don't have to…" she said.

Glynda gaped in disbelief as Oobleck's face became a mask of horror, as untold nightmares resurfaced to the forefront of his mind. It all seemed to happen in less than a second. One moment, he was putting on a brave face, and the next, he was reliving his worst memories. It didn't matter who you were, it seemed. Everyone had secrets and memories they were ashamed of. It didn't matter how deeply they were buried. Cinder could find them.

Glynda shook with rage.

"Stop it!" she yelled, tugging at her chains.

Cinder turned her eyes back at Glynda with a smirk as Doctor Oobleck slumped over where he stood chained to the wall, completely frazzled.

"Oh?" she laughed. "Ready to go back to dreamland already?"

Glynda narrowed her eyes.

"Why are you doing this, Ella?" she demanded. "You already _have_ everything you want from us! Why must you toy with us like this? What do you gain from it?"

Cinder sashayed back over to Glynda, arms crossed as she fixed her with a piercing gaze.

"Why, for no other reason than because I _can_ ," she said in a silky voice, casting a smile over all the other students. "I wish to do so, and none of you can do anything to stop me. All of you are _completely_ powerless before me."

Each of the students lowered their eyes, shying away from her as she spoke. As they did, the smile on her face grew, as if the feeling of holding sway over all of their lives was intoxicating for her.

Then a voice came in, breaking the silence.

"Cinder…" the feminine voice called out from somewhere on her person. "Stop wasting time. We have work to do."

Glynda fixed the other woman with an odd stare as she retrieved what appeared to be hand mirror from her waist and glared into the glass.

"Give a moment, would you?" she growled angrily.

"Now," the other voice sounded impatient. "Don't make me repeat myself again."

Cinder's upper lip curled back as she bared her teeth, but she acquiesced.

"Yes master…" she breathed.

As Cinder placed the mirror back in her belt, Glynda was looking at her oddly.

"You're not the one calling the shots here, are you?" she asked pointedly.

"Shut up," Cinder breathed warningly.

Glynda shook her head in disbelief.

"Is that why you torture us?" she demanded. "Do you feel so powerless in your master's presence that you need to inflict harm on those weaker than yourself to feel powerful?"

Cinder snarled angrily as she reached out and seized Glynda by her collar.

"I said shut up!" she glowered, before reaching up to unfasten the chains that bound her and set her down on her feet.

Glynda stumbled as she was released, casting a glance at the Grimm that guarded the door. They were still on high alert, and there was still the student Huntsmen to consider. She was clearly being unchained for a reason, and it would be foolish to make an escape attempt right in front of her captor.

She peered back at Cinder as she held a scroll out to her. She recognized it as her own, and saw that it was currently vibrating, with an **incoming call** alert.

It was from general Ironwood.

"Now you're going to answer this scroll," Cinder instructed. "You're going to inform your _dear_ general that you and your fellow Huntsmen are hiding in Yellowbrick Hall. You're going to ask him to meet you there, and you're going to inform him that the west end of campus has been rather vacant of Grimm recently, and that you recommend he land his advance party there."

Cinder reached off to the side with her free hand, and her eyes began to glow with the Maiden's power. Then, as if by magic, one of the student Huntsmen also began to glow as her power enveloped them. It was a first year named River Sail, a bright and fearless young student who often raised her hand in class, and showed a promising future before her. She had long brown hair and soft green eyes, which were now utterly filled with fear as the power enveloping her slowly lifted her into the air to drift towards Cinder's outstretched hand.

Glynda's eyes widened in shock as Cinder's hand clasped around the girl's neck, terror spreading across the girl's face.

"No!" the little girl whimpered, shaking her head in despair. "Please!"

"Shhh…" Cinder said softly to the girl. "Quiet now. The show's about to start. We wouldn't any interruptions…would we?"

The girl clasped her hands around Cinder's arm as she held her in place, but the woman's grip was far too strong for the young Huntress, particularly with her aura suppressed by the collar around her neck. So she nodded shakily, her whimpers of fear falling silent for fear of reprisal.

"You filthy little…" Glynda breathed in absolute disgust, but was cut off when Cinder shoved the vibrating scroll in her face.

"Your choice, old friend," she said. "Deliver the message for me. Or I'm afraid I won't be able to guarantee this poor girl's life."

She applied the faintest degree of pressure on the girl's neck, and the student's eyes widened as she began choking, gripping at Cinder's hand helplessly as she struggled to breath.

"No!" Glynda gasped in alarm, reaching out towards the student.

Cinder pulled the girl away from her, shoving the scroll out to the professor instead as it continued to display its incoming call alert.

"Time's running out, Glynda," Cinder said coldly. "Wouldn't want the _dear_ general's call to go unanswered. It's his third time calling. He must be _so_ anxious to reach you."

Glynda fixed Cinder with a look of pure disgust, before finally lowering her eyes, reaching out for the scroll.

"Okay…" she breathed. "I'll do it…"

Cinder withdrew the scroll abruptly before Glynda to grasp it.

"And if I hear _anything_ I don't like…" she warned.

Glydna wrinkled her nose.

"I understand…" she grunted angrily.

Grudgingly, Glynda accepted the scroll, before thumbing the green **answer** button.

"…Glynda?" came the familiar voice on the other end. "Glynda, are you there?"

Glynda's eyes widened as she brought the scroll to her ear. As hopeless and desperate as the situation was, she could not deny how real the relief she felt was at hearing the sound of his voice after so long.

"James!?" she stammered in disbelief. "James is that really you!?"

"Glynda!" Ironwood's voice rang clearly over the connection. "Thank goodness you're alive! Are you alright? Are you hurt at all? How…how is the resistance fairing?"

Glynda felt a tear run down her cheek, which was sullied by the smirk that Cinder was giving her as she spoke.

"I'm fine, James…" she said, glaring back at the woman before her. "We're still here. We've taken some losses, but the resistance is still going strong…"

She hung her head, praying for forgiveness as she lied.

"Well, you won't have to hold out much longer," Ironwood said happily. "The cavalry's on its way."

Glynda felt her throat tighten.

"Oh, the students will be so glad to hear that…" she forced the words from her mouth, glancing between Cinder and the student she held in her grip, still remaining deathly silent.

"Where can we rendezvous with the resistance?" James asked, concern in his voice. "We'll make evacuating the injured our top priority."

Glynda closed her eyes as she recalled Cinder's instructions. She wasn't sure what building they were currently being imprisoned in, but she was certain it wasn't the one she was telling Ironwood to go to.

"The resistance is holed up in Yellowbrick hall," she said simply, fixing Cinder with a look of unadulterated loathing. "We haven't seen much activity on the west end of campus. It might make a good spot to land."

"Very good," the general said. "We'll be there soon, Glynda. Just sit tight a little bit longer, and this will all be over."

"Thank you, James…" Glynda said, before swallowing nervously. "Just…hurry, please. We don't want another incident like the battle of Gillikin."

"Don't worry, we'll be with you inside the hour," he said gently. "Hold on until then, Glynda."

"I will, James…" she whispered. "Thank you."

Cinder terminated the connection and pocketed the scroll, fixing Glynda with a curious look.

"…And what exactly _happened_ at the battle of Gillikin?" she asked curiously.

Without missing a beat, Glynda responded.

"An overconfident military force dallied for too long before attacking a point, and in so doing, they lost their objective," she said stoically. "The general and I share a fascination with military history. We commonly make references to the subject, and that one seemed particularly germane to the situation."

Cinder narrowed her eyes. "I told you, if I heard anything I didn't like…"

River's eyes filled with fear as Cinder's grip began to tighten.

"If I hadn't said that," Glynda said slowly, not letting her nervousness show. "The general would have likely suspected something. I just covered for you."

Cinder appeared unconvinced, though her grip on the little girl relaxed slightly.

"Is that so?" she asked.

"Do you think I'm a complete foo?" Glynda demanded. "I know when I'm beaten, Ella. I wouldn't do anything to risk the lives of my students. Right now, my top priority is keeping them alive, and that means convincing the general to do what you want, right?"

As Glynda spoke, she gave River a reassuring look, and hoped that the look conveyed the message that she would be getting her out of there in one piece, no matter what happened.

"Don't worry," Cinder finally said. "I believe you."

As if by some divine providence, Cinder slowly lowered the girl to her feet, and Glynda sighed in relief. Tears began to pour down the little girl's cheeks as relief slowly filled her eyes.

"However…" Cinder said coldly. "As you so eloquently put it…"

Then with a deft flick of her wrist, she snapped the little girl's neck between her fingers, leaving her head hanging at an awkward angle, her eyes suddenly unfocused and lifeless.

"…I _do_ like to inflict harm on those weaker than me," Cinder sneered.

" _NO!_ " Glynda screamed, rushing over to the student Huntress, far too late to do anything.

Before she could reach her, Cinder seized her once again, slamming her back against the wall, where the chains that had bound her before came up seemingly of their own accord, manacles once again clasping around her wrists. Glynda watched in horror as River fell to the floor, dead. And all around the classroom, the students began cry out in fear.

"You monster!" Glynda screamed, wrestling with her restraints. "How could you!? She was _innocent!_ "

Cinder shook her head slowly at the wailing Huntress.

"That's what none of you seem to understand," she breathed, before turning her eyes on the group of cowering students. " _None_ of you are innocent! You're _Huntsmen!_ You all traded in your innocence the _moment_ you signed up at Beacon!"

While the students recoiled from Cinder as she glowered over them, Glynda stared helplessly at River's crumpled body.

"Each and every one of you is getting your just rewards for your crimes…" Cinder crowed triumphantly. "I'm just here to dispense your payment."

" _Why!?_ " Glynda demanded angrily, tears streaming down her face as she stared at the dead girl at her feet. " _WHY!?_ "

Cinder shook her head dismissively as she turned towards the door.

"It's like I told you, Glynda…" she said smugly. "It's for no other reason than because I _can_ …"

Glynda watched an ursa stand aside, allowing Cinder to disappear through the classroom door. All at once, Cinder was gone, and Glynda and the Huntsmen were left alone with their grief. She turned her gaze back towards the body of River Sail, which still lay unmoving on the floor as it slowly grew cold. She looked back to the defeated looks of Professor Oobleck and Port, whose eyes were still heavily weighed down by the events that they had both witnessed. And then she looked out at her students, each of them terrified to the breaking point.

Her students whom she had failed.

Glynda hung her head in sorrow. And wept. She had failed River. She had failed _all_ of her students. She had failed her fellow teachers at Beacon. She had failed James. She had failed _everyone_. And now all she could do was weep.

And as she wept, the students wept with her.

Unseen to her and everyone else, however, a pair of eyes gazed back up at the professor from amongst the students huddled together on the floor in fear. A pair of eyes, one of them pink, the other one brown. Like the other students, the look of disgust and disbelief on her face was palpable. But unlike the others, this one had no fear in her eyes. And as she watched Glynda weeping in despair, the slain student Huntress growing cold at her feet, her eyes narrowed in a stern, deadly gaze.

Then a moment later, she was gone.


	128. Chapter 128

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 128

* * *

Deep beneath the catacombs of the White Fortress laid a treasure trove of riches beyond anything Ruby or Yang had ever seen.

"This place is…unbelievable…" Ruby breathed, staring in wide-eyed wonder.

Raven had led Ruby, her sister, and their uncle down a seemingly endless flight of stairs, revealing to them a stone enclosure deep beneath the castle. The cavernous expanse seemed to span the breadth of the fortress walls. The volcanic fissures running throughout the ravine opened deep into the bowels of the earth, which provided ample room for the castle above to expand ever farther downward. Ruby could not begin to fathom how far down the stairs they had ventured before Raven had slowed her descent and emerged out into the massive chamber. The ceiling stretched easily over a hundred feet high, and hundreds more feet or rock lay above it. It was a little unnerving to know how much solid rock lay over her head, Ruby cringed, ready to crush her with even the slightest of seismic activity.

This feeling paled, however, when Raven pulled a lever on the wall attached to some cables that ran all the way up to the top of the chamber and activated an ancient form of artificial lightning, a luminous bulb at the center of the massive domed ceiling illuminating the entire expanse before them. As it did, row upon row of shelves, desks and tables lit up, each one laden with books, scrolls, and ornaments of which not a one of the two Huntresses had ever laid eyes on before.

It was like an entire museum underneath the White Fortress! Carvings and statues and all kinds of ornamental decorations dotted the chamber walls. Ruby's eyes lit up even more when she spotted the rack of what appeared to be ancient weapons laid out across the wall. There were swords, spears, axes and all manner of bladed weapons that seemed to date back to an archaic era. However, a large majority appeared mechanical in nature, some large, some small. Many of these modern looking items appeared to be molded from some sort of metal or white plastic material, and they each sported the distinguishable muzzle, grip and trigger of modern handguns.

"Ohhhhhh, wow!" she gasped in amazement as she looked over the array of mysterious weapons.

Yang was somewhat less mystified, her arms still crossed as she kept one eye on her mother, though she also watched Ruby as she ran around the room to admire its holdings.

"Look at all the weapons, Yang!" Ruby said, pointing to a row of archaic firearms laid out across the wall. "I've never seen anything like this before!"

"This armory contains weapons that were used long before the time of Huntsmen," Raven explained.

"So long ago?" Ruby gasped in amazement. "How could they have had _guns_ back then? I didn't know they had anything _like_ this back then! All the history books only ever talk about swords and spears!"

"Some of these weapons come from an era before even dust was commonly used," Raven said idly, still marching down the center aisle between bookshelves. "This collection is eclectic and traces its roots throughout history, but it is unique in that it includes pieces from a period of scientific and industrial grandeur. Though precious few samples remain functional, it is believed that the ancients possessed a technology equal to or even greater than our own."

Yang nodded, glancing towards what looked to be some form of cart with no wheels and a single, odd-looking chair inside of an open canopy. It was made from some sort of red plastic with metallic trim, and the inside was lined with buttons, nobs and switches.

"What's this?" she said, kicking the oversized hunk of metal. "Some sort of vehicle?"

"That," Raven said, glancing over at the machine in question, "I believe served as a hovercraft."

Yang's eyes widened, suddenly looking more befuddled than ever.

"A hovercraft?" she asked, skeptically. "Just how advanced were these ancients anyway?"

"Very," Raven said sagely as she strode past a massive crystal clear tube of glowing blue liquid. "Little is understood about the ancients and their technology. Few historians even agree on their exact nature or how long their existence stretched for. Most of what has been found has not withstood the test of time, and those that _have_ were gathered in places like this castle as trophies for our early rulers to fawn over. These items were relics of a bygone era, even from the perspective of our own history books."

Ruby and Yang hurried to catch up with her, pausing to idly inspect a floating orb that lay suspended between two rings, casting a cylindrical field of light where it hovered.

"Oooh…" Ruby intoned in wonder as she observed the levitating sphere.

Raven did not seem terribly invested in either girls' thoughts on the place, and continued to lecture them as she marched her way through the aisles of bookshelves and weapons.

"Among the items to be preserved down here were a variety of dust samples, offering abilities that have long since been lost to the ages," Raven continued, gesturing to the wall opposite the weapons rack, where a number of brightly colored crystals lay wrapped in parchment. "Abilities such as mental manipulation, gravity control, even the ability to create portals through space-time. From them, I've been able to fabricate various upgrades to Midnight Dreary."

Yang fixed her mother with a pointed look, eyes on the weapon at her hip.

"You mean that sword you stabbed me with so you could wipe my memories?" she accused.

"Yes…" Raven nodded slowly. "The dust of the ancients was capable of many things. What knowledge I've found indicates that they were used primarily in matters of medicine and quality of life. Memory manipulation was applied to victims of trauma, allowing them to let go of of their painful memories. Some things were better left forgotten."

Yang thought back to her first encounter with Adam Taurus. How terrified she had been after it all. She had let her sister run off on a dangerous mission without so much as trying to follow. All because she had been afraid.

Perhaps some memories were better left forgotten.

As they all continued to stare at all the ancient dust on the wall, Qrow Branwen strode past, still looking somewhat uneasy at being in the anachronistic treasure hold they all found themselves in.

"We didn't come here for the guided tour, Raven," he said grumpily. "Show them the pool already."

Raven nodded brusquely.

"Right," she said. "This way."

Ruby and Yang hesitantly followed, fixing each other with a nervous glance. If this cavern of wonders wasn't even the primary focus of their journey down here, what secrets could this pool of Raven's hold?

"I'm sure Weiss would be interested in that kind of dust," she commented dryly as she stepped past the rack of ancient dust. "Neptune's been dealing with a lot of painful memories, I hear."

Raven eyed her daughter curiously.

"You may wish to rethink that," Raven cautioned. "It is best that these weapons remain hidden. Should our enemies get their hands on anything in this trove, it could mean disaster. They have already managed to secure other such tools, and have been all the more dangerous for it."

Raven gestured forebodingly to a tall ornate mirror.

"For instance," she said. "This item here is a Shadowglass, one of few left in existence."

Ruby and Yang's eyes widened in astonishment as they laid eyes on the ancient artifact. It looked like no more than a polished mirror with a finely carved wooden border. But though it reflected the world around them, eerily neither Ruby nor Yang bore a reflection in the glass.

"A Shadowglass?" Ruby breathed in awe, stepping away from it. "You mean like that _thing_ that Cinder used to keep Pyrrha locked up?"

"They actually have _another_ one of these things down here?" Yang gaped in disbelief.

"Indeed," Raven nodded somberly. "Fortunately, our enemies don't seem to know of this one's existence yet. If they did, this entire enclave would have already been compromised by the time Ozpin ever sent me to find this place."

Ruby pursed her lips. "Shouldn't we destroy it then? Just to be safe?"

"Good luck trying," Raven said sardonically. "Only the power of a Maiden has ever been able to even scratch its surface. And seeing as how Maidens are in short supply these days…"

Yang saw Ruby flinch at that, and crossed her arms as she stared her mother down.

"And whose fault is that, exactly?" she demanded. "We've been fighting to keep the Maidens safe ever since we've learned about them. So far as I can tell, all you've done is help our enemies destroy the Maidens."

"Now hold on," Qrow raised a hand. "It's not so cut and dry."

Raven nodded, ignoring her brother.

"It is as I said," she explained to Yang. "To win the larger war, some smaller battles must be lost."

"So Dora had to die?" Ruby shook her head in disapproval. "And Weiss' mom? All of our friends who've been hurt or killed...?"

Raven let out a sigh.

"A single life can make all the difference in the world," she said, looking at the young Huntress. "Sometimes that life belongs to someone capable of great things. Other times, that life is merely a stepping stone for other people capable of great things. Most of us, Ruby, fall into this latter category."

"Even you?" Yang demanded haughtily.

Raven eyed her daughter wryly.

"Perhaps," she said. "Once all this is over. I don't actually know how all of this is going to end. All I have is faith."

Ruby pursed her lips. "Faith in what?"

For the first time since they'd seen her, Raven smiled.

"In the two of you."

The two Huntresses had nothing to say to that.

As the four of them passed by the collection of bookshelves, tables and racks of ancient weapons, a thin sliver of light began to take shape on the floor before them. At the center of the domed enclosure, directly beneath the orb of light at the epicenter of the dome illuminating all within, an iridescent glow began to come into view along their path. As the Huntsmen stepped ever closer, the ground began to slope downward, as the glow slowly resolved into a small circular basin.

A basin that glimmered as brightly as the sun.

Yang and Ruby stopped at the circle's edge, peering down into the shimmering void. The stone floor they stood upon dipped inward towards the basin, creating a divot in the floor rather than a sharp lip. This gave the pool something of a shoreline that circled all around it in a perfect, uncomfortably artificial circular shape. All together, the basin was barely twenty feet across. Though the substance within the pool was transparent, it revealed nothing within its depths. While it shone as if made of liquid crystal, it was clearly a placid viscous fluid.

Yang crossed her arms in skepticism.

"This is it?" she asked in an unimpressed tone. "This is that mystical pool that everyone's been making such a fuss about? You brainwashed me, attacked my sister, kidnapped one of our friends and delivered her to our enemies, all because of _this?_ "

Raven frowned.

"Yes," she said. "I know it probably doesn't make sense to you now, but I promise you, the answers are coming."

Ruby wrinkled her nose as she stared down at the glowing basin, her face awash in light that shone from the fluid even brighter than the glowing orb above their heads.

"It doesn't look like water," she noted, glancing back up at Raven. "Is it safe to touch?"

"Safe is a relative term," Raven waved off the question as she stood poised before the pool. "It won't cause you physical harm. But as soon as you make contact with the water of life, you will be connected to it, and it to you. During the course of that connection, well…there's no real telling what it can show you. Depending on how much of your body comes into contact, it could very well show you as far back as the beginning of life itself."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at the pool, shaking her head, befuddled.

"How?" she asked. "What is this stuff?"

"And how do you know the things it shows you aren't all just illusions?" Yang snorted derisively.

Raven drew in an impatient breath.

"Because every single thing I've glimpsed within its depths has come to pass," she said sternly. "Everything up until this point has transpired _exactly_ as the pool has predicted."

Ruby crossed her arms, staring down at the pool suspiciously.

"You called this stuff the water of life," she mused, curiously. "What does that mean?"

Raven put her hands on her hips, giving Qrow a wry smile.

"It is as your Wizard told you," she explained simply. "All aura is aura. Aura will always recognize itself, and connect with itself. When you condense aura into its purest form, after thousands of years, it crystalizes to form a potent energy source that anyone with aura is capable of wielding."

Yang's eyes widened. "Wait…you mean dust? You're talking about _dust?_ "

Ruby and Yang both stared down at the pool in disbelief at what they were hearing.

"Weiss' theory…" Ruby exhaled. "About dust being forged from fossilized human aura…"

She looked up at Raven in astonishment.

"She was _right?_ " she demanded.

Raven nodded sagely.

"And when you condense a great quantity of dust even further…" she said, gesturing to the pool of glowing water. "You get something _far_ more potent."

Raven spread her arms wide as if offering reverence to the pool of light.

"The refined and condensed essence of a trillion, trillion lifeforms throughout all of history," she said, basking in the pool's glow. "Their combined aura, boiled down to its most basic form. This is our planet's biological legacy in material form. In a very real sense, you're looking at the very primordial soup of life on this planet."

Ruby and Yang exchanged a tremulous look. Neither of them were feeling terribly inspired by this revelation. If what Raven was saying was true, then it contained the remains of countless plants, animals, humans, Faunus, everything on the planet capable of producing aura.

"All those memories, all that wisdom, all that shared experience," Raven sighed. "It coalesces into something akin to intelligence, a massive processing mechanism that can interpret and extrapolate data from a trillion, trillion souls. All it requires is for someone to connect with."

She gestured to the two girls.

"And then all of that shared emotion, experience, knowledge and perspective goes towards answering the questions that lie just out of our reach," Raven breathed. "All together, in one voice. It speaks to us, and we to it. Our hearts ask, and it answers."

Ruby knelt down beside the edge of the basin.

"So just by _touching_ this stuff…" she said furtively. "You can see the future?"

"The future," Raven answered. "The past. Everything. Anything that you need. Whatever you yearn to know most. If any form of life bore witness through history, it will provide an answer. Combine that with the logic and reason of every thinking being throughout time, and you unlock the secret to infinite knowledge and wisdom. It is the water of life, Ruby."

Yang put a cautious hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Ruby, don't," she commanded sternly. "Not yet. Didn't you hear her? This stuff is dangerous. I don't think we should be touching it."

"I think it's safe, Yang," Ruby said as she glanced back at her uncle Qrow. "After all…you've already touched the waters, right uncle Qrow? You've been acting kind of weird ever since we got here."

Qrow looked surprised at the girl's insight, but he nodded stiffly.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I have."

Yang threw uncle Qrow a fearful look.

"And what did you see?" she asked warily.

Qrow shook his head.

"Nothing good," he said warily. "Nothing you'd understand right now. I can't explain it all, but…maybe it would be better if you two saw it for yourself."

Yang glanced fearfully over at Ruby, who reached out to clasp her hand around hers.

"I think we should do it, Yang," she said reassuringly. "We came all this to find answers, and now they're staring us in the face. Let's go in together."

Yang glanced back and forth between each member of her family. Her mother's cold detachment, her uncle's distant standoffishness, and her sister's quiet resolution. Nothing about this was sitting right with her. But there was no other way forward but into the pool.

She swallowed and clenched Ruby's hand in her good one.

"Okay," she finally said. "But I want you to hold onto me while we're in there, Ruby. No matter what we see, don't let go of my hand."

Ruby nodded. "Got it."

Yang swallowed again and faced the glowing basin of liquefied aura before her. She drew in her breath. And then two girls both plunged headlong into the water.

The pool seemed to have no bottom, and the two girls quickly submerged, the water coming up fully around their heads. The water of life was warm to the touch, and they quickly acclimated to it. Soon, neither of them could even _feel_ the water, and opened their eyes to peer through the depths. The brightly lit pool illuminated everything around them, and Yang and Ruby couldn't see anything at first. It didn't shimmer in the way that water did. The two of them exchanged a glance as they floated within the pool, neither fully understanding what they were experiencing.

Ruby wasn't sure which of them breathed first, but when no bubbles emerged from her lips, Ruby gasped instinctively. The water around her felt no heavier than air! It felt as though by submerging into the pool, they had actually slipped into another world entirely. Was this an illusion? Could they actually breathe underwater?

Yang's hand continued to squeeze her own as the two girls floated there, casting their eyes about in wonder and terror, the two of them slowly drawing in breath, waiting for their bodies to reject the water for fear of drowning. But whatever it was they were breathing, their lungs drew life from it as surely as oxygen.

They could no longer see the surface. Neither could distinguish up from down except in reference to one another. But they weren't drowning, so panic had yet to set it. Yet.

"Yang…?" Ruby spoke, her voice echoing through the shimmering depths.

Yang turned to look confused at Ruby, concern and agitation in her eyes. Her sister's voice sounded hollow and tinny, but did not gurgle as one would expect underwater. Nothing about this experience made any sense.

"This is all kinds of messed up…" she said, glancing around for any sign of a distinguishable surface. "What the _hell_ is this? It's like we're not even underwater anymore!"

Ruby blinked her eyes and drew closer to Yang when she began seeing shapes emerge all around them. She instinctively withdrew, and only then noticed the solid ground beneath her feet. She staggering as a wave of vertigo nearly overwhelmed her, squeezing Yang's hand for stability as her eyes widened in shock.

"Yang…?" Ruby asked out loud as she looked down at the smooth floor beneath her feet. "Am I going crazy?"

Yang said nothing as she scrutinized their surroundings, unable to come up with an answer. The ground beneath their feet was hard and solid, like concrete. The oddly swirling shapes around the two girls began to resolve into more and more distinguishable shapes. As the shadowy figures continued to move around, they almost looked like _people_.

The more the two Huntresses cast their eyes around, the more the world around them resolved, as if given substance simply by virtue of being scrutinized, like in a dream. The pavement beneath their feet extended outward in either direction, forming what appeared to be some kind of road. The road was lined with green grass and trees, immaculately groomed.

And all around the two girls, the figures around them slowly resolved into fully formed people, men and women, and even some children. They wore strange and unfamiliar clothing, most of it pristine and while. None of them appeared to be carrying any weapons, though many had some kind of device that looked something like a scroll in their hands, which they studied ceaselessly, or spoke into as they were raised to their ears. Whoever these people were, each of them marching up and down the street in a hurried pace, heedless of the two girls they passed, as if they couldn't even see them.

As Yang and Ruby's eyes rose to behold the sights around them, buildings became apparent on either side of the road, man-made towers, some of them looked to be as large as the Atlesian Citadel. Each stood tall and stark, steel and metallic, mirrors of glass lining the sky-high walls. More streets became visible, crisscrossing between the buildings, and more people could be seen patrolling those streets as well.

Vehicles of various sizes and colors moved back and forth along the roads, many of which resembled the one Yang had witnessed in the enclave. Lacking any wheels and hovering just above the pavement, the sleek machines made hardly a sound as they passed by the two girls, seemingly oblivious to them as they stood in the middle of the street. As the pedestrians and vehicles sped by, Yang and Ruby were left speechless. One moment, they had been drifting within a pool of water, and the next, they were standing in the middle of what appeared to be a massive city, easily twice as grand as the entire kingdom of Atlas, and twice as busy!

Yang looked just as anxious as Ruby did, as she clenched her mechanical fist tightly, keeping Ember Celica 2.0 raised defensively in case of attack.

"This has got to be some kind of illusion…" she stammered, although her voice was filled with uncertainty. "It's got to be!"

Ruby said nothing, swallowing hard as she kept her free hand on Grímnir's hilt. The world around them looked strange and unfamiliar, and the more and more she and Yang studied their surroundings, the more realistic it looked. The two Huntresses could _feel_ the hard concrete beneath their feet, the rush of wind as each hover vehicle passed them on the street, the bustle of activity as people in futuristic clothing made their way to and fro, each one seemingly in a hurry to get somewhere as they checked their communication devices.

"Welcome," Raven's voice came from behind the two girls, startling them both. "To the city of Elysium."

Ruby and Yang suddenly turned to face the older woman as she stood before them, seeming completely unfazed by the alien vista that surrounded them.

"Mom…" Yang shuddered, looking around them at the towering cityscape. "You're here too?"

Raven slowly nodded.

"The first time being immersed within the water of life can be rather jarring," she said simply. "I'm here to act as a guide."

Ruby gestured to the city around them.

"This place…" she said warily. "This doesn't look like any part of Remnant that I've ever seen."

"That's because it doesn't exist anymore," Raven said somberly. "The city of Elysium existed at the height of human ingenuity and industry, six thousand seven hundred years ago. It was a time when modern medicine had cured most diseases, where poverty was non-existent, and not a soul went hungry. By all accounts, it was practically a utopia."

Ruby's eyes widened as Raven raised her hands to the sky, and the two girls saw the pale, round moon in the evening sky. The moon, which for as long as any of them could remember had been shattered into a thousand pieces, was now whole and unbroken.

"This…" Ruby breathed in disbelief as she stared up at the moon in awe, "This is the past?"

"This…" Raven said, gesturing to the city around them, "Is the world before the Shattering."


	129. Chapter 129

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 129

* * *

Jaune and the members of Team RSJC under his command each stared out the window at the black cloud that rested over Beacon Academy. Through the porthole of general Ironwood's flagship _Ptolemaios_ , it was easy to mistake the black morass as a mere storm cloud in the sky. But after the battle of Atlas and the swarms of Grimm the Huntsmen had all defeated, not a one of them took the formation as anything nature had produced of its own accord.

Hovering over Beacon Academy were enough Grimm to blot out the sun.

And the bulk of them were unlike any Grimm Jaune or his friends had ever seen. They had been expecting nevermores and griffons, but they were accompanied by something else. Humanoid in shape, they hovered in the air on bat-like wings protruding from their backs. Like most Grimm, their skin was black, their bodies lined with bonelike growths, their faces were adorned with the usual Grimm skull mask, though these masks appeared much more humanoid than any other Grimm ever before encountered. And perhaps most unnerving of all - each of them carried either a long, wicked looking black halberd or a similarly styled black battleaxe in their claws.

FleetCom was referring to them as Gargoyles.

"Grimm carrying weapons now?" Nora snorted derisively, hands on her hips. "What's next? Are they going to start wearing battle armor too?"

"A new classification of Grimm," Ren pointed out from where he stood beside her on the bridge. "We'd best proceed with caution. We don't know what they're capable of."

"Really wish I'd paid more attention in Professor Port's class," Jaune said, crossing his arms. "We could _really_ use an expert on Grimm right about now."

The bridge of the _Ptolemaios_ was large and expansive, accommodating over thirty flight crew members. A tactical holographic readout occupied the center of the bridge, displaying the terrain of the kingdom ahead, as well as all confirmed Grimm contacts indicated by glowing red dots hovering over the digital representation of Beacon. Ironwood stood overseeing the holographic display, stroking his chin pensively. The Grimm numbered in the hundreds of thousands, the red cloud of holographic blips forming a blanket over the entire school. The situation looked even _less_ tenable than the battle of Atlas, and was made all the worse by the fact that the enemy was already ensconced in a defensive position.

"Huntsmen," Ironwood announced, drawing Team RSJC's attention to the holographic readout. "The enemy holds aerial superiority, and the fleet will not be able to get within range of the Academy before being overwhelmed by these new Grimm. It would seem our best approach would be to deploy ground troops on the outskirts of the kingdom, and make our way to Beacon on foot. The situation on the ground doesn't look much better than it does in the air, but if we can deploy the bulk of our forces before before these Gargoyles can hit our fleet, we'll at least have a fighting chance."

Jaune glanced back at the rest of his team. None of them seemed all too thrilled by the proposition. They all knew the stakes. This would not be an easy fight.

"Team CFVY," the general continued. "Your people were most recently on the ground here in Vale. I would welcome your input."

Jaune nodded to Coco, who stepped forward.

"From the look of it, sir," she said pessimistically, "Things have gotten _much_ worse since we were here last. I'm afraid I don't have anything to give you on these Gargoyles, but I _can_ say that the resistance was able to make use of the layout of the city for their advantage whenever making any moves. Loathe as I am to suggest dividing our forces, a series of small strike teams _would_ be less encumbered by the city streets."

Ironwood crossed his arms, frowning.

"The city itself isn't of any tactical value," he said firmly. "The real target is the academy. It's ideally positioned to be able to hold off any assault, either by air or by land. We'd have the high ground up there. But the enemy has the academy too well fortified for any kind of direct assault."

"What about an air drop, sir?" Neptune raised his hand. "Huntsmen could be deployed from _above_ the academy and land on the ground without the fleet having to engage the Grimm."

The general shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not an option, Operative Vasilias. In order to position ourselves for such a drop, we'd have to get _over_ that swarm of Grimm, and we're already at our maximum altitude of thirty thousand feet. Any higher, and we risk shorting out our dust engines. There are limits to Atlas tech, I'm afraid."

Neptune pursed his lips, frowning as he glanced between Jaune and Coco. None of the other Huntsmen seemed to be having any brilliant ideas. It was times like this that he really relied on Sun for his leadership. There was just something about his Vaccuan ingenuity that always seemed to be able to outplay the competition.

Then Neptune's eyes widened as a thought occurred to him.

"What about a Vaccuan airship?" he asked.

Ironwood raised an eyebrow. "A Vaccuan ship?"

"They run on hydrogen, not dust engines!" Neptune said in growing excitement. "Shade's aerostat vessels are capable of reaching altitudes of sixty-thousand feet or more! We could deploy from one of Professor Jasmine's ships and soar right over that cloud of Grimm!"

The general nodded, staring pointedly at the holographic display as he fiddled with the translucent control panel, maneuvering the digital ships in his fleet into a flanking position around the Academy while a number of Vaccuan airships moved well overhead.

"Yes…" he said, his eyes shining with renewed purpose. "Yes, that could work. Our operatives could manage an air drop and secure a position within the academy grounds. You'd have to punch through that swarm of Grimm, but if you could manage it, it'd be the surest way to secure a tactical position."

Neptune nodded at his fellow Huntsmen, who all smiled back at him.

"We won't let you down, sir," Jaune said to the general, nodding at Neptune in approval.

Ironwood put his hands on his hips.

"The catch is that the majority of our troops will still have to deploy at the edge of the city to make our way over to you," he said. "That'll be a major uphill battle."

"Umm…" Velvet raised a tentative hand. "I…may have a solution to that, general."

Everyone, including Coco, turned to the Faunus girl in surprise.

"Well, let's hear it," Ironwood said.

"W-well…" Velvet stammered, nervously. "When we were in the resistance, we had to make supply runs. We accomplished this through a vast network of underground tunnels running beneath the entire city. It won't get us into the Academy, but if we're starting as far back as they outskirts, it should…in theory…get us as far as the front entrance…um, sir."

Coco gave her teammate an impressed smile.

"Huh," she smirked. "You know, that's actually kind of brilliant. She's right, general. Old man shopkeep kept the resistance supplied for months using those tunnels. We used them to slip right under the enemy noses!"

The general stroked his chin pensively.

"And you believe these tunnels would be big enough to accommodate our entire army?" he asked dubiously.

"Maybe not the heavy mechanized forces," Coco admitted. "But those wouldn't be able to scale the walls to Beacon anyway. Your Paladins would be better served occupying the enemy forces on the ground in Vale, and diverting their attention away from the academy so that when we pop out of the ground, it'll be a straight shot to Beacon, sir."

Yatsuhashi gave his partner an approving nod. "Not a bad plan, Velvet."

The Faunus girl beamed at the praise.

Ironwood nodded, looking more and more pleased.

"Okay then," he said. "I'll need Team CVFY to lead the ground troops through these tunnels. Operative Arc, you'll be in charge of the strike team to secure a position within Beacon."

Jaune drew in a breath and saluted.

"Yes sir," he said.

"Sir?" Velvet raised a hand. "What about the resistance? Has there been any word from them?"

The general took a deep, steadying breath.

"We've been trying to raise Glynda for some time now," he said remorsefully. "So far no luck."

The Huntsmen all lowered their eyes at that. If the resistance had already been taken out…

"I'm not giving up on them yet," Ironwood said. "Maybe they're maintaining radio silence to stay hidden. We have no way of knowing for certain. We'll just have to find our people the old fashioned way."

Team RSJC exchanged nervous glances with one another, before slowly nodding their eyes, eyes raised to meet the general's.

"Alright," he said. "This will work, people. I'll alert Professor Jasmine and have her dock one of her aerostat vessels to the _Ptolemaios._ All we need now is a position within the academy grounds for our strike team to land. Some place you'll be able to hold for-"

BEEP-BEEP!

A chime sounded on Ironwood's dashboard, and he turned his head to inspect the message. His eyes widened as he hurriedly typed into his command console, and opened up a message window.

A black holographic screen appeared before him on the bridge as he and Team RSJC watched a waveform audio pattern pop up, indicating a voice-only transmission.

"Glynda?" Ironwood spoke up, looking more nervous by the moment. "Glynda, are you there?"

There was an uncomfortable pause, before the waveform pattern began to dance on the screen.

"James!?" came a familiar voice. "James is that really you?"

A pang of relief seemed to hit the entire team at once, and the joy on the general's face as he heard the Huntress' voice was palpable.

"Glynda!" he exhaled, momentarily forgetting himself. "Thank goodness you're alive! Are you alright? Are you hurt at all? How…"

A few of the Huntresses smirked at his uncharacteristic exuberance, and the general cleared his throat, straightening his posture.

"How is the resistance fairing?" he asked, more formally.

The team could hear the Professor releasing a low sigh.

"I'm fine, James…" they heard her voice saying. "We're still here. We've taken some losses, but the resistance is still going strong…"

Ironwood nodded to his Huntsmen and they all smiled in approval. Perhaps things weren't so hopeless after all.

"Well, you won't have to hold out much longer," Ironwood said happily into the microphone on his dashboard. "The cavalry's on its way."

"Oh, the students will be so glad to hear that…" Glynda responded.

"Where can we rendezvous with the resistance?" James asked, concern in his voice as he called up the holographic map once again. "We'll make evacuating the injured our top priority."

There was a brief pause before they heard her voice again.

"The resistance is holed up in Yellowbrick hall," she finally said. "We haven't seen much activity on the west end of campus. It might make a good spot to land."

At her words, the general zoomed in to the west end of campus. It did indeed seem deserted. He wouldn't have spotted it without her indication, but now that he was looking at it, it made for an ideal location to send in his strike team.

"Very good," the general said. "We'll be there soon, Glynda. Just sit tight a little bit longer, and this will all be over."

"Thank you, James…" Glynda said, before pausing briefly. "Just…hurry, please. We don't want another incident like the battle of Gillikin."

The general tilted his head imperceptibly at her words, but otherwise remained unfazed.

"Don't worry, we'll be with you inside the hour," he responded. "Hold on until then, Glynda."

"I will, James…" her voice replied. "Thank you."

The transmission ended, and the general clasped his hands behind his back.

"Well…" Jaune spoke up slowly. "It looks like our strike team has a landing position now."

The general began fiddling with the map, moving the camera across the campus, inspecting the landing sight from a variety of angles.

"Sir?" Jaune asked inquisitively.

"Change of plans, team," the general said stiffly. "Operative Arc, I want your strike team deployed to the north-eastern end of campus. It'll be a bit of a hike to the main hall, but once you're there, you'll be in a good position to hold out until we get there."

Jaune eyed his teammates curiously.

"What about the resistance, sir?" he asked the general. "Shouldn't we be headed for Yellowbrick hall? Professor Goodwitch said-"

"It's a trap," Ironwood said bluntly. "The resistance has been compromised."

There was a stirring of agitation amongst the Huntsmen.

"A trap?" Coco demanded, anxiously. "How can you be sure about that, sir?"

The general crossed his arms.

"The battle of Gillikin was the result of a tactical blunder," he said. "It's not a very well known battle, but Glynda always had a fascination with military history. Atlesian troops were led to believe that their advance party had secured them safe passage, when in fact the entire platoon had been captured by the enemy. The enemy forced the advance party to send false information to the main battalion, and led them into a trap. Hundreds of Atlesian troops died in that battle, and the mission was a complete failure. Glynda was warning us to stay away, or the same thing might happen to us here."

A look of fear spread across the Huntsmen as they absorbed what Ironwood was telling them. If the resistance was compromised, then not only did they not have an allied force on the ground, but the enemy knew they were coming. And if Glynda Goodwitch was being forced to feed them false information, then that could only mean that she was in the hands of Cinder Fall.

Jaune glanced back at the general. He could see the same terror gripping the older man that he himself had felt time and time again, and still felt to this day. The knowledge that someone he cared about was in enemy hands, and being used against him…

"So…" he muttered blithely. "So what do we do, sir?"

The general drew in a breath. Jaune truly admired the man's resolve. He hoped one day that he might just live up to such an example.

"We proceed with the mission, as I said," Ironwood ordered. "Take your team to the north-eastern section of campus, Operative Arc. You are to treat the entire western end as hostile territory. Secure a location for your team in the main hall. If you can ascertain the whereabouts of any resistance members on site, report it in immediately, but _do not_ attempt to mount a rescue on your own. Understood?"

Jaune nodded absently, glancing back at the rest of his team.

"And if they're not on campus?" he asked nervously.

Ironwood clenched his hands into fists at his side.

"Then I will find them myself," he promised.


	130. Chapter 130

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 130

* * *

Ruby and Yang drew in a breath at the majesty of the city around them. It was a technological marvel! And the more they absorbed, the more they realized the truth of what they were seeing. If the water of life was truly the essence of a trillion, trillion living beings, then it was possible that what they were witnessing were the very memories of those ancient ancestors playing out before them through a hundred thousand different lenses. From the earliest humans to the animals and plants around them, all life shared one common trait: aura. And that aura was speaking to them now, across the endless rivers of time, telling the two Huntresses the stories they all had to tell.

Even Yang was beginning to have doubts about this all being a hallucination at this point. If this was all some kind of dream, she reflected, it was certainly a damn convincing one.

"Elysium…" Ruby breathed in disbelief.

"Yes," Raven said as the two girls stared up in awe. "A human city which, at the height of its grandeur, outclassed the entire kingdom of Atlas in terms of size and scale three times over."

As the two girls continued to look around at the glittering city around them, a familiar voice suddenly broke in from somewhere around them.

"Oh for…would you give the theatrics a rest, Raven?"

The world around them suddenly seemed to fade back into white nothingness as Qrow stepped into view, still standing on some invisible floor. He stood with a hand on his hip, Ozpin's cane held tightly in hand. His silver hair shimmered in the light, as did Raven's.

Ruby and Yang blinked in surprise, the entire world around them suddenly evaporated in an instance. Then they turned to see their uncle marching towards them.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby called out, feeling somewhat reassured by his presence. "You're here too?"

The old man nodded.

"Figured it was only fair," he said somberly. "This is a matter of family, after all."

Raven gave him a dirty look.

"This is about _so_ much more than that, brother," she scowled. "These Huntresses are not children anymore. It is time that they know the truth of the world."

Qrow shrugged helplessly. "So show them already. And cut to the chase, would you?"

Ruby and Yang approached their uncle, trying to acclimate to the sensation of walking on an invisible floor.

"What does she mean, uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked. "What truth?"

"Yeah!" Yang said brusquely, scowling at Raven. "What did you see in here that made you think it was a _good idea_ to join the enemy and help them win?"

Raven let out a breath and held out her hand. All at once, the world around them faded to black, the white expanse losing almost all saturation. The change in light was jarring, however the four Huntsmen could see each other in the dimness. The light was coming from tiny pinpricks that appeared all around them, overhead, and far beneath their feet.

Stars, they realized. Ruby and Yang cast their eyes all about as they found themselves adrift in a sea of stars.

And within Raven's outstretched hand was a small, floating orb. Crystalline blues and vibrant greens smeared across the surface of the sphere, white wispy clouds moving across. And orbiting around the globe was another, smaller sphere, this one white and pock-marked with craters.

"This is our world," Raven said, holding out the globe for all to see. "Before it was known as Remnant."

While Ruby and Yang gazed at the planet in her hand in awe, Qrow simply rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, sis," he sighed. "Can we dispense with the theatrics?"

Raven threw him another dirty look, before shaking her head.

"These are the waters of life, Qrow," she said. "We're witnessing the interpretation of a trillion, trillion life forms, all communicating to us at once. Not all those life forms perceive things as we do. Even things like insects, grass, and bacteria all have the barest amount of aura, and thus contribute to the waters' message. If we were exposed to their combined thoughts directly, it would drive us insane. And so the pool filters the message, translating it into something that we can extrapolate and understand. And as human beings, we best understand _stories_. So let me tell my story, Qrow."

Qrow threw up his hands in resignation. "Fine, fine. Go ahead."

Raven cleared her throat, lifting the floating globe of the world up between her hands once again.

"In the time of Elysium, this world hosted a sparse but flourishing population," she explained.

Then all the sudden, they zoomed in once again. Ruby and Yang were struck with an uncomfortable sense of vertigo as the globe in Raven's hands quickly expanded in size, passing through them as the four of them seemed to shrink. Though the invisible floor they stood upon seemed immobile in the tumultuous expansion, the sensation of falling towards the planet was heart-pounding.

Within seconds, the two girls suddenly found themselves standing in the midst of a grassy field, presumably somewhere on the planet Raven had been showing them. They looked around, wondering where it was they had landed, before turning to the older woman, who raised her arms to the night sky.

BOOM!

The sky overhead suddenly brightened, and Ruby and Yang stared up at the source of the sound.

Then they were both stricken with fear as they saw the moon in the sky – whole and spherical in shape – suddenly explode in a bright red conflagration of fire.

"And then…" Raven exhaled, "The Shattering."

Ruby and Yang were still holding hands tightly as the animals around them began running in fear. Fire began raining from the sky as flaming shards of space debris came screaming down from above, creating loud, deafening booms as they impacted the surface, each one producing a shockwave and throwing up enormous plumes of debris that wiped out everything for miles around. The two girls cringed with trepidation at the enormity of the catastrophe surrounding them. They may have only been witnessing a memory, but every single one of their senses were telling them that they were both standing in the middle of an apocalypse.

"Something struck the moon with enough force to break it into pieces," Raven narrated as Ruby and Yang watched the terror around them. "Fire rained from the heavens for decades, tidal forces caused massive tsunamis which flooded the coastlines, and dust clouds blanketed the sky for nearly a century, throwing the world into an endless winter. Millions upon millions of lives were lost. The population of the planet was nearly wiped out in the ensuing disaster, and the human race, after having come so far, was thrown back into the stone age."

Ruby and Yang were nearly brought to tears by the images they saw. Not only were they seeing the terror inflicted on the entire population of the planet, but they could _feel_ their fear, their anguish and their despair as lives continued to be lost. The aura swimming within the water of life was communicating with them, not merely on a sensory level, but on an emotional level as well. The very aura within their bodies shuddered at the catastrophe they bore witness to.

"After that…" Raven said forebodingly, "The _real_ danger emerged…"

Time seemed to jump forward, and Ruby and Yang were faced with a scene of horror.

A tribe of humans stood in a small huddled group. They were wearing little more than animal skin loin cloths, their feet were bare, their skin dirty, their hair long and unkempt. They held primitive spears and knives in their hands, carved from bone and wood.

And surrounding them, unmistakably, were creatures of Grimm.

"The water of life is unclear about much of what happened during this era," Raven said as the two girls watched in horror as the beowolves attacked the small band of humans, tearing into them without mercy. "But what I _can_ determine is that the object that shattered the moon, wherever it came from, brought something with it."

Ruby watched in shock as the Grimm destroyed the small group of humans, unable to tear her eyes from the scene, helpless to do anything about it.

"It…what?" she asked in confusion, her thoughts still too jumbled by the disturbing visions all around her to comprehend what she was hearing. "What did it bring?"

"Ever hear of the theory of panspermia?" Qrow asked, his arms crossed where he stood behind them.

"Pan-what?" Yang threw her uncle a weird look. "Eww…"

"Don't be a child," Raven chastised, gesturing to the Grimm as they wandered away from the scene of carnage to seek out their next victims. "It's a theory that life as we know it came from extraterrestrial sources. Microbial lifeforms, locked within hunks of space debris, which managed to plant the seeds for life on our planet."

They followed the pack of beowolves as they prowled onward, and as they did, the four Huntsmen watched as the creatures encountered a larger group of humans, these armed with torches in addition to their primitive sticks and stones.

"Well, it turns out they were _half-right_ , at least," Raven waved her hand as the scene played out before them, like a movie. "Something _did_ come from somewhere amongst the stars. But when it got here, it found the planet quite inhabited already. And so naturally, there was conflict between the two."

The band of primitive humans set upon the beowolves with great ferocity, stabbing and slicing with their bone spears and knives. The beowolves attempted to fight back, but the humans had them outnumbered. Before long, the creatures of Grimm had been cut to pieces and felled, fading once again into the ether.

"The Grimm…" Ruby breathed, slowly nodding. "The creatures of Grimm emerged with the shattering of the moon. Whatever impacted it…when all that debris landed on Remnant, it brought the Grimm with it."

Raven nodded slowly.

"That is what I've been able to piece together, at least," she explained. "The number of living things for the pool to draw answers from decreases dramatically during this era. And the conflict between human and Grimm is more than a mere competition for land and resources. The Grimm are fundamentally different from all known forms of life. Life itself seems anathema to them. They possess no aura, and so none of their essence has ever mingled with the water of life. Because of this, we still have very little insight into their nature, even after all this time. It only makes sense that their origins be alien in nature."

Ruby and Yang watched as the leader of the small band of human primitives stepped forward. They could tell he was the leader by his disposition and how the other people all seemed to lower their eyes around him. He was a tall aging man with long graying hair tied in a knot behind his head. A gray wolf pelt was wrapped around his waist, and a bear skin was draped over his shoulders. While many of the humans around him wore ornaments made from stones and animal bone, apart from his clothing, his body was unadorned. He did, however, carry a long staff of metal, jury-rigged using what looked like various pieces of salvaged ancient technology. His staff even had something that looked like a trigger mechanism built into it.

"We are remnants of a forgotten existence," Raven narrated. "That is where the name of our world comes from. And those remnants were led by a man who sought to understand. No one alive remembered the days of Elysium's technological majesty. But the evidence of it littered the earth. And what pieces could be salvaged, he used to the advantage of his people."

Ruby and Yang watched and followed wordlessly as the old man led his people back towards what appeared to be a village. Walls made of timber dotted with jury-rigged halogen lanterns lined the perimeter, and huts and hovels were cobbled together from rusted sheet metal and other scraps from the ruined cities of their past. All around, primitive humans hurried to various tasks, building weapons and goods, preparing food, and guarding their small encampment. At the center of the village, a great bonfire roared brightly. Even though it was just a memory, the two girls could _feel_ the heat of the fire as they looked around the settlement.

The village elder who had been leading the small group of human warriors eventually made his way to a small hut. As the four Huntsmen followed him inside, they saw the tent completely filled with scraps of forgotten technology. Ruby could recognize pieces of weaponry, and Yang spotted pieces of vehicle doors and steering wheels from ancient hovercraft amongst the debris. Pieces of machinery littered every inch of the ground, some working and some broken beyond repair, all devices whose functions remained a mystery, even to the two girls for all their modern upbringing. The hut was as much a mausoleum to a bygone age as the trove beneath the White Fortress.

The old man came to a tall, cylindrical machine that seemed to be in operation to some extent, though like everything in the room, its exact purpose remained elusive. From a small cache within the machine, the man withdrew a bright, vibrant crystal that glowed brightly in all colors of the rainbow in the dimly lit hut. The two girls recognized the significance of the crystal when they saw it, though it was larger than any they had worked with before.

"Is that...dust?" Yang asked, gesturing to the glowing crystal from the ancient machine.

"Yes," Raven nodded. "An ancient form of dust, salvaged from Elysium. If such an artifact existed today, it would be the most powerful dust crystal ever forged, but to the people of Elysium, such items were as common as scrolls."

The two girls gazed at the shimmering crystal in awe as the old man studied it with a discerning eye.

"I've never seen a dust crystal so…colorful before," Ruby noted in awe.

"The people of Elysium were masters of their craft," Raven said. "By this point in history, the ways of dust crafting and its usage have long since been lost. This man is one of the few remaining humans intent on relearning the lost art. His ingenuity and findings would spur others of his kind onward for generations to come."

She gestured to the old man as he set himself to work, tinkering on the prismatic dust crystal with the staff in his hands, seemingly trying to unlock its secrets.

"However, many did not share in his views…" Raven continued. "And his ways were often challenged – not in the least, by his own wife."

The hovel door was flung open, and an angry looking woman came marching in. Her feet were bare like the others, and she wore little more than a shawl made from the hides of animals, her long brown hair braided with a series of beads. Around her neck was an ornamental pendant carved from the fang of some wild beast. She was yelling at the old man in a language the two girls couldn't understand.

"She was concerned the safety of the village and her people," Raven explained as they watched the man and his wife arguing, it seemed, over the scraps of technology overflowing from the hut. "And saw the mysteries of our lost civilization as meaningless and dangerous. She was convinced that such curiosity would surely bring about their demise."

The argument turned into a shouting match, and Ruby and Yang flinched as the woman fled from the hut, tears in her eyes.

"Her husband was determined to unlock the secrets of the past," Raven continued. "And she could not dissuade him from pursuing these mysteries. Unable to reason with the man, the woman turned to the Gods for aid."

Ruby and Yang watched the memory play out. The woman fled to another hut, where a prepubescent girl with long black hair, presumably the woman's daughter, looked up from where she was sitting in one corner of the hut and weaving what looked like a basket out of straw. The woman ignored her daughter's curious gaze and fell to her knees before some sort of altar made from bone and flowers, small bowls of pitch burning all around it. There was not a scrap of ancient technology evident in the hut.

She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, inclining her head as she wept.

"She pleaded with her people's Gods to make her husband see how dangerous his methods were becoming," Raven went on. "For the safety of their village, and of their child. When they did not answer, the woman turned to…other means…"

With a look of determination on her face, the woman climbed to her feet and ran out of the hut, leaving the young girl to watch her retreating form in confusion, the woman looking more stricken than ever. Ruby and Yang exchanged an equally curious look, before following after her.

"What is she _thinking?_ " Ruby demanded, shaking her head as they watched her run out into the woods without so much as a weapon. "With all the Grimm out there, she's going to get herself killed!"

"Desperation can make us do desperate things," Raven said, trying to rationalize what they were seeing. "Fear of the unknown can be a powerful motivator, especially in such dark times. She saw no way out, and so she set out on her own without any clear plan of action."

The woman fled from the village, out into the wilderness. She ran all through the night, through bushes and brambles and tree branches that tore at her clothes. Cuts and scrapes were accumulating all over her skin. Then the rain began to fall, and she shook from the cold. Her body was caked with mud, and soon she fell to her knees, weak and trembling from exhaustion and cold.

When she looked up, she was surrounded by Grimm.

And then she began to scream. Not in fear or distress. But in rage. Beowolves surrounded her, looking no different than they did in the present day. The woman did not try to get away, and made no effort to save herself. The rain continued to pour down, lightning flashing across the skies, and even in the unfamiliar language, Ruby and Yang could feel the intensity of her words as they felt the chilling cold of the rainstorm around them.

She was _cursing_ the Grimm. She was _damning_ them, laying all her fears and woes at their feet. Her voice rang hollow as she raged, emptying her heart of its grief, and laying it all upon the Grimm before her. She saw them as the ultimate source of her torment, so she blamed them for everything.

Even though she knew it was just a vision, Ruby still felt the urge to run to the poor woman's aid.

Rather than attack her, however, the Grimm parted before her. She looked up to see what they were doing, and saw standing within the clearing between the rows of beowolves a thin, wiry figure wearing a dark cloak and carrying a long, knobby wooden staff. The figure hobbled forward, observing the crying woman with peculiar interest. When Ruby and Yang tried to peer at the figure's face beneath the hood, they saw mottled white skin and wrinkled features. It was impossible to tell if the being was man or woman, they appeared so decrepit.

"What the…?" Yang uttered, taking a step back as she saw the old figure. "Who is that?"

From behind where Ruby and Yang stood, they could hear the raw hatred in Raven's voice.

"The mother of all Grimm," Raven seethed. "She had remained secluded up until this point, but such an outpouring of negative emotion was enough to draw her out of hiding. It's hard to say if she just saw an opportunity and took it, of if she'd had her eye on this woman for some time. Either way, this poor woman's plight resonated with her in such a way that simply _feeding_ on her would never have been enough to satisfy."

The Huntresses watched the hooded figure in trepidation. Something about her made Ruby and Yang not want to even go _near_ her.

"The _mother_ of the Grimm?" Ruby asked.

"I have no idea how old this creature is," Raven elaborated. "Whether she is the first of her kind, or just the latest in a long line of successions. But whatever she is, she offered this human woman something that she could not attain on her own…"

The woman raised her hands to the hooded figure in a pleading gesture, her frail skin trembling from the rain still pouring down. In response, the hooded figure raised a long, bony hand and placed it upon the woman's forehead.

"A way out," Raven said.

The woman's body suddenly seemed to radiate with a dark and iridescent power. The hooded figure pulsed with energy that flowed through her arm into the woman at her feet. The woman screamed in pain as her body twisted and convulsed from the explosion of power running into her. Ruby and Yang had to shield their eyes from the burst of violent light that engulfed them.

When the light faded and the two girls opened their eyes, only the woman remained, kneeling amongst the Grimm. Except that she had changed. Her skin had gone bleach white, as had her hair. The whites of her eyes had gone black as ebony, her irises a deep reddish hue. Red veins were visible through her skin across her face and all along her arms. And a thin, black slit had opened upon her forehead.

"This creature has gone by many names," Raven explained. "The Bringer of Night. Queen of the Damned. The Inviolate. The Witch. This current iteration seems to call herself… _Salem_."

Ruby and Yang practically recoiled at the sight of her. Everything about her repulsed them to no end. She was an abomination, some sort of twisted mix of human and Grimm. When they had fought Pyrrha in the past, she had only served as an unwilling shell. This union, however, was voluntary. She was a thinking, feeling Grimm that radiated intelligence and cunning. Her face was human, with all the emotions and subtle features of one, yet the being that dwelled beneath the surface was anything but.

"What _is_ she?" Yang demanded, a look of pure disgust on her face.

"I have many theories," Raven said, crossing her arms. "Near as I can tell, she's a possession type Grimm, the oldest in existence, and capable of subjugating _human_ hosts. She's more intelligent than _any_ Grimm you've ever encountered, and probably moreso than any human by this point. She has powers beyond comprehension. There's no telling how many beings she's inhabited before she found her most recent host, how many species she and her Grimm have overthrown before they finally encountered humanity. All I know for certain…is that _we_ were not the first."

Ruby and Yang exchanged fearful looks. Was _this_ what the Grimm were truly capable of? Roaming the stars, seeking out habitable planets, and consuming them one species at a time?

"This…" Raven said in a fierce tone of voice, "Is our true enemy."

The Witch rose to her feet, gesturing to the other Grimm around her, all of whom bowed in reverence.

"Once she inhabits a host body, that body can be sustained for _thousands_ of years," Raven continued. "As with such creatures as the dragon, she is capable of quickening the manifestation of Grimm around her to an astonishing degree. To the outside observer, it appears as though she simply _creates_ other Grimm at her whim."

As if to indicate her point, the Witch raised a hand, almost at once causing a black ooze to spread out across the ground at her feet, as if seeping from the earth, from which more and more Grimm began to emerge. With a self-satisfied smile on her face, the Witch turned her eyes in the direction she had come from.

"And being the most powerful and intelligent of her kind," Raven said, as Ruby and Yang watched, "All other nearby creatures of Grimm flock to her and follow her every command, like a colony of ants obeying its queen, knowing that they will be able to reap the benefits of her actions."

Salem began to step forward, as sure enough, the creatures of Grimm fell into step behind her. Ruby and Yang followed after as the horde of Grimm grew around them. The Witch's previous body had been old and frail, but now, it was vibrant full of life for her to feed on. And with this new potency came a renewed vigor to subdue and conquer her enemies.

Starting where it had all began.

"Oh no…" Ruby shook her head in trepidation as they came across the village where the woman and her family had lived.

The village was already in an uproar at the oncoming approach, panicked cries and furious shouts sounded forth as weapons were raised and gates barred. The able-bodied fighters were roused from their beds and gathered in force to defend their village. It made no difference – the Grimm had arrived in force, and the village was far too small to fend them off. Beowolves spilled over the walls like a tidal wave, and ursi barreled through the timbers as if they were made of paper. The warriors raised their weapons, and the Grimm simply charged right on through them.

It wasn't a battle. It was a slaughter.

The two Huntresses clutched their weapons tightly, enraged at not being able to step in and avert the massacre unfolding before them. One by one, the village warriors fell, their primitive knives and spears unable to stave off the sheer volume of Grimm at their door. The tragedy that befell this village was already inscribed into the annals of history. All that was left for the two girls to do was to watch.

"Why are we watching this?" Yang demanded angrily. "What's the point of showing us a massacre that we have no power to change?"

"Because of what happens next, Yang," Raven chastised.

The Witch arrived at a familiar looking hut, stockpiled with salvaged technology from a bygone era. The door came open in a blast of rage, and there inside was the old man with the graying hair, his makeshift weapon clutched tightly in his hand. Atop the staff, the massive technicolor dust crystal he had been tinkering with earlier was fastened, like the head of a spear.

Ruby and Yang watched in growing trepidation as the man stared back at the creature that used to be his wife, tears slowly running down his face. He uttered a few words to her in his native language that seemed to be some sort of plea. When Salem only approached him, her Grimm following behind, the old man stood up straight, his weapon raised in defense.

The Witch smiled. Her Grimm had completely overrun the village. The hut was completely surrounded. The old man had no way out. She had him cornered.

Then the tall, cylindrical machine at the center of the hut began whirring to life, and a cable leading into the base of the man's staff sparked and snapped as power began to flow from the machine and into the staff, which began to glow with power. He held it forward, squeezing the trigger build into the mechanism, and a beam of energy arced from the dust crystal at its tip and struck at the witch with a violent burst of power.

TSSSEEEWWW!

The Witch clutched the smoldering wound on her shoulder, hissing in anger. She then launched herself at the old man, knocking the staff from his hands and striking him to the floor. He tried to reclaim his weapon, but Salem reached down to retrieve it first.

She lifted the makeshift human weapon, eyeing it with passive disgust. She then returned her eyes to the old man, and raised the staff over her head, clearly intent on striking him down with it.

There came a cry of anguish from somewhere inside the hut. From a hiding place within the scrap pile, a tiny young girl with long black hair ran out to fling herself between the two as they fought. Ruby and Yang recognized her from the woman's hut.

It was their daughter.

A single cry escaped from the old man's lips.

"Asha'ella!"

The staff came down. The old man leaped to the child's aid, throwing his arms around her. The Witch drove the weapon down upon the two, the sharp crystal affixed to the staff's head biting into their flesh, impaling them both

And then a massive burst of power erupted from the machine at the center of the hut, and energy began to pour through the cable into the weapon at an incalculable rate. Both the man and his child were embroiled in the radiant power, and the Witch along with them.

In the span of a second, the entire village was engulfed in the explosion.

 _FOOOM!_

Ruby and Yang had to shield their eyes in the ensuing blast. Though the heat and energy of the aura was powerful, their skin remained untouched from the explosive force. Debris passed around their bodies as surely as air, and when the explosion finally settled, there was nothing left of the village but for an enormous crater in the ground.

There was a not a soul to be seen, human or Grimm alike. The burst of power had wiped out everything for hundreds of feet in every direction. As the two Huntresses walked around observing the destruction, rage and sorrow boiled within their hearts. The emotions and feelings of all the world around them cried out at the plight of what happened here that night. The aura that lingered here all spoke of grief, and it was all the two Huntresses could do not to weep.

When they came upon the old man lying at the center of the crater, cradling the dead body of his child, they nearly did.

"Why…?" Yang breathed, shaking her head. "Why are you _showing_ us all this? What's the point!? This is all just horrible!"

Ruby stepped forward as she watched the man crying for his lost child.

"Asha'ella…" she breathed, before turning to look at her uncle Qrow, who had remained oddly silent throughout this whole affair. "I've heard that name before…"

Qrow nodded his head slowly, looking like the weight of countless deaths rested on his shoulders. There were no tears in his eyes; he had shed those tears a thousand times before. He had seen this girl die a thousand times across a thousand different lifetimes. The burden of life had death had already long since settled upon his back as he bore witness to the event that started it all.

"The Daughter of Fire," he said in a tremulous voice. "The living embodiment of tragedy."

Yang's eyes narrowed as she focused on the broken girl's body.

"No way…" Yang shook her head in disbelief. "You're telling me…you're telling that's _Cinder!?_ "

Qrow shook his head.

"No…" he breathed. "Not yet, at least. The daughter of fire comes back. Time and time again. Like her mother, she takes on a new form. And every time she does…her life ends in vain."

Ruby nodded her head, as she slowly started to put the pieces together.

"Uncle Qrow…" she whispered, looking at the old man. "That man…"

She turned her eyes back to her uncle.

"That's the first Wizard," she said pointedly. "Isn't he?"

Qrow nodded again.

"Yeah…" he said, his voice quavering. "I…I've never witnessed this event so… _vividly_ before. I…I had no idea…just what the Wizard truly _was_ until I saw it here…"

Raven put her hand on Qrow's shoulder, his body still clearly shaking in the throes of sorrow at having to relieve the death of his daughter.

"The Wizard was just a man, trying to understand the world," she said in a gentle voice. "He came into this world in much the same way as the Witch – by tampering with that which he did not fully comprehend…"

At her feet, Raven gestured to the ancient dust crystal that had been affixed to the Wizard's staff. It had been broken into four equally sized shards in the ensuing blast, each one still radiating with power.

"Something _extraordinary_ happened that day," Raven shook her head, as if she still couldn't quite wrap her head around it herself. "The water of life doesn't tell me _everything_ , but I get bits and pieces. Dust craft during the time of Elysium was in a class all of its own. They were capable of feats so powerful as to be akin to the works of _Gods_. The Wizard had uncovered just a _sample_ of its power, but even this small fragment was enough to alter the world forever."

Ruby stared at the four crystal shards in trepidation, before turned to Yang, giving her a fearful look.

"Alter?" she asked.

Qrow let out a sigh.

"The ancient dust that the Wizard used had a multitude of uses," he explained. "One of those properties seemed to be the manipulation of time and space. Kind of like those portals that Raven uses to get around the world of Remnant. But there's no telling what kind of damage that crystal sustained during the Shattering. He didn't know what he was doing, and fed it far too much power than it was ever meant to use. Because of all this, the crystal did something _else_ instead."

Ruby and Yang exchanged a fearful look.

"What did it do?" Ruby demanded.

Qrow gestured to the ground at the center of the crater. As they stared more closely, the ground appeared to shimmer, until they realized that they were looking through some kind of transparent barrier.

"The Nexus," he said.

Ruby and Yang drew in a breath when they saw the angry face of the Witch peering back up at them from beyond the portal, and recoiled.

"Gah!" Ruby exclaimed, placing her hand on her weapon, her heart thudding in her chest. "What's _she_ doing in there!?"

Qrow sighed.

"That's where things _really_ start to get complicated," he said. "That explosion of dust was powerful enough to open a rift into another plane of existence."

"Another plane of existence?" Yang shook her head in disbelief as she stared down at the Witch as she placed her hands against what appeared to be an invisible barrier in the ground. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Like I said, it's complicated," Qrow said. "I'm not an expert in metaphysics. But the ancients had ways of understanding and manipulating the world around them to their benefit in ways we just don't comprehend. If you think dust usage is prominent in Atlas, the ancients would have made even the richest city bigwig look like a county bumpkin. They could control just about _every_ aspect of nature - disease, the weather, their own minds…and they did it using a mysterious form of dust. And it was just such a dust sample that the Wizard had managed to set off."

The Witch finally seemed to tire of attempting to escape, and moved out of sight. Ruby and Yang peered into the portal where she had been standing, and as they gazed into its depths, the Huntresses could see _stars_ shimmering somewhere deep inside! It was like gazing into another world!

"Not only did the explosion tear open the fabric of reality," Qrow said, "But the Wizard's aura, and by extension his consciousness, memories and all of his experiences, all became tied to _this_ plane of existence. And the same thing happened to his daughter. Now, rather than passing away when they die, their aura just…moves onto to someone else."

Ruby nodded slowly.

"Just like the Maidens," she said.

"Yeah…" Qrow breathed. "That doesn't happen until later, but…yeah. It's the same deal as the Maidens."

Yang gave her uncle a skeptical look.

"You're telling us that ancient humans of Elysium were so advanced that they could use _dust_ to manipulate the world to that degree?" she asked in stupefaction. "Weiss would have a _field_ day if she found out about this."

"I know this all sounds crazy, kid," Qrow said. "I don't quite understand it myself. But it's not all too different from what we do with dust right now. And history speaks for itself. I can tell you firsthand that the Wizard passed on what he knew to every one of his incarnations. That knowledge includes everything he was able to learn about the ancients. And every time one incarnation dies, it transfers that knowledge and experience into another body. And another. Until it finally landed in Ozpin. And from Ozpin…it went to me."

The Wizard, carrying the body of his daughter, rose to his feet to stand over the Nexus, peering down into its depths. As he did, the tarnished face of his wife, Salem, returned to stare back up at him, standing where he was on the other side of the portal. It was as if he was gazing at his own reflection, the Witch occupying the space where he would have been standing on the opposite side. Their faces spoke of only anger, grief and scorn for one another. Ruby and Yang could _feel_ the emotion seething off of them both. They each blamed the other for what had happened to them, as well as what had happened to their daughter. Had the Nexus been open, they probably would have destroyed each other in that very instant.

Instead, the Wizard began to gather the four broken dust shards at his feet as the Witch watched him, loathing in her eyes. And as he turned to walk away, taking what remained of their daughter with him, Salem began to scream. Slamming and clawing against the invisible barrier between them, the Witch flew into a rage as she tried to escape her prison once more, the volume of her voice was strangely muted as if she was trapped behind some mystical glass.

And as the Wizard left the ghost of his wife to her prison, his daughter's lifeless form still dangling in his arms, the tears came back anew.

"From that day forward, the Witch and the Wizard have waged a war upon one another, their armies of humans and Grimm forever at odds," Raven cut in. "And the Daughter of Fire has always had some role to play. Like her father, the Daughter of Fire was also cursed with eternal reincarnation, and so she inhabits a new body every time she passes on. Unlike her father, however, she carries none of the memories or experiences with her between lives - only her aura, her power. She is a reborn as a fresh slate, which means every time she passes on, she forgets everything about her mother and father. This leaves her vulnerable to the influence of one or the other, and it is never clear to whom she will turn each cycle. Sometimes she sides with her father, other times with her mother. It depends largely on who is able to reach her first. And as Qrow insinuated, she always dies a pitiless death before passing on."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, befuddled. "Why does she always die like that?"

"Because she will always have two forces acting upon her at all times," Raven said. "The Wizard and the Witch. No matter who she sides with, the other will inevitably kill her. The Witch will never hesitate to kill one of the Wizard's allies should she side with her father, and the Wizard has no choice but to put a stop to her should she be ensnared by her mother. Either way, she dies at the hands of one of her parents."

Yang wrinkled her nose. "Almost makes me feel bad for Cinder. Almost."

Raven nodded. "As Qrow said, she is the living embodiment of tragedy. Cinder Fall is merely her latest form. And unlike the Wizard, who has some agency of their host, the Daughter of Fire is reborn at random as a child. And the Witch has maintained her host body for thousands of years."

Raven waved her hand, and the scene before them melted away, leaving the four of them once again in a white expanse.

"The energy of the ancient dust, combined with the Witch's nascent powers, was strong enough to leave its mark on their very aura itself," she said. "The Wizard, the Witch, and their daughter, Asha'ella were all caught in the blast. As they were still human, the Wizard and his daughter became tied to this world."

With another wave of her hand, the world around them turned into one much, much darker.

"However, being a creature of Grimm, the Witch was sent somewhere else entirely," Raven said bitterly.

The feeling the two girls had when they had first laid eyes on Salem was multiplied a thousand fold as they took in the world around them. Perpetual night blackened the sky, dotted by distant stars, the same stars they had glimpsed through the Nexus. Booming crackles of lightning could be glimpsed off in the distance. Stark, lifeless stone cliffs permeated the landscape. Lifeless stone stretched out for miles in every direction. Nothing grew. No plant life, no animal life, nothing with an aura even existed. The world around them was effectively dead.

All save for Salem, as she stood before them her hands raised to the sky. A sickening laugh emanated from her throat, as all around, Grimm began to gather in droves.

"What…is this place?" Yang asked, fear evident in her voice.

Raven sighed.

"This may be difficult to understand," she said. "The difference between Grimm and all other forms of life on this planet runs far deeper than any of you realize. They are drawn to any and all forms of negativity because, to the Grimm, the potency of life itself is anathema. Love and laughter and all forms of positivity are staples of a vivacious and flourishing existence, and so they are repulsed by them. But anger, fear and hatred…these are the things that degrade life, and ultimately, lead to its undoing. The Grimm feed on these things because they cannot abide by anything else. When forced to confront the life of our world, the Grimm have _no choice_ but to destroy it. They cannot _survive_ around it."

Ruby raised an eyebrow at that. "What are you getting at?"

Raven shook her head, putting her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"You may have heard that the Grimm are not _alive_ in the traditional sense," she said. "But actually, it is insufficient to say that the Grimm are simply _not alive_. In a very real sense, they are the exact _opposite_ of life as we know it."

Ruby turned and stared at Salem as she continued to gather her forces within this dark and oppressive world. The world around them did not look like the Remnant that she knew, nor did it look like the primitive world they had just seen. This was something else entirely.

"What is this place?" she asked in a voice that suggested she wanted anything but to know the answer to her question.

Raven narrowed her eyes.

"This is the netherworld," she said. "This is the world of the Grimm. The place beyond limbo, beyond the pale gates, beyond the Nexus, beyond the afterlife. This is where all living things go to die."

Ruby's eyes widened in utter horror.

Yang, however, looked more skeptical than ever.

"No way…" she shook her head. "I don't believe you! You're telling us _this_ place-!"

Yang shuddered as she contemplated the possibility of what she was saying, looking around at the bleak, barren world that surrounded her.

"…That _this_ place…" she said in a tremulous voice. "…Is the _afterlife?_ "

Raven said nothing for a while as she considered her words.

"I don't know for sure…" she said finally. "What I _do_ know is that whenever anything in our world _dies_ , a little bit of their aura withdraws from our plane of existence, and manifests within _this_ one. This aura is what the Grimm feed upon. It's what sustains them. It's what keeps them coming from their world…into ours."

Ruby and Yang watched in horror as the roaming Grimm stalked the dead, rocky terrain in packs, pausing only to inspect the numerous pools of sickly black ooze that littered the floor. They sipped from the slime like animals drinking from a watering hole. And every so often, one would plunge into the black depths, lured by the temptation for more aura to feed upon. And as they did, the same Grimm would emerge somewhere in the human world, crawling from a similar puddle of black sludge.

"How can you _know_ all this!?" Yang demanded, sounding more and more like she was desperately looking for a reason not to believe what she was hearing. "If the water of life can only know things through aura, then how can it know _anything_ about a place where there _is_ no aura!? I mean, look around!"

She spread her arms out widely.

"Everything's dead!" she cried. "There's not a speck of aura around us! Even _I_ can feel that!"

Raven pointed at the Witch.

"All except for her," she said. "While the Witch occupies her host, its body still maintains the barest hold on life. This tiny ember of aura is made to last for _centuries_ as the Witch feeds on it. And because the explosion that tore open the Nexus sent her to this plane of existence, the waters were finally able to peel back the veil and see all that she has wrought over the years. This is how I've been able to track her movements throughout time."

The vision faded from existence, and the four Huntsmen saw history unfolding before them at a breakneck pace, events occurring in rapid succession of one another, the briefest glimpses into the aftermath as cause and effect inevitably swayed the outcome of the future.

"As the stone age moved onto the bronze age, humanity's conflict with the Grimm raged on," Raven went on. "At the forefront of humanity's opposition against the Grimm, there was always a man who felt a need to understand. His knowledge always seemed to give humanity an edge in staying on top, and so in spite of Salem's many, many offensive efforts, humanity was never completely erased from existence. In fact, in many cases, they thrived, their population rising with each passing generation."

As Ruby and Yang listened, they saw images reflecting Raven's words. Villages began to appear all over the world of Remnant, some of them turning into towns and even cities. As their numbers increased, so too did their ability to resist the Grimm. And always, the Wizard was leading them, bringing his knowledge and wisdom that he had garnered from his previous existences.

"Then came a day when the Wizard was forced to confront the Daughter of Fire on the field of battle," Raven said gravely. "For generations before, she had passed through the world untouched by either of them. But as Salem grew more and more determined, she started finding more ways to pierce the cracks between worlds, and influence matters directly. One day, she was able to reach out and sway the mind of the Daughter of Fire, luring her towards the Nexus where she could reach out to her and speak to her directly, convincing her to fight for her cause.

Ruby and Yang witnessed a great battle between mankind and the Grimm. The humans were wearing metal armor, riding on horseback, and swinging metal swords and spears. The Wizard sat at the head of the legion, his mechanical staff in hand. And on the other end of the battlefield, fighting alongside the beowolves and ursi charging towards their human foes, was a woman of raven hair wielding fire like she was born of it.

"Humanity won their battle, but at great cost," Raven concluded. "And the Wizard abandoned his role as a leader to live out his generations of life in solitude, allowing humanity to evolve without his guidance. He isolated himself far up in the mountains, away from Grimm, away from the war, away from the ghosts of his wife and child. He became a hermit, locking himself away from the world, and every time he passed on to another body, he followed the same pattern of exile."

The old man appeared weary and worn, wearing tattered robes and moving slowly and without purpose, isolating himself from the world in a small shack a million miles from nowhere where he lived out the rest of his days in peace and solitude.

"That was, until the day four young women came into his life," the Qrow chimed in.

The girls to turned to see Qrow standing next to Raven behind them with his arms crossed.

"You know the story too, uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked.

Qrow smirked. "This was one of my past lives we're talking about. I know the story better than most. Now pay attention."

He waved his hand, as though manipulating the images that appeared around them. Before they knew it, Ruby and Yang were watching a scene from their childhood storybooks come to life. The Wizard sat locked away in his little cottage, until the day he peered outside to see the visitors on his doorstep.

"Contrary to the fairy tales, the Wizard's meeting with the Maidens was not one of chance," Qrow elaborated. "Humanity had continued on in spite of the Wizard's absence. Though many had perished, those who survived grew stronger. Those perilous times produced individuals capable of taking the Grimm head on. Before even twelve generations had passed, the Wizard found himself frequently visited by the world's first Huntsmen and Huntresses, skilled warriors who had each heard rumors about a wise old man who lived in the mountains, and possessed a great knowledge and skill that might aid one so inclined to seek it. But despite the insistence of his visitors, the Wizard had withdrawn from the conflict between man and Grimm, and was not interested in rejoining the fight nor contributing to it in any way."

The Wizard stepped outside and found himself surrounded by insistent young men and women, all of them armed with bows, swords shields. Though they were dressed for combat, they came on bended knees, pleading with the old man to grant them their wisdom. All of them appeared somehow gray and colorless, until four individuals suddenly lit up like in a bright array of color amongst the sea of gray. No one seemed to notice, save for the Wizard. It was as if he could see the very aura within the people around him.

"However, four young Huntresses in particular stood out to him," Qrow added. "The Wizard had turned away many that sought his counsel. When the first Maiden came to him, he had been fully prepared to turn her away, like the others. However, she did not come asking for training or wisdom. Instead, she offered counsel of her own. She taught him how to meditate and reflect on his many past years, allowing him to better cope with the weight of his past lives."

The Wizard knelt before a Maiden who knelt before him in turn, her aura glowing blue and white in color as they meditated together.

"Her sister was soon to follow," Qrow went on. "None of them were sisters by birth, but they all belonged to the same order of Huntsmen and Huntresses, and were raised as sisters together. Like the tale goes, the second sister showed her generosity by bringing him a bounty of fruits and flowers, both for his home and for his garden. And so his solitude did not seem quite so confining."

The Wizard rose to his feet, and saw another Maiden, this one a vibrant pink as she danced about, scattering flowers everywhere, laying basket upon basket of fruit at his door.

"By the time the third sister arrived, the Wizard was already warming up to his new visitors," Qrow said. "They begun speaking at length about the pain he was feeling, the lives he had lost, and weight he was carrying on his shoulders. It was the boundless optimist of this third sister who ultimately convinced the Wizard to break his self imposed exile."

The Wizard was sitting around a table with the beings of blue and pink, as a green figure soon approached, taking the Wizard's arm and leading him away from the table.

"As they descended the mountain, they met their fourth and final sister," Qrow went on. "The others brought her up to speed, and she thanked the old man for all the years he had devoted to protecting humanity, and in so doing, taught him to be thankful himself."

The Wizard was now surrounded by four figures, one blue, one pink, one green and now one of orange.

"It was clear to the old man that these Huntresses were singular in nature," Qrow explained. "And had come to him with pure intentions, seeking only to defend mankind from the Grimm. They reminded him so much of Asha'ella that he almost couldn't bear to look upon any of them. These Maidens were all the proof he needed that humanity was still worth fighting for. He wasn't sure if it was fate or chance that brought them together, but he knew right then that they would be bound together forever."

Ruby and Yang watched as the Maidens all knelt at the old man's feet. The Wizard responded by kneeling in kind, reaching out to the Maidens in tearful joy. They had found their salvation. And he had found his.

"And so he decided to break the one rule he had imposed on himself," Raven explained. "He once again turned to the ancient dust crystal from all those years before."

"Wait," Ruby blinked in surprise. "You mean the same crystal that caused this whole mess in the first place?"

"Yes," Raven answered. "The Wizard tried to destroy it many times before, but the crystal had proved far too powerful. Even broken as it was into four pieces, each shard still held incredible power on its own."

The Wizard stood before the Maidens, and withdrew four glowing dust crystals from his robe, which began to float over their heads.

"Four shards, four Maidens," Yang said skeptically. "Seems a little convenient, don't you think?"

" _He_ certainly didn't think it was a coincidence," Qrow assured her. "For all he knew, the Gods were sending him a sign. He had been far too terrified to trifle with the power of the ancient dust ever since that day. But in the right hands, he knew, the power could be used to accomplish great things."

"Still seems like a risky move," Yang pursed her lips. "Isn't this the same dust crystal that lead to his own daughter's death?"

"It sure was," Qrow agreed. "And he wasn't going to let that happen again. So he a made a little something called a Shadowglass."

The two girls' eyes lit up as they saw the first Shadowglass materialize before them, the old man and one of the young Maidens standing before it.

"Using what he had learned from ancient human technology, the Wizard fashioned a mirror capable of both piercing and insulating the border between worlds," Raven narrated for them. "It was salvaged from a much larger piece of glass, possibly from one of the ancient cities. He originally planned to use it to communicate with Salem within the other world in a fruitless effort to broker a peace."

"Or at very least, see his wife's face once again," Qrow added.

Raven nodded. "But he had abandoned such plans when the Daughter of Fire had first appeared."

Ruby and Yang watched as a young woman stepped towards the Shadowglass, passing through the mirror without so much as a ripple. The Wizard watched as she did, and then raised his staff – the same weapon he had used all those years ago, only much more refined, looking more like the cane in Qrow's hands – and was bound with a fragment of that same ancient dust crystal, the shard glowing with power.

The energy flowed from the dust crystal into the Shadowglass, with the Maiden inside. The mirror was aglow with terrible, vibrant energy as the power transferred from a condensed, crystalline form into a living vessel. When it was over, the ancient crystal shard fell to the ground, drained of its power, shattering into pieces.

Ruby squeezed Yang's hand as she watched the first Maiden emerge from the Shadowglass, radiant with elemental might.

"That's what the Shadowglass was used for…" Ruby breathed in excitement. "To safely transfer power into a human being without risking their life, like the Wizard's daughter."

"To think, all this time…" Yang rested her mechanical hand on her hip. "The Maiden's power was simply based on an ancient form of dust. Ironwood and Jasmine kept calling it _magic._ "

"You know what they say," Qrow reasoned. "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Yang shrugged as she and Ruby continued to watch as more Shadowglasses were constructed, one for each Maiden. One by one, each Maiden was granted the energy of the ancient dust crystal, lending them the tremendous power of ages past. As each new Maiden was born, the power of the ancient dust transferred over to them, leaving their crystalline shells dormant and empty. Soon, the ancient dust was gone, and all that remained were the four Maidens themselves.

With all four Maidens anointed, the Wizard finally rejoined the war against the Grimm. And his first act was to seal the Nexus once and for all.

Yang and Ruby drew in their breath as they saw the scorched remains of the village from so long ago where the Wizard first lost his family. The ground had still not grown over, and the eerie black portal at its center still lingered. As the Wizard approached it, Salem's face appeared on the other side of the small shimmering portal, as if sensing his presence. She let out a sneer of anger as the Wizard fixed her gaze upon her. Then he turned away.

"As the war with the Grimm grew in its intensity, the barrier between worlds began to weaken," Raven explained. "More and more cracks started to form between worlds, and Salem's voice continued to find ways of breaking into our world in search of her daughter. But the Wizard knew that the only way for Salem to come back into our world in earnest was through the Nexus. And so he had it sealed underground, and built a mighty human fortress on top to keep it safe."

As if fast forwarding through a film, walls of stone were suddenly constructed all around the Nexus. The stones were laid out, one by one, until within moments, a small fortress stood where once a barren crater had been.

"With the Witch effectively sealed, and the Maidens now wielding powers beyond the comprehension of humanity, they went on to do great deeds," Qrow said, a note of pride in his voice.

Ruby and Yang witnessed the Maidens halting entire armies of Grimm, caring for and tending to the sick and the injured, and defending humanity from extinction. With the help of the Wizard and his wisdom, they guided the world of Remnant down the path of prosperity. When their time came, they too passed their power along to the next generation. The Wizard had ensured that the power he had given them would not go to waste, and having watched the flow of time for generations upon generations, he was convinced that such change as he and the Maidens wished to bring to the world would require such longevity to carry out. The lifespan of a single human was simply insufficient. The Maidens knew this going into the arrangement. They had accepted the burden, and carried it proudly, as did the vast majority of their predecessors. The next time the Wizard had to face the Daughter of Fire in battle, it had been one of the Maidens who had stepped in to defeat her, sparing him the torment of once again having to watch his daughter die.

"As the Maidens passed on into legend and lore, their incarnations were heralded as bringers of peace and hope to humanity," Raven said. "And as humanity passed from the bronze age into the iron age, and then on into the steam age, the industrial age, and finally the dust age, the Maidens helped the people of Remnant expand into the four corners of globe. Together with humanity, they built towns and great cities, laying the groundwork for the four kingdoms of Remnant, and eventually, founding the Huntsmen Academies.

Ruby and Yang watched as a mighty tower emerged upon the castle the Wizard had built. It was within this tower that the first of these Academies was formed. It was a tower the two of them knew all too well.

"Beacon…" Ruby breathed in awe. "The old man's village, the stronghold he created to protect the Nexus…it became Beacon Academy!"

"Yes…" Raven said gravely. "And to this day, the Nexus remains locked within the vault underneath. With the ancient dust crystal broken into pieces, the Nexus remains sealed. Since the founding of the academy, the Wizard has always guarded it, as have the Maidens who carry the power of that ancient dust."

Ruby and Yang could see the four Maidens, depicted as beings of pure light, standing around the Nexus. The light from each of their auras shone brightly, pouring their essence into the Nexus.

"The dust from which they drew their powers was the same dust that opened the Nexus in the first place," Raven elaborated. "And only their combined power is capable of opening it once again. The Wizard knew that giving the Maidens this power would make them targets for the enemy. Should that power ever fall into the wrong hands, and the power of the four shards brought together once again, then the Nexus itself could be compromised, and the ancient enemy would return to this plane of existence."

"Then why give them the power at all!?" Yang demanded. "Why not bury the crystal shards where no one could find them?"

"Things that are hidden have a tendency of being found, Yang," Qrow said, shaking his head. "Better that the power of the ancient dust be in the hands of those who could defend it when it was discovered. At least, that was the Wizard's thinking."

Ruby hung her head in despair.

"But the Maidens have already fallen!" she said remorsefully. "Cinder stole the power of all _four_ of them! And now-!"

Raven nodded. "And now, the Nexus has been opened once again. Salem once again walks the world."

Yang shook her head in disbelief.

" _Why!?_ " she demanded. "You're talking about the most dangerous Grimm that ever existed! Why in the _world_ would you allow something like that to wander free?"

Raven smiled sagely.

"Because now that she walks among us," she said, "She can finally be killed."

The two Huntresses blinked in stupefaction.

"What?" Ruby asked.

"Trapped as she was beyond the Nexus, Salem was untouchable," Raven explained, "She had a near limitless supply of aura to feed on, and has been gaining power for all these years. And though she remained locked away, her Grimm still infested our world in droves. In order to finally stop the ceaseless war between humans and Grimm, Salem must be eliminated once and for all. But before that, she must be made vulnerable. And she is far more vulnerable in this world than in the netherworld."

"But why all the secrecy?" Yang demanded. "You said the Maidens had the power to open the Nexus on their own. Why not work with the Maidens and the Wizard and take her down together?"

"My child," Raven shook her head. "Up until this point, Salem was ensconced within a world where _Grimm_ hold dominion. She may have been a prisoner there, but she was a prisoner with _power_. Should the Nexus be opened of its own accord, what reason would Salem possibly have to leave this haven, knowing her enemies lay in wait on the other side? In order to take her out, we would have to venture into _her_ world, where she holds the advantage. Even if we had marched into the netherworld with an entire army…it does not end well."

Raven waved her hand, and all at once, they were back within the netherworld, its cold lifeless cliffs littered with corpses. Ruby and Yang gasped as they saw the bodies of countless Huntsmen, the Wizard, and all four Maidens lying dead, as Salem and her Grimm marched over them. The pool was showing them the future, they realized. Or at least, one possible future.

"Okay, okay," Yang said, waving her hand, trying to disperse the images she was seeing. "We get it. You've looked into the future, and a direct approach doesn't work. But surely we could have found some _other_ way that didn't involve killing all the Maidens?"

"And what approach would that be, Yang?" Raven demanded obstinately. "No plan that any one of us could ever formulate would have ever convinced the Wizard or the Maidens to allow this abomination to walk free. And even should I have actively forced their hand, Salem is simply too dangerous. I have seen countless futures in the aim of eliminating this menace. They all end the same way. Do you think I _wished_ for death upon the Maidens? Trust me when I say that _this_ is the only plan that will work!"

Ruby and Yang saw flashes of images appearing all around them, each and every one of which contained only death. Their friends, their families, everyone they ever cared for. All the possible futures, all of them ended in darkness. All save one. One single future, in which Raven abandons her family, Pyrrha is ensnared by the enemy, the Guardian Maidens all killed, and their power stolen by the Daughter of Fire.

"I have carefully crafted events throughout my lifetime since finding this pool that will have far-reaching consequences," Raven said with bitterness in her voice. "And all for the single purpose of reaching this goal."

"What goal?" Yang demanded. "What does killing the Witch accomplish that could be worth all this bloodshed? She's just one Grimm!"

"She is the _mother_ of all Grimm," Raven explained. "She is what drives the Grimm in their ceaseless pursuit to expunge us from existence. Do you think it is coincidence that Grimm attack installations of human technology, despite there being no presence of negative emotion? Salem still carries within her the bitter loathing of human progress and ingenuity of her host. Without Salem's guidance, the threat of the Grimm in Remnant would be all but nullified. Those that remain would shy away from us as surely as roaches do from a source of light."

"An _end_ to the war with the Grimm," Qrow said, emphasizing her words. "Can you imagine it?"

Yang and Ruby glanced at each other. They had not let go of each other's hand this whole time. Raven's revelations had been a lot for them to take in. But an end to the Grimm? It seemed too good to be true.

"Why take all this on by yourself then?" Ruby finally asked, turning back to Raven. "Surely showing the pool to the Wizard and the Maidens would have given them the same insights you had."

"Except the water of life cannot predict itself," Raven lamented. "Any affect the pool itself has on the future decisions of others is unknowable to the waters of life. There are just too many variables for it to consider the impact of its _own_ unfathomable depths on the world around it. I had no idea what the future might hold had I shown the pool to Ozpin or the Maidens, just as I have no idea what will happen for sure after I've shown it to you now. This is the one drawback to using the pool. And I simply could not risk it."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "This is why metaphysics gives me a headache."

"So why risk it now?" Yang asked skeptically.

"Because we're past the point of no return," Raven said. "Salem is already free, and for you to succeed in defeating her, you all need to know the truth. What I do know is this - in order to eliminate Salem, she must believe that she has won."

"So that's why you've been helping Cinder?" Ruby asked curiously. "That's why you kidnapped Pyrrha? That's why you attacked us, and why you let her kill Dora and Crystal? All those lives lost, just to…what? Lull Cinder and the Witch into a false sense of security?"

"Cinder was _never_ the real threat, Ruby," Raven shook her head. "I could have ended her life at _any_ time. But then what?"

She stared back at Ruby and Yang, as if demanding an answer.

"I could have saved all of your friends," she lamented. "Kept you all safe and sound, and let you live out your happy little lives. But then what? The Daughter of Fire _always_ comes back! If I had taken Cinder out of play, there would just be _another_ Cinder born into this world! And another! And before you knew it, your _children_ would be left to face the exact same threat!"

Raven gestured to the scenes that played out before them, and Ruby and Yang could see countless iterations of history following the exact same pattern as before. The Daughter of Fire emerges, is ensnared by the Witch, wreaks havoc and destruction on the world of Remnant, before the Wizard, the Maidens and the huntsmen finally take her down. And then, the pattern simply repeated.

"Saving Dora or Crystal or Pyrrha sounds like the right thing to do in the present," Raven said. "But at the end of the day, all that accomplishes is saving a single life. Without eliminating the problem at its source, you only subject future generations to the same suffering and torment that you endure."

"So that's what you're doing?" Yang demanded. "Eliminating the problem at the source? No matter how many _good guys_ you have to take down in the process?"

Raven lowered her eyes, looking remorseful for the first time since either Huntress had seen her.

"It is our duty as Huntsmen and Huntresses to take on the burden of sacrifice," she said sadly. "To endure far greater hardships than we would ask of any other, precisely so that those that come after us do not have to. _That_ is why I have worked in the shadows. _That_ is why I have aided our enemies. _That_ is why I have forsaken my family. Because thanks to this pool, I am the only one capable of doing what no one else has the courage to do. When Ozpin sent me to find this place, and I uncovered the waters of life, I knew that he had sent me here for a _reason_."

She leaned in close to each of the two girls, her red eyes locking onto theirs in turn.

"And I will endure _all_ of the scorn and the hatred that you have to give me, even on top of _every_ other hardship I have taken on," she said. "So long as it means that the world of tomorrow can be one free of such hardships."

"The ends justify the means, huh?" Yang sighed in disappointed resignation.

"If those ends be so vital," Raven nodded. "Then yes."

Yang and Ruby were both staring back at her. Neither seemed inclined to speak. It was hard not to still see Raven as the bad guy in this. Everything she had done, all the people whose lives had been ruined at her hands. It all seemed as though she had crossed a line from which there was no return. The question was, did they follow her over that line?

"I get it," Ruby finally nodded, lips pursed. "I don't like it, but I get what you're saying. We're all just pawns in some larger game. Us, our friends, our family, even Cinder. And all of us can be sacrificed if it means winning the larger goal."

"Ruby…" Yang breathed, looking at her sister in disbelief. "You're not seriously buying into this, are you?"

"What choice do I have, Yang?" Ruby asked her, eyes filled with earnest hope. "This is a battle that's been going on for thousands of years! This is all _so_ far over our heads! Who are we to say whether the means are justified or not? We've lost _so_ many people already! We can't let their sacrifices be in vain!"

Yang fixed her mother with a look of disdain.

"You did all this on your own," she said, shaking her head. "You made decisions that would affect the lives of thousands - _millions_ of people! Just because you _know_ how this all ends doesn't give you the right to take that decision out of all of our hands! What gives you the right to make that decision for us?"

"Sometimes the world simply needs the right push, Yang," Raven said dourly. "Just like a little girl who refuses to get out of her bed for fear of what's out there, sometimes a little push is all that it takes to allow her to fly."

Yang bristled, memories of her time following her injury flaring to the forefront of her mind.

"That still doesn't make it _right!_ " she blared.

"Doesn't it?" Raven asked. "I took an oath, Yang. We both did. You and I both have a duty as Huntresses to protect the world of Remnant. If we see a solution that will reliably protect the greatest number of people, don't we have an obligation to follow it?"

"And just how reliable is this goal of yours?" Yang crossed her arms.

"Yeah," Ruby pointed out. "That's the _one_ part I'm not getting. If Salem is as dangerous as you say…then how are we supposed to beat her now that she's loose _?_ You said that she's been gaining power for thousands of years! Even if we all join forces, how can you be sure that we'll be _any_ match for her?"

Raven's smile grew wider.

"Because _you_ , my dear, hold the key to _all_ of this…"

Ruby inhaled as Raven waved her hand once more, and the four of them were once again back in time.

Before the Maidens had even been a prospect, before the Witch or the Wizard had ever been born, humanity's war with the Grimm had forced their entire species into two separate groups, each of whom fought the Grimm in distinctly different ways. Ruby and Yang watched as these two groups split apart, and formed into separate factions. One faction that sought out the technology of their ancestors, and eventually gave rise to the first Wizard. And the other relied on the natural world, honing their abilities to their fullest extent, and eventually giving rise to the world's first semblance.

This latter group began evolving in strange and unusual ways. Their affinity to the natural world, their reliance on semblance over technology, and quite possibly their exposure to ancient dust from years hence, it all came together to spark a unique change.

These mutations were subtle at first – accentuated canine fangs, pupils that dilated into narrow slits, heighten senses of smell. Then someone was born with an additional set of animal ears, and another was born with a tail. These traits aided them in their fight against the Grimm, and so evolution took its course.

Within a scant few millennia, the Faunus were a part of the world of Remnant.

"Such rapid evolution," Qrow commented, shaking his head. "Even with their exposure to ancient dust, it still boggles the mind."

"Yes," Raven said in a low voice. "I suppose you'd know a thing or two about Faunus evolution, wouldn't you Qrow?"

The old man scowled angrily at her. "Raven…"

Yang and Ruby glanced up at him.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked innocently.

Raven crossed her arms.

"It's time you told them _your_ side of the story, old man," she said in a cruel tone of voice. "What you've been hiding from them for all these years."

Yang and Ruby shared a glance, before turning to look up at their uncle.

"What's she talking about?" Yang asked.

Raven answered for him.

"You've just seen nearly the entire history of Remnant summed up in the span of less than an hour," she said. "You've seen where the Grimm come from, how the Wizard and the Witch came to be, and how Cinder and the Maidens fit into all this. You've even seen the dawn of the Faunus. Now it's time for you to tell them where it is, exactly, that silver eyes come from."

The world and visions around them all disappeared. The history, the battles, the Wizard, the Maidens, they all disappeared. All that remained now was a single, wooden door.

A door from which there came a gentle rapping.

KNOCK-KNOCK

Qrow drew in his breath. He knew this scene only too well. It was one of the few memories that Cinder had not been able to rip from the recesses of his mind. He had not surrendered it to her. And he was ill-inclined to do so now.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked. "What's this got to do with silver eyes?"

Qrow swallowed hard as he stared at the door. All around them, the same white expanse stretched out forever, as the water of life constructed the vision for them to see. All that could be seen was this one, single plain looking wooden door.

The Wizard remained still as the door sounded again.

KNOCK-KNOCK

Raven smiled coyly.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" she asked.

Qrow was sweating, although how he was accomplishing this while submerged in fluid, neither of his nieces knew. At the moment, however, their concerns were only for what he had to say. And he was being alarmingly tight-lipped.

"Uncle Qrow?" Yang asked in a forlorn voice. "Are you… _really_ hiding something from us?"

Qrow tensed as he heard his niece's words, his head hanging remorsefully, Ozpin's cane clutched stiffly in his hands.

"I…" he exhaled.

KNOCK-KNOCK

The door kept pounding persistently, patiently, awaiting the Huntsmen to set the scene into motion. The Wizard stood before the door, breathing heavily as he stared at his mistake. Staring as his past. Terrified.

"Uncle Qrow…" Ruby prompted in a withering voice. "What's behind that door?"

Qrow flinched at her words, turning to face Ruby with a morose expression, his eyes filled with shame.

"I…" he whispered. "I had hoped you'd never have to see this…"

He took a step towards the door as the two girls watched him go.

KNOCK-KNOCK

As he reached out towards the door handle, he squeezed his fist around the doorknob, turning his eyes back to the two girls.

"And I hope you can forgive me…" he said.

He pulled open the door, and the world around them transformed once again.


	131. Chapter 131

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 131

* * *

Cinder stared up at the skyline over Beacon. The academy had been her home once, and now it was once again, although now the arrangement was a much different one. Now, the creatures of Grimm flooded the streets and filled the sky with such numbers as to blot out the sun. Each one of them watching, waiting for the coming reckoning. It would not be long now. Beyond the clouds, she could see the approaching airships of the Atlesian Fleet slowly coming into view. Soon the armies of men would crash against their numbers like so much water against the shoreline. And when that happened, they would be utterly crushed.

"Magnificent, isn't it?"

Cinder did not have to turn to see Salem standing besides her atop Beacon tower, the remains of Ozpin's office completely open to the air around them. So much had happened in this very location since she'd arrived, Cinder reflected. She had summoned the dragon, slain the Fall Maiden candidate, brought her back to life as a minion of her own, and even done away with Ozpin himself. Of course, not every landmark had been a victory. That brat with the silver eyes had managed to best her here as well, sealing her dragon into a petrified cocoon. The Fall Maiden candidate had destroyed her Shadowglass, provoking her master's ire. And her Seer had re-awoken her dragon, doing so by throwing Cinder's entire emotional state out of balance, a condition that she _still_ had not recovered from.

Even now, she was feel wave after wave of paranoia around her master, which she squelched with an effort. She had nothing to fear, she told herself. Salem wouldn't learn of her machinations. Cinder had sent her Seer away, as well as the Fall Maiden candidate. If she squinted, she could just barely spot her minion patrolling the grounds below, but Salem's eyes were cast skyward, admiring the way her Grimm army spiraled through the air overhead, as if waiting for the coming storm.

"After _so_ many years, the Grimm are finally returning in earnest," Salem said, a note of glee in her voice. "We shall reclaim the world that rightfully belongs to us. And it's all thanks to you, my child. I have had many servants in my campaign against the Wizard, Cinder, but none have proven so successful as you."

Cinder couldn't help but tense as she felt her master's hands on her shoulder as she leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"I always knew there was something special about you," Salem exhaled, sending a chill down Cinder's neck. "I could just _feel_ it."

Cinder nodded slowly, trying to keep her composure.

"Th-thank you, master," she said, her voice wavering.

Salem's voice was like a sour note that resonated in her ear in all the wrong ways.

"Your progenitors had their uses, of course," Salem explained softly, not letting go of Cinder's shoulders. "The four kingdoms used to be united against us, the Wizard and his Maidens revered as heroes to human society, and the Grimmslayers as common as the Huntsmen themselves."

Cinder tried to focus on one of the many nevermores circling through the air overhead and watch as it banked and curved through the air. Anything to distract herself from the sickening feeling of her master's hands upon her.

"But the Wizard grew complacent," she continued. "And it was thanks to the efforts of your forebears that the interlopers of this planet began to evolve as they did. Now the kingdoms are at odds once again, the humans and Faunus more divided than ever, and the mythology of the Maidens resigned to obscurity and legend. I have lost count of how many children have been stolen from me as I slowly sculpted this world to suit our needs."

Cinder shuddered as her master's grip on her shoulders tightened.

"But you, my dear…" she whispered. "You'll be witness to the culmination of our efforts."

Cinder couldn't think of anything witty to say with her master so close, her sense of dread was so overwhelming.

"I'm…I'm honored…" she said haltingly.

Salem seemed to take pleasure from her discomfort.

"I really must commend you, my dear," she said, finally breaking away from the girl. "You performed your role admirably indeed. The Huntsmen were no match for your cleverness."

Cinder drew in a deep breath as the Witch moved away from her, stepping about the open air, the nevermores and gryphons encircling the tower. She could see the forces of the Grimm lining up in force below them. An entire legion of goliaths, platoons of deathstalkers, and scores of ursi, beowolves and creeps all gathered, ready to meet the coming fleet. And standing amongst the ground forces and hovering amidst those Grimm in the air were gargoyles, each one leading an individual platoon or squadron.

Keener and more intelligent than any other Grimm, these gargoyles could lead the Grimm around them and even strategize to a degree, though their grasp of tactics was limited to relatively basic commands. Those more animalistic brethren amongst them clawed at the ground beneath their feet and let out cries of impatience in the air, their bloodthirst growing more and more insatiable by the moment as they eagerly awaited their next prey. It was only the gargoyles leading each individual pack that was keeping them at bay. And each gargoyle awaited on their masters' beck and and call.

"Honestly, it was a stroke of genius," the Witch continued, still parading about the remains of Ozpin's office. "Ensnaring one of their own to use against them? I couldn't have orchestrated a better plan myself. I knew my daughter was in there somewhere."

Cinder felt her blood run cold as she slowly turned to face her master, a look of dread slowly crawling over her face.

"Oh, don't look so surprised," Salem said, waving her off flippantly. "I knew the very moment you revived the Fall Maiden candidate to use as your plaything. Where do you think the power over life and death _comes_ from, if not my domain? Nothing passes between the world of the dead and the living without my knowledge."

Cinder felt her mouth growing dry, her pupils dilating to fine points. Had she truly managed to keep _no_ secrets from her master? Was the Witch simply all-knowing? It seemed as though no matter what she did, her master was always three steps ahead of her!

"Look at her down there," Salem stepped over to Cinder, gesturing down at the courtyard where the enslaved Huntress marched to and fro. "Waiting on your every word, unable to break free of your hold. How does it feel to hold such dominion over another living being, my dear? Truly indescribable, wouldn't you say? You must take _such_ pleasure from the experience…"

Cinder tried not to flinch as Salem's hand came up to caress her cheek.

"And soon, you shall have an entire world at your beck and call," she said sweetly. "Won't that be such a sweet feeling, my dear?"

Cinder remained stiff and still within her master's grasp. She had spent enough time in the Witch's sight to know when honeyed words disguised cruel intent. Her master's ire knew no bounds, she well knew, and just because she had allowed Cinder to keep her powers, she doubted she was a match for the woman.

Sure enough, Cinder felt he heart skip a beat as Salem seized her by the hair, yanking her backward. Cinder winced and stumbled, just barely managed to keep her footing, until one of her feet suddenly felt no floor beneath her, and Cinder's heart caught in her throat as she realized too late that she was dangling off the edge of the tower. Her weight fell backwards, and her head jerked forward as her hair remained caught in the Witch's grip. She managed to keep one foot on the edge of stone tower, but she did not have a sure enough grip to keep herself steady as she dangled by her hair, reaching up instinctively to grasp her raven locks to ease the strain.

If Salem let her go, she would fall.

"Did you truly think to subvert me, child!?" Salem demanded, pupils narrowing to slits, wickedness tinging her voice. "After everything I've done for you!? I gave you everything you have! I made you everything you are! Without me, child, you are _nothing!_ "

Cinder stared back at the Witch in stoic silence. Of course, she had simply to activate her Maiden powers to save herself from her predicament, but that was precisely what Salem wanted her to do. This was clearly a test of some sort. Her master wanted to see if Cinder would fight back should she feel threatened.

Dangling for her life over the terrifying drop from Beacon tower, Cinder should have been petrified. Instead, she felt giddy. It was as Krymsen told her - her emotions were constantly in flux. A moment ago, she had been terrified of even the slightest hint of her machinations seeing the light of day. Now that she was staring her death in the face, however, she felt no fear whatsoever.

Well, Cinder was nothing if not pragmatic. If her emotions chose to veer on the side of recklessness, she would take full advantage of it. And so she said nothing, but stared defiantly back at the Witch, waiting to see if she would make good on her threat, or if, as Cinder suspected, she was simply trying to make her blink.

Salem smiled as she finally relented, pulling Cinder back onto solid ground, letting her stand on her own accord.

"My poor, sweet little girl…" the Witch breathed, releasing her hold on Cinder's hair and wrapping her arms around her to pull her into a deceptively gentle embrace. "So much like myself at your age. You are blood of my blood…and I could _never_ hurt you, dear one…"

Cinder still said nothing as her master held her in her arms. She didn't believe what she was saying for a second. Or maybe she did. She wasn't sure what she felt right now. She was not used to such tender affection, forced though it was. She had not known the touch of a mother's gentle caress for years. It felt…wrong. But it also felt wonderful.

She represented everything that Cinder wanted for herself. She had spent her life trying to claw and scrape for every scrap she could get her hands on. Even back when she was a Huntress, loathe as she was to look back on those days, she had hid her pain under a veneer of quiet stoicism that belied the silent desperation she felt.

Everything had changed the day Salem had come into her life.

"You are so precious to me, child," Salem whispered, stroking her hair. "I know you didn't mean anything by what you did. It's only natural for children to act out every so often…"

Cinder felt sick to her stomach. She felt elated. She felt warm. She was shivering. Her state of mind felt like it was in a near constant flux. Was this Salem's doing or Krymsen's? Was she feeling what her heart truly felt, or was she simply being manipulated? She couldn't see straight. She couldn't _think_ straight. She felt like she was swimming through murky waters, with only her master's voice as her guide.

"You belong to me, my dear," the Witch's voice sang to her. "You may have been born of this world, but in your heart, you are _mine._ Never forget, my child…never forget how this world abandoned you all those years ago…"

Cinder felt her head growing lighter and lighter as the Witch's words seemed to weave a spell around her, and all of the sudden, Cinder was a child once again, trapped beneath the crumbling stone of some god forsaken village.

Lost in darkness, separated from her team, and left to face the endless tunnels alone, Ella wandered the lonely mine. Her scroll couldn't connect to the outside world, and provided poor lighting for her to see by. Within hours, its battery had run dry, leaving her in total darkness. Every sound she heard turned into the scuffle of scavenging Grimm, hungry for her blood.

Her voice had grown hoarse from calling for help. No one seemed to respond to her cries. For all she knew, Addaperle could be lying dead somewhere, crushed by fallen rock. And Glynda…

Glynda…

Glynda would save her! She had to believe in that! All she had to do was keep her head, and stay alive until she found her. Soon, her team leader would come marching down those tunnels with an army of Huntsmen! They would find Addaperle, and they would escape these horrendous mines together! She had to keep believing that!

Time seemed to slow to a crawl in this lightless void, however. The more she paced and stumbled through the barren rocky tunnels, the more lost she seemed to become. Everything felt the same, and without her eyes to guide her, she had to feel her way along the walls of the mine shaft. She tumbled to the ground nearly constantly, and was bleeding from cuts and scrapes along her hands and knees from falling. Her eyes and lungs stung from the clouds of dirt and dust in the tunnel, and she began to wonder how much oxygen there was left in this mine shaft.

Her lips had become bone dry. What little water she had traveled with had long since been quaffed, and there was nary a trickle to be found within the mines. And with no way to keep track of time, she had no means of gauging her odds. Had it been hours or days? Had it been days or weeks? Even if help came, how deep did these mines go? How lost had she become? Would she even know if Glynda came or not? Would she be anywhere near the entrance when it was finally breached? Would she still be _sane_ by the time Glynda came?

Would she even come for her at all?

Glynda…

Glynda would save her! Glynda was her friend! Glynda was her team leader! Ella looked up to her! Ella depended on her! Glynda wouldn't abandon Ella here, when she needed her most!

…Would she?

Time seemed to pass by at an aching crawl. Her skin burned. Her eyes burned. Her lungs burned. Her mouth was dry and parched, her lips cracked and bleeding. Every passing second was agony as she waited and waited and waited for some sign that help was coming. She tried to cry, but her body had lost the capacity. Her tear ducts were as dry as every other membrane in her body. It would be dehydration that claimed her first. She had stopped passing fluid long ago. She was dying. And she knew it.

Glynda…

With no way of knowing how much time had passed, she had scarcely an inkling of what was transpiring around her, whether the visions she saw were hallucinations of her own mind trying to rationalize her own demise. All she knew was that suddenly there were Grimm all around her. They had remained hidden for so long, simply taunting and tormenting her from afar. But now that she was tired and weak, they were upon her.

She ran. Her body ached and her strength had left her, but panic set in as she ran all the same. She slammed into stone walls, bashed her bones, her skin tearing like paper, her body bleeding as she fumbled her way forward, desperate to escape the cacophony at her heels.

Suddenly her feet fell out from under her, and she found herself pitching forward. Pain lanced through her body as she tumbled like a rag doll down a deep, jagged precipice. Her vision exploded into stars as her head bashed against the rock as she fell, and her consciousness slipped before she could tell whether she had stopped moving or not.

She couldn't feel anything for a while after that. For just a moment, the pain was gone. She was back at Beacon, her teachers celebrating her return home. She looked around and found herself surrounded by her friends.

Addaperle…

Glynda…

Then Ella opened her eyes once again, and all she _knew_ was pain. She had no idea how long she had been out for. One of her eyes was sealed shut from caked blood, and she couldn't move on of her legs. From her good eye, however, she was surprised to see something glowing within the darkness. She couldn't be sure if she was hallucinating or not, but the dim glow felt blinding to her eyes so used to darkness.

She tried reaching out towards the glow, but her left arm seared with pain and she recoiled it, clutching it with her right. She thought she could feel bone protruding from her skin, she couldn't be sure. With a shattered arm and a broken leg, she crawled towards the light. The dirt and gravel beneath her tore into her and filled the open and festering wounds in her skin, but she crawled forward all the same. Her agony had become such a constant that she had grown all but numb to it, her body moving almost of its own accord.

She could barely feel anything anymore.

Finally, she came to the source of the light, her good arm clawing her way forward, before splashing into what appeared to be water.

Her heart skipped a beat and she plunged her head into the pool, drinking in gratefully from the basin of cool, refreshing bliss. The cold water washed over her skin, bathing her in its nourishing abundance. Relief enveloped her as she let the waters wash over her face. She had no idea how clean the water was, whether it was contamated by any of the minerals from the mine or anything. She didn't care - she was utterly parched, and all she wanted to do was drink.

"Asha'ella…"

The voice was low and emanating from somewhere within the pool. Ella couldn't be sure she wasn't simply hearing things, and all she could think of was how wonderful the water tasted, how cool it felt against her throat, the pool restoring life to her in a way that nothing else could.

"Asha'ella…"

She withdrew her head to suck in a lungful of air, her dirty black hair drenched and hanging loosely around her face. She dipped her head forward once again, lowering her face back into the pool and drinking her fill.

"Asha'ella…

She paused, certain that she had not been imagining things, and withdrew from the pool again to stare into the water, reaching up to brush her soaking wet hair out of her face.

Ella blinked in astonishment at what she was seeing. For a moment she wondered if she herself had somehow transformed, for it was not her reflection that she saw from the pool, but that of a woman of white skin, eyes of red, and a black slit on her forehead. The pool emanated a dim, effervescent glow from within, casting the small cavernous enclosure around her in a soft, pale light. This light was enough to illuminate the face that she saw within the waters, and as it began to smile back at her, Ella realized that she was looking not at her own face, but that of another.

"My dear…" the face said, giving her a pitiful look. "Whatever has happened to you?"

Ella stared back in stunned silence, convinced that she had finally gone mad. The woman she saw was not floating in the water, but peering back at her as though she were being reflected from its surface. Ella turned her head to stare up at the rocky ceiling behind her, but could see no one for the waters to reflect back at her.

"Look at what a mess you've become," the woman continued, almost chastising in her tone. "No child of mine should be made to suffer such indignity."

Ella swallowed and swallowed again, taking in a slow, ragged breath. She hadn't used her voice in some time, and wasn't sure if she was still hoarse from screaming.

"I…" she coughed, before swallowed and clearing her throat again, pulling the hair from her face. "I'm…who…who are you?"

The white-skinned woman smiled sweetly.

"Why, I am your mother," she said endearingly.

Ella blinked, before she finally shook her head. Clearly she had gone mad. It had been lonely down here in the empty cavern these past few days. Weeks? Who knew? This must have simply been her mind's way of coping with the isolation. But at least she had found water, and if speaking to figments of her imagination was she price she had to pay for the sweet reprieve from dehydration, then she was not one to abstain from playing along.

"My mother died when I was really little," Ella said pointedly, propping herself up on her good arm as she laid on her stomach, gazing down into the pool. "She was a Huntress. She was killed by Grimm."

The woman in the pool shook her head slowly.

"That woman you called mother may have carried your body into this world, my dear," she said. "But it is _I_ who carried your soul."

Ella had no response to that. She wasn't terribly inclined to drink from the waters anymore. But the woman in the pool did not appear to be finished talking.

"Tell me, child," she said. "What is your name?"

The student Huntress could think of no reason not to reply.

"Ella," she said.

This seemed to amuse the white skinned woman to no end.

"Ella…" she breathed. "Ella…Ella…Asha'ella…how appropriate…"

This only sever to confused the Huntress more.

"What do you want with me?" she asked in a worried tone.

The woman smiled.

"Oh, it is not about what _I_ want, my dear," she asked in a silken voice. "What is it that _you_ want?"

"Me?" Ella asked in a voice of disbelief. "I just want to get out of here! I want to go home!"

The woman fixed her with a peculiar stare.

"What home would that be, my dear?" she asked. "You have no home to go back to."

Ella blinked in stunned silence.

"Y-Yes I do…" she said, nervously. "My home is at Beacon."

The very word seemed to infuriate the woman, and for a moment it almost appeared as though she would lunge out from the waters and seize the Huntress by the neck. But she calmed her fury and slowly shook her head.

"Beacon…" she said, dismissively. "So you are a Huntress too? Like your mother?"

Ella nodded. "Yes."

"And you trust your fellow Huntsmen?" she asked pointedly. "With your life?"

Ella nodded, looking more and more uncertain. "I do."

The woman sighed, a pitying look on her face.

"And pray tell, then," she said. "Where are they now?"

Ella's face fell.

"…What?"

The woman smiled a wicked smile.

"Well, if you trust these Huntsmen so much, then where are they?" she asked passively. "Why have they left you here?"

Ella stared in baffled silence. Here she was, broken and bruised, at the bottom of some god-forsaken cave, talking to a figment of her imagination, and here it was telling her how trustworthy her own friends were. She really must have been going mad.

"They'll come for me," she said, trying to sound confident. "It's just a matter of time."

"Is it?" the odd woman asked curiously. "If they were going to come for you, don't you think they would have come by now?"

Ella felt a wave of panic take hold of her. This was nothing more than her own insecurities manifesting as visions. It _had_ to be!

"They'll be here!" she insisted, a look of terror in her eyes. "They have to!"

"Do they?" the woman asked through wicked eyes. "Why would they? You've served your purpose. You gave your life to fight for the cause. This is what you signed up for. This is what you _wanted_ …isn't it?"

Ella's face fell. She started shaking her head.

"No…" she whispered in denial. "No, I don't…they wouldn't…they wouldn't _leave_ me here…would they?"

"You think they don't have other Huntsmen?" the lady in the water asked casually. "What's _one_ missing student or two in the grand scheme of things? Do you honestly think your life really _matters_ to them? Do you think they'd risk their lives to come save you?"

Ella was shaking her head in disbelief. It was a feeling that had been nagging at her ever since she'd been buried in this wretched cave. The fear had been clawing at her subconscious, gnawing away at her resolve little by little. She was trapped down here. She would die down here without help. Her only hope of survival was for the Huntsmen above to come looking for her.

But what if they never came?

"No…" she whispered in despair. "No, surely…surely _Glynda_ at least…she wouldn't leave her _sister!_ She _has_ to come down for her! She _has_ to!"

The white-skinned woman gave her a peculiar look.

"Her sister?" she asked smugly. "You mean her sister who died in the cave-in?"

Ella blinked in shock.

"D-Died…?" she asked, her voice wavering. "H-How did you…? S-She couldn't have… Y-You don't _know_ that! She could still be alive!"

The woman shook her head. "Search your feelings, girl…you know it in your heart to be true…"

Ella's heart began to ache.

"Even…" she stammered in utter revulsion. "Even if she _did_ …G-Glynda's my _friend!_ She would come for me!"

The wicked looking woman let out a scoff of bitter amusement.

"Oh, you foolish little girl!" she exhaled. "Can't you see the truth of it!? They are perfectly content to let you die out in the field, just as you were always meant to! Just as so many Huntsmen before you have! That's all _any_ of them care about! That's all they _ever_ want from Huntsmen like you!"

Ella quavered as droplets of water began running down her cheeks. She couldn't tell if it was water from the pool or her own tears.

"W-What are you talking about?" she asked in terror. "Huntsmen are…are _heroes!_ Th-They defend humanity from the Grimm! They…"

"Wake up, you little girl!" the lady commanded. "Open your eyes! You've been written off! _Abandoned!_ You think Huntsmen were ever meant to be _heroes!?_ You think Huntsmens were established to be revered, honored or respected? You've been fed the same lie your whole life, my child! Your Huntsmen are nothing more than an expendable resource; tools to be used and discarded when their usefulness has run dry! And my dear? Yours is almost up!"

Ella was shivering, her body quaking in disbelief.

"But…but I…" she whimpered.

Her voice trailed off as she looked up, and suddenly felt a wave of dread wash over her as the unmistakable visage of a beowolf began to emerge from farther out within the pool before her. Its eyes glowed a terrifying hellish red as it stared at her, its teeth gnashing as it caught sight of her.

Ella recoiled in fear, but she still had a broken arm and leg. She crawled backwards on her backside, pushing away from the Grimm with her good foot, clutching one of her long blades with her working hand as the pain in her body seemed to return in full.

"Asha'ella…" the woman's voice echoed somewhere in the distance. "Be not afraid. The Grimm are not your enemy."

Ella swallowed hard, her skin still damp from plunging into the waters, her hair clinging to her face and neck as she held out her sword with a tremulous grip.

"Wh-what…?" she stammered in terror.

Another Grimm, this time an ursa, began to rise from the waters, and Ella wavered between pointing her sword at one or the other. The Beowolf, however, had not approached her, and simply stood there in the waist-deep waters.

"You are the Daughter of Fire, my dear," the voice came. "Blood of my blood. These creatures are as kin to you."

More Grimm began to arise from the waters, many different species and varieties, none of which seemed to be attacking Ella. Simply regarding her with keen interest, as it waiting for her to make a move.

"It is the Huntsmen who are the real enemy, my dear," the woman continued. "They abandoned you, as they will everyone in their ranks one day. They care not for the lives they consume within their ranks. Don't you understand? The Huntsmen are _cannon fodder_ , nothing more than mere insulation to keep those humans in power from having to face our justice."

Ella stared down at the rippling waters. The waters themselves had seemed to be glowing before. Now she could see why.

It wasn't water at all. Although it emitted a pale glow from within, the liquid itself was as black as night. Horror slowly worked its way into her throat as she realized that she had seen such waters before on her various hunts. Whenever Grimm emerged into the world, it had been through black pools such as these. They were a rare sight, and she had only glimpsed these black pools from afar. She had always assumed it was viscous and fetid, but now she knew that the pools from which Grimm emerged were cool and refreshing.

Because she had just _drank_ from it!

She clutched her stomach in revulsion. This couldn't be happening! This had to be some sort of nightmare! How was she still alive after ingesting such a substance? How had she not been immediately repulsed by its mere presence? She felt like she was going to be sick!

And yet…and yet she wasn't. Somehow, the black water had nourished her. Even now, she longed for another drink. How could something that produced such wretched creatures be so nourishing?

Could…could this woman be right? Could she and her fellow Huntsmen been wrong all this time? Could the creatures of Grimm, for all their horridness, actually have been misunderstood all this time? It seemed ludicrous to consider. But here they were, standing at attention, not a one of them attacking her. And she had just drunk from the same waters as they had emerged from. It had saved her life.

She stared back at the rippling pool, where the white woman's face remained where it had been. Using her sword as a crutch, Ella crawled her way back to the water's edge and stared down at her in inquisitive desire.

"You will never be one of them, my child," the woman assured her, a welcoming smile on her face. "Come. It is time you rejoined your own kind."

Ella stared down at the woman in trepidation.

"Who…who are you?" she finally asked.

The woman smiled widely.

"My name is Salem," she said wistfully. "I am your mother."

Ella didn't know what to say to that. She knew she wasn't hallucinating. Beyond that, she didn't know what to think. She had never known known her mother very well, so she had little to base such claims upon. This woman could be lying to her. But why? If the Grimm had wanted her dead, they could butchered her where she lay by now.

But if she was telling the truth…

Ella set her jaw. Her whole body still reeled in pain, but she faced down the woman in the water all the same.

"What must I do?" she asked.

Salem's hands came into view as she reached out towards her.

"Come to me, my child," she said kindly. "Let the black waters embrace you."

Ella cast her eyes out at the pool, glancing at all the Grimm that were standing within the murky shallows. She could see no bottom to the pool, and yet they were standing within the black pool. She reached out and tentatively touched the liquid. It still felt no different than water. Perhaps it was merely that, and she was simply overreacting.

One way to be sure.

With what little remained of her strength, she dragged herself into the pool, clawing her way forward before tumbling haphazardly into the black waters. A few clumsy splashes, and she was finally submerged, holding her eyes and her breath shut as the water enveloped her.

Pain lanced through her body as her injuries seemed to flare up in response to the liquid. Her arm and her leg burned in excruciating torment, driving the air from her lungs as she screamed out into the murky depths, her eyes flying open in agony.

And only then could she see just how deep the waters went. It was a sea of life just beneath the surface, the black pool somehow aglow as if by ultraviolet light. It was not a life that any human would understand, its glow never meant for human eyes. And yet somehow the black water welcomed her. It breathed into her just as surely as she breathed from it. It sustained her. It nourished her. It _healed_ her! She felt stronger by the second as she remained submerged, letting it soak into her every cell.

And as it filled her, she began to see the error of her ways.

The Grimm were so much more than mere savage beasts! They were creatures of life and death, a phenomenon that existed to counterbalance the overwhelming upsurge of life on this world. They were the next logical step, an evolution of life itself, existence manifested in its purest form.

Not living. Not dead. Just being.

Whole. Pristine. Perfect.

Ella had never experienced such wonder in her life. She could feel nearly two decades of manipulation unwinding inside of her, and as her clarity transformed her mind, so too did her body transform in kind. When she finally emerged from the pool, she was fully restored, her body healthy and hale. She stepped back out onto the rocky shoreline, clenching her fists as new life coursed through her veins. She felt like she could blast her way out of this entire cavern with but a flick of her wrist! She had never felt stronger in her life!

She opened her fingers, and felt the aura stirring within her. Moments later, there was fire in her hands, as if fueled by her very life essence.

She smiled as she looked out across the pool at all the creatures of Grimm standing at attention. She waved her hand towards them, and at her bidding, they all inclined their heads in submission.

They were hers to command!

"It is done, little one," Salem said, as if christening her rebirth. "You have embraced your true identity at last. I cannot walk amidst your world, so you shall be my agent amongst the humans. The humans who used you, abandoned you, and threw you away to die…we shall make them pay for what they have done to you. Together."

Ella felt elated. Her breath was coming out a mile a minute, and she could not keep the smile from rising to her face.

"Yes…" she breathed.

It felt so right.

"From the cinders of your forgotten life arises life anew," Salem said. "As your false parents have given you the name of _Ella_ , I hereby strip of that name and of any ties you have left to this world. From this day forward, you shall be known as…Cinder Fall. A child of flame, who shall bring about the fall of humanity."

Cinder did not turn to look at her new master. She did not turn to see if the Grimm were following her or not. She only faced in the direction she had come, and strode ahead, determined to accomplish now what had forever been beyond her grasp before. Now, there was only one direction before her.

She had finally taken the first step into a larger world. Now all that there was left to do was to keep moving forward.

"Never forget, my child…you are _mine_ …"

Cinder opened her eyes. She was atop the ruins of Beacon Tower once again. Salem's arms were still wrapped around her. The hordes of Grimm still circled overhead. Cinder shuddered. She wasn't sure why Salem had made her relive their first meeting, but it had been vivid and heart-wrenching. If she sought to reestablish Cinder's loyalty to her, it had been an effective strategy. Cinder now felt nothing but rage in her heart for the humans who now stormed their gates.

As she looked overhead, the first Atlesian airships were coming into view as they moved to a flanking position east of the city. They were still well away from Beacon, but it would not long before they were upon them in force.

"It's time, my dear," Salem said, parting from her. "Let the battle begin."

Cinder nodded, reaching to the legions of Grimm on the ground and in the air, their gargoyle commanders ready to wait upon her beck and call.

"All forces!" she cried out, her voice echoing across the entire kingdom. " _Attack!_ "


	132. Chapter 132

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 132

* * *

 _Sixteen years ago…_

Pacing about the tiny inn room, Qrow had been more nervous than he could ever remember being in his life. The inn was quaint and homely, with two small beds, a table with two chairs, and a single lamp lighting the room. By now he had gotten used to being a Huntsman. The lifestyle of roughing it in the wilderness and shelling out lien or favors for a cramped room at the occasional village inn had grown on him since his time at Beacon. He had even grown accustomed to occasionally having to forage on his own whenever he and his teammates had to veer off on their own missions from time to time.

What never sat well with him was when one of his teammates failed to make a designated check-in time. That usually meant trouble. His team was good enough that situations like this were a rare enough occasion for him to honestly be concerned when it happened. If something was a big enough deal to delay a member of Team STRQ, then it could only be something serious.

He was racking his brain for what might have happened. A bandit ambush? An overwhelming number of Grimm? Both? As the hours ticked by, his concern only grew.

KNOCK-KNOCK.

When the rapping finally come at his door, Qrow's heart skipped a beat. He rushed to the small door of the inn room and threw it open in an instant.

Standing in the doorway, clutching her arm in pain, a weak and withered smile on her face as she peered into the small room, was Summer Rose. She had not changed much since their time at Beacon. A rose symbol now adorned her cloak, and a long straight dagger was holstered at her hip. Her white hood was soaked from rain, and her right sleeve was red with blood.

The blood was the first thing to catch Qrow's attention.

"Summer!?" he gasped, his eyes growing wide as saucers. "What the hell!?"

The young Huntress smiled meekly, masking the pain she so clearly felt from the wound on her arm.

"Eh-heheh…" she laughed lightly. "Hi Qrow. May I come in?"

Qrow stumbled to let her through, trying not to panic from the sight of her injury.

"What the hell happened to you?" he demanded urgently, taking her by her uninjured arm. "We were supposed to meet here _hours_ ago!"

Summer winced as Qrow led her delicately towards one of the beds where she could sit down, which she did with a wince of pain.

"Ran into some trouble on the way here," she admitted in a tiny voice. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

Qrow raised an eyebrow as he sat down beside her.

"Well, whoever it was, they certainly did a number on you," Qrow said, his hands on her damp shoulders. "God, you're freezing. Give me your cloak and let's get you dried off."

Summer's eyes widened and she abruptly clutched her hands around the hood of her cloak.

"No, no…" she insisted, staggering to her feet with an effort. "Really, I'm fine…I…I…"

Her eyes closed as she drew in her breath.

"Ahhhh- _choo!_ "

Qrow furrowed his brow when Summer abruptly sneezed. She attempted to smile weakly back at him, but the effect was offset by the trickle of mucus running down her nose.

"Summer…" he said gently. "Come on, look at yourself. If we don't get you taken care of, you're going to get sick, and this whole mission will be a bust."

Summer sniffled and looked pitifully up at Qrow.

"I know…" she said remorsefully. "I'm sorry Qrow. Our first solo mission together, and I botched it up, didn't I?"

Qrow shook his head.

"Not yet, you haven't," he said in a gentler voice, glancing down at her arm. "But if we don't get that cut cleaned up, it might get infected, and then you'll be down for the count. Now come on, let me help you."

He reached for her, and she once again shied away, her hands clutching tightly to the cloak around her head.

Qrow raised an eyebrow at her persistent evasion, but decided not to pry.

"Look…" he said. "I know Tai's your partner, and Raven's the one who's always taken care of you whenever you got hurt back at Beacon. But they're both kind of busy looking after a baby right now, so I'm afraid I'm all you've got."

Qrow got to his feet, crossing his arms.

"Now come on, let's get you into some warm clothes," he said with a playful smirk. "I promise I won't peek."

Summer blushed heavily, before turning on her heels and making a beeline to the washroom.

"I can handle it myself, alright?" she insisted, red-faced. "Just give me a minute!"

Summer Rose disappeared into the small bathroom. A few minute later, she emerged considerably drier, her cloak replaced with a small white towel that was draped over her head, still managing to hide most of her hair. She also had her sleeve rolled up to her shoulder, the cut on her arm bleeding all the way down to her wrist.

"Oh, man…" Qrow said, hurrying over to her with a first aid kit. "That looks deep. Here…"

The two of them sat back down on the bed. She flinched shyly at his touch but didn't pull away as he dabbed at her arm with some gauze, revealing a long thin cut along the side of her arm, running diagonally from shoulder to elbow. After wiping her arm clean of blood, he dabbed another wad of gauze with disinfectant, and gently ran it across the incision.

Summer hissed in pain, clutching her arm tightly as the disinfectant did its work, and Qrow winced sympathetically as he tended to her.

"Easy does it, kiddo," he said soothingly. "We're almost done."

"Kiddo?" Summer smirked back at him, grinning through the pain. "We're the same age, you know."

"Yeah, but right now you're the one in my care," he said, patting the towel draped over her hair, rubbing her head affectionately. "So no back-talk."

Summer's face colored red again, but she didn't say anything. She did, however, quickly straighten the towel around her head so it fit more securely and covered her hair.

Qrow paid the action no mind as he continued his work. After cleaning her arm with disinfectant, he applied more gauze as dressing, before slowly wrapping a long white bandage around her arm. After tying it off, he stood up, inspecting his work.

"How does that feel?" he asked speculatively. "It's not too tight?"

Summer flexed her elbow gingerly, feeling how the bandage felt around her arm.

"Much better…" she said, looking away shyly. "Thank you."

Qrow crossed his arms.

"You're lucky you didn't need stitches," he snorted. "What did this to you anyway?"

"A beowolf," she said absently.

"Just one?" Qrow asked.

"Well, there was a group of them that attacked me," she clarified. "But only one got a clean hit on me."

"That's unusual for you," he commented idly as he put away the first aid kit. "Letting the enemy get the better of you."

"I…I guess I'm just distracted…" she admitted, wrapping her arms around her body, looking away.

"By what?" Qrow asked.

Summer seemed troubled by the question and lowered her eyes.

"I'm…really not supposed to tell anyone, actually…" she said carefully as she reached up to tug the towel forward to cover her eyes.

Qrow scowled, tired of constantly being brushed off again and again.

"Okay, okay," he said, sitting down on the other bed. "I can take a hint."

Summer's expression fell.

"Qrow…" she said softly. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that!"

The young man shrugged.

"Hey," he said, holding up his hands. "We all got our secrets. Believe me, I get that."

Summer looked more and more agitated by his reaction, before she finally stood to her feet.

"Look, I…I'll tell you what it is, alright?" she said firmly. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone else! Not even Raven and Tai! Got it?"

Qrow nodded slowly.

"I know how to keep a secret, Summer," he said evenly, thinking back to what he'd just learned from Professor Ozpin. "I promise, I won't tell anyone."

Summer took a deep breath, looking more nervous than he had ever seen her in his life.

"Well…" she said in an agitated tone. "Okay…this is going to sound crazy, but…here goes."

Summer swallowed and licked her lips.

"Have you ever heard of the fairy tale of the four maidens?" she asked.

Qrow's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" he said, hanging his head in his hands. "Oz brought you in on this too!?"

Summer stared back at him, perplexed.

"Oz?" she asked meekly. "What are you talking about?"

Qrow's eyebrow rose.

"Professor Ozpin?" he asked, expectantly. "Our headmaster? The guy who told us about all this?"

Summer shook her head. "What did Ozpin tell you exactly?"

Qrow looked flabbergasted.

"The tale of the Four Maidens!" he blurted. "Apparently, it's all true! He called me and Raven in just last week to tell us that…"

He trailed off when he realized what he was about to say.

"…That the Summer Maiden had been attacked…" he said slowly, his eyes widening as he looked down at Summer. "…And that we needed to find her replacement as soon as possible…"

Sumer's eyes flitted back and forth, until she realized that he wasn't looking away.

"Ummm…" she waved nervously. "Hi…"

Qrow couldn't take his eyes off of her. Suddenly, all of her hesitance made sense.

"Summer…" he breathed, staring at her in wide-eyed disbelief. "It's _you_. You're the new Summer Maiden…aren't you?"

Summer lowered her eyes, staring at the floor, her hands clenched together nervously, the damp towel still draped across her head. When she finally looked up, she held her hands outward in a tiny gesture.

"Ummm…surprise…?" she said, trying to mitigate the shock however she could.

Qrow was stunned for a moment as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"How long…?" he asked, staring at the inn wall.

Summer bit her lip.

"A week ago, like you said," she said timidly. "I was visiting some friends in Vacuo when I got really dizzy all of the sudden and just…passed out. I woke up at Shade Academy, and Professor Jasmine the headmistress explained to me what was happening, and…well…that's how I found out."

Qrow shook his head in disbelief. "The headmistress of Shade Academy knows about the Maidens too?"

"Yeah," Summer nodded. "She told me I shouldn't tell _anyone_ about it. Not my team, not Professor Ozpin…though it sounds like he might already know about all this too."

Qrow was still staring blankly at the wall as he tried to digest what he was hearing.

"Well…" he said, searching for the words. "I guess this mission's a bust then."

Summer tilted her head cutely. "Huh?"

Qrow smiled sheepishly.

"This mission," he said. "We're ostensibly out here to investigate Grimm attacks in the eastern region of Vale. But the _real_ reason Oz sent us out here is so that I could look for the new Summer Maiden – in other words, to look for _you._ "

Summer blinked curiously.

"Oh…" she said.

Qrow began to laugh. Summer giggled nervously as Qrow's laughter rose, and soon, he had pitched backward, laying his back across the bed, splaying his arms out wide as he laughed out loud.

"Ahahahahahahaha!" he guffawed, tears in his eyes as he basked in the absurdity of the situation.

Summer let out a softer, weaker laugh of her own, still somewhat out of breath from revealing what, to her, must have been a terrible secret.

Meanwhile, the ghostly images of two young Huntresses watched the events play out, unbeknownst to either of them.

 _"I don't get it. We already know mom's the Summer Maiden. What does this have to do with her silver eyes?"_

 _"You got me…still, something seems off about her. Does she seem…different to you, somehow?"_

 _"I don't know, Yang. It's been a long time since I've seen her. I should be thrilled to see her out in the field, doing her Huntress thing, but…even watching this memory of her, she's almost like a stranger to me now."_

 _"There's something going on here that's just not sitting well with me…I just can't put my finger on it…"_

Young Summer eventually changed into her pajamas, which still somehow managed to incorporate a white hood that lay flung over her hair. Young Qrow had shed his jacket, leaving only his shirt and pants. The two of them were sitting across from each other on opposite beds, laughing and talking much more openly now. Qrow had his father's flask in his hand, and had poured its contents into two small coffee cups for them to drink from.

"So have you tried out any of your powers yet?" Qrow asked curiously as he sipped his drink.

"No!" Summer laughed, small ceramic mug clutched tightly in hand. "I've been too scared to!"

"What?" Qrow asked in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"I didn't want to blow my cover!" Summer insisted. "Besides, I don't _need_ that kind of power to do my job! I'm still a Huntress! I don't need the Maiden's power to keep the world safe."

Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"The world of Remnant might beg to differ," he said. "The Grimm are still out there, Summer. I can think of numerous situations where a massive boost of spectacular magical power would come in handy."

He gestured to the bandage on her arm.

"For instance, when finding yourself at the mercy of a pack of beowolves," he smirked.

Summer sighed and shook her head, eyeing her mug idly.

"Maybe I'm just being a dork as usual…" she admitted. "But the more I think about it…the more I feel like I don't _deserve_ this power…"

Qrow's eyes narrowed. "What? How can you say that?"

Summer shook her head, her cheeks somewhat flushed from the drink.

"I mean…" she pouted her lips. "There are _so_ many other Huntresses out there who would do a better job at being the Maiden than me. Even on my own team – Raven has to constantly watch my back when we're out on missions, and you've said yourself what an unbelievably amazing Huntress _she_ is."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Well, that's mostly just me being frustrated at not being able to beat her. And besides, we're a team – we all watch each other's back. We're not judged solely by our individual merits, but how well we work together."

Summer nodded. "But Maidens don't get a team, Qrow. They wander the world all alone, and have to fend for themselves when they're out there. That's…that's not _me_ …"

Qrow let out a sigh and got to his feet, sitting down next to Summer as she continued to pout her lips.

"Well, first of all…" he said matter-of-factly. "You _are_ an amazing Huntress, no matter _what_ you say."

Summer rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah…"

"And _secondly_ …" he stated, raising a finger. "I see no reason why you can't fulfill your duties as a Maiden _and_ be a Huntress at the same time."

The young woman squinted back at him. "What do you mean?"

Qrow put his hands on his hips.

"I mean, you're _Summer Rose!_ " he declared. "You're one of the greatest Huntresses I've _ever_ known!"

Summer blushed. "Oh, stop…"

"And if _anyone_ is capable of handling something like this, it's you!" Qrow said firmly. "And even if you don't agree…who says you have to do what the Maidens of the past did? You were given this power, you're the one who has to live with it. What you do with it should be your decision! Whether you use it to be a better Huntress, go off on your own, or never even use it at all! No matter what you decide, it's _your_ decision…and I'll support that decision, whatever you make of it. No matter what Oz or Professor Jasmine thinks."

Summer was smiling brightly at him, and couldn't seem to stop herself from throwing her arms around the young Huntsman.

"Oh, Qrow…" she giggled. "You're really laying it on thick tonight…"

Qrow embraced her and patted her back.

"What can I say, Summer?" he said nervously. "I'm a little fond of you…"

Qrow's eyes widened as if just realizing what he'd just said. Perhaps he had had more to drink than he realize. But Summer only laughed out loud.

"Only a little?" she snickered. "Come on, Qrow! If you were any more obvious about your feelings, I'd half expect you to break into song or something!"

Qrow blinked a few times, before pulling back.

" _W-What?_ " he asked, flabbergasted.

One of the two ghostly girls started looking uncomfortable.

 _"Okay, this is…getting a little too weird for me."_

 _"Yang, hush! I want to see where this is going!"_

Summer put a hand over her mouth, a guilty look on her face, cheeks still red from drink.

"Oh…" she muttered. "Umm…maybe I shouldn't have said that, huh?"

Qrow stared back at Summer in wide-eyed disbelief.

"How long have you known!?" Qrow demanded.

"Since our first year together," Summer explained slowly, looking away. "I…thought it was just a crush at first, but you never relented. It was…kind of cute, really."

Qrow was shaking his head, red in the face as he looked around the room for something to stare at.

"Well…well…" he stammered, fumbling for his words. "…Well, why didn't you _say_ something!?"

Summer tilted her head to the side. "Why didn't you?"

Qrow shook his head furiously. "Because we're _teammates!_ "

"So?" Summer said. "That didn't stop Raven and Taiyang."

"Yeah, but Tai's an insufferable _ass!_ " Qrow said, matter-of-factly. "And Raven's…well, _Raven!_ "

"Qrow…" Summer sighed, smiling sadly at him. "I didn't say anything because I _knew_ it wouldn't work out between us."

Qrow blinked several times in succession. His heart was pounding wildly.

"Wh…what do you mean?" he asked in a tremulous voice.

Summer looked more and more guilty by the second.

"It's complicated, Qrow…" she said. "Can we just…forget I said anything?"

Qrow gave her an incredulous look.

"That's not fair, Summer!" he said impetuously. "You can't just tell me something like that without giving me some kind of explanation!"

Summer let out a deep, deep sigh as she set her cup down on the night stand.

"Well…" she said slowly. "I guess since this is a night for revelations…what's one more to add to the list…?"

Qrow watched as Summer stood to her feet.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Summer swallowed hard.

"I've…I've tried so hard to keep this a secret from everyone…" she said, wringing her hands before her. "But…you deserve to know the truth after…well, after everything we've been through together…"

Summer raised her head to lock eyes with Qrow, taking a calming, steadying breath. Then she reached up to clasp the hood over her hair, flinging it back off her head.

Qrow's eyes widened as a pair of black wolf ears sprang up from atop Summer's head.

The ears of a Faunus.

The two girls peering through time stared at her in utter astonishment.

" _What!? Wait, wait, hold on…WHAT!?_ "

 _"Ohhhhhh…I…did not see that coming…"_

 _"That's all you have to say, Ruby!? This is ludicrous! Mom never had_ Faunus _ears when we were growing up! We've slept in the same bed with her! Hell, we used to take_ baths _together! We would have_ known _about it! There's no way this is for real!"_

 _"Maybe…she cut them off? Come on, let's listen to what she has to say. Qrow looks as confused as we are."_

Young Qrow was still staring in awe at Summer's ears.

"Summer…" he breathed in disbelief. "You're…you're a Faunus?"

Summer nodded shyly.

"It's…worse than that…actually…" she said, her eyes disappearing behind her bangs. "I'm…I'm…"

Qrow blinked his eyes, trying to discern what she was driving at.

"Summer…?"

A shocked expression covered his face when he saw that Summer was _crying._

"Summer!" he stammered, leaning closer to her. "What's…what's…?"

Summer lifted her hands to her face, wiping the tears from her eyes as she lifted her head to face him once more.

"I'm…" she whimpered, tears falling down her face. "I'm a _half-breed_ …"

Qrow blinked in confusion. "A…a what?"

 _"Oh_ … _Ohhh…I get it now…"_

 _"What? So she's only half-Faunus. What's so bad about that, Yang?"_

 _"Something Blake told me once. Things have gotten more progressive in the last decade or so, but apparently back in the day, half-Faunus had it even worse than regular Faunus."_

 _"Really?"_

 _"It was bad. Like, really,_ really _bad. They were treated as social outcasts, like they were the product of bestiality or something. It was practically a life sentence to be born a half-breed, and those that had to grow up with it were shunned by humans_ and _other Faunus. Blake even had friends growing up that used to cut off their animal parts out of shame. If mom had to go through life with that much pressure to keep it a secret…"_

 _"Then…maybe she really did cut off her ears…"_

Qrow was staring back at Summer with a shocked expression on his face.

"Summer…" he stood up, shaking his head in confusion. "So _this_ is why you kept your hood on all the time around us? So we wouldn't find out about… _this?_ "

Summer nodded slowly, tears still in her eyes, her Faunus ears drooping against her head.

Qrow was squinting at her.

"Does anyone else know?" he demanded.

"Raven knows," Summer swallowed. "It would have been impossible to keep it from her, since she saw me in the bathroom all the time. She promised to keep it a secret. It…looks like she kept her word."

Qrow let out a protracted breath.

"Why?" he asked. "Why would you keep something like this from your whole team?"

Summer clutched her arms around her body.

"Qrow…" she whispered. "Do you have _any_ idea what it was like…growing up like this?"

"No, of course not…" he winced. "But Summer, you're my team leader! You're my friend! This wouldn't have changed how I felt about you! You have to believe that!"

Summer sniffed remorsefully.

"Oh my gosh, Qrow…" she whimpered. "Stop being so wonderful, would you? This is just making it harder for me."

"What?" Qrow shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand, Summer…"

Summer bit her lip, staring down as she fidgeted with her fingers.

"I can't be with you, Qrow…" she insisted. "I can't be with _anyone._ Don't you get it? I'm a half-breed! If you think Faunus are treated like monsters, then you haven't seen a fraction of what it's like for someone like _me!_ At least the Faunus had a community to turn to. Half-breeds are looked down upon by human and Faunus alike!"

"Summer, I…" Qrow stammered, helplessly. "I'm really sorry you had to go through all that. I really wish I had known about all this sooner. I could have…I don't know…I could have at least tried to _be_ there for you for all this…"

"It's better that you weren't, Qrow," Summer shook her head. "Believe me, it was easier just keeping this all hidden."

"Why?" Qrow furrowed his brow. "Why would you try to face something like this on your own?"

Summer's laugh came out like a sob as she turned her gaze upon him.

"Because you weren't the _only_ one who started having _feelings_ , Qrow…"

Qrow's eyes widened.

"What…?" he stammered, face coloring just a little.

 _"Wait a minute here…"_

 _"Shhh! Quiet Yang! I wanna hear this!"_

Qrow opened his mouth and closed it again, swallowing hard before taking a breath.

"Okay…now I'm _totally_ confused…" he said. "What…?"

Summer reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders, her wolf ear perking up as she did.

"Do I _have_ to spell it out for you?" she demanded. "I feel the same way about _you_ , you big dummy!"

 _"Ruby…I…I don't know if we should keep watching this…"_

 _"What? We're just getting to the best part!"_

 _"Ruby…"_

Qrow looked agitated, hurt and completely flabbergasted.

"Okay…" he said, taking a step towards her. "I'll bite. So if you feel the same way about me…then _why_ can't we be together?"

She lowered her eyes, tears streaming down her face as her ears fell.

"I just _told_ you…" she breathed. "I'm a half-breed."

Qrow shook his head. "Do you think I _care_ about that?"

Summer raised her head, looking into his eyes.

"Qrow…" she whimpered. "Any kids we might have would be the exact same as I am! They'd grow up feeling the exact same torment as I did! I can't make another child go through that! I won't!"

Qrow held up his hands.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on," he said. "Who said anything about kids? Don't you think that's getting a little ahead of yourself?"

Summer let out a sigh as she wiped her face.

"You know me," she sniffed. "I always like to plan ahead. And I _know_ myself. If I let myself fall in love…I'm going to want kids one day."

Qrow put a hand on her shoulder.

"Summer…" he said. "I get not wanting to take a risk on a child, but…there's still plenty of options out there. What about adopting?"

"It wouldn't be the same…" Summer shook her head. "And besides, that doesn't change the fact that the child would still have mixed parents."

Qrow shook his head in agitation.

"Summer…" he sighed.

"I know it's hard to understand, Qrow," Summer hiccuped. "That's why I didn't want all this to come out. I just…I didn't want to break your heart for something that wasn't even your fault."

Qrow let out a sigh.

"Summer…" he exhaled. "The world's never going to change if we don't fight to change it."

Her eyes widened a little.

"What?" she asked.

Qrow stepped over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Things may be rough for half-breeds now," he said. "But the only way it'll ever get better for people in your situation is if more people can be made to see that you're just like everybody else. And the only way to do that is not to give up on half-breeds. Just because it might be dangerous…doesn't mean we shouldn't be willing to try."

He reached down to take her hand in his.

"Especially if that means giving up on the people we care about…" he said. "The world doesn't get to decide who we're allowed to love. We do. No one else."

Summer's cheeks flushed at his insistence, and she let out a breathy sigh of adulation.

"That's…that's really, really sweet of you, Qrow…" she whispered. "But…there's something else I haven't told you."

Qrow cocked his head to side, smiling curiously at her.

"Hmmm?" he intoned. "What now?"

She leaned in close like she was going to kiss him, but stopped short, staring him directly in the eyes, causing him to stiffen uncomfortably, cheeks red as he stared back at her.

"Umm…" he breathed.

Summer did not flinch.

"Look at my eyes, Qrow," she said, taking hold of his other hand. "Have you ever met anyone with silver eyes before?"

 _"Oh, here it is!"_

 _"Ruby, I don't like this…"_

Qrow stared back at Summer, blinking in contemplation.

"You know…" he said. "Now that you mention it, I haven't…"

"You won't have," Summer assured him.

And then the light in the room seemed to dim as Summer's eyes began to glow. As she tapped into the Maiden's gift of silver, the vibrancy of her power filled the room, casting the entire world in a pale, argent glow.

"Whoa…" Qrow said warily, taking a small step back.

Summer sighed.

"It's a trait that's unique to half-breeds," she said. "And even amongst half breeds, it's a rare occurrence. It's the sign of a unique power that only appears in a select few."

Qrow shrugged. "Okay…what power?"

"A power dating back to the dawn of Huntsmen and Grimm," she said. "A power given by the Guardian Maidens to aid the world of Remnant in their fight against the Grimm. It's an amazing and terrible power that makes you almost invulnerable to the creatures of Grimm."

Qrow laughed nervously as her eyes continued to glow.

"Ahhh…hehehe…okay…" he said in trepidation, scratching his head. "Is…that why you're such a good Huntress?"

Summer narrowed her eyes, her wolf ears flattening back against her head. The glow of her eyes faded back to normal, and the light in the room seemed to bleed back into existence.

"No," she said firmly. "And the fact that you immediately thought it did only validates what I feared. No, Qrow, the reason I'm a good Huntress is because I _trained_ all my life to get that way. _Without_ having to rely on these damn eyes of mine!"

Qrow blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"

"Because I didn't _ask_ for this power!" Summer said angrily. "This power isn't a blessing! It's only more proof that I'm _different_ from everyone else! It only gives people more of a reason to hate me!"

Qrow looked crestfallen.

"Why would anyone hate you for being _better_ at fighting Grimm?" he asked.

"I don't know!" Summer exhaled. "Envy for not being as powerful themselves? Anger for not being blessed with the same power? Fear that I might turn that power on them some day? And that's just what I could think of off the top of my head!"

Qrow shook his head. "Summer…"

"You just don't understand, Qrow," Summer said, eyes watering again. "What it's like to grow up different! You see the world for what it is, and you learn just how cruel people can be! They don't need a _reason_ to hate, Qrow! All they need is an excuse!"

Summer slumped back down on the bed and Qrow put a hand on her shoulder.

"Summer…" he breathed.

"How long do you think it will take before the world decides that I can't be trusted?" she demanded, tears streaming down her face. "A half breed, with silver eyes, and now Maiden powers on top of all that? If _any_ of that came to light…I can't _imagine_ how everyone around me would react! I'm a _freak_ , Qrow!"

Qrow sat down next to her, stroking her back.

"Summer…" he said. "That's not true…

"I can't stop being who I am, Qrow!" Summer said fervently. "All I can do is try to control how the world sees me! I can't let them see my ears, so I hide them under my hood. I can't let them see my special powers, so I choose not to use them. Silver eyes _or_ Maiden powers. I can't let the world see me for who I really am…and I won't saddle my children with such a burden either."

Qrow drew in his breath, still stroking her back fondly.

"Summer," he sighed. "You keep talking about the world seeing you and treating you differently from everyone else. But even if you _weren't_ half Faunus, even if you _didn't_ have silver eyes, and even if you _weren't_ the Summer Maiden…you'd _still_ be different from everyone else."

She pouted up at him skeptically. "Now you're just splitting hairs."

Qrow smiled affectionately.

"You're _Summer Rose_ ," he said. "You're the greatest Huntress I've ever known. You're _already_ an extraordinary individual. You're _already_ capable of things that no one else in the world can do! The world hasn't turned on you yet. Why should it now?"

Summer's cheeks flushed at the praise. "Qrow…"

"And even _if_ you were to have kids," Qrow said. "And I'm not saying whether you should or should not – but if you _do_ , you said yourself that silver eyes were a rare gift. In all likelihood, you wouldn't pass on the trait. You don't even know if your kids will have Faunus ears or not."

"It's still an unnecessary risk," Summer said, looking like she was trying to convince herself more than him.

"And even if they _are_ born with ears, even if they _are_ born with silver eyes, that should be cause for celebration, not fear," Qrow argued. "Your _eyes_ are a part of who you are. Your _ears_ are a part of who you are. And Summer…"

He reached up to gently stroke one of her wolf ears, causing it to flick nervously as she blushed furiously at the contact.

"Who you are is _amazing_ ," he said gently. "Every part of you is amazing. If the rest of world can't see that, then they can all go to hell. They don't _matter_ , Summer…"

He touched his fingers to her cheek, gaze locked upon hers.

"The only thing that matters is what _you_ want, Summer…" he said. "At least…that's all that matters to _me._ "

Summer looked back at him, a stricken look in her eyes.

"Oh, Qrow…" she exhaled. "How can you be so _impossibly_ wonderful?"

"I don't know," he said, cracking a playful smile. "Maybe it's all just a part of my roguish charm?"

Summer's cheeks were as bright as they had ever been.

"Oh just…shut up…" she breathed.

And then she took him by the shoulders and kissed him, the two of them tumbling down across the bed sheets.

The scene faded to white, leaving Ruby and Yang staring back out at a blank nothingness once again.

"You…don't need to see what happens next…" came an older Qrow's voice from somewhere behind them.

Neither of the two Huntresses said anything for a moment.

Then Yang turned around, eyes glaring red.

"You son of a bitch…" she breathed.

Qrow lowered his eyes.

"Yeah…" he admitted.

Yang marched over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, with Ruby hurrying after her.

"How could you _keep_ something like this from us!?" Yang demanded furiously. "Mom always said that Ruby was an early child, but _now_ the math checks out just fine!"

"Yang!" Ruby protested, grabbing her shoulder. "Don't!"

Yang reeled back and stared hard at Ruby.

"He _lied!_ " she screamed. "He hid the truth from us! For all these years, he let us believe that…"

Ruby shook her head.

"I get it, Yang," she said firmly. "I'm sure he had his reasons. I want answers as much as you do, but that's no reason to-"

"He's your _father_ , Ruby!" Yang blared, eyes still glowing red. "How can you be so _calm_ about this!?"

Ruby turned her eyes on Qrow. The old man could barely bring himself to look at her. But he did.

"Well?" she asked gingerly. "Is it true?"

Qrow nodded once, his eyes plastered to his feet.

"We haven't done any blood tests or anything…" he admitted. "But…like Yang said, the math lines up pretty neatly."

Ruby fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.

"All those years of you looking out for me…" she said gently. "Now I know why."

Qrow fixed his daughter with a look of purest shame.

"Ruby, I…" he closed his eyes. "I'm…I'm so sorry…

Ruby shook her head.

"You loved my mother, didn't you?" she asked.

Qrow nodded slowly.

"We _all_ loved Summer," he exhaled. "She was impossible _not_ to love. Your mother was the most amazing person I've ever met, Ruby. I couldn't even be mad at her when she left me."

Yang was looking away, arms crossed in disgust, but Ruby kept her eyes on the Wizard.

"Tell me," she said simply.

Qrow drew in a long, arduous breath.

"Well…for about a month or so, we were happy," he said uncomfortably. "Things seemed to be going well, and I was the happiest _I'd_ ever been in my life. Then she found out she was pregnant, and then…well, she disappeared and I couldn't get in contact with her for three whole weeks. I nearly went into a frenzy trying to find her, but Raven assured me she was okay and that I needed to cool my jets."

an image appeared around them of a large cruise ship docked at shore, with a long ramp leading down from the deck to dry land. Several people, many of them Faunus, were stepping down the ramp towards the dock.

"When she finally came back," Qrow said. "I found out that she'd gone home to Menagerie, and went to see some doctors who were…more versed with Faunus procedures. When I finally saw her again…her ears were gone."

As if prompted by his words, a young Summer began to descend the ramp, walking very slowly. Her face was absolutely devoid of emotion. Beneath her hood, Ruby and Yang could just barely see a white bandage that was wrapped around the entirety of her head. Waiting for her at the bottom of the pier was a young worried looking Qrow.

The image faded to white, and Ruby swallowed, looking troubled, but nodded, urging the old man to continue.

"Summer was a wonderful person, Ruby," Qrow sighed. "But she had her share of insecurities too. She didn't think a half-breed would ever be accepted in our society. So she did what she felt she had to do."

Yang shook her head, staring at her feet.

"I remember braiding her hair when I was little," she said. "I don't remember seeing so much as a _scratch_ on her head, much less the scars from where her ears used to be."

"It's a more common procedure than you might think," Qrow admitted. "For a lot of Faunus, the racial prejudices are just too much to handle, so they finally swallow their pride and try to pass off as human. Most of the time, you'd never even be able to tell the difference without a blood test. The doctors in Menagerie are good at what they do."

Ruby's eyes widened as a new realization dawned on her.

"Qrow…" she said, placing a hand on her chest. "If…if all this is for real…then that means that… _I'm_ …"

Qrow nodded slowly.

"Part Faunus…" he breathed. "The thought's occurred to me. You heard what Summer said – silver eyes are unique to half breeds. Only the blood of a human and a Faunus can bring out the Maiden's gift of silver. And with the stigma on half-breeds…well, there's a reason silver eyes are so rare."

Ruby placed her hands over her head. "Then why don't _I_ have ears? Mom didn't…cut them off _me_ too when I was little, did she?"

"No!" Qrow exhaled. "No, nothing like that, Ruby. Not all half breeds have visible animal features, especially if you're only a quarter Faunus."

This seemed to calm her somewhat.

"Oh…okay," she said. "Still…all this time, Mom was a Faunus. And Yang and I had no idea."

Qrow nodded slowly.

"It just goes to show that humans and Faunus aren't all that different," he said, crossing his arms.

Ruby and Yang exchanged an uncomfortable glance.

"Does…" Ruby hesitated timidly. "Does, umm... _da_ _d_ …know?"

Qrow scratched the back of his head.

"He knew," he said. "He wasn't exactly thrilled with it, but he knew. And you know me - I had a habit of making myself scarce around him. It's a real shame - he and I used to be such good friends, but after he and Summer got married…well…"

Yang seemed to decide that she had calmed down enough to talk without punching the old man in the face.

"So how'd mom and dad end up together after all that?" she snorted.

"Yeah…" Ruby nod. "Why _didn't_ you and mom ever, you know…get back together after she came back?"

Qrow seemed troubled by this.

"Well, at first I wanted to give her some space," he said. "She'd just gone through a life-changing alteration, and I figured that was bound to make her uncomfortable around people."

Raven finally decided to chime in.

"Maybe if you'd taken a more active role in all all of it, she wouldn't have pushed you away," her voice sounded from somewhere behind him.

Qrow wrinkled his nose, giving his sister a dirty look.

"I wasn't exactly given the option, Raven," he shot back.

Raven threw her hands up in the air.

"You had _plenty_ of opportunities to reach out to her when we were at Beacon, Qrow!" she said. "And if you just _assume_ a girl needs space, she's going to take that as as sign that you're not interested anymore! The poor girl had just gone through one of the most important decisions of her life, and from her perspective, _you_ weren't there to support her! For all she knew, you thought she was hideous now or something! It's no wonder she left you!"

Qrow let out an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah," he shot back at Raven, fixing her with an accusatory glare. "Sure. Fine. I'm terrible husband material. I get that. But this isn't about _me_ , this is about Summer. And after _you_ ran off on your little side project, _your_ husband was practically inconsolable! He was _lost_ without you, Raven! You meant the _world_ to him! And not only that, you left him to take care of a _fifteen month old baby!_ The man was barely holding it together!"

Raven said nothing as Yang crossed her arms.

"And so, naturally, with mom being his partner and everything, she ran to his side to offer a helping hand," Yang said, putting the pieces together.

"Right," Qrow shrugged. "Summer started spending more time with Tai to help him take care of his baby, and to get some experience for herself. One thing led to another, and then…well, by the time Ruby was born…"

Ruby wrung her fingers together.

"This is so weird…" she said sullenly. "I've always thought of him as _dad._ It's going to be hard to think of him as anything else…"

Yang snorted derisively.

"He still raised you like a father, Ruby," she said firmly. "Doesn't that count for _something?_ "

Ruby nodded meekly.

"Yeah, but…" she said, glancing back up at Qrow. "But…why didn't you ever _tell_ me any of this? I mean…I _get_ mom not wanting us to know about the Faunus thing, but…you're my _dad!_ Why wouldn't you tell me about that?"

Qrow let out an exasperated sigh.

"After Raven took off like she did, your dad didn't…" he started, before stopping himself. " _Tai_ didn't want to take any risks with you two. It's hard enough for two Huntsmen always out on missions to raise a couple of kids without throwing complications into the mix. Trust me, Raven and I know this firsthand. Tai wanted a stable household for you two to grow up in. A mom and a dad, and nothing complicating the mix. "

Qrow crossed his arms, staring at his feet.

"I was…a complication."

Ruby shook her head, tears trickling down her cheek.

"It still wasn't fair to hide it from us," she said. "To me _or_ to Yang."

"You're right," Qrow shook his head, forlornly. "It wasn't. We were always planning to tell you when you were old enough. Then 'old enough' became 'maybe next year' and 'just one more year.' Honestly, it was just a difficult thing to talk about, and none of us wanted to disrupt what we all had together. Then when Summer died…well…there just didn't seem to be a half-decent way to tell you without making things worse."

Ruby looked away, still looking lost and confused.

"This is all just too much to deal with," she said, hanging her head. "Why _now?_ I mean, we're about to fight one of the most important battles we're ever going to face. Why tell us all this _now?_ This is just going to be a huge distraction for all of us!"

"Because you deserve to know the truth, Ruby," Raven said, stepping in for Qrow as she turned to Yang. "You both do. The people running your world have peddled in secrecy for far too long. You're right - you're about to face the deadliest foe you've ever encountered. You will be tested. Both of you. And for you to truly face what is to come, there cannot be any doubt left in your hearts."

Yang threw her hands in the air. "But all this does is make us doubt _everything_ now! How are we supposed to fight when we don't even know our own _family_ anymore!?"

"That is a question to you must reach on your own, Yang," Raven said coldly. "If you have any doubt remaining after this, you must face that doubt. And overcome it."

Yang gritted her teeth, a forsaken look on her face. Ruby bit her lip, before turning to Yang.

"Well…if there's _one_ thing I'll never have any doubts about," she said, stepping over to her. "And that's _you_ , Yang. You'll _always_ be my sister, no matter _who_ our parents are. That's never going to change. No matter what."

Yang blinked in stunned silence, before realizing what Ruby was getting at. With everything that had been revealed, Yang's outrage had been entirely for Ruby's sake, and she had not even considered the implications her uncle's revelation had on herself. A sudden sense of vertigo washed over her as it suddenly occurred to her that, with Ruby owing her parentage to Qrow and Summer, Yang and Ruby had no blood ties between them.

They weren't even sisters anymore.

And here was Ruby, smiling back at her, and telling her that it didn't matter. The two of them were still sisters in her eyes.

Yang couldn't stop the tears.

"Ruby…" she stammered, eyes glistening as she reached up to wipe the tears away. "Come on, I'm trying to put on a tough face here! Don't get me all choked up!"

Ruby ignored her sister's resistance and threw her arms around her. Yang let out a sigh as she succumbed to Ruby's embrace. Yang may have been the older of the two of them, but if this revelation had taught her anything, it was that she could learn a thing or two from her little sister. Ruby had taken every bit of news in stride, without overreacting or leaping to conclusions. She asked questions, she processed what she learned, and she didn't start pointing fingers until she knew the truth.

How Ruby had become someone that Yang herself had to look up to, she would never know. But one thing was for sure - she had never been more proud of Ruby in her life.

"We sure do have a messed up family, don't we?" Ruby laughed light-heartedly as they finally parted.

"Yeah," Yang said, drying her eyes. "We sure do."

Ruby turned to Qrow, looking uneasy, but approaching him all the same.

"If…if it's okay with you…" she said meekly, "Is it alright if I keep calling you 'uncle Qrow?' At least for a little while? It…feels weird calling you anything else."

Qrow nodded, a half smile appearing on his face.

"I'm just happy that you're still talking to me at _all_ after this, kid," he said, relief on his face.

Ruby nodded, and walked over to the old man, throwing her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest.

"Of course…" she whimpered. "You're still the same person you've been for all these years. Just because you're not my uncle doesn't take away from all the time you spent protecting me and teaching me everything I know."

Qrow let out a contented sigh and mussed her hair.

"I'll always be protect you kid," he promised her. "No matter what."

Yang put her hands on her hips. "So just like that, you've forgiven him?"

Ruby looked up, giving Yang a hopeless look.

"It's like aunt Raven said," she muttered. "We don't have time for any doubts."

Yang scratched her head and gave her uncle a guilty look.

"I…guess I can forgive you too, then…" she said, stepping up to him. "If Ruby can't even stay mad at you, then…well, I guess there's no point in me being mad either."

Qrow smirked. "Thanks slugger."

Yang pounded her fist into the old man's shoulder.

"Suddenly I'm glad that Weiss and Blake weren't around for this," she smirked back. "They'd probably be uncomfortable with this much of our family drama."

"Like I said," Qrow snorted. "This is a matter of a family."

Ruby and her family turned to look at Raven expectantly.

"So…what now?" she asked. "Now that we know the truth, how are we supposed to defeat this Witch?"

"And more importantly," Yang said, crossing her arms. "Are you going to help us out? Or are you going to keep lurking around in the shadows and currying favor with our enemies?"

Raven let out a sigh.

"Qrow and I still have a role left to play," she said, clasping a lock of the silver hair on her head. "His ascension to the Wizard's mantle came with consequences. Being his twin, I too share in some of his powers as the Wizard. These powers are not nearly as potent as in Qrow, but they should allow me to assist you in some small capacity. The real task, unfortunately, falls to you, Ruby."

"Me?" Ruby asked.

"Events have been carefully meted out over the years to bring about a very particular set of circumstances, not the least of which was your very birth," Raven went on. "The Maiden's gift of silver was given to to the people of Remnant. Not to humanity, nor to the Faunus, but to _all_ the planet's inhabitants. As such, it can only occur in those who shared the blood of both."

The images around them returned, and this time, a pair of what appeared to be Huntsmen emerged before the group. One male, one female. The male character a sword, while the female carried an axe. Neither Yang nor Ruby had seen either of them in person, but they still recognized them both instantly.

"That's…the statue in the courtyard at Beacon!" Ruby exclaimed in recognition.

"Yes," Raven said. "The first Huntsmen. And you'll notice they both wear hoods. Do you think this is coincidence?"

Yang put her hands on her hips.

"Let me guess…one of them's human, and the other is a Faunus?" she asked.

"Indeed," Raven nodded. "It's not entirely certain which is which, but the message is clear. Humans are Faunus were meant to fight side by side, regardless of their heritage. It is only when the two are united that the Grimm might be defeated."

Yang smiled hopefully. "Well, Blake and Weiss just united the White Fang the Schnee Dust Company against the Grimm. So that's a start."

Raven nodded.

"Indeed…" she said. "This event was not unexpected, and if all plays out according to plan, it could very well bring about a new era of cooperation and unity that could restore balance to this world. The four of you each have an important role to fill in this coming war, and I have taken what steps I have been able to bring about the most desired result."

She raised both her arms to her sides. An image of the Schnee Dust Company and all of its technology appeared on one side of her, while the White Fang and their warriors appeared to the other.

"In order to restore the world of Remnant, Weiss Schnee _needed_ to become the next president of the Schnee Dust company," said said. "Blake Belladonna _needed_ to become the leader of the White Fang. And Ruby Rose _needed_ to be born a Grimmslayer and awaken the Maiden's gift of silver."

Blake and Weiss appeared as a silhouettes, leading their individual factions, with a silhouette of Ruby appearing in the middle.

"What about me?" Yang asked. "What part do _I_ play in all of this?"

"You still have an important role to fulfill Yang," Raven smiled. "Trust me."

Yang did not look particularly trusting.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" she demanded.

Raven lowered her eyes. "You may not like what I have to say."

"I _already_ don't like what you're saying," Yang gave her mother a piercing look. "Weiss taking over her company, Blake taking over the White Fang, Ruby mastering her silver eyes…you're telling me had a hand in _all_ of that? Were _none_ of these choices ours to make?"

"Make no mistake," Raven said. "I took what actions I could to give you all the best shot you had at changing the world. The final decision, however, still ultimately fell to each of you. Had you all failed to rise to the occasion, we wouldn't be standing here right now. We have come this far thanks to _all_ of your efforts in equal part."

Raven put her hands on Yang's shoulders.

"The pool does not show me everything, only what steps are necessary to bring the best possible outcome into the realm of feasibility," she said. "The rest falls to you. And I had no other recourse but to put my faith in _each_ of you to make the right choice. I may have helped put you all into a position to take what actions you did, but those actions were still ultimately yours to make. Take what comfort you can from that."

Yang drew in a breath, still clearly not satisfied. Raven released her, and dispelled the images with a wave of her arm.

"Unfortunately, we are not the only force acting upon history," she continued. "The Witch has been playing this game even longer than I have, with the Daughter of Fire serving her needs with every passing generation. Little by little, our world has become divided under her influence. She knows our unity is what makes Remnant strong, and so she has set events into motion throughout time to draw us apart."

The image of the first Huntsmen fell away to reveal scenes that the two girls recognized from their history books. Airships and troops waging war upon one another, in what was perhaps the most well-known conflict in history. It was a moment that had defined their perception of the world growing up, and had lead to foundation of their very identities as people.

"Without her influence, the Great War that separated the four nations would surely have never taken place," Raven said. "Without her influence, the Wizard and his followers would not have been forced to conceal the existence of the Maidens from the world."

The images shifted an image of Summer Rose, facing off against a familiar face, her weapon drawn, her eyes glowing silver.

"Cinder…" Ruby breathed in loathing.

Raven nodded.

"And without the Witch's influence," she concluded. "The humans and the Faunus might still allied, their blood intermingling in plentiful amounts. It was thanks to her that people like Summer Rose were so utterly reviled by all. Without Salem's influence, the Grimmslayers might still be around to this day, and not doomed to the annals of history."

Cinder lunged for Summer, and the image faded to black.

"Had the Witch had her way, Summer would have been the last Grimmslayer for generations," Raven said despondently. "But thanks to you, Ruby Rose, we still have a chance to beat her. And it's taken everything I have to ensure that your power has survived and flourished to get to where we are today."

Ruby stared back at Raven in trepidation.

"Are silvers eyes really _that_ powerful?" she asked timidly.

"You've seen for yourself just how effective you are against Grimm when you have fully tapped into the Maiden's gift of silver," Raven assured her. "When fully awakened, a Grimmslayer can annul the creatures of Grimm just by _looking_ at them. The merest touch would be enough to destroy them when you are at full power. Once you tap into that power, Ruby, you are nigh invulnerable to the Grimm."

Ruby stared at her hands in awe of what she was hearing.

"Whoa…" she breathed.

"You also carry with you a weapon forged from the dust of Grimmslayers past, as I do," Raven gestured to Grímnir. "Like you, this weapon is as a purging fire to the Grimm. Any blow you can land upon one of Salem's creatures will be a fatal one. With this scythe, Ruby, you will be able to carve your way through our enemy's legions like they were naught but grain before the harvest."

Ruby drew her weapon, disbelief in her eyes at the power in her hands as Qrow crossed her arms.

"You hear that, kid?" he said with a smirk. "That old sword of mine is still good for a few things. Don't lose it."

She nodded back at him.

"I won't."

"And lastly, what is perhaps the Grimmslayer's most _powerful_ gift of all," Raven continued. "As I said, the gift of silver was meant to unite humans and Faunus together against a common foe. As they evolved, so too did our semblances, a physical expression of our own aura. As Grimmslayers were gifted with the original agency over that primal essence, so too can they wield the aura of their fellow comrades in battle."

Ruby nodded knowing. "Aura linking."

Raven smiled.

"The power to merge auras is the ultimate weapon against the Grimm," she said. "The final defense that all the world's inhabitants share in. When linked, the gifts of all are shared with one another, so that anyone within the link may draw from the aura and abilities of their brethren. All aura users share in this ability to some degree, being distant descendants of Grimmslayers themselves, and can forge links with any other aura user, given practice."

Ruby glanced at Yang. They had seen the power of aura linking firsthand. They knew that it was formidable indeed.

"The Maidens' gift of silver is the power to unite," Raven said. "And a Grimmslayer may link with any number of beings that she chooses. So long as they possess aura, they may add to your aura pool, their abilities yours to command."

Raven took a hold of Ruby's shoulder, giving her a hard stare.

"And most importantly, Ruby," she said gravely. "Your gift of silver shall protect _all_ with whom you are linked as well. Your power was intended to keep you safe from the creatures of Grimm. So long as you are linked with others, they too shall possess the capabilities of a Grimmslayer."

Ruby's hands clenched into fists as she set her jaw.

"That's how we win," she said simply. "That's how we beat Salem. If I can effectively turn _any number_ of Huntsmen into Grimmslayers…"

Raven nodded.

"Take heed, Ruby," she said. " _You_ are our best shot at winning this war. You cannot afford to be reckless. If we lose you, we lose everything. Do _not_ underestimate Salem's abilities. She is called the Queen of the Damned for a reason. She has power over life and death itself. You've fought Cinder in the past, and she possesses only the merest _fraction_ of her mother's power."

Ruby's eyes widened as she suddenly realized what Raven was talking about.

"Pyrrha…" she breathed. "She brought Pyrrha back from the dead. That was the Witch's power at work."

Yang felt her blood run cold.

"Shit…" she breathed. "All that stuff about the netherworld and the afterlife…it's all true, isn't it?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Raven shook her head. "There are some mysteries a human mind was never meant to comprehend. Whatever you do, do _not_ let your guard down around Salem. I cannot stress this to you enough. There's absolutely no telling what she is capable of."

Ruby still had a bitter expression on her face.

"Pyrrha…" she muttered. "Can she be saved?"

Raven crossed her arms.

"I told you before, Ruby," she said. "You mustn't concern yourself with the life of a single individual. You are fighting now for the fate of all living beings on this planet. You are a Huntress. It is your duty to endure the sacrifices of today so that future generations will not have to make them."

Ruby clenched her fist, and slowly shook her head.

"No," she said firmly. "I _will_ not accept that. I _will_ find a way to save her. She's my friend. And I _won't_ let any more of my friends die."

Raven let out a sigh.

"I will not stop you, Ruby," she said. "You are my brother's daughter, and I have faith in you. From this moment forward, the future is in _your_ hands. I only pray that when the time comes for you to choose between a friend's life and the future of Remnant…that you'll make the right choice."

Ruby stared back at her family, locking eyes with each of them. They had endured so much together, and now that they had all learned the truth, they had each proven that they could endure so much more. She only hoped that it would be enough. The real trials, she knew, still lay ahead of them.

"Well, if the history lesson is over, we should get back to the ship," Qrow crossed his arms. "The rest of your team's probably waiting for us."

"Yeah," Yang agreed, putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "They'll want to know what we found down here. We can save some of the more _salient_ bits for another time, but Weiss and Blake should at least know what we're up against."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully the White Fang will be ready to mobilize soon."

"Ready or not, you can't afford to wait," Raven said, staring absently into the distance. "The battle for Vale has already begun."

As Ruby and Yang turned to see what Raven was looking at, they saw an image conjured within the depths of waters of life that shook them all to the core.

Grimm. Thousands upon thousand of them.

The kingdom of Vale was an utter war zone. Airships and mechanized troops were engaged with enemy Grimm, their numbers overwhelming the Atlesian troops. The fleet couldn't seem to gain any ground, and the Grimm just kept coming. Ursi and beowolves, boarbatusks and creeps, king taijitus and deathstalkers, nevermores and gryphons, charging goliaths, and some forms of Grimm that Ruby and Yang had never laid eyes on before.

Ruby and her sister looked at each other. They both knew what was ahead of them. Now all that was left to do was take the next step. No matter what, they had to keep moving forward.

"Let's go," Ruby said.


	133. Chapter 133

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 133

* * *

Coco scoffed as the _Ptolemaios_ docked with the Vacuan airship _Zephyr_. Her new team leader may have had the right stuff, but he had major attachment issues. It was only natural, she realized, that someone who had experienced as much loss as he had would have trouble letting those he was close to and responsible for go off on a dangerous mission on their own. But if he ever meant to be a good leader, he had to learn how to trust that others could take care of themselves.

"Seriously, Jaune," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "We'll be fine."

Team RSJC was gathered in the starboard corridor running the length of the _Ptolemaios_ , standing beside one of the egress hatches that lead to the docked Vacuan airship. As the rest of Team JNPR and SSSN waited to board the dirigible, their leader looked unconvinced at the prospect of leaving Team CFVY behind.

"Are you sure?" Jaune said in a concerned tone. "We've already split the party enough on this mission. I feel like splitting us up further is just tempting fate."

Coco rubbed her forehead as she glanced back at her team. While Team JNPR and SSSN were each down a member, Team CFVY somehow seemed to have _gained_ a member in Emerald Sustrai, who leaned against the bulkhead with her arms crossed, a bored look on her face. Fox and Yatsuhashi were their usual stoic selves. The only one who seemed sympathetic to Jaune's plight seemed to be Velvet, but even she wouldn't countermand her leader in this instance.

"This is an order from general Ironwood himself," Coco sighed. "My team and I need to stay behind to act as guides. It doesn't matter what either of us think about it. Your team is being air-dropped onto campus grounds, while my team and I will lead the rest of our Operatives through the city tunnels to rendezvous with you after you've secured a location."

Jaune just looked more anxious and agitated than ever.

"Yeah, but…Ruby left me in charge of _all_ you guys," he winced, starting to pace back and forth. "She'd kill me if anything happened to you!"

Coco's patience was beginning to wear thin.

"Look," Coco said. "As one team leader to another, trust me when I say that I've got this under control."

Jaune would not be deterred it seemed.

"Every time our teammates have been separated from one another, something _bad_ has happened!" he cried.

The rest of the team exchanged nervous glances. They knew what he was talking about of course. Losing Pyrrha and losing Sun had all happened in part because they had been separated from the larger group. If either of them had been with their team at the time, it was possible that they'd both still be with them.

But they didn't have time for what-ifs. Coco rubbed her eyelids, before turning to her teammates.

"Velvet, can I get a little help here?" she asked.

The Faunus girl smiled and looked at their agitated team leader with a kind expression.

"Jaune," she said gently. "You've got the toughest mission by far. All Coco and I are doing is leading our forces through some empty tunnels. And we'll have our team, plus Emerald, not to mention every other able-bodied Huntsmen in the kingdoms of Atlas _and_ Vacuo with us! _You_ , you've got to secure a foothold for us at Beacon, and fight through any number of Grimm to get there. If anything, _we_ should be worrying about _you!_ "

Jaune gave her a helpless look.

"Well…that just means we should _all_ stick together!" he said. "Strength in numbers, right?"

Velvet gave him a companionable pat on the shoulder.

"You'll have the rest of Team JNPR and Team SSSN backing you up out there," she said. "You'll be able to move lightly and work faster with such a small team. And you've been relying on each other since all this began. You can always depend on your teammates."

"She's right Jaune," Ren chimed in from behind as he and Nora turned their attention away from the window. "Your team's with you. We've gotten through some pretty tough fights together."

"Yeah, where's all that tough talk you were spouting back in Atlas?" Neptune added as he and his team smiled. "We've got your back out there, and we're in this for the long haul. We're not going to roll over and die on you. Don't underestimate your own teammates."

"We all have faith in you, Jaune," Nora said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just try to have some faith in us too."

Jaune took a deep breath, looking more and more awestruck as each of his teammates offered their reassurance.

"You're right…" he admitted, letting out a deep sigh. "Thanks guys."

Coco punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"Get going already then," she said, gesturing to the open hatch leading to the _Zephyr_. "You do your job, and we'll do ours. Then when this is all over, we can all go home with our heads held high."

Jaune composed himself, straightening his back as he nodded in affirmation.

"Right," he said. "Good luck out there you guys. Radio in as soon as you're through the tunnels. We'll see you on the other side."

Coco crossed her arms. "Happy hunting."

Jaune waved his team towards the hatch.

"Alright," he said. "Team RSJC! Move out!"

Teams JNPR and SSSN filed through the walkway that attached Ironwood's flagship with the Vaccuan aerostat bomber. They were ushered on board by technicians, who hurriedly sealed the hatches behind them, before releasing the docking mechanism between the two ships.

Team CFVY watched through the window as the dirigible floated away, and began climbing up well into the clouds overhead.

"Thanks Velvet," Coco smiled as the _Zephyr_ disappeared from sight. "Appreciate you jumping in there. You've got some real people skills on you."

Velvelt beamed at the praise. "Thanks! I try!"

Emerald snorted mischievously.

"Now if only she could use those skills to talk to a _certain_ someone…" she said, glancing at Yatsuhashi.

"Hush you!" Velvet stammered, red faced.

Yatsuhashi blinked in confusion. Fox just rolled his eyes.

"Alright," Coco said, dispensing with the pleasantries. "Time to go see how many other useless hanger-ons we've managed to pick up for this mission."

Soldiers and technicians ran by as the team of Huntsmen began marching towards the main hold. The _Ptolemaios_ was already shaking and shuddering as they began to rapidly make their descent. The main fleet was already advancing, and the Atlesian mechanized forces were being air dropped at strategic points around the city. The Atlesian militia, as well as the Special Ops unit, however, was being deployed far afield to make their way underground while the mechanized forces absorbed the brunt of the Grimm offensive.

And that's where Coco and her team came in.

"Alright people!" Coco called out as she and Team CFVY emerged into the main hold. "We're on the ground in five! Everyone get ready!"

The main hold of the _Ptolemaios_ was normally filled with a full battalion of Atlesian Paladins. Lining the walls were hangar struts for storing and maintaining the giant mechs. The mechanized forces had all been deployed, however, which left the main hold largely empty. It was now filled to the brim with Atlesian Operatives and Huntsmen from Vacuo, each and every one of which was looking antsy and nervous at being released into a warzone. The hold echoed with the silent hum of the nearby dust engines, as well as the nervous chatter between the room's occupants.

Coco pursed her lips as she walked up and down the main hold, appraising each of the teams she came across. Some of them, she even recognized from the Vytal tournament.

"How many teams do we have on hand?" Coco asked out loud, trying to keep count.

A young man in a fedora with what appeared to be a trumpet in his hand was the first to answer. A number of Atlesian Huntsmen were gathered around him, including a brightly colored Faunus girl with a long cat's tail.

"Team FNKI, ready to rock," the young man said with a tip of his hat.

An all-girl team from Shade was next to sound off, their leader a spunky looking young woman with violet hair and olive eyes, her hands on her hips.

"Team NDGO, all set," she said with a curt nod.

Another team from Shade, three male and one female, was led by tough looking guy with a set of metal claws strapped to his wrists.

"Team BRNZ, locked and loaded," he said stone faced.

There were even a few Huntsmen from Haven, one of which included a familiar team lead by a dark skinned young woman with blonde hair and her left arm almost completely bared.

"Team ABRN, good to go," she reported with a smirk.

More and more teams sounded off, some two dozen in all. The more Coco saw around her, the more confident she became. They were all gathered here from Vale, Atlas, Vacuo and Mistral. All four kingdoms, the four corners of the globe, all united together against the Grimm.

They would be a force to be reckoned with.

All the voices in the room quieted to a hush as Ironwood stepped into view, standing upon a platform overhead as he looked down at the Huntsmen under his command, several armed guards beside him. A holographic screen appeared next to him, and Professor Jasmine's face became visible as she too gazed upon her Huntsmen.

"Huntsmen, Huntresses and Operatives alike," he called out to them to command their attention, as though they had not all been transfixed from outset. "We'll keep this as brief as possible…"

Coco turned her eyes up as she watched the leader of Atlas and Vacuo as they tried to prepare their troops for the last battle. She knew that elsewhere, each other ship in the fleet was receiving the same briefing.

"You are the finest the world of Remnant has to offer," Professor Jasmine said magnanimously. "We all come from many kingdoms and many backgrounds, but we've all come here with a single goal in mind."

Many backs straightened at her words as Ironwood began to pace the deck.

"We watched and did nothing as the Kingdom of Vale fell to the Grimm," he said. "We watched and did nothing as the Kingdom of Mistral followed in kind."

Many heads were lowered in response as numerous Huntsmen thought back on their homelands.

"But you rose to the task!" Professor Jasmine declared. "Together, we held them back! We halted them at Vacuo! We halted them at Atlas! And now it's time for us to take something _back!_ "

Coco felt a swelling of righteousness as the Huntsmen around her began raising their fists.

"The time has come for us fight back against the creatures of Grimm!" Ironwood clenched a fist. "The time has come for us to reclaim what is ours! Today we take back Vale! Tomorrow, we take back Mistral! And before we are done, the Grimm will know once and for all that the world of Remnant belongs to us!"

The crowd erupted into cheers. Even Coco couldn't stop herself from smiling at the energy around her. The Huntsmen were ready to face the impossible. And as the _Ptolemaios_ came to a landing and the main hatch opened before them, Coco and her team were at the head of the procession that marched out onto the streets of the outskirts of Vale.

The city was deserted. Abandoned cars lined the streets, and barren tree trunks rose from the dirt between the street and the small buildings on the eastern end of Vale. Elsewhere, other ships were touching down around them, each one deploying a platoon of a hundred or so armed soldiers. As the infantry lined up in procession, each one standing at attention under their platoon leader, Coco felt the weight of her burden settle on her shoulders.

The infantry would not advance until the Huntsmen did. And the Huntsmen all looked to her for guidance. Once she gave the signal, Ironwood's military forces would set up a procession to systematically march their troops through the passage Team CFVY carved for them. It was up to _her_ to lead them all through the tunnels and guide them safely through Vale.

Overhead, the bulk of the Atlesian and Vacuan fleet soared as the _Ptolemaios_ slowly rose to join them. The cloud of Grimm swarmed like a hurricane in a circle over Beacon Academy, a small segment breaking off to meet the fleet head on.

There was a storm on the horizon.

"Alright!" Coco called out to the hundred or so Huntsmen at her heels. "You all heard the man! The mission is simple! Don't die until we get to Beacon. Think you all can manage?"

Teams ABRN, FNKI, BRNZ, NDGO and about twenty other Huntsmen teams all raised their weapons in a great, fearsome shout.

" _OOH-RAH!_ " they all cried in a booming cacophony.

Coco and her team marched forward, and the Huntsmen all moved as a collective group as she made her way down the street.

They had selected this particular location deliberately. The circuitous routes of the underground passageway beneath the city thinned out the further from the center of the kingdom it stretched. This particular neighborhood was as far from the city center as the passage went. As the team turned corners and veered down an alleyway, Emerald Sustrai sidled up next to Coco.

"You know," she said frankly. "Call me crazy, but I'm actually feeling optimistic about our chances. Is that normal?"

Coco smirked. "It's just jitters, Limeade. The calm before the storm. It won't last. Pretty soon, shit's going to go down, and that's when things will really get rough. Hope you're not thinking of bailing on us when that happens."

Velvet threw Coco a dirty look.

"Coco!" she hissed. "How could you say something like that?"

"No, no," Emerald said, raising her hands. "I totally get it. I wouldn't count on me either with a track record like mine."

The Faunus girl gave the green haired girl a wounded look.

"Emerald…" she said.

Emerald gave the other girls a wry smile.

"You don't have to sugar coat it, you guys," she said lamentingly. "I'm not exactly the most trustworthy person around. I used to work for your enemies. And even to this day, I'm still not convinced it was the wrong thing to do at the time."

Coco waved her off. "But now?"

Emerald clenched one hand around her arm.

"But now…well…" she muttered. "You guys have given me more chances than I ever deserved, and I've given you every reason not to give me any more. You guys have actually made me feel like I _belong_ somewhere. You guys have been…"

Her cheeks suddenly flushed red as she realized what she was saying and shook her head furiously as Coco grinned devilishly at her.

"Would you look at that?" Coco smirked. "Little miss sour grapes has a sweet side after all."

Emerald clenched her teeth, glaring back at Coco.

"I'm trying to be serious here!" she yelled. "Look, all I mean to say is…"

She looked away, scratching the back of her neck.

"Thanks," she said. "For everything."

Velvet smiled widely as she threw her arms around the other girl.

"Oh, Emerald!" she called out happily. "You'll always be welcome with our team!"

"Gah!" Emerald gasped in protest. "No hugging! No hugging!"

Coco chuckled in delight. It seemed that Velvet at least was glad for their newly adopted teammate.

"Okay…" she said, as she stopped just outside of an abandoned warehouse. "This should be it."

The team slowly entered the darkly lit warehouse. Coco and her teammates opened their scrolls for lighting. A few of the advancing Huntsmen followed them in as they marched forward. The windows were all painted over, and the concrete floor stretched wide across the building, but there were clearly footprints visible in the dust on the floor.

As the team ventured further into the warehouse, they finally came across a familiar face.

"Wow," Velvet smiled as she waved. "It's like he _always_ knows where to be."

"Old man shopkeep _always_ comes through in a pinch," Coco grinned, stepping up to the old man. "Isn't that right old timer?"

The shopkeep was busying himself carrying crates around the warehouse, using a small flashlight for guidance, when he paused his step and turned to see the Huntsmen slowly entering the warehouse. His eyebrows rose in delight as he set down his crate to hurry over to them.

"So glad you're back!" he called out to them, shaking Coco's hand fervently. "Big trouble! The resistance is in _big trouble!_ "

Coco nodded. "We know, old man. The cavalry's here. We just need to use these tunnels to get to Beacon."

She waved back at the line of Huntsmen leading out the door behind her.

"We all do," she added.

The shopkeep nodded vehemently.

"All yours!" he said. "North tunnels caved in, but you can still get to Beacon using the south passage."

Velvet smiled sweetly, clasping her hands together. "Thanks mister shopkeep!"

The old man nodded again and ran over to one of the boxes lining the wall.

"If you're taking on those Grimm, you need all the help you can get!" he said, before returning with a hefty crate, setting it down before them. "Special dust order. Very rare. Please take it with you."

Coco and her team watched as he opened the crate, before staring down at the glowing crystals before them. She had never _seen_ dust in some of these colors before.

"Whoa…" Coco breathed as she stared in awe at the array of color before her. "What are these, exactly?"

"I told you," the shopkeep said. "Rare dust. The buyer never came to pick it up. Please, use it."

Emerald whistled in appreciation.

"Boy, you weren't kidding," she said. "This guy really does come through in a pinch!


	134. Chapter 134

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 134

* * *

Jaune had never so much as seen a dirigible before, let alone ridden in one. Like most kids his age who had grown up outside of Vacuo, he had grown up believing that manmade aircraft could only rise so far above the cloud line, yet here they were, miles over that pure white blanket of water vapor. The horizon was so surreal and pristine that it almost didn't look like Remnant anymore. The entire cloud scape looked like something out of a dream.

It was almost enough to make Jaune forget that he was about to plummet over sixty-thousand feet without a parachute to the Grimm-infested grounds below, and that was assuming he and his team could punch through the veritable swarm of nevermores, griffons and gargoyles circling just below the cloud line.

He really, _really_ should have spent more time working on his landing strategy, Jaune reflected.

"So what are you thinking, fearless leader?" Neptune asked, walked over to stand next to the young man as he peered out the window and down at the cloud line.

Jaune crossed his arms, glancing back at Nora and Ren as they watched him for his response. They both were looking to him for leadership, as much as Team SSSN was now. How he had managed to get himself into this position leading both teams, he had no clue. Losing Pyrrha had made him more cynical than he'd ever been in his life, which made him into a reckless leader. But there was no room for screw-ups now. This would be the battle to end all battles. He only hoped that he didn't get anyone else killed before it was done.

"I've got a plan…" he said slowly, frowning as the clouds began to part down below, revealing the indelible fog of Grimm between them and the ground. "And I don't think any of you are going to like it."

Sage and Scarlet gave each other a curious look, and Neptune put his hands on his hips.

"Is your plan to call it quits and go back home?" he asked sardonically. "Cause I'm pretty sure we'd all _love_ for that to be the plan."

Jaune slowly shook his head.

"We have to get to the ground level," he said. "And we've got about a thousand Grimm in the way of us getting there. Even if none of them notice us, we're pretty much guaranteed to slam right into them on our way down."

Neptune nodded gravely.

"My team _might_ be able to get through," he nodded to the other two boys on his team. "Between Sage's dilated perception and Scarlet's gliding ability, you two stand a decent chance of maneuvering through the enemy line while linked. And once we get low enough, there'll be enough moisture in the atmosphere for me to put some kind of water barrier around me. But that still leaves your team, Jaune. And if _any_ of us miss our marks, we're dead."

He shrugged helplessly, looking at Team JNPR.

"Fleetcom's reporting more than a hundred thousand bogies in the air," he said plainly. "Statistically speaking, we'll each probably hit at least a dozen or more on our way down. That's more than enough to slow our fall and allow the rest of the Grimm to converge on us. If we start drawing their attention, they'll swarm us. Then there'll be no way for us to get through."

Jaune let out a sigh.

" _Thank you_ for summing that up," he said sardonically.

Ren gave Jaune a suspicious look.

"I assume you have a plan to get around this?" he asked hopefully.

Jaune nodded.

"I do," he said in a low voice. "You all know that my semblance allows me to become an unstoppable force after I start moving fast enough?"

Neptune nodded skeptically. "Yeah?"

"Well, I figure…" Jaune went on. "If I can get up to terminal velocity…"

Jaune slammed his knuckles into the palm of his hands.

"I can punch a hole through those Grimm long enough for you to follow me through," he finished.

Nora's eyes widened in distress as they all started to gleam what he was suggesting.

"Wait, Jaune…" she said nervously. "That's…that's a _lot_ of Grimm to go through, even at _that_ speed! You'd have to hold your semblance for…for who knows _how_ long! You'll run out of aura before you make it halfway though them all!"

Jaune nodded slowly. "Which is why I'm going to be aura linked when I do it."

Nora glanced at Ren, still looking nervous. He nodded in affirmation, giving Jaune a concerned look.

"Even with your aura effectively doubled…" he said forebodingly. "You still might not make it. And even if you do, we won't have any energy left to fight afterward."

A wry smile appeared on Jaune's face.

"Not doubled," he said. " _Tripled_."

Nora and Ren blinked in stupefaction.

"What…?" Nora asked.

Jaune nodded to his two teammates.

"The three of us need to aura link," he explained. "It's the only way we'll have enough aura to make it through that blockade down there."

Nora gave Ren a troubled look as Neptune held up a finger.

"But I thought only Ruby could link with multiple partners," he pointed out dubiously.

Jaune shook his head, a determined look on his face.

"If Ruby can do it, so can we," he said, staring fondly at Ren and Nora. "The three of us have been fighting at each other's side since the fall of Beacon. We each know how the other fights, and there's no one else I'd trust at my side in battle. We all know what's at stake here. And most importantly…"

He locked eyes with each of them, fixing them with a reassuring gaze.

"We all have someone we're trying to save."

Ren and Nora both stiffened. They knew he was right. None of them had ever said it, but saving Pyrrha had been their single unifying goal ever since they'd learned of her predicament. They each had their own reasons for being here. But all of them were here to save Pyrrha.

"Jaune…" Ren breathed, shaking his head. "That's a very nice sentiment, but…we've still never tried a three-way link before. Surely you're not basing your entire strategy on whether we can pull off an untrained technique like this."

Jaune smirked jovially.

"Of course not!" he reassured his teammate. "That's why we're going to get some practice in right now!"

Ren rolled his eyes. Nora, however, clenched her fists in excitement.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "Let's do this!"

Neptune watched in disbelief as the three remaining members of Team JNPR sat down in a triangle right there on the bulkhead of the _Zephyr_.

"Is he serious?" Neptune asked, glancing back at Scarlet and Sage. "Tell me he's not being serious."

Jaune and his two teammates sat down cross-legged, facing each other, each of them slowly closing their eyes.

"I'll need Scarlet and Sage to be my eyes and ears," he said. "Ren and Nora will provide me with their aura. And I'll be taking point."

The other two boys nodded warily, but Neptune still looked worried.

"You still don't even know if you can pull off this link or not!" he exclaimed.

"One way to find out," Jaune said in a low voice. "If we can't, I'll be relying on Team SSSN to pick up the slack."

Neptune blinked in stupefaction. "Wha…?"

Jaune smiled back up at him.

"I don't want to have to lean on you guys that much," he said optimistically. "So better hope this works."

As Neptune and his teammates stared at the other three Huntsmen in disbelief, Jaune felt his consciousness stretch out to his other teammates. They were his best friends; his family. And he had meant every word he'd said about them.

Growing up with seven sisters, he was used to Nora's antics, no matter how unconstrained they became. He knew that Nora's ability to express herself was an important part of her life, and she wouldn't be as effective a Huntress without it. And without any brothers to call his own, Jaune really did consider Ren the brother he never had. Every other boy Jaune had known growing up had either picked on him or ignored him. Ren was the first boy to ever treat Jaune with any kindness or compassion.

And he was grateful, both for Ren's deference and for Nora's unbridled vigor. But he was not naïve either. He knew that both Ren and Nora had a much stronger connection with each other than he ever would with either of them. He had only just recently learned what Ren was truly capable of after all.

 _"_ _Your semblance is Nightshade?"_

As Jaune felt the energies of the two Huntsmen swirl around him, he felt them instantly take hold of one another. Ren and Nora were so comfortable around one another that their semblances blended together like sugar and water. The two of them finally admitting their feelings for each other may have come as a surprise for some of his fellow Huntsmen, but not to Jaune. He had known since day one that the two of them were inseparable. Their union was a source of strength and inspiration to him, especially with Pyrrha so close at hand.

 _"_ _Yes. I'm sorry I hid it from you for so long. You're my team leader, and I should have been honest with you."_

For all that, there would always be a distance between him and them. Ren had an air of mystery about him that was utterly impenetrable. And for all her bluster and gusto, Nora's exuberance disguised a deep, relentless pain. If Jaune had ever had to guess what their family life had been like, he could have never even come close. As he'd found out on the way back from the northern wastes, their past was so full of tragedy as to make any of Jaune's own hardships seem like a vacation by comparison.

 _"_ _I see. I understand. Thanks for trusting me, Ren."_

And therein lay what Jaune cherished so much about his teammates. Ren and Nora's innate kindness and compassion towards him and everyone else was _borne_ of tragedy. They had not allowed the torment the world had put them through destroy who they were as people or as Huntsmen. Instead, it gave them strength. They were kind and compassionate _precisely_ because they knew how cruel the world could be. And they couldn't stand to see that cruelty inflicted on anyone else.

 _"_ _You're not angry?"_

Jaune felt the two energies encircle him, swirling around his body as his aura flickered in response. He slowly began to rise to their prompting, their combined aura forming an open and welcoming embrace. They acted as one, like yin and yang, two opposing expressions of the same idea. Freedom and focus, peace and determination, chaos and harmony. Ren and Nora had added so many dimensions to his life that Jaune couldn't even begin to imagine what sort of person he would have been without them. He was grateful to them both, as much as he was even to Pyrrha, for how instrumental they had been in his growth.

 _"_ _Of course not. You did it to protect Nora. And me. And everybody around you._ _If the only thing your semblance can do is to kill, then it makes sense not to use it._ _I can't fault you for that, Ren. I could never be angry over something like that."_

His entire team was his anchor. Jaune was the leader of Team JNPR. And Team JNPR was the reason he was who he was.

 _"Thank you Jaune."_

Finally, Jaune felt the aura from his two teammates overflowing into his own. He felt an outpouring of power and energy like he had never felt before. It wasn't the same feeling he got from being linked with Ruby when she and the others had summoned the giant knight. This was different. Ruby had been at the center of that link. This was a link of three equal parts, none of them competing for control, all of whom had the same goal in mind.

All aura was aura. And aura would always recognize itself. Pyrrha's words echoed in their minds as the three remaining members of Team JNPR stood to their feet in unison. Each of their aura was billowing out around them, such that the members of Team SSSN nearly had to back away from the intensity of the radiant energy.

"Alright you guys," Jaune said in a low, somber voice. "Pyrrha's waiting for us somewhere down there. Let's go find her."

Ren and Nora both nodded in unison.

That's when a familiar voice sounded over the loudspeakers aboard the _Zephyr_.

"Team RSJC, prepare for airdrop!" Professor Jasmine's voice echoed through the corridor. "I repeat, Team RSJC, prepare for airdrop!"

Team JNPR made eye contact with Team SSSN. Less than half of Team RSJC was present – and that was on top of their individual teams each being a member short - but so long as they were together, then they had a responsibility to uphold their duty as the first Atlesian Strike Force. And more importantly, as the surviving members of the disaster at Vale that had solidified their friendship forever, they had a duty to finish the fight that had started for each of them on this day one year ago.

Marching with purpose, the six Huntsmen filed down the corridor, making their way to the main hold. As they passed by several members of the flight crew, the uniformed officers each stood at the ready and saluted the passing Huntsmen.

As they reached the main hold, the team passed by the _Zephyr's_ heavy payload, a full compliment of warheads rattling in an array of steel cages. As the team eyed the armaments in trepidation, an ominous sense of what was to come washed over them all.

The _Zephyr_ was an old ship, old enough to have seen combat during the Faunus wars. Most likely these were the same kinds of bombs that had been used on other human cities in the past. And ere long after Jaune and his team were deployed, like as not these bombs would be dropped on the kingdom of Vale.

It was a sobering thought.

BWWWAAANNNHHH! BWWWAAANNNHHH! BWWWAAANNNHHH!

The lights inside the main hold faded to a dark red as emergency lights began to flash. As they did, there was a sudden decompression in the air as the Huntsmen all staggered, bracing themselves as the bomb bay doors at their feet slowly began to slide open. Yellow and black caution tape lined the rim of the hatch as the wind began to kick up around them as the belly of the airship opened beneath them.

As the team stared down out the open hatchway, they could barely see the kingdom below for all the Grimm in the air. The Huntsmen had no choice to but to trust that the _Zephyr's_ instruments were steering them true. The number of black flapping wings in the air below them looked more numerous than the grains of sand in all of Vacuo, and were so far away as to seem almost as small. And it was this swarming morass of darkness that was all that stood between Team RSJC and their goal.

It was time to take the final leap of faith.

"Team RSJC!" Jasmine's voice sounded over the intercom. "Standby for deployment in…five…four…"

Jaune and his team steeled themselves for the jump. After this, there would be no going back.

"Three…two…one…" Jasmine counted down. "Mark!"

Team RSJC plunged headlong into the wind. One by one, the Huntsmen dropped from the belly of the dirigible, the slow moving aerostat vessel hovering like an ominous black ovoid in the sky above them as the team fell away. The wind was deathly cold, and rushed past them at a startling rate, as the thin wisps of oxygen that the team managed to suck in was barely enough to fill their lungs.

The air whipping past their heads was deafening, as the cloud line below began to increase in size. Jaune squinted past the rushing wind, peering down at the approaching cloud of Grimm below them. It was difficult to judge distances at this speed and this altitude. Nothing looked familiar from up here. But thankfully the earpieces fitted into each of their ears was enough for them to keep in contact with one another.

"We're clear of the Zephyr," Scarlet's accented voice chimed in, sounding tinny through the tiny speakers in their ears.

Jaune felt a dull impact on his back as the red-haired boy latched onto his shoulders. Jaune didn't turn around to see him – he couldn't have opened his eyes much wider with all the rushing wind in any case – but he knew behind him, his fellow Huntsmen were linking up in a similar fashion to form on long human chain.

"Correcting course," Scarlet announced as they descended. "Three degrees north by northwest."

Jaune could barely feel the subtle nudge behind him as Scarlet activated his semblance, and the entire column of falling Huntsmen maneuvered ever so slightly to the right. Scarlet David couldn't exactly fly in the traditional sense, but he was quite adept at aerial maneuvering such that he could control almost any fall to the point of gliding through the air. And with regular use of this semblance came with it a natural skill at navigating from a bird's eye view.

"Correcting course further," the redheaded Huntsman continued, guiding their fall ever more slightly to the right, as he peered down at the flurry of Grimm over Jaune's shoulders. "One point two degrees north…"

This combined well with his partner, Sage Ayana, whose dilated perception ability allowed him to selectively expand his perception of time, giving him almost preternatural reaction speed. This made swinging around the giant sword on his back much more effective, as it allowed him to counter otherwise quicker and nimbler opponents by exploiting even the narrowest of attack opportunities.

And when the two Huntsmen were aura linked, they made for quite an adept aerial ballet.

"Sage, those Grimm are getting awfully close!" Jaune shouted, squinting through the tumultuous wind.

Sage's eyes were open behind Scarlet as he gazed down at the wall of wings before them. The nevermores, griffons and the weird looking gargoyles were so plentiful in number as to block out any view the Huntsmen had of the school below them. They stretched as far as the eye could see on either side, like protective dome around the school. The Huntsmen could just barely make out the glowing red of their eyes before the taciturn Huntsman spoke.

"Alright Jaune…" he said in a low voice. "Ready?"

Jaune's weapon was already affixed to his left arm, which he raised before him, expending into its shield form. His body was pointed downward, with Scarlet, Sage, Neptune, Ren and Nora each clinging to one another in a line, plummeting to the ground like a human torpedo. Scarlet and Sage were acting as their collective navigation and guidance system, and Nora and Ren were still aura linked with Jaune, providing him with an abundance of power at the head of the procession.

And Jaune was the battering ram.

"Three…two…one…" Sage slowly counted down as the Grimm drew close enough that they could practically hear the gnashing of their teeth. "…NOW!"

Jaune activated his semblance. His shield began to glow vibrantly as he and his team plunged downward at terminal velocity.

KROOSH!

The first Grimm they struck vaporized instantly. Jaune's shield – and the Jaune himself - plowed through the nevermore like it was a soggy paper bag. The remains of the black Grimm splattered like a halo in every direction as the trail of Huntsmen clinging to his back followed behind as he impacted with the next target. And the next.

K-K-K-KROOOOOOOSH!

Like the vapor cone of a supersonic aircraft, the Grimm turned into so much detritus that expanded outwards around the Huntsmen as they passed through the black cloud of creatures, obliterating everything in their path. Jaune's shield was like a bullet, puncturing the impenetrable miasma that was the swarming flurry of black wings and feathers. The Grimm didn't even have time to cry out in fear or anger. Jaune and his team were falling so fast, and his semblance was supercharged so heavily that nothing could stop them.

"I can't see a thing!" Scarlet shouted over the cacophony.

"Just hold on!" Jaune cried, tucking his head behind his glowing shield, falling blindly.

The roar of the wind around them was replaced by the sickening dissonance of hundreds of exploding bodies. The Grimm couldn't react in time to attack or even get out of the way. Jaune pressed his shoulder into the back of his shield as he pumped every last ounce of his aura into the attack. He could feel Ren and Nora's aura still feeding into his own, allowing him to keep his Indominance raised longer than he ever had before.

But even his semblance had its limits. The force of impact from the hundreds and hundreds of creatures of Grimm slamming into him one after another began to make him feel numb all over. While he had become an unstoppable force, the energy that allowed him to do so still came from his own body. His own aura reserves may have exceeded most of his teammates, and linked as he was, he was now tapped into more aura than he had ever felt in his life, save for that day back in Atlas. But every slam of feathered hide against his shield drained just a little bit of that aura, even as the bodies burst before him. And while his aura supply was plentiful, the extent of his power still finite. And for every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction.

As his Indomitable semblance collided with enemy after enemy, even at terminal velocity, their speed began to slow. Little by little, the cacophony of wind rushing by their heads began to decrease, and the sensation of falling began to decrease. The pressure on Jaune's back began to mount as the five Huntsmen behind him began to weigh down on him as his progress slowed.

"Steady on!" Scarlet called out reassuringly. "We're nearly through!"

Jaune dared a peek over the edge of his shield, and sure enough, the school was just barely visible through the swarming mass of Grimm around him. As he glanced around, he could the trail of Hunstmen at his back, open sky behind them. And all around, the mass of Grimm whirled around him, their thousands of wings buzzing like bees.

But by now, their velocity had slowed enough that the nearest Grimm began to take notice.

 _HISSSSS!_

Jaune managed to get a good look at one of the new Grimm as it dove after them from behind. It was humanoid, but huge by human standards. The bony mask covering its face revealed a pair of wicked red eyes, the mask ending below the cheek to reveal a large toothy jawline, which opened to hiss menacingly at the nearby Huntsmen. Its batlike wings spread wide as it swooped towards them, a long black halberd clenched in its claws.

"Look out!" Jaune cried out in alarm.

Scarlet attempted to maneuver the procession away, but wasn't fast enough to steer that many falling bodies in time.

"Eeek!" Nora screamed as she felt one of the gargoyle's claws snag her by the ankle.

"Nora!" Ren shouted in alarm.

Nora kicked at the attacking Grimm, connecting with its face. The gargoyle snarled in aggravation, gnashing its teeth but still managing to keep its hold on Nora. Its wings flared, pulling away from the group, and Nora was yanked away from the procession. She tried to hold onto Ren's shoulders, but couldn't manage to keep her grip

"No!" Ren cried, before releasing his grip on Neptune to turn on the gargoyle.

"Ren, no!" Jaune shouted in alarm.

Ren didn't listen. He drew both his weapons and jumped off of Neptune's back to lunge at Nora's attacker, forcing it away from her as it raised its halberd in defense. As it did, however, it buffeted them with its wings, sending the two of them tumbling away.

"Nora!" Jaune shouted in a panic. "Ren!"

Before Jaune could even think to react, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness hit him as his aura link was suddenly severed. His two teammates had been thrown too far away in the attack. They were falling at such speed that even the slightest hiccup had caused them to become separated in an instant!

He couldn't even _see_ them anymore!

"Jaune!" Scarlet called out in alarm.

Scarlet, Sage and Neptune were still clinging to the leader of Team RSJC, flailing haphazardly in the wind as their trajectory was thrown off kilter. Jaune snapped his attention forward, realizing that without his two teammates to supply him with their aura, his semblance had fallen away entirely, his body exhausted, his shield no longer glowing its vibrant hue.

And a cloud of airborne Grimm was swirling all around him.

 _HISSSSS!_

Jaune flinched as another gargoyle came at them as they fell. The wind still continued to rush around them as Jaune peered back down at their target. The school was clearly visible underneath them, barely a thousand feet below. There were scarcely any Grimm below them now, but still quite a few surrounding them, their eyes locked on the Huntsmen in their midst.

The threat was no longer beneath them. It was all around them.

"Break!" Jaune called out.

Scarlet, Sage and Neptune separated, releasing their hold on each other to fall freely, before flaring their arms and legs out to slow their fall. The split caused them all to separate, and the gargoyle missed them by a wide margin.

But there were still dozens more to contend with.

 _HISSSSS!_

Another gargoyle came at Jaune, as he raised his shield to defend.

BAM!

Jaune looked up past his shield, and saw the enormous broadsword of Sage Ayana raised defensively, the attacking gargoyle fluttering away in a daze after having been bashed over the head.

Sage nodded to Jaune, before a griffon came flying towards them, letting out an ear splitting screech.

 _CREEEE!_

Sage raised his sword again as the great beast opened its beak to snatch him out of the air. Sage managed to wedge his sword into the wide open beak, but could do nothing to stop the griffon from carrying him away.

"Sage!" Neptune hollered.

Jaune glanced around for his teammates. Ren and Nora were nowhere to be found, and now Sage was lost as well. All that remained were Neptune and Scarlet. Scarlet was nimbly steering himself through the air, and Neptune looked to be gathering what appeared to be a cloud of water vapor around him. Team SSSN could probably handle themselves from here. But the rest of Team JNPR were at a severe disadvantage.

"Ren! Nora!" Jaune shouted again into his earpiece. "Talk to me!"

There was no answer.

Then a sudden thundering caught his attention, and Jaune's eyes were drawn to what appeared to be a crackling of lightning off in the distance. There hadn't been anywhere near a storm cloud. And the electricity in the air bore a distinctly rosy color.

"Nora…" Jaune breathed, clinging to whatever hope he could find.

Jaune suddenly had the wind knocked out of him when something caught him by the ankle. His vision exploded into stars as he struggled to get his bearings, casting his eyes around to see what had him.

He nearly wet his pants when the vicious grimace of a gargoyle met his gaze from above, one of its wicked claws clasped around his ankle.

 _HISSSSS!_

The creature had him in its clutches! Jaune drew the sword of Crocea Mors from the scabbard within his shield, and began swinging at the gargoyle, but the creature had him at such an odd angle that he just couldn't land a decent blow.

"Get off me!" Jaune shouted in anger.

The massive creature jabbed at him with its halberd, but Jaune was able to get his shield up in time. Jaune swung again, and the gargoyle raised its weapon to deflect the sword swing.

"Heads up!" a voice above him shouted.

Jaune looked up just in time to see Scarlet suddenly collide with the gargoyle, his rapier drawn. The creature released its grip on Jaune, sending the young man tumbling away from the force of the impact.

"Scarlet!" Jaune cried, trying to right himself.

 _TSEEEEER!_

Jaune looked up to see a gigantic nevermore swooping towards him, its beak and claws outstretched as it attacked. He clutched tightly to the handle of his sword, steeling himself for another mid-air fight. He had enough aura left to defend himself, but he was still not optimistic about his chances in the air, at least not against something that size.

But that's when a bolt of blue struck the nevermore from above.

"Hyahhh!" Neptune shouted, landing on the nevermore's back, planting the head of his halberd into its feathery hide.

"Neptune!" Jaune shouted in surprise.

 _TSEEEEER!_

The creature let out a screech of pain as its wings and talons thrashed in alarm, its body still careening towards Jaune.

"Ohhh, crap!" Jaune shouted in terror as he raised his shield.

WHUMP!

The nevermore's thrashing wings smacked into him like a ton of bricks, sending him tumbling away like a leaf on the wind. Jaune was completely disoriented from the blow. His team had been completely torn apart, and he was hurling towards the ground at an alarming speed. He couldn't even tell what direction was down anymore. He tossed and turned, his head swimming, unable to see anyone anymore.

Then he saw the familiar steeple of Beacon tower go whizzing past him. It was only for a brief moment, but it was there. The one landmark that he could never mistake for anything else, even after its near destruction at the hands of Cinder.

It still remained a beacon of hope, even in this dark hour.

Jaune gathered himself. He knew he would only have seconds before he hit the ground if he had already passed Beacon tower. He had enough aura left to use his semblance, but he would need to use it on his whole body if he meant to survive this fall, and it would only last for a second or two without an aura link. Ideally he would have had Scarlet and Sage call out the precise timing, as well as Ren and Nora giving him an aura boost, but now he would just have to manage it on his own.

He closed his eyes, and counted to three.

BOOM!

The crater he left in the center of campus was a sight to behold. Turning into an unstoppable force for even a second had been enough to carve into solid concrete for a good twenty feet before his semblance ran out. By the time it had, however, his momentum had been slowed enough to allow him to settle easily on the rubble below. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was a damn sight better than being turned into paste.

"Ow…" Jaune breathed, eyes still closed as he lay face up at the bottom of the crater.

His body felt stiff all over, and his head was still swimming. For a moment, he forgot where he was entirely, about the war or even his team. But soon, his mind caught up to his body, and his eyes flew open.

"Ungh…" he climbed slowly to his feet, gasping for air as he caught his breath. "Ren…Nora…"

His head was buzzing, and stars were dancing across his field of vision, and he could barely stand up straight. He still somehow had his sword and shield in hand, but he just felt too winded to sheathe them. He hunched over, trying to recuperate as he got his bearings, slowly peering up the edge of the crater. He coughed roughly, a look of disgust on his face at the climb ahead of him, and slowly began to scale the side.

No answer had come from his teammates. They were either out of scroll range, or…

"Neptune…" he wheezed as he forced his tired body to climb. "Scarlet…Sage…"

He opened and closed his eyes, his senses slowly coming back to him. He was still dizzy, but at least now he didn't feel like vomiting. His muscles were strained, but not lifeless. His body was sore, but not broken. He could still fight. He could still win this. He just had to put one foot in front of the other. He'd figure this out. He'd find a way out of this. He would find his team. And they'd finish the mission.

All he had to do was keep moving forward.

"Can…" he stammered as he finally reached the top of the crater. "Can anybody…?"

His words trailed off, however, when he laid eyes on the sight before him.

Beacon academy was in shambles, its streets torn apart by claw marks and falling debris, many of its buildings collapsed beyond repair. Some of it had obviously occurred during the initial attack, but it looked as though Grimm had been wandering the streets for months without end, tearing through everything in their path. Every single tree was dead, and off in the distance, roving packs of beowolves and ursi and all other manner of Grimm still loomed ominously.

The Grimm had completely taken over.

Jaune nearly collapsed with grief. This had been his home. It may not have been his home for very long, but he had met some of the most important people in his life within these walls, and he owed so much of his identity to this place. Beacon had been his home. And it was now in ruins.

And standing before him, sword and shield in hand, was a pale figure. Her face as white as the first day she had come back to him so long ago, after having thought her dead for so much longer.

A look of despair washed over Jaune's face as he clutched his own weapons tightly.

"Pyrrha…"


	135. Chapter 135

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 135

* * *

General James Ironwood's custom mechanized unit was an utter behemoth. It was designed much the same as the Atlesian Paladin, but at twice the size, it dwarfed just about every other mechanized unit the kingdom had to offer, save for the Titan. It boasted enough armor to withstand a falling skyscraper, and was armed with enough live munitions to eradicate half a kingdom. And unlike its predecessors, it featured absolutely no automated functions. Every system was handled directly from the main cockpit, where the general of Atlas sat with a host of controls at his fingertips. This meant that even if a hostile virus managed to overcome Director Polendina's anti-viral suite, the worst that it could do was shut the machinery down. The Juggernaut could never be commandeered in such a fashion. And it was keyed to a specific chip built into Ironwood's own cybernetic systems. And thanks to these cybernetics, his reflexes and reaction times were fine tuned tothe unit itself, making it into one of the most efficient forces of destruction ever created by Atlesian engineers.

He had affectionately dubbed it the Atlesian Juggernaut.

BOOM!

The massive mech suit landed in the center of downtown Vale with a climactic crash, leaving a sizeable crater in the center of the intersection, numerous Grimm scattered around the perimeter recoiling from the force of the impact. The massive white mech suit rose to its feet as the general guided his unit to march slowly up the edge of the crater to advance on its enemies.

Provisional command of the fleet, both Atlesian and Vacuan airships making up their number, had fallen to Professor Jasmine. She was an accomplished soldier, and Ironwood trusted her combat instincts with his life. She had a direct line of communication with the Juggernaut, so he would always be available for any specific inquiries, so he was still effectively in command of the fleet by proxy. However, the general had always considered himself a soldier first. And a soldier's first place was on the battlefield. And with the Huntsmen making their way underground and Team RSJC storming the enemy stronghold like the soldiers of old, Atlesian mechanized units were deployed as the frontline battalion to draw in the bulk of the Grimm forces on the ground.

And these mechanized units would need someone to lead them.

"All units, advance!" he commanded.

The vocal recognition system tracked his speech pattern and interpreted his command to move the hundred or so Paladins and the five hundred or so Knights throughout the city in the same general direction as the Juggernaut. Director Polendina's upgrades had been an invaluable breakthrough. Now, once again, the mechanized forces of Atlas could march unimpeded by the threat of viral contamination. Now, the only life that would be at risk here on the ground would be his own.

The cockpit was spacious and well-lit, a safety harness keeping the general strapped to a chair positioned before a wide view screen that displayed the battlefield before him. Before the view screen was a holographic projection which, at his prompt, expanded to display a complete tactical readout of the entire kingdom, both on the ground and in the air. With each ship in the Atlesian fleet networked together with an advanced tracking system, enemy signatures were recorded and extrapolated from a hundred different perspectives, resulting in a complete picture of the kingdom of Vale, and a red blip indicated the position of every enemy in sight with about ninety-eight point eight percent accuracy.

There was a great rumbling, and as Ironwood gazed at the screen and projection before him, he saw the movements of the enemy before him as a rather sizeable detachment of Grimm made a beeline for his position. The ground began to shake and the Juggernaut trembled from the tremors as an entire stampede of goliaths charged down the street, trumpeting wildly as they approached him.

Irowood nudged his controls, readying his mech for combat as he widened his stance, the Juggernaut's two oversized arms outstretched in preparation for the charge. He stared down the heard of goliaths, which numbered over a dozen, each one of which stood about eye-level with the Juggernaut, and individually could have probably toppled an Atlesian Paladin without much thought. But the Juggernaut was in a class of its own, and it was difficult for the general not to feel a sense of pride at an opportunity to demonstrate the full capabilities of his custom mechanized unit.

BOOM!

The lead goliath slammed into Ironwood at full force. As it did, the Juggernaut clasped its hands around both of its tusks, absorbing most of the momentum. The goliath was undeterred and charged right on through, forcing the Juggernaut backwards. The force of impact shoveed the colossal mech nearly half a city block down the street, its feet tearing up a swathe down the concrete road as the two titanic behemoths skidded in the direction of the stampede, the earth shaking around them. Ironwood grunted at the force of the push, but his mech was not about to give way under the charge.

Instead, the Juggernaut used the force of the momentum to lift the massive Grimm into the air with its tusks, the enormous beast trumpeting in rage and protest. For a brief moment, the six-ton Grimm was held suspended in the air, its feet and trunk waving wildly, the force of its charge causing the beast to teeter overtop of the mech as the Juggernaut held it by the tusks. Then, using the mech's grip on the goliath's tusks, Ironwood pivoted on his back foot, twisting the Juggernaut's stance, before bringing the beast crashing down to the ground behind him.

BOOM!

The goliath slammed into the concrete on its side, both its tusks cracking into pieces from the force of the impact, its body breaking as the force of its weight was sent straight into the ground.

Without a moment's pause, Ironwood turned sideways to dodge the oncoming tusks of the next goliath and fired one of the main guns built into the Juggernaut's left arm. Normally, the gyroscopic compensators kept the mech stable while it discharged artillery, but in this instance, Ironwood released them, allowing the force of the blast to send the Juggernaut's elbow straight into the next goliath's face.

CRACK!

The beast went down like an enormous sack of potatoes, the impact of the mech shattering its skull, and Ironwood followed through his attack by swinging the Juggernaut's right arm forward, its fist colliding with the third goliath's face. Upon impact, Ironwood unloaded a volley from the main guns on the Juggernaut's right arm.

BOOM!

An eruption of fire exploded from his fist as fifty caliber rounds discharge at point blank range into the next Grimm's face, leaving nothing left of its head but a black stump as it fell to the ground, the Juggernaut staggering back from the force of its own armaments.

One by one, the Juggernaut met the oncoming Grimm with fire and fury. Ironwood's mech was a powerhouse, capable of taking down anything its path, and the colossal goliaths simply fell before it. But even as Ironwood's lightning fast reflexes calculating the ideal counter to each charging Grimm, he couldn't shake the troubling feeling in the back of his mind that this attack by the goliaths had felt a little too immediate.

It had taken less than a minute for the Grimm to respond to the Juggernaut landing in the city center, and they had done so with the largest type of Grimm on record. Even had a group of goliaths happened to be in the vicinity of the Juggernaut's landing area, it should have taken them longer to respond than it had. What was more, if Ironwood himself had been in command of the Grimm, and had seen something the size of the Juggernaut enter the battle, he would have sent a battalion of the largest Grimm he had to deal with it as swiftly as possible, both to assess its strength and prevent it from gaining any ground.

This couldn't have been a coincidence.

When the last goliath had been dealt with, the Juggernaut stood amongst the disintegrating bodies of the Grimm around it, and Ironwood called up his tactical readout once again to get a sense of the battle going on around him. And what he saw, he almost couldn't comprehend.

James had been fighting Grimm for a very long time, and through the years fighting them, he had learned just how the Grimm behaved in large groups. They tended to swarm, like herds of animals, moving in accordance to a common group-think. When attacked in one area, they tended to pull away, and when given ground, they tended to pursue, and so on. This meant that their movements could be predicted and, to a certain extent, controlled. This knowledge had informed the playbook of the Atlesian forces for Ironwood's entire military career, and it had always served him well.

Except now.

The general had distributed the main battalions of autonomous mechanized units into an arrangement that was ideal for corralling the creatures of Grimm, but so far, none of the Atlesian forces were making any ground. The same thing could be said for the creatures in the air. Every time a group of quarry had been surrounded, they always seemed to go over the weakest link in an effort to break free and rejoin the larger group. They didn't seem to respond to the usual feinting and baiting techniques that normally caused the creatures of Grimm to attack blindly. The enemy held their ground and moved as a collective force, as if being guided by some overarching intelligence that was well above anything the Grimm had been able to muster before.

This battle was not proceeding how any battle with the Grimm ever had before. If anything, Ironwood reflected, it reminded him more of fighting other human armies in the Faunus War. Although it defied all logic, the enemy was being…tactical.

"Jasmine," the general called into his comm link. "What's your status?"

The headmistress of Shade academy appeared on the general's screen, hovering over the hologram of red blips across the kingdom. Her face was strained with tension, but she did not look any worse for wear.

"The Grimm are not giving any ground, James!" she replied curtly. "They are pushing us back at every point!"

Ironwood nodded grimly. "I'm having a similar problem down here. At this rate, we won't be able to give our Huntsmen any breathing room when they hit Beacon."

Jasmine turned her head to shout at her men.

"Helmsman! Bear starboard, twenty degrees!" she barked. "Intensify forward firepower, and keep those Grimm off our flank!"

She then returned her attention to Ironwood, looking no more frazzled than before.

"I'm open to suggestions, James," she said.

As Ironwood mused in deliberation, the Atlesian Juggernaut was slowly plodding forward, a full complement of Paladins and Knights at his mech's feet. His unit had gone strangely unmolested since the initial counterattack, almost as if the Grimm were aware that the Juggernaut could not be defeated until the surrounding mechs were as well. But that did nothing to avert the enemy was swarming his outermost forces, as the friendly green blips on his holographic readout pinged in distress as the Grimm slowly began taking units offline.

He remotely accessed those units in distress, bringing up several displays from their cameras lining up all around his console. Each readout showed a similar scene of a larger number of Grimm overpowering the mechanized forces.

Pursing his lips in suspicion, he then called up the camera feeds for those mechanized forces who were meeting less resistance, and compared the two sets. There didn't seem to be any sort of pattern to the Grimm's composition. Sometimes, it was a group of beowolves, sometimes ursi, sometimes creeps, sometimes deathstalkers and king taijutus. In fact, most of the groups were mixed, almost as though to give the Grimm a higher level of versatility during enemy encounters. But he still recognized every type of Grimm he saw.

All save one.

Then it occurred to him just what had been bothering him all this time. Every encounter so far had been with the same forces he had always fought. But in every skirmish, there was at least one of the new kind of Grimm – the gargoyles. But even though each group of Grimm seemed to consist of at least one of these new Grimm, the gargoyles themselves did not seem to be participating in battle.

Instead, they growled and gestured savagely, waving their axes and halberds around ferociously. In each camera feed, Ironwood could see a gargoyle gesticulating wildly, always staying just beyond the combat zone. For those forces advancing, they waved their weapons forward in an aggressive manner. But for those forces in retreat, the gargoyles instead pointed in the direction of their retreat.

Almost as if they were leading their fellow Grimm!

Ironwood felt a rush of excitement as the pattern emerged.

"Jasmine!" he shouted. "The gargoyles! Target the gargoyles!"

"The gargoyles?" she replied in confusion.

"They're the reason we're being pushed back so effectively!" Ironwood explained. "They're leading the other Grimm somehow! They must be intelligent enough to effectively strategize against us! That's why none of the Grimm are behaving anything like our predictions!"

Jasmine's eyes widened as realization took her. "But…if that's true, then that means our entire battle strategy is…"

"Don't worry," James assured her, understanding what she was getting at. "We still have time to salvage this. Right now, our forces are fanned out to corral the Grimm, but that's not going to work here. Instead, I want you to bring the fleet together, and consolidate your forces. I'll do the same with my mechanized units down here. We can't proceed as though we're fighting Grimm anymore. For this battle, we must fight as though our enemies are _human._ "

A grave expression washed over Jasmine's caramel features. Like Ironwood, she was old enough to remember the days of the Faunus wars, and she was still well versed in the tactics she would need to employ in order to fight a human target.

And like Ironwood, the thought of doing so made her sick.

"If you say so, James," she said uneasily, before turning to her helmsman. "All ships, fall back! Converge on the _Zephyr_ and take up battle formation delta! New priority target are the gargoyles. Repeat: target the gargoyles!"

Ironwood watched as the green friendly blips in the air all moved to obey her command. He began punching commands into his console to affect a similar strategy on the ground.

"Red group, blue group," he spoke into the command console. "Converge on my location. New priority target…"

The general paused for a moment as one of the green blips on his readout began blinking yellow, a sign of a friendly contact. Reaching out to the blinking light, he pulled up the friendly signature, and felt his heart skip a beat when he recognized the ID on the sim card of a certain Huntress' scroll.

"Glynda…" he breathed in disbelief.

Without hesitating, he steered the Juggernaut in the direction of the friendly signature, chastising himself all the while. He knew it was most likely a trap, but he just couldn't take the chance. If there was even a chance that Glynda might be saved…

"Jasmine," he called out to the headmistress of Shade. "Please prepare an evac team and zero in on my position."

"James?" the headmistresses replied. "What have you found?"

"Just do it!" he barked, sending the Juggernaut into barreling run.

Ironwood charged through abandoned cars and shaved the corners off of stone buildings as he plowed through, heedless of anything in his wake. He even ran through an entire group of beowolves, trampling over them almost idly, leaving them completely stunned in his wake.

Right at that moment, James' concern was for one thing and one thing only.

"Glynda…" he breathed again in silent desperation. "Please be alright…"


	136. Chapter 136

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 136

* * *

The _Aeneid_ moved into docking position with a small Atlesian shuttle. It was one of many in service to the Atlesian military, and was common for short-range missions. In fact, it looked almost exactly like the one Weiss had taken to Mistral so long ago. The computer systems on both ships handled most of the docking procedure as the two airships connected, and the main hatch opened, admitting Winter Schnee back aboard her airship.

When Winter stepped on board, she was relieved to find all of Team RWBY accounted for, and after a cursory inspection, seemed to be no worse for wear. The four of them seemed to have gathered in the main cabin to welcome her on board. Although to see the looks on their faces, they each looked about ten years older than when they had left.

"Weiss!" Winter said in an elated voice, before rushing over to her sister by the shoulders. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

She stopped shy of embracing her, though it was apparent that a part of her wished to do so.

"I…I knew you would be, of course," Winter said, backing off just a touch. "But going off on a mission to the White Fang stronghold…"

Weiss accepted her sister's concern, attempting to pass it off with levity.

"Sorry to concern you, Winter," she said wryly. "Wouldn't want the newly minted president of the Schnee Dust Company to be put in jeopardy, would we?"

Winter gave her sister a dirty look.

"Oh, shut up you boob!" she wrinkled her nose. "You know that's not what I meant!"

Weiss winced.

"Okay, okay…" she held her hands up. "Relax! I'm sorry to have concerned you, Winter…"

There was a lurch as the docking clamp released, and as the shuttle drifted away, the _Aeneid_ began to resume its course towards Vale. Winter released a sigh of relief before parting with Weiss to look at the rest of Team RWBY. She was used to riding into combat with the Atlesian Special Forces. Usually in situations like this, the soldiers she fought beside all looked antsy, knowing they were about to be hurled into the midst of combat. She was used to seeing her men looking for ways to blow off steam and expend energy in order to calm their nerves.

Here, she saw looks of introspection, solitude and remorse. Whatever had happened in Menagerie, it seemed to have taken a toll on all of them.

"What's your status?" she asked, directing her gaze at Ruby.

Ruby saluted, but her arm didn't move with the usual crisp resolve Winter was used to from the young woman.

"Mission was a success, ma'am," she reported. "Team RWBY is good to go, and anxious to join the fight."

The young red haired girl glanced at the Faunus in their midst, who still wore her ears plainly now.

"As you can see, Blake has rejoined us without any serious injuries," Ruby added. "And as for the White Fang, well…maybe you should tell her, Blake."

Blake straightened her back, glancing back at Winter. Winter had honestly not known what to make of her when it became revealed that she was a Faunus, as well as a former member of the White Fang. Though the Huntress seemed to respect Winter well enough, her behavior seemed to suggest unease, as though she wasn't sure how Winter would react to her news.

"Well?" Winter prompted the young woman. "What do you have to say for yourself, Operative?"

Blake stiffened. She knew she was in trouble with Atlas for running off with one of their airships, but Winter was still giving her a chance to explain herself.

"Ma'am," Blake said, wetting her lips. "The White Fang has been…secured as an asset."

Winter blinked several times.

"The…what?" she said, unable to piece together what she had just heard. "Could you repeat that please?"

Blake saluted.

"Ma'am," she sighed patiently, trying to put the situation into words that Winter would understand. "The White Fang is on our side, ma'am. I've dealt with their leader, and…secured the position for myself. The White Fang will listen to me, and they'll follow us into battle."

Ruby clasped her hands into fists before her.

"That's why we needed you to send every available airship to Menagerie!" she said pleadingly. "Shuttle craft, civilian transports, anything Atlas has left! The White Fang will help us fight, but they need transportation if we expect them to be of any help!"

Winter was still grappling with the revelation that the entity that had terrorized her family's company for so long was actually throwing their lot in with them at the eleventh hour.

"So that's why you put in a request for so many troop transports…" Winter stammered, moistening her lips as she processed what she was hearing. "Okay…okay…the airships are on their way, but I'll need to make sure they're aware of what exactly they're picking up. Otherwise there could be trouble. Is there anything else to report, Ruby?"

"Well, uh…" Ruby scratched the back of her head. "Quite a lot, really. We found the pool we were looking for, and found out a whole lot of intel about this war we're fighting. But we don't really have time to go over all the details."

"Well, can you summarize it for me?" Winter asked helplessly.

Yang took the chance to chime in.

"I'll give you the lowdown," she said, resting a hand on her hip. "Basically, this Grimm called the Witch has been waging war with humanity for centuries. The first Wizard was trying to figure out a bunch of ancient dust technology to fight the Grimm, but then the Witch possessed his wife, and ended up opening a portal through the fabric of reality. She got trapped inside this portal, and the Wizard sealed her inside and transferred the power of the dust he used to do so into the four Maidens. And now that their power's been taken by the enemy, the Witch is back in our world, wreaking havoc. And, oh yeah, she and the Wizard had a kid who's been reincarnated over and over again since then – that's Cinder."

Winter Schnee blinked in astonishment. So did the rest of team RWBY, mostly for how succinctly she had put it all.

"Also, my mom's on our side after all," Yang shrugged nonchalantly. "Sort of…I think…"

Weiss gave her big sister a helpless look.

"We're all…still processing this too, actually…" she said gently.

"Yeah," Blake intoned. "It was a lot to take in."

Winter glanced back and forth between the members of Team RWBY, and slowly began to realize why they all appeared so listless, even on the eve what was surely to be their fiercest battle yet.

"I…I see…" Winter stammered, not sure whether she believed what she was hearing or not. "It…sounds like I'll be needing that full briefing after all…"

She straightened her jacket.

"That is, when time permits," she said, recollecting herself. "For now, we need to plan our next move. Why don't we…"

She trailed off as she took another look at Weiss.

"Weiss?" she asked blithely. "If you're here, who exactly is flying the ship?"

Winter glanced over at the cockpit, a worried look on her face as she paced towards it, freezing in her tracks when she saw who was behind the wheel.

"Hey there, Ice Queen," Qrow Branwen winked back at her from the helm.

The look on Winter's face was one that the old man would treasure forever.

"Wh…wh…what in the…?" she stammered, before nearly turning beat red from anger. "Who _exactly_ gave _you_ permission to fly _my_ ship!?"

Weiss' eyes widened and she clasped her hands together.

"I'm sorry, Winter!" she said apologetically. "We needed a co-pilot, and he was the only one with piloting skills! It was an emergency!"

Yang gently elbowed Blake, who blushed and threw her a dirty look. Evidently, Blake had received piloting lessons somewhere during her time with the White Fang, at least enough to fly a bullhead. Yet she hadn't seen fit to volunteer those skills now.

"Weiss…" Winter massaged the bridge of her nose in thinly masked frustration. "We will discuss your disregard for my possessions at a later time. And _you_ …"

She fixed Qrow with a murderous glare, pointing her finger at him accusatorially.

" _Out_ of the chair," she commanded.

Qrow rolled his eyes.

"Missed you too, Ice Queen…" he sighed, activating the autopilot and rising smoothly from the pilot's chair.

Winter sat back down, with Team RWBY standing behind her look guilty, as she fussed with the controls to adjust the seat position back to her desired settings.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that…" Winter grumbled quietly, more to herself than anyone as she began tapping at the keys, filling out what looked to be some type of official military requisition form on the screen.

Blake cleared her throat.

"This is a nice little reunion and all," she pointed out, catching everyone's attention with a heartfelt voice. "But we've still got a war to fight here. Even with the aid of Atlesian airships, the White Fang isn't going to be able to help us retake Vale if there's no _Vale_ left to save by the time they arrive. We need to help turn the tide in this battle, or it'll be lost before our allies can even get here!"

Blake placed her hand over her heart.

"The fleet, the Operatives, the Huntsmen, the resistance…" she cried in a quavering tone. "They need our help!"

Ruby nodded vehemently.

"I couldn't agree more, Blake," she said, turning to their newly reacquired helmsman. "Winter, what's our ETA to Vale?"

Winter glanced at the _Aeneid's_ instruments, bringing up a small map of the landscape ahead.

"T-minus two minutes until we're in comm range of the fleet," she reported. "Another six and a half minutes until we reach Vale."

Ruby nodded, sitting in the co-pilot's chair, steepling her fingers as she stared at the map.

"Has Atlas been informed of our allies in Menagerie?" she asked in a no-nonsense tone.

Winter called up an image on the screen that looked like some kind of approval letter.

"Affirmative," she said, glancing over the response to her requisition form. "The comm buoy system was able to relay my message. I was worried that they might just turn back when I told them what their cargo was going to be, given the White Fang's history, but it looks as though I still have some pull in the Atlesian military."

She glanced over the list of airships deployed, mostly cargo vessels and civilian transports.

"If Operative Belladonna's estimates are accurate, there should be room enough for the whole army and then some," Winter observed. "They're not the fastest ships, but they're sturdy, and assuming all goes well, they may be arriving in a just a few hours."

Ruby glanced at Qrow.

"Any chance you or aunt Raven could shave that time down a little?" she asked.

Qrow shook his head.

"Not for that many troops," he said. "Not by a longshot, even if we were working together."

"And my mom stayed behind, remember?" Yang said, crossing her arms grudgingly. "Something about making her own way back to Vale. She's got something planned, whatever it is. I just hope it doesn't blindside us like last time."

Ruby crossed her arms, frowning.

"So we're on our own," she said tersely. "We've got to make sure that our side stays alive until the White Fang arrives."

"Some intel from the rest of the fleet would be useful," Weiss pointed out.

Ruby nodded.

"Right," she said. "Are we in comm range of the fleet yet?"

Winter tested their connection.

"Pinging them now…" she said, before the adjusting the switches on her control console as an audio wave-form pattern appeared on screen. "Atlesian fleet, this is the _Aeneid_. I repeat, this is the _Aeneid._ Please come in, fleet command."

A flurry of static echoed over their speakers.

"KZZZZ-SHHH… _Aeneid_ …SHHH-KZZZZ-SHHH…" came a familiar voice over the radio. "KZZZZ-SHHH… _Aeneid_ , this is Professor Jasmine. We read you, Winter."

A look of relief washed over the team as the Headmistress of Shade academy appeared on the grainy holographic screen.

"Professor Jasmine!" Ruby broke in, leaning in to look at the screen. "My team is inbound and ready to provide support! What's your status?"

The screen flickered from interference, but Jasmine's face was clearly visible before long. Her silk brocade dress was done up in a military style, and she was wreathed in smoke from the long thin pipe in her hand. As always, she wore a pair of scimitars on her back. Ruby wondered how long it would be until those swords saw battle.

"Not ideal, I'm afraid," she admitted, taking another puff from her pipe. "General Ironwood is leading the mechanized troops on the ground to act as a diversion. He thought it would be safer for them to be isolated from the rest of our troops if the mechs became compromised once again, in spite of our precautions. Operative Adel and her team now lead the bulk of our Huntsmen through the underground passages beneath the kingdom in an effort to skirt the enemy's main force. Operative Arc leads the rest of Team RSJC to secure a position at Beacon."

Ruby looked up at the dark cloud of Grimm encircling Beacon academy. It was like a storm of death, hovering over their home like a thunderhead.

"Jaune…" she whispered in stunned silence. "Jaune and his team have to fight through… _that?_ "

Jasmine nodded gravely.

"That is where things become most concerning," she admitted. "We are cut off from Operative Adel and her team until they reach the tunnel's exit. The general has requested rescue vehicles dispatched to his location. And I lost contact with Team RSJC shortly after they were deployed."

The hair on Ruby's neck began to stand on end.

"Then we've got to do something!" she said urgently. "Team! Get ready for airdrop! Winter, get us to Beacon Academy!"

"Whoa, whoa," Yang cautioned, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Slow down Ruby. I know you're worried about Jaune and everything, but…"

Ruby stiffened when she mentioned his name, and Yang quickly amended her statement.

"I mean…we _all_ are," she added. "But we have to keep our heads here. Charging headlong into that swarm of Grimm over Vale is _exactly_ how we got our asses handed to us the _last_ time we were here!"

Ruby set her jaw, looking down at her clenched fists. She knew Yang was right. She knew that when it came to the people that mattered to her, she had a tendency to lose her composure. She'd never save Jaune – save Team RSJC – if she got Team RWBY killed before they could even get to them.

Qrow placed a hand on Ruby's other shoulder.

"Take a deep breath kid," he advised. "Think this through. You've got this."

Ruby followed the old man's advice, and drew in her breath. The brief moment allowed her to examine her own feelings. So much had happened since they'd left Atlas, that it hadn't even occurred to her how much she missed her other teammates. She missed Velvet and Coco and Neptune and even Emerald in her own way. And as short lived as her time with Team RJNR had been, it had been the journey that started it all.

She missed Nora's frenzied enthusiasm, her optimism and her frank nature. She missed Ren's calm patient manner, his reassuring presence, not to mention his cooking skills. And Jaune had been such a stalwart presence in her life ever since they'd left Beacon. Really, ever since her first day there. He had always been a shoulder for her to lean on, and her world would have been so much dimmer without him in it. And when she thought of how many things she'd left unsaid, and of the possibility of leaving things as they were without him ever knowing how she felt…

Ruby straightened her back.

"I'm the leader of Team RSJC," she said bitterly. "It's my responsibility to keep my team safe. I can't let them face this enemy alone."

She lifted her head and locked eyes with Jasmine once again.

"Professor," she said. "What was Team RSJC's last known position?"

"Approximately sixty-thousand feet above Beacon Academy," Jasmine said bluntly.

Yang whistled.

"That's quite a drop," she said.

"Why jump at such a high altitude?" Blake asked. "You'd barely have enough oxygen to breathe up there."

"It was the only way to get the jump on that many airborne Grimm," Jasmine pointed out. "Otherwise, the Grimm would have attacked the ship long before it ever got into position."

"How exactly did they manage to reach that altitude?" Weiss asked blithely. "Airship engines cut out after about thirty thousand or so."

"Vaccuan airships, remember?" Jasmine pointed out. "Our dirigibles do not use dust, but hydrogen. They may not be very fast, but they can reach at least twice the altitude of any ship in the Atlesian fleet."

"All save one," Winter corrected.

Jasmine seemed intrigued by this.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked.

Winter nodded curtly.

"The _Aeneid_ was just recently fitted with a tandem engine," she explained. "Hydrogen ballasts in the engine room can be inflated to give the ship lift above the terminal altitude of our dust engines. The lifting power isn't _quite_ as much as your dirigibles, but the engines are _definitely_ capable of reaching the same altitudes."

Jasmine stroked her chin, nodding sagely.

"I see…" she said.

Ruby crossed her arms.

"Then we have our way in," she said. "Jaune and his team had to make an airdrop at sixty-thousand feet. If we want to have a shot at finding them, we'll have to do the same."

"Um…Ruby?" Weiss asked incredulously. "Have you forgotten the fact that we'll still be dropping through _thousands_ of Grimm? Probably _tens_ of thousands?"

"A hundred and sixteen thousand, by our best estimates," Jasmine added helpfully.

Ruby set her jaw.

"It doesn't matter," she said stubbornly. "We knew this was going to be a tough fight, you guys. We can't back down just because they outnumber us."

"But Ruby…" Blake said in a despairing voice. "Didn't you hear what Professor Jasmine said? They lost contact with Team RSJC right after they jumped! For all we know…they might not have even _made_ it."

Ruby narrowed her eyes.

"They're still alive, Blake!" she declared. "We have to believe that!"

"Ruby…" Yang said gently. "We've got to face facts here. If Jaune and five other Huntsmen couldn't make it through that swarm of Grimm…how are _we_ going to have any hope of doing any better?"

Ruby couldn't believe what she was hearing. Every single one of her teammates – even _Yang_ , of all people – was telling her that they couldn't do it. What had happened to their team? They used to be so full of confidence and pride. Had the world of Remnant truly beaten them down so much that they had given up hope? Losing Pyrrha…losing Vale and Mistral…losing Crystal and Sun and Dora…

The world had taken so much from them already, and she could see just how terrified they all were of it taking more. But if Ruby had learned anything this past year, she had learned that the only way to protect the ones she cared about was to fight for them.

She slowly made eye contact with each and every other Huntress in the room.

"I've seen this team do the impossible…" she breathed, slowly shaking her head as she looked down at her hands. "We held back the White Fang invasion of Vacuo. We held back the Grimm invasion of Atlas. We took the White Fortress by storm, and brought the White Fang over to our side and _damn it_ …we've gotten _stronger_ for it!"

Yang's eyes widened. She'd never heard Ruby swear before.

"So don't _tell_ me we have to face facts!" Ruby cried, clenching her hand into a fist imploringly as she stared down her teammates. "Nothing's been decided yet, you guys! Our friends are still down there, waiting for us! We can pull this off! We can _do_ this! We just have to believe in each other! Together, we can do the _impossible_ _!_ Together…we can be unstoppable!"

Team RWBY began to slowly exchange glances with one another, their expressions ranging from guilty to forlorn. They had all been through so much together, and now they were standing on the brink of the abyss. They all knew this battle would not be kind to them. They all knew it was likely that some of them weren't going to be making it out this. Whether it was the fear that this someone might be one of them, or that it might be someone their cared about, the fear of crossing that threshold was nearly insurmountable.

But the passion in Ruby's words…the optimism in her eyes…the dedication with which she had lead them all through hell, time and time again, and the earnest belief she showed in them all… to hear her words, the team could not help but believe in her as well. Ruby may have been the youngest amongst them, but there was no one else that any of them would follow into battle.

"I swear, Ruby," Weiss sighed, smiling. "You can be _so_ difficult sometimes."

Ruby smiled back, scratching her nose as she looked at all the smiling faces around her.

"Does that mean you're with me?" she asked.

The rest of the team all exchanged glances.

"Oh, what the heck?" Blake sighed. "It's hardly the _craziest_ thing we've done."

"Hell yeah!" Yang said, pumping her fists. "Let's go kick some Grimm butt!"

"I can have us at peak altitude in eighty seconds," Winter Schnee smiled. "Just say the word."

Qrow crossed his arms, a look of pride on his face. If only Summer could have seen Ruby in that moment.

"If that is your decision, than I shall inform the general," Professor Jasmine said, raising her right hand to reveal the tattoo on her palm. "Good luck Team RWBY. _Sal'am-ashai_."

The transmission ended and Winter wasted no time pressing buttons on her control console in preparation for their mission ahead.

"I'll need to bring the engines up to full burn to reach peak altitude before they give out," she explained. "I'll then activate the tandem engines, and we'll drift right over our target. You all better strap yourselves in."

Ruby and her team took their seats, as did Qrow, strapping their safety harnesses down in preparation.

"Punch it," Ruby called out whenever one was secure.

Winter slowly edged the nose of the ship upward, the light from the sun shining through the windscreen tracing a path across the deck as the ship angled upwards. The airship's occupants began to feel the force of gravity pulling them backwards as they all began to face upwards, the ship tilting at a forty-five degree angle.

"Bringing the dust engines to full burn," Winter called out. "In three…two…one…"

The engines ignited, the ship's thrusters opening up to full blast. The _Aeneid_ was propelled forward and upward like a rocket, careening towards the clouds at incredible speed. The force of the acceleration felt like getting kicked in the chest, as the four girls, Winter and Qrow were forced back into their seats, gritting their teeth as the entire airship rumbled, the ship's state of the art stabilizers not able to compensate for the military grade engine that currently propelled them forward.

Through the cockpit, the team could see the clouds fast approaching, before they split before them. The ship was smothered in shade for just a moment as they passed through the cloud barrier, before the entire cabin became awash with sunlight as they finally ascended the cloud line.

"Twenty-thousand feet and climbing…" Winter reported.

Ruby drew in a breath with an effort. It felt like there was an enormous weight on her chest, keeping her lungs from expanding. She looked around her at her teammates, each of whom looked to be similar strained. Even with her semblance, she'd never experienced such a speed before, even by airship. The _Aeneid_ truly was a marvel of technology.

"Thirty thousand feet…" Winter continued. "Shutting down all non-vital systems…"

The lights began to dim in the main cabin as the strain on the ship's dust engines was reduced. They had to keep their engines going for as long as they could in order to gain as much altitude as possible. Even with the tandem engines, they'd be a slow moving target if they didn't get above the enemy lines before their dust engines ran out.

"Forty-thousand feet…" Winter exclaimed. "Dust engine failure imminent…"

Ruby began to feel the pressure in her chest lessening as their airship suddenly stopped accelerating. The dust engines finally gave out, and they coasted forward as the _Aeneid's_ long arching pylons unfurled a set of wing-like airfoil sails on either side to catch the wind. As their speed began to level off, Ruby finally drew in an easy breath, lifting her head forward off the headrest. They had finally started to tilt forward again, and out the window, they could see the clouds far below them already.

"Fifty thousand feet," Winter reported. "Activating tandem engines."

Ruby began to feel lighter and lighter as the _Aeneid_ finally stopped climbing. Ruby and the others unfastened their harnesses and began to slowly rise to their feet after the excruciating climb, wobbling precarious as they acclimated to altitude.

"Hydrogen ballasts holding steady," Winter called out as she read her instruments. "Airfoils drawing at twenty knots. We'll be over the drop zone in four and a half minutes. You all better get ready."

Ruby nodded, glancing around at her teammates.

"You heard her guys," she said. "Let's move."

As her teammates filed down the cabin towards the cargo bay, Ruby felt Qrow's hand on her head, mussing up her hair.

"Hey," he intoned, smiling down at her.

She tilted her head backwards to look at him upside down.

"Hey," she said.

He nodded affectionately.

"I just want you to know I'm proud of you," he said. "It took a lot of guts to make this far. You're gonna blow 'em out of the water kid. Believe that."

Ruby let out a sigh as she threw her arms around him.

"Thanks uncle Qrow," she said sadly.

He embraced her, patting her back.

"Now get going, kid," he said. "Give 'em hell."

She nodded fiercely. "I will."

As she ran off to join her friends, Qrow threw a sidelong glance at Winter, who watched the exchange with a curious eye.

"I probably better go too," he said, putting his hands on his hips. "It's going to be a hell of a fight down there."

Winter turned her attention back to her console.

"I have to fly the ship," she said stoically. "The _Aeneid_ can provide air support. Otherwise I'd be down there fighting too."

Qrow nodded, giving the woman a peculiar look.

"I know," he said, trying to figure out why she was sounding so apologetic.

When Winter didn't say anything, he turned to go.

"Don't…" she suddenly called out, hesitantly. "Don't die, alright?"

Qrow turned back to her, blinking in surprise. Winter had not moved an inch from where she stood, though what he could see of her cheeks were as pink as rose petals.

"Winter…?" he asked, a little surprised by her comment.

Winter refused to turn and meet his gaze, he fingers whitening as she clenched the controls in front of her.

"That is…" she said haltingly, shaking her head. "What I mean to say is…"

She lowered her gaze, looking ashamed of herself.

"…Just don't die, Qrow," she muttered.

Qrow was staring at her, dumbstruck. He had honestly not expected anything like this out of Winter Schnee. And what surprised him even more was that, for the first time, he didn't have a witty comeback readily available.

"What?" he chuckled, before coughing and clearing his throat as he tried improvising something that sounded cool in his head. "And miss out on the chance to annoy you for years to come? I wouldn't dream of it."

Winter wrinkled her nose, gritting her teeth in agitation.

"Idiot…" she breathed.

She could just imagine the playful smirk he was making behind her as she stewed in torment.

"What was that?" Qrow asked playfully. "Did you say something, Winter?"

Winter slammed her hand into the control console before her.

"I said stand by!" she hollered into the ship's intercom. "Opening main hatch!"

Down in the cargo hold, Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang stood side by side, their hands clenched into fists at their sides as the main hatched opened before them. The wind rushed past them as the air pressure equalized, and they each drew in a breath as the cold air hit them all like a tidal wave. Stretching out far below them was a soft, plushy blanket of clouds, punctuated by a deep, black stain that was the enormous swathe of Grimm smothering their target.

"Phew," Yang commented idly, her hair tossing in the wind. "That sure is one hell of a jump."

"Our friends are down there," Blake reminded everyone, straightening her gloves. "We can't keep them waiting."

"Winter will signal us when we're directly over our target," Weiss added. "I still can't believe she went along with this plan willingly."

"Yeah…" Yang nodded, glancing at Ruby. "We didn't even get to tell her the part about our family."

Ruby shook her head.

"We have more important things to focus on right now," she said. "The four of you know at least. That's enough for now. Now let's link up, you guys."

They all nodded, and focused on their collective auras. It had been quite a shock when Ruby had informed them all that she was one-quarter Faunus. Blake had always known there was something different about Ruby from the first moment she'd met her, and Weiss had often noted a certain puppy-like quality to her. All part of what had made her so endearing, it seemed.

And as their auras merged, with it came a level of understanding for one another that they had cultivated over their tenure as a team. The four of them owed so much to one another, and now that their auras were one in the same, it all seemed to make so much sense, like they could have never ended up with anyone else on their team. In a way, they had always been link, with Ruby tying them all together. Their aura just made it official.

"In all seriousness, though," Weiss said skeptically. "What _is_ the plan exactly?"

Ruby smiled.

"You said that you can summon any creature you defeat, right?" she asked wryly.

Weiss blinked. And then she smiled as she gleamed Ruby's meaning.

"Oh," she breathed. "Oh…"

"What?" Blake asked. "A summon? From this altitude?"

Yang grinned. "That's one way to get their attention."

Blake scoffed in disbelief. "No way. They'll see it coming a mile away."

Ruby smiled at Weiss.

"Trust me," she said. "They'll never see _this_ coming…"

That's when Winter's voice sounded once again over the loudspeakers.

"T-minus five to drop zone!" her voice echoed across the cargo bay. "Four…three…two…one…Mark! Good luck, Team RWBY!"

Ruby bent her knees, pitching forward to tip out of the main hatch.

"Go! Go! Go!" she shouted.

She dropped forward, plunging down into the wide open abyss. Weiss jumped after her, following by Blake, with Yang taking up the rear. They sailed after one another, plummeting down in a smooth, unbroken arc.

The wind whipped through their clothes and their hair, their weapons clinging to their holsters as they fell. The clouds below them didn't seem to be approaching at all, they were so far away. It was an exhilarating rush that did little to stifle the trepidation of the battle to come.

Ruby and Weiss spread their arms out to slow their fall, allowing their two companions to catch up to them. Soon, the four girls were level with one another, facing the ground in a circle as they revolved around one another. They remained like that for a time, their aura link keeping them tethered together as they descended as one, the wind rushing past them as they plummeted towards their enemies below.

When the black morass of Grimm began to draw nearer, Ruby signaled to Weiss, and she at once drew her sword.

As Weiss waved Myrtlenaster in an intricate pattern, the glyph began to form overhead. As the four Huntresses fell away, the Glyph moved with them, expanding outward as it rotated, getting bigger and bigger and bigger. As Weiss concentrated on the glyph, she channeled the auras of the three other Huntresses around her, allowing their power to fuel her need, as she reached back into the ether to draw out her summon.

Then with a climactic flourish, the summon began to emerge. A being of pristine glowing white slowly descended towards the group of four girls, a long metallic snout that appeared to be forged from pure diamond. A long scaly neck followed, its segmented armor plating glistening in the sunlight. A pair of long claws attached to a pair of rough, leathery wings, nearly transparent in their crystalline beauty.

The Huntresses continued to descend in a circle, the glyph falling along with them, two hundred or so feet behind. And as the creature continued to emerge from the massive circle, it slowly approached the girls, its serpentine body undulating up and down as it slithered through the sky like a snake. Its tail was all that remained within the glyph as it began to spread its wings, before finally withdrawing from the portal with a furious gust that sent it careening down towards its master.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang each gaped in astonishment at the sheer size of the white dragon that Weiss had summoned. It was larger than the one they had defeated in Atlas by far! With the four of their auras powering Weiss' summon, the creature was nearly the size of the main hall of Beacon Academy. But rather than a black Grimm dragon, this one was the purest white of snow. The glistening color of the Schnee family - and indeed, all of Atlas - emblazoned the mighty creature as it swept towards them, a beast both glorious and terrifying.

With a mighty flap of its wings, the dragon assisted gravity to pull itself farther beneath the four girls, before flaring its wings to gently slow its fall. As it rose, the dragon alighted alongside them as they continued to fall. With the grace of a bird, the creature drew nearer to them, its pristine scaled hide offering plentiful room for the four Huntresses on its back.

One by one, the four of them reached out to grasp hold of the dragon's armored hide, the spines running the length of its back offering plentiful purchase. As the four of them seated themselves along the dragon's back, Ruby tapped into the power her mother had given to her.

Her eyes began to glow with a brilliant, shimmering light, the power of the first semblance coursing through her veins as she brought her power to bear. And as their auras linked, so too did Yang, Blake and Weiss. One by one, the four Huntresses felt Ruby's power envelop them, as their eyes also began to glow a faint silver. Each of them now held the protection of a Grimmslayer, their very auras anathema to the creatures before them.

And as they descended ever faster, the summoned creature's wings pumping over and over to accelerate them towards the enemies below, the great white dragon's own eyes began to glow with the Maiden's gift of silver.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!


	137. Chapter 137

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 137

* * *

SCHING! SCHING! SCHING!

CLANG! CLANG!

Blades clashed. Sparks flew. Steel encountered steel as Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged blows. Crocea Mors, Miló and Akoúo̱ danced together in an intricate ballet of movements and counter-movements as Huntsmen and Huntress dueled.

The creatures of Grimm surrounding the two fighters in the Beacon courtyard observed the fight with passive disinterest, almost as if whoever was controlling them was actively steering them away from the fight. It was almost poetic. It seemed inevitable that Jaune and Pyrrha should fight here. Even as the two bodies moved, they stepped in line with the hands of fate surrounding them. Whether it was by the will of Cinder Fall, or the Witch Salem acting through her, or by Raven Branwen or the Maidens themselves, there was a greater force acting upon the two young Huntsmen. From Jaune and Pyrrha's perspective, it seemed no more than unfortunate happenstance. Neither of them could ever grasp the degree to which heaven and earth had been moved to arrange this duel between them.

Cruel intentions were at work here. It would either be at Pyrrha's hands that Jaune Arc fell this day, or by his hands that she would fall in kind.

Jaune raised his shield once again, gritting his teeth in pain as Miló's edge slammed against him with all of Pyrrha's preternatural might. He remembered the words she had told him while she had briefly been free from her captivity. She fought with all the reckless abandon of a creature uncaring of their own safety. No sane Huntress would fight with the savagery and brutality that she threw herself towards him in this instance. It was all Jaune could do to deflect her blows. Not only was his body tired and worn out, but she was attacking him with the ferocity of a furious storm.

And nothing would change the fact that the being who faced him was the woman he loved.

"Pyrrha…" he groaned, shaking his head in despair.

His relief at her brief liberation had been palpable. Jaune had felt hope renewed when he had laid eyes on her smiling face that day in Atlas. And the time he'd shared with her since then had been the happiest in his life. The world could have ended in that instant, and Jaune would have been satisfied with the life he'd had up until then.

But then she'd been snatched away, almost as quickly as she'd arrived. And Jaune learned just how fleeting every moment of happiness he might possess could be. The enemy had been toying with them both, and he knew it. His rage had condensed into cold hard certitude. His determination to set Pyrrha free had been redoubled anew. But if Jaune knew anything, he also knew that it would be an uphill battle.

When he and Pyrrha had last fought, Ruby had been by his side. With their aura linked, they had triumphed over her in no uncertain terms. But now, he had no such advantage. None of his teammates were with him now. Now, he was on his own.

"Pyrrha…" he said again when she forced him back once again. "I'm going to get you out of this. You hear me? I haven't given up on you. Not now, not ever!"

The pale white face of the girl he loved stared back at him with cold hard stoicism, her bronze armor appearing tarnished by the shadow that gripped her, her sword and shield poised for the next strike. Not a flicker of emotion appeared on her face, even for an instant. Her transformation into Cinder's minion was all but complete.

Praying to whatever god would listen that she could still be saved, Jaune activated his semblance and charged forward, his shield glowing brightly.

"YEAAAARGH!" he hollered, putting every last ounce of his strength into the charge.

Pyrrha raised Akoúo̱, and their shields collided. Jaune's indominated Crocea Mors pushed her back, and her boots skidded across the broken pavement behind her. She tried to force him back, but he was like a freight train, completely unstoppable as he plowed forward.

"Hahhhhhhhhhhhh!" he hollered at the top of his lungs as he continued to push her back.

In truth, he had no idea what he was doing. Even if he could overpower her, there was no guarantee that anything he did here could break the spell Cinder had over her mind. But at the same time, he couldn't simply lie down and allow Pyrrha to kill him either. Never mind how self-defeating that would be, but if Pyrrha was still in there, he couldn't allow his death to further torment what she had already revealed to be a conscience heavy with guilt. So little was understood about what had happened to her that all he could do was push forward in desperation.

"Yahhhhhhhhhh!" he shouted, his voice growing hoarse as he continued to push her back.

Then he suddenly stumbled, and all at once, the light in his shield went out.

He fell forward, and Pyrrha riposted immediately, bashing him in the face with her own shield, sending him tumbling backward. He tumbled and landed on one knee, lifting his shield again, attempting to re-activate his semblance, but nothing happened.

His aura was spent!

"Pyrrha!" he gasped in despair as she lunged towards him.

SCHING! CLANG! SCHING! CLANG!

Jaune stumbled backward as she pounded away at his shield, his arms trembling under the duress. He had nothing left! His body was completely used up! He barely had the strength to stand anymore, much less fend off her relentless attacks. Meanwhile, Pyrrha's sword strikes were as precise and keen as they had ever been.

CLANG!

Jaune's shield went flying away, and fell back on his haunches, his sword held precarious in both hands as he held it out before him. He looked up at Pyrrha's cold unfeeling face, searching desperately for any sign of mercy or hesitation.

"Pyrrha…" he whispered, trying to climb to his feet.

Before he could make it up, Pyrrha planted her boot heel into his chest and sent him flying backwards.

BAM!

Pain exploded in the back of Jaune's head as he hit concrete, and his vision erupted with light.

"Jaune?"

As his head swam and his vision tried feebly to refocus, he saw Pyrrha standing over him - not as she was now, but the way she used to be. Glorious in her composure, gracious in her generosity, a being of both pride and humility in equal amount, her smile a thing of radiance.

He remembered this moment well, he reflected. Back when they had still been together at Beacon, not long after the dance. Back when they had still had all the time in the world together.

"Yeah…?" he answered automatically, glancing up at her, his memory playing out as it always had.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked him, stepping over to him.

Jaune tilted his head back and looked up at what he had struck, and he saw a familiar statue. The first Huntsmen, standing atop a cliff, one of the creatures of Grimm standing menacing beneath them. It was a symbol of both pride and joy for Beacon academy, but it was one that Jaune personally found to be a great source of anxiety.

"Oh, just…thinking, I guess…" he said.

Pyrrha approached him, crouching next to him with her hands clasped behind her, smiling up at the statue before him.

"About anything in particular?" she asked.

Jaune studied the stone figures above him as he continued to lie on his back. The two Huntsmen stood tall and radiant, almost godly in their perfection. It was a standard that he could never even come close to approaching.

"Just…wondering if I made a mistake coming here…" he admitted.

Pyrrha's expression fell as she turned to look at him.

"Jaune…" she whispered. "Don't say things like that. What's gotten into you?"

Gazing up at the first Huntsmen, Jaune let out a sigh of defeat.

"The Arc family goes back a long way," he said. "We can trace our roots back to the dawn of the Huntsmen academies. And one of my earliest ancestors…was Erst Jaeger."

Pyrrha's eyes widened as she returned her gaze to the statue before them.

"The first Huntsman…?" she breathed in disbelief.

"I…I know you told me…how lonely it can be when you're placed on a pedestal like you are, Pyrrha," Jaune continued. "But when you grow up in the shadow of a family like mine, so full of heroes that are renowned throughout history…it can get pretty lonely too."

Pyrrha stared back at Jaune remorsefully as he gazed up at the tall figures of the first Huntsmen, impossible in their size and severity, and looked so incredibly small before them.

"How can I ever hope to live up to their example?" he asked pitifully. "It doesn't matter how hard I train, I'll never escape their shadow. When people are constantly comparing you to such legendary heroes…how am I ever supposed to measure up to them when all I can ever be…is _me?_ "

Pyrrha's eyes flickered, tears welling up as she watched him. She didn't say anything. She simply stood up over him and offered a hand down to him.

"Pyrrha…?" he stammered.

"Don't be afraid," she said softly. "Don't be ashamed. Don't be sad or anxious or lonely. Being you isn't a crime, Jaune. I had to teach myself that lesson a long time ago, and even now, I find I have to remind myself from time to time."

Jaune blinked in confusion as he stared up at her, the sun blinking through the clouds above where she stood.

"Pyrrha?" he asked.

Pyrrha continued to offer her hand, looking like a goddess in all her radiance.

"What do _you_ want for yourself, Jaune?" she asked him. "What do _you_ choose to be? The people that came before you don't matter, Jaune. All those heroes and legends from days long past don't have _any_ bearing on how _you_ choose to live your life."

Jaune finally reached up to take her hand in his.

"The only standard that matters is your own, Jaune," she said imploringly as she gently pulled him to his feet. " _You_ decide how hard to push yourself, _you_ decide whether you're a good enough hero or not. And whatever you decide, I'll support that decision, Jaune."

She placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Because the _you_ that I see before me is the same _you_ that works so hard every day to be the best that he can be," she smiled. "And that's the _you_ that I want to keep following into battle. Not some hero from out of legend…just _you_ , Jaune."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and embraced him, leaving him once again in a stunned silence.

"Pyrrha…" he whispered.

Pyrrha's smile was heartbreaking in its sincerity as she parted with him.

"Come on, Jaune," she said with a laugh as she disappeared. "Everyone's waiting for us. And we've still got so much left to do…"

The vision faded from memory, and all that was left was the pale imitation of Pyrrha that stood before him, sword and shield in hand as she stared him down, poised to finish him off.

Jaune clutched his sword in an unsteady hand. His shield was beyond his reach. His knees were trembling. His head was still throbbing. His body had been pushed to the limit. And Pyrrha was showing no sign of stopping.

As Pyrrha brought her sword down upon him, for some reason, Ruby's words echoed in his memory.

 _"_ _The next time you see her, Jaune…fight her with everything you have."_

His sword came up, and though he had scarcely any strength, he still somehow managed to deflect the blow away.

 _"Show her that her legacy lives on in you."_

She struck again, and this time Jaune riposted, allowing her weapon to sail on past him. Seizing the opportunity, Jaune lunged forward, closing the distance between them. As he did, his eyes flickered closed, and Jaune reached out with what little remained of his aura. It was weak and flickering like a candle, but it was there. It hadn't yet gone out. And where it concerned Pyrrha, it never would.

 _"_ _You need to show her that you honor her memory and what she stood for."_

As his aura reached her, all he could feel was the cold dead shell of darkness that stood before him. The creature he faced in that instance wasn't even a shadow of the girl he loved. She had her face, and she had her skill. But she possessed none of the mercy, kindness, pride, or generosity as her namesake.

But still Jaune pressed forward, delving down deep into the recesses of that seemingly empty shell.

 _"_ _If she was any bit the fighter that I know she was, then your message will ring the loudest if you speak to her through your sword."_

Then he felt the tinniest glimmer of familiar light inside. It was like a speck of a dust cast away in a sea of darkness. But it was there. And as he neared it, he could feel her aura swimming and struggling to stay afloat. It had been crushed and concealed and cajoled until it could barely shine on its own.

But it was there. And even as the shadow Pyrrha shoved him away, he latched onto that tiny speck of aura with all his might. And as soon as their aura's touched, he felt her power surging into his body giving him life anew. The warmth and comfort he had been longing for all this time, all the love and compassion that he been denied them both…it all came flooding into his body in an instant.

When he opened his eyes, Pyrrha's sword was inches from his face. It was surrounded in a dark, heavy aura. Jaune's hand was raised defensively as Pyrrha's semblance channeled through him, reaching out to ensnare her own weapons before they could land.

Jaune pushed back with his newfound aura, and Pyrrha's polarity flowed through him. Miló was pushed aside, forcing the shadow creature to stumble backward. Jaune saw his chance and dove for his shield, bringing it up just in time to prevent the shadow Pyrrha from striking him again.

But the attack never came. Instead, her sword stopped short, engulfed in black aura as Pyrrha's polarity halted the strike.

Jaune's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. Their auras were linked! Somehow, in spite of her body being in control of the enemy, he was still linking his aura to Pyrrha! The shadow Pyrrha had no control over Pyrrha's aura, and that aura was all that made Pyrrha who she was. It could not be stricken from her body completely, else the body would simply cease to function. So the shadow carried the aura around with her, keeping it stifled and contained, but never completely quashed.

As soon as Jaune had been able to touch it with his own aura, Pyrrha's power had finally found its outlet.

 _"_ _Jaune!"_

He thought he heard Pyrrha's voice somewhere in his head, and he froze in place. The shadow Pyrrha finally broke her hold over the polarity, and slammed her shield against Jaune's, forcing him back.

Jaune tumbled into a roll, staggered by the force of the blow, but was able to recover in time to plant his shield into the ground and activate his own semblance.

Pyrrha slammed into Corcea Mors' shield and recoiled, completely thrown off balance, staggering back.

Jaune dropped his semblance and charged forward, bringing the pommel of his sword down as Pyrrha just barely managed to raise her shield in time.

BOOM!

The dust charges in Corcea Mors' pommel went off, and Pyrrha went flying back, her shield tumbling away.

 _"_ _Jaune!"_ Pyrrha's voice sounded once again in his head, sounding panicked. _"The circlet! On my head! Jaune, you have to-"_

The voice fell silent as the shadow Pyrrha once again got to her feet and reestablished its control.

But Jaune could see the tarnished bronze circlet that adorned her crown. While it closely resembled Pyrrha's own headdress, it radiated a dark and eerie power, as if leeching off the aura of its wearer.

He knew what he had to do. Jaune retracted his shield and clenched his sword in both hands as he charged forward.

Pyrrha held Miló in a similar fashion, held low to the ground as she charged back at him.

"YAAARRRRGGGHHH!" Jaune screamed as they both struck.

The Huntsman and Huntress seemed to pass through one another as their blows connected, landing on their feet with their backs towards the other, their swords outstretched as they remained motionless for a moment.

Then there was a clattering of shattered bronze as the circlet broke into pieces and hit the cement floor of the courtyard, crumbling into dust as it landed.

Jaune turned just in time to see Pyrrha fall to her knees, and before he knew what he was doing, he rushed over to her, clutching her frail form in his arms.

"Pyrrha!" he shouted in panic and desperation as he felt her aura flickering. "Pyrrha! You're alright! Please! Tell me you're alright!"

Pyrrha remained motionless in his arms, and for a moment, Jaune feared the worst. Then color began to slowly return to her features and her eyes flickered open.

"J…Jaune…" she exhaled, taking a breath of air that felt as strained as if she had been buried underground for an eternity.

Jaune knew relief in that moment as tears poured from his eyes.

"Pyrrha!" he cried, burying his face into the crook of her neck. "Oh, Pyrrha!"

She drew in breath after ragged breath as the Huntress reached up with a tremulous hand to caress the young man's cheek.

"You…you saved me, Jaune…" she whispered, sounding like she couldn't even believe it herself. "I…I _knew_ you would…"

Jaune held her tightly, keeping their aura link strong and steady so that he could pour his warmth and love into her, letting her feel the aching need in his heart. And Pyrrha drank in his tender affection the way a parched desert sand soaked up flood waters. Deprived of his love for so long, she had almost withered into nothingness, becoming a ghost in her own body.

But at long last, she was finally free.

"We…we don't have a lot of time…" Pyrrha said in a halting voice as she looked around at the destruction around them. "Cinder's plan is taking shape. And now there's someone even _worse_ than Cinder out there, controlling her every move! I don't know what she's planning, but it can't be good, Jaune. We have to _do_ something about it!"

"We will, Pyrrha," Jaune assured her, not letting go. "We'll finish this fight. Together."

Jaune withdrew just enough to peer into the young woman's eyes and stroke her cheek with the palm of his hand.

"I won't let anything happen to you this time…" he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "I promise…"

Pyrrha swallowed down the lump in her throat that was forming at his words.

"Okay…" she said in a tremulous voice.

She leaned up to kiss his lips, her arms coming around his neck to tug him back down towards herself, devouring the kiss like a starving child. Jaune was only too happy to oblige her, mashing his lips into herself, heedless of the destruction surrounding them. He knew that he still had to find the rest of his team. He knew that he still had to find the other Huntsmen. He knew that he still had to establish a foothold, fight through a near endless horde of Grimm, and conduct a full assault on Beacon academy.

But here, now, in this moment, all he could think about was Pyrrha.

"Can you still fight?" he asked breathlessly when they finally parted, his breathing coming out in heated gasps.

Pyrrha nodded curtly, her whole body still trembling in his arms.

"As long as we're connected…" she said in a heated tone, "There's not a power in Remnant that can stop me…"

Jaune nodded, a smile on his face as he climbed to his feet, helping Pyrrha up to hers.

"Alright…" he said, an air of finality to his voice. "Then let's finish this."


	138. Chapter 138

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 138

* * *

James Ironwood had his pistol drawn as he stepped lightly through the halls of the tenth street bank where Glynda's signal led him. Parked outside the bank, the Juggernaut stood tall and menacing, but he did not wish to risk collapsing the building by employing such a heavy machine for such otherwise delicate work. He was fully aware of how exposed this left him, given that he had no backup apart from a host of other mechs patrolling the city, and only a single rescue vehicle en-route to his location. But if there was any chance at all of saving Glynda, then it was worth the risk to his life. Professor Jasmine was an able leader, and the Atlesian fleet could survive without him. For all he knew, Glynda and her resistance members were already dead. But if any of them were still alive, then he knew he represented their best chance of survival.

The blip on his scroll seem to lead the general towards the bank's steel vault. The vault was was sealed shut, with no obvious signs of entry. That meant that whoever had locked Glynda – or at least her scroll – inside the vault had some means of opening and closing the vault door electronically. Which definitely increased the odds of this being some sort of trap. As he stood upon the marble floor of the bank and inspected the obstacle in his path, Ironwood slowly began to formulate a plan.

Normally scroll signals wouldn't be strong enough to penetrate such an enclosure, but the military grade hardware in his hands was quite sophisticated, and was able to penetrate even the most impermeable cracks and crevices. Even with Glynda's scroll switched off and its dust battery removed, he could still detect the unique radio signature from her sim card. Glynda – or at least her scroll – was definitely behind that door. Such vaults were also usually soundproofed, so he did not waste his breath trying to call out to anyone inside. A brief but firm tapping at the door with the muzzle of his gun got no reply, but that didn't preclude the possibility that anyone inside might be incapacitated somehow. Still, that the vault was sealed indicated some thought had gone into keeping whoever was inside contained, which must have included countermeasures for forced entry.

Fortunately, Ironwood was familiar enough with standard counter-terrorist operations that he could conduct a full sweep himself. After a mere five minutes of inspection, the advanced sensors in his scroll had concluded that there was no explosive residue anywhere on the premises, no traces of chemical gas, and no sign of any dust in use beyond the industrial grade generators powering the lighting and locking mechanisms.

Ironwood steeled himself as he laid down a series of explosive charges at the vault's hinges. If this was indeed a trap, it was certainly a well laid one. There was nothing left for him to do now but spring the trap, and hope to whatever God would listen that whoever he found inside was still alive.

BOOM!

Ironwood ducked behind one of the teller counters as he thumbed the switch on his scroll. The steel round vault door blew off its hinges, its lower rim hitting the ground with a loud _clung_ before tipping forward, its face hitting the floor with another loud _clong_ , kicking up dust as the marble floor beneath was ground into a fine powder.

BREEP! BREEP! BREEP!

The bank's security alarm blew as the vault came open, but the general ignored it. As he stepped towards the vault, he waved off the dust before him to clear the air.

"Hello!?" came a woman's voice from within, amidst a cacophony of coughing and wheezing from the marble dust. "Is… _cough-cough_ …is anyone out there!?"

"If anyone can hear us," came another, more frantic male's voice. "We - _ahem_ \- we require your assistance, post-haste!"

James felt his heart skip a beat. He had heard multiple voices, including several that he recognized. As he stepped into the vault, the dust slowly began to settle. Within the cramped confines, he saw several security cages, behind which numerous safety deposit boxes – as well as seemingly the entire resistance of Vale – were being kept.

"Glynda!" Ironwood called out as he spotted the professors from Beacon academy. "Oobleck! Port! Is everyone alright?"

Four small security cages lined either side of the vault, two on either side, three of which seemed to contain one of the three professors from Beacon. There was also a larger cage towards the back, in which some two dozen student Huntsmen were huddled on the floor, looking up at the general with hope in their eyes.

"James!" Glynda called out in disbelief from behind the steel bars.

"Glynda…" he gasped in disbelief as his eyes locked onto hers.

Relief filled his heart as he finally saw her. Time almost seemed to grind to a halt. She looked so beautiful in that moment that he barely registered the other Huntsmen. Her clothes were disheveled, her hair was a mess, and her face was smeared with dirt and grime. But somehow through it all, she was still as beautiful as the day he met her.

She was alive. She was whole. She was perfect. And that was all that he could see.

"General!" Oobleck cried, just as startled from his cage.

"Ironwood, old chap!" Professor Port guffawed. "Nice of you to drop in! We seem to find ourselves in a bit of a tight spot."

The general snapped to attention, realizing that they were not out of the woods yet. There were close to thirty civilians here in need of rescue. He still had a job to do.

"Don't worry," Ironwood said, stepping over to the first cage, where Glynda was held. "I'll get you out of here in just a moment."

As many of the student Huntsmen began to weep for joy, Glynda came rushing over to the general as he approached and grasped his hands through the bars.

"James, what are you doing here?" she demanded heatedly. "I thought my message made it perfectly clear what the situation was here!"

"Yes, it did…" the general said with a smile as he squeezed her hands. "The battle of Gillikin? That's a rather obscure reference."

He released her hands to begin fiddling with the electronic locking mechanism on her cell door.

"If I had been anyone else, I would not have likely caught it," he said as he worked. "But thanks to your quick thinking, my operatives and I were able to plan around the enemy's trap."

Glynda's face fell at his obstinacy.

"You shouldn't be here at all!" she objected. "Cinder must have known that you'd track us down here! You think she will have stopped at just _one_ trap?"

Ironwood pried open the metal panel covering the lock and began rewiring the mechanism to overload the electronics.

"I swept the bank for any sign of explosives, gas or dust," he explained. "Nothing came up."

"What about that alarm?" Professor Oobleck pointed out, as the shrill _breep-breep-breep_ continued to blare outside the vault. "Cinder will no doubt be made aware of your presence here! What's to stop her from sending a plethora of Grimm straight to this location?"

Ironwood wiped his brow and continued to unplug wires from the electronic lock.

"My mechanized forces outside _are_ dealing with an abundance of Grimm, but nothing they weren't designed to handle," he reported, glancing briefly at his scroll. "In any case, we best hurry. Evac airships should be-"

KZZZKSH!

A spark from the locking mechanism suddenly arced from the machinery and a jolt of electricity traveled up the general's arm. James staggered back, slamming into the empty cage behind him before sliding to the ground with his back to the wall. He eyes clenched in pain from the shock as his whole body was gripped with tension, his right arm and leg twitching uncontrollably.

"Ahhhh!" he growled in agitation.

"James!" Glynda called out in alarm, her eyes wide with terror. " _James!_ "

The other Huntsmen in the room recoiled in fear as the general's entire body spasmed from the electrical jolt as he clutched his right arm with his left, trying to stifle the convulsions.

"Nnnng!" he ground his teeth, his mechanical parts twitching uncontrollably. "Son of a…"

" **Error!** " a loud mechanized voice sounded from within Ironwood's jacket. " **Error!** "

"Wh-what the hell…?" Ironwood stammered, wincing through the spasms.

Yanking off the glove on his right hand, he revealed the mechanical prosthetic that ran all the way up his sleeve and lined his entire right side beneath his clothes. The silver titanium and black kevlar was normally marked by glowing blue lights, but those blue lights now shone bright red.

" **Error! Error!** " the voice sounded again as the red lights in his arm pulsed in warning. " **Viral contamination detected! Quarantine failure! Quarantine fail - SSSHZKSH!** "

James' eyes shot open in alarm as his right arm clenched and unclenched uncontrollably. His arm and leg began to rotate, stretching and extending through their full range of motion, as if going through a system reset. Then, without any input on his part, his mechanical arm lowered to his hip and clasped around the handle of his gun.

"No!" he cried, his heart thudding in his chest.

Adrenaline surged through his veins as Ironwood seized the barrel of his gun with his good arm, preventing his malfunctioning arm from bringing the firearm to level at any of the room's occupants.

BLAM! BLAM!

The gun went off as his convulsing prosthetic squeezed the trigger, firing several rounds into the ceiling, causing the rooms occupants to recoil in terror from the explosive sound.

"General, what is the meaning of this!?" Oobleck cried out in fright.

"Ironwood, come to your senses!" Port shouted.

"Nnnnng!" Ironwood growled in pain as he tried to fight back against his own arm.

With a grunt of exertion and a twist of his arm, he somehow managed to wrestle the gun away from his rogue hand, before flinging the weapon across the room, where it spun across the floor before skidding to a halt on the far side of the vault.

"James!" Glynda cried out in alarm. "What's happening!?"

The general let out a grunt of protest as his right and left arms began flailing uncontrollably once again as they reached out to grab for purchase. He tried to seize the flailing prosthesis with his good arm, but it was like it had a mind of its own! If this was the same virus that had contaminated his mechanized forces, then he was in real trouble! Polendina's anti-viral suite had been added to the Atlesian Knights and Paladins, but the patch had not been compatible with his own prosthetics!

His cybernetic half was completely compromised!

"My…my body!" he shouted in alarm, his face red as veins throbbed in his forehead. "I…can't….control…my body!"

Ironwood twisted and convulsed on the floor, the left side of his body attempting to do one thing while the right side attempted another. The result was a thrashing, writhing gesticulation that looked about as unsettling as it was painful. Glynda nearly fell to her knees as she watched him struggle, helpless to aid him in any way.

"James!" she called out again, her hands clasped to the bars in concern. "What's happening?"

Then the fingers on his metal hand finally sank into the linoleum floor, and began to drag his body towards Glynda's cell. His right leg followed suit, pushing and shoving him in the direction of the Huntress, while he attempted to slow his progression with his left side.

"No!" he growled in frustration. "Stop!"

"James, talk to me!" the Huntress pleaded. "What's happening to your body!?"

The general clenched his teeth, his frail, fleshy limbs unable to muster the strength to oppose the will of his mechanical arm and leg as they clawed and scraped at the floor. He pushed and shoved with his left arm and leg to no avail, as his prosthetics continued to drag him inexorably towards Glynda's cell.

"Ironwood!" Professor Port called out. "Get a hold of yourself, man!"

"General!" Professor Oobleck chimed in. "If your prosthetic enhancements have been compromised, you must take every precaution that they do not endanger yourself or anyone in this room!"

The students Huntsmen in the far cell could only whimper in fear at the horror show unfolding before them. Their rescuer was crawling across the floor like some kind of cyborg zombie, his mechanical arm clawing at the floor until it came up to grasp the cage that held Professor Goodwitch.

"Glynda…" Ironwood gasped, staring up at the woman with desperation in his eyes. "S-Stay away from me!"

Fear filled Glynda's eyes as she backed away just in time for Ironwood's prosthetic hand to rip the sliding steel door from its hinges, dropping it to the floor. She then watched in abject horror as the mechanized limbs resumed their zealous clawing, dragging the general's body into her cell.

Ironwood clasped hold of the steel bars with his good hand before his rogue limbs could carry him any further into the cell, gritting his teeth in pain as his prosthetics strained, stretching his body where skin met steel as the compromised cybernetics continued to drag him inexorably forward.

"James!" Glynda cried, a panicked look in her eyes. "We have to do something! Tell me what to do!"

"Glynda, run!" Ironwood cried, his eyes falling on his fallen pistol just outside the door. "Get out of here!"

"I-I can't leave you like this!" the Huntress cried, standing with her back to the safety deposit boxes. "I won't!"

"You fool!" Ironwood clenched his eyes in pain as his mechanic limbs clawed at the floor, tearing up the linoleum as titanium fingers ripped into it. "I can't control my body, Glynda! It's trying to _kill_ you!"

Glynda swallowed and stood firm.

"I see that, James!" she said stoutly. "This must have been her plan all along! She wants me to die by _your_ hands! But if _I_ leave, then what's to stop your body from killing everyone else in this room!?"

"Glynda…" the general let out a growl of pain before he released his grip on the bars, making a grab for his gun.

His fingers managed to snag a hold of the pistol and he dragged it just into arm's reach, but his mechanical limbs wasted no time in closing the distance towards their target.

"Stand back!" he shouted as his fingers finally closed around the handle of his pistol.

He jammed the muzzle of his gun into the elbow joint of his prosthesis where it would be weakest, and squeezed the trigger.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Round after round unloaded into the prosthetic limb, the deafening boom of his gun ringing loudly within the confined space, causing everyone inside to flinch and cover their ears once again.

CLICK! CLICK!

The clip finally emptied, and Ironwood gazed down at his right arm. His heart sank when he saw that while the white sleeve of his jacket had been all but completely disintegrated from the gunfire, the mechanical arm underneath was still perfectly intact as it continued meticulously clawing its way towards Glynda.

His engineers had done too good of a job, it seemed. Even a full clip of dust rounds wasn't enough to break his body. The general dropped his gun and gave the Huntress before him a defeated look as he shook his head in despair.

"Glynda, please!" he cried out helplessly from the floor. "You have to get away from me! For your own safety, please!"

Glynda shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I won't leave you!" she asserted. "You can stop this, James! I know you can!"

The arm finally reached where Glynda was standing, before clasping roughly around her ankle.

"Ahh!" she gasped, wobbling precariously.

"No!" James cried, grasping the wrist of his prosthetic with his good hand, trying to yank it off of her.

It was no use. His human arm just wasn't strong enough. Glynda tried to shake herself free, but the claw's iron grip was solid. The mechanical arm tugged at her leg as Glynda tried to free herself. But she had no weapon, her heels were precariously unbalanced, and the machinery in the prosthetics was just too powerful.

"Ahhh!" Glynda let out a startled cry before she toppled to the floor.

"Glynda!" Professor Port and Oobleck called out in alarm, grabbing hold of the bars between them.

"Professor!" several of the students cried.

Ironwood smashed at the wrist of his prosthetic with the butt of his pistol, but it simply would not release its hold. Glynda tried to crawl away, but the arm's grip on her leg was far too firm as it slowly dragged her closer.

Before she could pull away, the general's rogue arm yanked her toward him, before releasing its grip to grab at her wrist, tugging her closer to the general as he desperately tried to wrestling his arm off of her, one of her hands pressing against his chest for leverage.

"Glynda!" Ironwood cried, terror in his eyes as he realized what his body was doing. "I…I can't stop it!"

He yanked at his right arm with his left, trying to push away from the wall with one leg as the other held him in place. Glynda tugged and struggled to free herself from the machine's grip, but she was yanked towards him once again.

Only this time, when the mechanical arm broke free, it went straight for her throat.

" _Hrrk!_ " she let out a loud gasp, her eyes widening in fright.

" _NO!_ " James cried in despair.

Ironwood struggled frantically to free the Huntress from his arm's grip. Steel fingers tightened around her neck as she reached up to clasp the mechanical arm they were attached to, kicking her legs as panic began to set in.

"General, _no!_ " Professor Oobleck cried.

"Ironwood, you _must_ put a stop to this!" Professor Port shouted, pounding at the steel bars.

Ironwood gritted his teeth as he tried furiously to pry his fingers off of Glynda's neck.

"I…I _can't!_ " he cried in desperation.

He watched in horror as Glynda's face began to turn pale and then blue as she choked. Sweat began to bead around her forehead, as well as his own as he grasped feebly at the powerful titanium limbs.

" _Haaahhhh…_ " Glynda gasped for air, a pleading look in her eyes as she faced him. "I…I can't…"

"No…" Ironwood gasped, her whole body straining in protest. "Glynda, _no!_ "

The Huntress' hands began to grow limp as energy slowly drained from her body, her body shaking and trembling.

"J…James…" her voice came out in a tiny rasp, as her hands fell from his wrist to gently press her palm to his chest. "I…never…got to…tell you…"

Then the general's eyes dilated to fine points when he saw her eyes roll back into her skull.

"No, _no_ , _NO!_ " he shouted in horror, shaking his head in despair.

No, this couldn't be happening! Not when he'd come this close! He'd finally found her after so long! The one shred of hope he had left to fight for in Vale! The one person who could have kept him going! And he was about to lose her! She was about to die! And it would be at _his_ hands!

All because of the machinery he had surrendered his body to.

James watched helplessly as his own body choked the life out of the Huntress before him. His own body had betrayed him, and now Glynda was dying for it. When it came down to it, it did not matter what his heart wanted. The machinery, the technology, the _audacity_ of Atlas…it seemed that the engineering and ingenuity of his kingdom would finally be their undoing in the end.

And he had allowed it all happen.

Then, unbidden, the words of an old friend entered his head.

 _"_ _Look inside, James…your heart is stronger than you know…"_

Fury took over as Ironwood clenched his teeth until they bled. He grasped the offending prosthetic like it was a wild beast in need of slaughter. His fingers dug into the mechanical arm that was strangling the woman he loved and began to twist. His finger dug deeper and deeper, and he twisted until his hand trembled white.

 _"_ _The heart can grant strength when our bodies fail us…"_

Jasmine's words echoed in his mind as the general's body tore into itself. Sparks began to snap and fly as the titanium servos in his mechanical arm began to strain in protest, and the joints in his elbow that were already weakened by gunfire slowly began to smoke.

 _"_ _You have a strong heart. A good heart… Let this fuel you, James!"_

"HRRR _RRRAAAGH!_ " he bellowed at the top of his lungs.

With a roar of indignation, Ironwood's prosthetic arm came loose as he ripped it off at the elbow, yanking it off of Glynda's neck and flinging the defiant piece of machinery to the floor.

"Glynda!" the two professors hollered in terror.

As Ironwood's body continued to spasm uncontrollably in an attempt to finish what it had started, the general ripped at the collar of his jacket to expose the prosthesis where it met the skin of his chest. Just under where his right collarbone should be, there were two red lights, blinking frantically.

Reaching for the fallen arm at his feet, James grabbed the limb and used the rent titanium at its severed joint as a makeshift chisel. With a mighty shove, he drove the sharp end of the limb into his chest, splitting open the metal casing and embedding the arm into the dust energy cell that powered his prosthesis.

With a whir of defeat, his mechanical limbs finally powered down, and his body collapsed into a crumpled heap.

"Ugh…" he groaned in agony, his left hand twisted and bloody as he release his improvised weapon, turning his attention to his more immediate concern. "G-Glynda…"

With an effort, the general began to crawl towards the fallen Huntress.

"General!" Oobleck called out in concern. "Are you alright!?"

"Ironwood!" Port added. "What's happening!? Is it over!?"

He didn't answer. Couldn't. He could only think about one thing as he clawed and scraped across the linoleum floor towards Glynda's fallen form. What he had almost done…

"Glynda…" he gasped, fearing the worst.

He wheezed in pain as he crawled, struggling to even breathe. The right side of his body had contained an artificial lung, which was now as inactive as the rest of his prosthetics. All the metal attached to his body now only served as dead weight, which the rest of him was woefully ill suited to carry.

But finally, he managed to drag himself over to Glynda's fallen form, cradling her head in his remaining hand.

"Glynda…" he wheezed, his voice coming out in a halting growl. "Oh god no, Glynda…I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry…"

Tears began to well up in his eyes as she lay unmoving in his arms, his hand shaking in fear. She lay still, like a broken bird, her neck badly bruised, her breath completely stilled. His fingers curled through her hair as he held her close, his body convulsing as he choked on his own tears.

"No…" he sobbed, pressing his forehead into hers. "No, come back…please, come back…"

His whole body began to tremble as the full impact of what he had done began to sink in. He had been too late to stop it. His own body, used as a tool by the enemy. The Atlas tech that he had staked his entire life on, and it was that very tech that had betrayed him. At Beacon. At Atlas. And now here.

And Glynda had paid the ultimate price. He would never forgive himself.

"Glynda…" he wept, cradling her withering form in his arm, his fingertips brushing across her cheeks as she lay still. "Don't do this to me…please…"

He was overcome with grief as the other Huntsmen looked on in sorrow, his body beyond repair, and the Huntress in his arms withered and broken.

"I never…" he whispered through his tears. "I never…got to tell you either…"

Port and Oobleck looked on in despair, their hands clenched around the bars of their cells, looks of shock and horror on their faces. Glynda had ever been a part of their lives at Beacon. But after all this time…

Then a tiny voice reached Ironwood's ears.

"Tell me…what…?"

The general's eyes flew open as he stared down at the woman in his arms, her body still completely immobile. Not a sound escaped her lips, neither the stirring of breath nor the lilting of her voice.

Had he imagined it?

Then her eyelids slowly lifted, her piercing green eyes fluttering open to fix on his own, her lips slowly rising to form a soft, gentle smile.

Ironwood's jaw dropped, his breath halting in astonishment as Glynda lifted a hand to touch his cheek, before convulsing in a fit of coughs as she attempted to draw in a breath once again.

"Glynda!" James cried, his hand just barely hovering over her cheek as though she just might break. "Oh Glynda, you're alive!"

Both the other professors drew in a breath of relief as they saw their colleague slowly sit up in the general's arm.

"Glynda!" they both cried in elation.

"Professor!" several of the students added.

Ironwood shook his head in disbelief as Glynda reached up to gently touch her neck, wincing at the bruising she felt on her skin.

"Ow…" she muttered, gritting her teeth as she looked around. "What happened?"

James hung his head in grief, tears still in his eyes.

"I thought for sure I had killed you!" the general bemoaned, a look of purest guilt on his face. "I should have never come here! Oh, Glynda, can you _ever_ forgive me!? I _never_ meant to put you in harm's way like that!"

The Huntress glanced down at the severed arm on the floor at the man's knees, and back up at his body, her eyes widening as she slowly put the pieces together in her head. She then slowly brought her hand up to touch the hole in his chest where he had shut down his prosthetics.

"You overpowered your own Atlas tech with nothing but wit and will…" she whispered softly, her voice still coming out hoarse. "You destroyed a part of your own _body_ to keep me safe. I…I never dreamed that you would _ever_ go to such lengths…"

James shook his head disparagingly as she stared up at him, a wistful look on her face.

"Of course I would!" he declared vehemently. "Glynda, don't be absurd! There's no length I _wouldn't_ go to in order to ensure your-"

He was cut off when Glynda suddenly pressed her lips to his, stealing his words and his breath as she closed her eyes. His eyes widened and he remained as still as a statue as she kissed him, her hand on his chest where he had stabbed himself. Slowly she brought the frail touch of her fingertips from his chest up to his face one again, gently caressing his cheek as she pulled away.

"So…" she croaked, an amused look on her face, though her breathing was still labored. "What…was it exactly that you wanted to tell me…James?"

The general stared at her in stunned silence, absolutely bewitched. She was smiling up at him, her green eyes locked with his, a look of dearest affection on her face. He couldn't tell if he had lost his senses, or if _she_ had, but he was utterly flabbergasted either way. He looked like he may have responded, when the sound of another voice broke his concentration.

"Bravo, old boy!" Professor Port cheered in elation, swinging his fist in a low arc. "Bra- _vo!_ "

The two of them turned to see they had an audience, including several students who were trying not to giggle in spite of themselves.

"Yes, well…" Professor Oobleck said in an embarrassed voice, looking equally flabbergasted for entirely different reasons. "This is all _very_ emotional and all, but could we perhaps address the immediate issue at hand? That being our _continued_ incarceration in this insipid bank vault? I do believe we've all had quite enough of this place!"

Glynda smiled shyly as turned her eyes from her colleagues back to the general, and was even further amused to see that, for the first time since she'd known him, Ironwood's cheeks were actually turning red.

James looked away, coughing surreptitiously into his fist.

" _Ahem_ …" he cleared his throat. "Yes, indeed."

He straightened his back, though his hand had not left the Huntress' shoulder.

"Glynda, are you well enough to stand?" he asked.

She sighed, slowly climbing to her feet, pushing off of him with an effort.

"I'm fine," she replied in a dignified voice, though she still sounded somewhat hoarse. "Certainly doing better than you are at the moment, at least."

He cleared his throat again as he looked down at what was left of his body.

"Indeed," he said, once again in military mode. "In any case, we'd best get moving. Evac shuttles will be here soon, and the rest of your people still need to be released from their confines."

He glanced down at his pistol on the floor, releasing another dejected sigh.

"I…may require your assistance…" he admitted, shamefully. "With my body in its current condition…"

Glynda smiled and shook her head, before reaching down to claim the man's weapon in her hands. She re-chambered the magazine, took one step outside her cell before taking aim at the other cage doors.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Three quick blasts later, and the cell doors confining the remaining resistance members were swinging open, their latches smoldering.

"Anything else you need help with, general?" Glynda asked playfully, grasping the pistol at a ready position pointed upward..

James sighed in appreciation as the other two professors and the two dozen or so students slowly began to file out of their cells, eyeing their surroundings cautiously as they stepped.

"That will do, I think," he glanced up at her from his position on the floor, the right half of his body still draped limply across the floor. "Although, I…may need one of your colleagues to help me up. I'm afraid I'm mostly dead weight right now."

Glynda leaned down and slid the massive pistol into the holster at the general's belt.

"There you go again," she criticized. "Underestimating me as usual…"

To Ironwood's surprise, the petite woman leaned down and clasped him by the hand, before slinging his arm over her shoulder, lifting his entire frame – titanium cybernetics and all – onto his feet.

"Oof!" the man grunted, surprised by how strong the woman was, before looking away in shame at being carried in such a manner. "Glynda, please…there's no need for you to-"

"Oh, just be quiet and let me take care of _you_ for once!" she snapped, grunting under his weight.

Glynda shook her head in exasperation as she slowly began to hobble the general out of the vault. It was slow going, the general's left leg doing what little it could to carry the three hundred and fifty pounds of weight his body represented. As they advanced, the rest of the resistance members hurried past as they all traipsed over the marble floor, past teller offices and cashier desks, as they made their way out to the front door of the tenth street bank,

"The road looks clear," Professor Port said, after glancing outside the door.

"Come on now students," Professor Oobleck said as he ushered the students out the door. "This way."

The student Huntsmen hurried out the door, the imposing figure of the Juggernaut loomed overhead. Ironwood and Glynda took up the rear, the general continuing to hobble with his arm draped over her shoulder. As they both made their way out the door, they both glanced up at the towering Juggernaut. One look at the giant mech, and the general knew that he wouldn't be piloting the Juggernaut anytime soon. He'd have to leave it here, and arrange for it to be transported via bullhead when time permitted, assuming it wasn't ravaged by Grimm by the time he did.

Despite the loss it would represent to the current conflict, he still felt relieved. If it meant Glynda's survival, he'd have traded in a thousand such mechs.

"Have I mentioned how glad I am that you're still alive?" James asked sardonically as the of them emerged out onto the street.

Glynda threw him a wry smile.

"You could afford to mention it a few more times," she intoned, glancing away shyly. "And…I'm glad you're here as well."

The two of them stared up at the sky, the war with the Grimm raging on overhead. The Atlesian fleet was in a deadlock with the aerial Grimm. The streets were torn up beyond recognition, and where there weren't creatures of Grimm prowling the streets, there were automated Atlesian mechs patrolling the area. Above them, the sleek thin frame of an Atlesian rescue shuttle slowly descended towards them, ready to ferry them all to safety.

The general let out a breath.

"When this is over-" Ironwood began.

"When this is over," Glynda said admonishingly, giving him a knowing smile, "I expect a _much_ more satisfactory answer from you, general."

Ironwood swallowed hard as she gazed at him, her piercing green eyes locked onto his. Behind them, the rescue shuttle touched down, and the other two professors began ferrying their students on board. With so much happening around them, it seemed irresponsible to dwell on the what-ifs between them both, James reflected. At the moment, he was simply relieved that the two of them had evaded catastrophe for now. Everything else could come later in due time.

On the other hand, so many opportunities had already passed them by. If this war had taught him anything, it was that the chance to act may never come again. Ironwood may have avoided revealing his feelings to Glynda for now, but the determined look in her eyes suggested that he wouldn't be avoiding the question for much longer.

"Understood, ma'am…" he said with a rough laugh as she helped him onto the shuttle. "Now let's get out of here."


	139. Chapter 139

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 139

* * *

Cinder stared at her reflection in the mirror, her face contorted into a scowl. Her normally pristine red dress was rumpled, her hair was a mess, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She hadn't gotten any sleep since the day her dragon had awoken and subsequently perished. Her emotional imbalance was playing such haywire with her mental faculties that he could hardly think straight anymore. And ever since her master had returned to this realm, she had been at her wits' end.

She had sequestered herself in her room to try to clear her head. Really it was Glynda's room, but Cinder had laid claim to it, making an absolute mess of the place just to spite her. Books and clothes were strewn about the room, the bed unmade, the drapes hanging at odd angles as the woman in red had lived in and discarded whatever she pleased as it suited her. Professor Port's collection of spirits had also been dragged up to the room in a case, half the bottles now empty in the days and weeks since she had moved in.

Cinder glared out the window at the battle still raging overhead. She knew should have been keeping a closer eye on the battle. Her master was still commanding the Grimm, and really, there wasn't much that Cinder herself needed to be doing. The battle would be over soon enough, and then…well, her reign would begin. And simultaneously, it would end. What purpose did she serve, now that Salem was here? There was nothing she could do that Salem couldn't anymore. She had nothing further to contribute. What was the point anymore? It seemed that she had finally become what she always feared she would be – superfluous.

Cinder grimaced in anger. She was standing before an antique vanity in her former teammate's bedroom, sipping fifty year old wine from a stemmed glass, while just outside the window, the Grimm laid waste to the forces of humanity. This should have been her moment of triumph! Yet for some reason, she was completely on edge.

How had it all come to this?

She took another sip from the cool red wine. She had opened the bottle in an attempt to silence the cacophony in her head, but it was only making things worse. She knew what she was feeling right now was only temporary, but that did little to dull its edge. Whatever Krymsen had done to her, its effects did not seem to be abating or decreasing. If anything, the mania of emotions going on inside her was getting worse. Perhaps Krymsen had not been forthcoming with the full measure of symptoms she might feel. Perhaps being in the presence of the Witch and experiencing the culmination of a lifetime of work was simply aggravating her condition. She just couldn't be sure.

She clumsily gulped down another mouthful of wine, gasping for breath as she swallowed, spattering a line of red droplets across the pristine white boudoir in her haste. She stared back at her reflection, unable to tear her eyes away from what she had become. Even her makeup was beginning to run. She was an utter mess! What had happened to her? She used to be a creature of dignity and poise, and now she could scarcely draw breath without shuddering.

She clasped a hand about her forehead, feeling cold sweat beading on her skin. Had she had too much to drink already? No, this was something else. Her body, still reacting to the twisting negativity in her heart. She was still paying the price for reviving her dragon, despite the fact that the dragon itself had already been wiped off the board. She had been reckless, and now she was suffering the consequences.

"Damn it…" she hissed, reaching for a hairbrush on the vanity, bringing it and yanking it through her disheveled black hair. "Damn it all…"

She had everything she wanted. And yet she had nothing. Had she sacrificed too much to get here? She had traded her humanity for the power to get her revenge. And she had sacrificed her allies in the unending march towards that goal. Emerald had left her. Adam had left her. Neo had left her. Mercury was dead. All that was left were her Grimm and her master, neither of which offered much in the way of comfort.

She tugged and tugged at her hair, which seemed to delight in defying her. Tangle after tangle seemed to spring up, one after another, until finally she hurled the hairbrush into the mirror in a fit of rage.

"Rrraaarrrggghhh!" she screamed.

CRASH!

The mirror cracked all the way through, a spider web of jagged edges appearing across its entire face, several pieces falling to the boudoir below. Cinder stared at her reflection, her image disjointed by so many shards of broken glass, glaring back at the faces staring back at her.

Then, for an instant, another face peered at her from within one of the fragments. The red hair and green eyes of the Fall Maiden candidate appeared within the glass, the young Huntress staring judgmentally back at her, utterly calm and forever at peace.

" _Do you believe in destiny?_ " she asked.

Cinder's pupils dilated to points as she seized the wine glass before her by the stem.

"SHUT UP!" she screamed, hurling the glass of wine at the face before her.

CRASH!

The glass shattering into a million pieces, covering the broken mirror with a thin red film that seemed to coat the world around her in blood. Cinder shook, resting her hands on the vanity as she stared back at her tormentor in the shattered mirror, the wine slowly trickling down its surface.

Pyrrha's face was gone. Cinder was all that remained in the mirror.

Heartless. Helpless. Broken.

What was wrong with her? She clutched the edge of the boudoir, her breathing halting and ragged as she tried to regain her senses. Was this just nerves? Was she going mad? Or was this guilt for all the pain she'd caused?

No...no, the world had wronged her so heavily on so many levels that no amount of pain she caused could ever balance the scales. She _deserved_ everything that she claimed for herself! And the world _deserved_ every bit of hurt she dispensed!

Nothing else would satisfy. Her revenge was all that mattered anymore.

Then a faraway sound caught her attention, and Cinder felt her blood run cold.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

Cinder's heart began to pound as she recognized the sound of her dragon. Could it be? Had the dragon truly returned to her!?

Staggering over to the window, Cinder twisted the latch and threw open the shutters to lean her head outside Beacon tower, staring up at the battle raging before the entire kingdom. Squinting through the tumultuous mass of Grimm fluttering about overhead, a familiar shape emerged from the clouds. She saw the distinctive silhouette of wings in the sky, her beautiful creatures of Grimm encircling the beast like the corona of the sun. The blackness of night intertwined with the spiral of clouds as the great mass of terror descended from the heavens on wings of sweet vengeance.

But as the terrible beast broke through the line of nevermores, gryphons and gargoyles in the sky, Cinder felt something knotting in her chest as she saw the Grimm beginning to fall. Like a sea of dust washing away in waves of foam, the creatures of Grimm tumbled away from the dragon like brine, shedding off of its wings like the crusty barnacles of a great white whale. As the creatures of Grimm came within range with the beast, it was as if they disintegrated on contact, their bodies crumbling into powder. Every flap of the great creature's wings washed away hundreds of her aerial battalion. The dragon was moving about them unhindered by their presence, swimming through them like nettles, its very skin a toxic poison that etched the Grimm from the sky.

No, this was wrong. Every part of this was wrong! How could this be happening? Had her dragon turned on them? Cinder's heart began to race as she watched their aerial superiority deteriorate more and more by the moment. How could this be happening!? Her dragon had been no more! And yet somehow it had returned from the grave to haunt her! This couldn't be happening!

But then as it banked through the clouds, a flash of sunlight glimmered through from above. The beast was cast in a pale, ghostly glow. And only under the sun could Cinder finally see its true colors.

Her black dragon, terror of the night, was now a glimmering, gleaming white.

This wasn't her dragon! This was a summon spirit, one of the largest she had ever seen. And there upon its back, unmistakable in their bright vibrant color, were four Huntresses, riding upon the dragon like harbingers of Cinder's very undoing.

She ran. Terror consumed her as she fled through the doors, her heart thudding in her chest as she dashed through the halls of Beacon. This couldn't be happening! It couldn't be! She had no way to counter this! She had needed to drive herself half mad just to summon the creature herself! And now, the enemy had that very same creature in their thrall, the bloody beast wiping out her forces en masse!

How? How as this possible? How could they come back from this? She had no other recourse, no avenue of approach. There was no backup plan, no fallback, no safety net! She had prided herself on always being prepared for the unexpected, but now panic began to set in as she fled to the stairs leading up to the tower. Her master would have an answer! She always did! If anyone could find a way out of this mess, it would be Salem. She knew it!

In the back of Cinder's mind, she knew that even this fear was irrational, that the imbalance in her emotions could very well be blowing the significance of this crisis completely out of proportion. But if so, that was all the more reason for this to fall upon someone else's shoulders. Cinder had no one else she could turn to. Emerald had left her. Adam had left her. Neo had left her. Mercury was dead. There was only one other that she could trust in all the world.

Salem.

"Master!" she cried out as she reached the top of the stair. "Master, the dragon!"

She found the Witch standing by the ledge of the tower, staring up at the massive beast with her arms crossed. There was a look of disdain on her face, her brow furrowed in concentration. For the first time since Cinder had seen her, Salem looked perturbed.

"Master!" Cinder repeated as she hurried over to her, out of breath from running up the stairs. "That dragon's tearing through our forces! What should we do?"

Salem still said nothing as she gazed up at the monster as it swept through the creatures of Grimm, wiping them out by the hundreds, seemingly contemplating their situation.

Cinder shook her head in despair. She was completely out of ideas. If the Witch couldn't do something about this…

"Master, what should we do!?" Cinder pleaded with her once again, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

Finally Salem seemed to acknowledge the other woman as she turned towards her.

SHHHNNNK!

Cinder blinked in surprise, before staring down at her stomach. The blade of a stiletto lay embedded within her abdomen, the Witch Salem's hand clasped about its hilt.

"M-Master…?" Cinder gasped in a strangled voice, staring down at the blade in disbelief.

Where had the blade come from? How had it even gotten there? Questions swam through Cinder's mind, as if she were unable to recognize the reality of the situation. Had her master truly just _stabbed_ her? No, her master would never do such a thing! Cinder trusted her master completely! She had not even put up her aura barrier around her, she trusted her so much!

Surely…surely this had to be some kind of trick…

"Enough…" came a voice.

Salem's lips had moved. But it was not the Witch's voice that spoke.

Cinder's eyes widened in absolute disbelief as her master's form began to shift. Her skin seemed to fall away as the illusion melted before her. The Witch's pale skin and ghostly white hair flaked off of her like so much ash. Until at last, Salem was gone, replaced by a tiny girl with pink and brown hair and dichromatic eyes.

Cinder's brow clenched as fury took hold of her.

" _You…_ " she hissed in anger, her weapons materializing in her hands.

Neo's only response was to abruptly yank the stiletto from Cinder's stomach, a trail of blood spewing as she did. And that's when the pain finally hit her, paralyzing Cinder where she stood. She nearly lost all sensation in her lower half, and her red dress began to darken as blood began to seep into the cloth. Cinder dropped her weapons, the twin sabers fizzling out of existence, and could only clutch at her stomach, a look of absolute stupefaction on her face.

"Enough…" Neo repeated in a voice as quiet as a whisper.

The tiny girl then turned and walked away.

Cinder staggered, nearly falling to her knees. The pain in her gut was overwhelming as she struggled to stay standing. The blade had cut her deep. It may very well have damaged her spine. She could hardly feel her legs, and every movement was agony as she tried to turn her body to face her attacker. She tried to tap into her Maiden powers, but couldn't muster the strength. All of her aura was going into maintaining consciousness. She could not even lash out at the traitorous child as she strode away.

She let out a gasp of pain as she finally managed to take a single, agonizing step, turning her body to face the wretched girl. She cast her glance back in the direction she had come and saw the little one standing there, watching Cinder struggle, a look of placid stoicism on her face.

Cinder fumed. How could the brat have caught her so _completely_ off guard? She had never been one to so carelessly move about with her aura shield down. But ever since her emotions had gone out of whack, she had been making rash decisions one after the other. She had been jumping at shadows left and right ever since. And she had been so preoccupied in the task that she had completely missed the real threat.

Even with the power of four Maidens, Cinder had been undone by a single act of duplicity.

As she stared in stupefaction, Cinder eventually noticed another figure atop Ozpin's tower along with them. It had been a while since she had seen her, and Cinder had wondered when she would reveal herself again. She had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. How she came and went as she did was a mystery, but it was fortuitous, Cinder thought, that she should choose appear now.

"Krymsen!" Cinder blared, locking eyes on the woman with white hair. "What are you standing there for!? _Do_ something! Kill this treacherous whelp!"

Neo turned to face the other woman, her eyes widening in fear as if she had not even seen that she was there. Krymsen, for her part, remained completely still, not even going for her weapon as she watched the pitiful sight unfold before her. Neo stood well beyond arm's reach as Cinder clutched her stomach, unable to muster enough focus even to summon her Maiden powers.

Krymsen shook her head.

"I've done all I can for you, Cinder," she sighed. "This folly is of your own making."

Cinder's eyes widened in disbelief at what she was hearing. Had everyone she'd ever known actually betrayed her? Emerald had left her. Adam had abandoned her. Neo had turned on her. Mercury was gone, and even now, Salem was nowhere to be found. And now her last confidant in all of Remnant was about to stab her in the back.

It was as if the entire world was falling out from around her.

"Krymsen…" she growled in fury. "Don't you _dare_ betray me too! I will see that you _burn_ for this!"

The white haired woman crossed her arms, an unimpressed look on her face.

"My name isn't Krymsen…" she said at last. "It's Raven Branwen."

Cinder's jaw dropped, her eyes flickering in stunned silence. The adrenaline in her system warred with the flood of neurotransmitters firing off every which way as her mind attempted to process what she had just heard. She knew that name well. She'd seen that face before. She'd peered into Qrow's head enough times to know just how powerful a foe she was. And yet somehow, she had not even recognized her when she stood before her very eyes!

Raven Branwen. The enemy had been whispering into her ear this entire time.

Despair began to wash over her as Cinder turned her eyes to the sky. Her Grimm were all but wiped out, the dragon clearing the skies with terrifying efficiency. The Huntsmen were knocking at her door, the Atlesian fleet was moving into position to undo everything she had ever worked for, and every ally she'd ever thought she'd made had ultimately turned their back on her.

In that moment, Cinder knew true hopelessness.

"No…" she moaned in desolation and anguish, shaking her head slowly, her body still clenched in pain. " _No!_ This _isn't_ how it was supposed to end!"

She clenched her eyes shut, her hands balled into fists as she screamed out loudly into the sky.

"I was supposed to have my revenge!" she screamed. "I was supposed to rule over all of Remnant! That was supposed to be my _destiny!_ "

Raven let out a sigh as she shook her head, stepping towards the wretched woman as she wallowed in her misery.

"Your destiny…" Raven said slowly "...was to fall."

Cinder stared in blank stupefaction as Raven raised a hand, placed it to her chest and gave the woman a gentle push. Cinder slowly toppled backward towards the edge of Beacon tower. As injured as she was, she could do nothing to stop her body from falling backward over the ledge.

She uttered not a sound as she fell, not a scream nor a shout. She remained deathly silent as she kept her gaze fixed on Raven, her eyes piercing and unmoving, her blood red dress fluttering in the wind, her body falling backward towards the ground below.

Raven only watched, a cold expression on her face as the Daughter of Fire plummeted to her doom, her body plunging toward the rubble below before disappearing from sight.

When she turned, the girl called Neo was still there, watching the Huntress with a look of terror in her eyes. It seemed that she still recognized Raven from when they had last met. Raven remembered that day well. The child had very nearly killed Yang, forcing Raven to step in and intervene on her behalf.

But that same child had been the one who had later spared Yang's life, and ultimately, had removed the Daughter of Fire from the board. Raven knew not where her path would take her from here, but she did not need a seeing pool to tell her that the girl still had much more left to do.

"I wouldn't stick around if I were you," Raven cautioned, turning towards the stairs. "You won't want to be here for what happens next."

Neo nodded furtively, looking like she had just dodged a bullet, giving her parasol a wave.

By the time Raven reached the stairs, Neo was gone.


	140. Chapter 140

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 140

* * *

The long series of tunnels beneath Vale that Team CFVY had selected for their mission had not turned out quite so devoid of Grimm as they had hoped.

"Fall back!" Coco shouted as more and more Gargoyles swooped in from overhead. "Everybody fall back to the rear tunnel!"

While the underground tunnels offered numerous areas that were wide enough for large groups to engage in combat, these wider areas were divided by several narrow tunnels that could not be traversed by more than a single file line. Moving a force of nearly a hundred Huntsmen through such a series of narrow passages would have been suicide if they had run into trouble. With the entire force bottle-necked, the Huntsmen would not have been able to leverage their strength of numbers. With the potential for a sudden attack to cause a panic, any sudden enough encounter could have easily resulted in the lead Huntsman taking the brunt of the attack without sufficient time for the marching line to double back.

To counteract this issue, Coco had broken the teams into smaller groups as they traversed these narrow passages so that they could quickly retreat back to the main force should they encounter trouble. While this strategy seemed to have worked as intended when they did indeed encounter the creatures of Grimm lurking through the tunnels, unfortunately Coco did not have a very effective follow-up plan for what to do once they had regrouped.

It was dark inside the tunnels, with the only light coming from individual Huntsmen's scrolls and those with weapons with their own light source. The tunnels were built largely of granite, with limestone brick arches lining the passageway entrances. The larger tunnel, roughly eighty feet at its widest with a good forty feet of headroom, housed the bulk of their force, with several outliers skirting through the side passages, branching out to keep an eye out for flanking enemies.

The real threat, however, came from directly ahead after Coco had taken her team to investigate the next narrow passage on their way towards Beacon, only to be ambushed by a host of gargoyles upon emerging from the other side into the next larger areas. After retreating, she had ordered every nearby Huntsmen to form ranks after they had regrouped, awaiting for the Grimm to chase them back through the narrow passage.

To her utter aggravation however, the Grimm did not seem to be following them through. Any other creature of Grimm would have come charging blindly after them, thinking the Huntsmen to be easy prey, only to be funneled to the hundreds of waiting allies on the other side and be slain one by one. But these gargoyles were holding back. She and the others could still clearly _hear_ the growls on the far side of the passage, but the Grimm were holding their ground on the other side.

Almost as if they were smart enough to know that their demise awaited them should they barreling after them.

The Huntsmen were at a standoff, but one in which they could not afford to wait out for. The Fleet needed the Huntsmen to push forward, and unless they found a way past those Grimm on the far side, Ironwood's ground forces would be unable to join the fight. The Grimm, on the other hand, only needed to stall them here to attain victory.

Clever bastards.

Coco looked around at her fellow teammates, giving them each a haggard expression.

"Well, I don't think they're back coming though this way," she sighed, shaking her head as the surrounding Huntsmen all looked to her for guidance.

There was a murmuring amongst the dozens of Huntsmen within earshot. Several members of Team CFVY exchanged worried glances, before Emerald spoke up.

"Well, there has to be another way around!" she declared.

"There isn't," Coco sighed. "It's like old man shopkeep said – the only other passage has collapsed, and we don't have the time to dig through it."

The worried faces began to grow as they all began to realize what was going on.

"But, Coco…" Velvet spoke up, glancing at the cobblestone archway leading into the dark channel before them. "If that's the only way through…and we know the Grimm are waiting for us…"

Fox closed his eyes, crossing his arms as he set his jaw.

"It'll be a suicide run," he said gravely. "The Grimm will pick us off on by one until one of us gets lucky though to break through their line. They'll eat into our numbers, and probably decimate us before we manage to form ranks on the other side."

Coco gritted her teeth.

"You see, this is what we need the regular infantry for," she said, morbidly.

"Coco!" Velvet cried. "How can you say that?"

"She's right," Fox said. "This is exactly the sort of situation you need cannon fodder for."

Everyone lowered their heads as they realized just what they were in for. This was not the type of battle that Huntsmen were designed for. The Grimm were too well entrenched for them to attempt anything but a straight up charge. If it came down to a battle of attrition, there _would_ be casualties.

"That…" Yatsuhashi chimed in. "Or a much bigger cannon."

Velvet looked at her partner curiously.

"Yatsuhashi?" she asked somberly. "Do you have an idea?"

The big man cracked his knuckles.

"Velvet and I link up," he said simply. "I go in with my semblance fully charged, with all of you right behind me. I break through as many of them as I can, and give each of you a chance to get through and mount an effective attack."

Velvet's face fell as she slowly realized just what he was proposing. Yatsuhashi's density semblance allowed him to multiply his own weight in an instant, allowing his attacks to hit much harder than they otherwise would. It also meant that, with a running charge, he could barrel through almost any opponent. But it didn't make him invulnerable.

"But…but Yatsuhashi…" she stammered. "Even with our auras linked, you'll still be the first thing all those Grimm will try to target! You can't fend off that many Grimm, not all at once!"

Velvet's partner frowned. "If that's what it takes for us to get through this, then that's what I've got to do."

The Faunus girl shook her head in protest, taking him by the arm.

"But…no…" she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Yatsuhashi, you can't! You'll _die!_ "

The big man closed his eyes. "Better me than all of you…"

Coco held up her hand, interrupting the moment of melodrama.

"We haven't decided on anything just yet, you two," she said sternly. "There's got to be some other options we haven't thought of yet. What about that dust we got from old man shopkeep?"

Fox withdrew a satchel which they had filled to the brim with their windfall from the dust shop.

"I've been looking through it all," he said, opening up the knapsack withdrawing one of the clear glass vials. "Most of them are labelled in a language I don't understand. It looks like it _could_ be an ancient Vacuan dialect, but…"

He trailed off when Emerald promptly snatched one of the vials from his hand and shone her light onto the label.

"Hey!" he huffed in annoyance.

Emerald's eyes widened in recognition.

"That's because it _is_ ancient Vacuan," she said, ignoring Fox's irritated protest. "Look, this stuff says _Alhajar Alhay_ – Living Stone!"

Coco raised an eyebrow, honestly perplexed.

"How did _you_ of all people manage to learn _ancient Vacuan?_ " she asked.

Emerald just shrugged.

"Lots of black market goods are in ancient Vacuan," she said. "It's like a trade tongue in the underworld. You learn to pick up a few things if you know what's good for you on the street. Even Dora could speak it."

All of Team CFVY exchanged awkward glances with one another.

"Ok…" Fox finally said, breaking the silence as he pulled the satchel full of dust vials open wide, revealing a treasure trove of color. "Let's see if we can get some idea of what we've got here."

Emerald held her scroll up to shine a light into the knapsack, before reaching in to gently sift through the vials, turning them so she could see their labels.

"Let's see…" she mused, peering at the dust through the dim lighting. " _Aljadhibia_ \- Gravity… _Dhakira_ \- Memory… _Sukun_ \- Sleep… _Ainfisal_ \- Paralysis…I've never seen anything _like_ this before…"

She threw a suspicious look at Coco.

"Where exactly does dear old mister shopkeep get his wares from anyway?" she asked suspiciously.

Coco just shrugged. "We never asked. Gift horses and mouths and whatnot."

Emerald reached into the satchel to withdraw what looked like a shipping receipt.

"Purchase to the order of…" she squinted, reading the shopkeep's sloppy handwriting. "R. Branwen. Any of you guys know an R. Branwen?"

Velvet's eyes lit up. "Wasn't Ruby's uncle named Branwen?"

Yatsuhashi crossed his arms. "Something tells me this shipment of dust didn't come into our possession by accident."

Coco shook her head and started rifling through the dust vials.

"What did I _just_ say about gift horses, big guy?" she said, before withdrawing a vial of golden dust. "We got 'em, so let's use 'em. Here…"

She shoved the vial towards Emerald.

"What does this one say?" she demanded.

Emerald held her scroll out as a light so she could read the label.

"Ummm…" she said, deciphering the text. " _Uruk Yaqhar_ …nearest translation I've got for that is 'Unbreakable' or 'Indomitable.'"

Team CFVY exchanged another glance with one another, this one of a much different nature.

"How about 'Indominance?'" Fox suggested.

Emerald stared at the vial, squinting.

"Yeah, actually," she said. "That makes more sense."

Velvet's eyes widened in recognition as she remembered how it felt to be linked with four other members of Team RSJC, including a boy who carried an ancient sword and shield.

"That first word, _Uruk_ ," she said. "That's ancient Vacuan for…?"

"Uh, by itself?" Emerald shrugged. "I think _Uruk_ just means 'Arc' or something."

Velvet cast a glance back at her team leader.

"I think this is the dust we want," she said excitedly.

Coco threw a smile towards Yatsuhashi.

"Alright, jolly-green giant," she smirked at the big guy. "You get your wish."

She nodded to Emerald, gesturing for the dust vial.

"Let's try out that golden dust and see if we can't turn our boy Yatsuhashi here into a freight train."

Moments later, Yatsuhashi Daichi was charging down the narrow passageway at full tilt, sword drawn. Velvet Scarletina was following closely behind him, followed by the rest of their team, including Emerald Sustrai. Velvet was keeping close to her partner to maintain her aura link, effectively doubling his aura pool. In his hand was the vial containing the golden dust. And ahead of him lay the snarling howls and gnashing fangs of the Grimm gargoyles.

 _HISSSSS!_

As the team moved forward, their lights fell upon the waiting enemy line at the end of the passage. Though there were only a few visible through the opening, the number of wings that towered over the heads and shoulders beyond seemed to indicate numbers almost equal to the collective Huntsmen gathered. Some carried axes, others bore halberds, some pikes and staves, each one a sickening black in shade. And each and every one of them was leveled at the incoming Huntsmen.

"Yaaaggghhh!" Yatsuhashi bellowed, hoisting his sword before him like a battering ram.

In his other hand, he crushed the vial of dust in his other hand, which burst into a cloud of gold that surrounded his body, enveloping him in a warm golden glow.

And then he activated his semblance.

Yatsuhashi weighed in at a cool two hundred and forty-four pounds, not including his sword, which added another sixteen pounds. He was charging forward at a hefty pace of about fifteen miles per hour, lending him about three hundred and fifty pounds of force. His semblance of density normally allowed him to multiply his weight by a factor of ten at its maximum, which normally enabled him to swing his oversized sword with a much higher striking force of about two hundred pounds. At full sprint, however, his semblance could bring his entire body weight temporarily up to about two thousand six hundred pounds, and his charging force up to two and a half tons.

And with the aid of Velvet's aura, the upper limit of his semblance increased exponentially, allowing him to multiply that value by _another_ factor of ten, bringing his charging force to nearly eighteen tons. And thanks to the golden dust that now enveloped him, temporarily lending him a power not unlike Jaune's Indominance, the creatures of Grimm may as well have been hit by an eighteen-ton wrecking ball.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Velvet had to admit, there was something rather gratifying about the sight of over a hundred creatures of Grimm splattering across the inside of the next open tunnel. The lead Grimm's weapon had bowed in upon contact with Yatsuhashi's sword, and its body had crumpled less than a second afterward, being hurled backwards at an astonishing speed. The force of impact had crushed the Grimm behind it, and the next one after that, until the black morass of flesh and bone had all but splattered in every direction.

Every gargoyle that wasn't utterly crushed was flung away from the entrance to the narrow passage as Yatsuhashi charged through, glowing bright gold. And as the shimmering dust effect faded, Yatsuhashi dropped his semblance, and finally slowed to a halt, bringing his sword to bear. Velvet skidded to a stop behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder as she gasped for breath, feeling her aura dip from the intensity of the attack.

"Attack!" came Coco's voice as she and Fox charged in from behind.

Shortly after they did, a dozen more Huntsmen barreled through the opening, flooding the larger tunnel before the Grimm could recuperate. As the gargoyles clamored to their feet, they were met with the blades and gunfire from Teams FNKI, NDGO, BRNZ, ABRN and just about every Huntsmen team left in Remnant as more and more entered the fray.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" came the uproarious shouts of dozens upon dozens of Huntsmen.

 _HISSSSS!_

The Grimm responded with steel of their own, as one by one the gargoyles began to square off with individual Huntsmen. While the Grimm still held the advantage in numbers, the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Remnant were still more coordinated.

But not by nearly the margin they were accustomed to.

CLANG! CLANG!

Yatsuhashi swung his massive sword, deflecting the relentless assault of Grimm steel. The gargoyles may have been savage in appearance, but they wielded their weapons with the skill of any Huntsman. The long polearm was quick and nimble, and it wasn't long before Yatsuhashi was on the defensive, falling back to avoid being stabbed by the wicked curved blade at its end.

"Haaahhh!" came a cry from above.

Yatsuhashi looked up to see his partner, wielding a wireframe replica of his own blade, bringing the massive construct down where the gargoyle stood, forcing it to leap away.

KROOSH!

The cobblestone floor beneath their feet crumbled to dust where Velvet's attack struck, leaving the girl breathless as she made eye contact with her partner.

"I've got your back," she assured him.

The big man smiled.

"You're finally using my sword," he commented.

Velvet attempted a weak grin.

"It certainly has its uses," she admitted.

 _HISSSSS!_

The gargoyles began to surround the two once more, and the Huntsman and Huntress stood back to back, each holding their own version of the massive curved broadsword.

"Let's go!" Yatsuhashi called out as the Grimm lunged at them.

" _Haaahhh!_ " Velvet added, as the two of them lashed out at their attackers.

All around them, the battle raged on. Human and Faunus alike fought against the Grimm, and neither seemed prepared to give any ground. The Huntsmen of Remnant had never encountered an enemy like this before, however. The various teams were being forced back at every juncture, as tactics that would have worked on ordinary Grimm simply seemed to be ignored.

Coco wasn't having much luck on her end either. Every turret she managed to bring up only got a few shots off before one of the gargoyles zeroed in on it and destroyed it. Her weapon was ideally suited for this type of combat, but she just couldn't build turrets fast enough to establish any kind of defensive line. It was like the gargoyles could clearly see the difference between real threats and feints meant to throw off their scent.

"These gargoyles are fighting way too smart!" Coco called out as she reloaded her pistol with more nanomachine bullets. "I've never seen Grimm behave like this before! Just how old are these things!?"

It was Emerald who chimed in with a moment of brilliant, or possibly foolish, insight.

"Hey!" she called out, dodging and deflecting a spear thrust aimed at her and redirecting it into another gargoyle. "If they're this smart, maybe my semblance will work on them!"

"What's this now?" Coco demanded, planting a nanite bullet squarely into another gargoyle's skull, sending it flying backwards as a turret slowly formed around its face.

"My semblance!" Emerald clarified, springing backwards, pulling a back hand spring, before unloading a hail of gunfire at her attacker. "It's never worked on Grimm because they're just mindless killing machines. But these Grimm are way more intelligent than anything else we've come across. Maybe my illusions will work on them."

Coco pulled out her scroll to program her turret to open fire, but watched in dismay as another gargoyle drove the head of its axe through the freshly created machine, wrecking it.

"It's worth a try," she said with a groan, taking aim once more.

Emerald nodded, reaching out with her hand towards the nearest gargoyle. She was not used to strategizing on the fly like this. Usually she and Mercury would plan these things out well ahead of time, and exchange not a word until the mission was over. If improvisation was needed, they had trusted each other to come up with a new plan.

But these Huntsmen were a much tighter knit team than that, and there were more members than she was used to working with, which meant that improvisation could only carry her so far. Before, she wouldn't have cared, and would have simply rushed ahead with her plan on her own. But now, Team CFVY was her crew now. They were her team. Her…friends. Planning around them and taking each of them into consideration would have never even entered her head before, but now it seemed only natural.

That was the last thing she thought, before a lance of pain exploded through her head, and she doubled over, clutching her forehead.

" _Arrrrgh!_ " she shouted in agony, falling to her knee.

"Wha - Em!?" Coco hollered, dashing over to her side.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

She unloaded a few rounds into a nearby gargoyle that was about to lay into the fallen girl, sending it flying back with a small arsenal sprouting from its torso, which would hopefully buy them some time to regroup.

"Are you alright!?" Coco demanded, kneeling down next to the green haired girl and taking her by the shoulder.

"Ugh…" Emerald groaned in agitation. " _That_ was a mistake…damn, my head…"

"What happened?" Coco demanded, looking up and taking aim as the gargoyles continued to push back against the Huntsmen around them.

"I…I tried to use an illusion on one of those things…" Emerald explained, looking dizzy. "Usually it comes up with some kind of familiar image, or…something from their past…something that holds meaning. So, well…I figured it would just paint another victim for them to attack somewhere else or something. But…"

Coco glanced down at the girl. "But what?"

Emerald shook her head, as if she couldn't believe what she was about to say.

"The things I saw in there…" she trembled. "The images and feelings and…and everything that _thing_ knew…"

She glanced up at Coco, a look of terror on her face.

"It felt _human_ …" she whispered.

Coco narrowed her eyes, suspiciously. "Human?"

 _HISSSSS!_

Before Emerald could so much as nod, a trio of gargoyles charged towards the two girls, having chewed through Coco's turrets.

"Look out!" Emerald hollered, trying to climb to her feet.

"Oh, no you don't!" Coco drew her weapon and shot at the attackers.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

The first gargoyle went down, following by the second. But the third one kept coming, somehow managing to deflect Coco's gunfire with its weapon!

"They're…they're _learning!_ " Emerald gasped in horror.

"Bastards!" Coco yelled, still aiming and firing.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

 _HISSSSS!_

The gargoyle let out a ferocious hiss as it nimbly dodged Coco's gunfire, before lunging towards her with its weapon raised high. Coco managed to catch the shaft of the halberd before it came down on her, but the eight foot tall beast slammed into her hard enough to knock her onto her back, the massive creature landing on top of her.

"Coco!" Emerald shouted in alarm, before one of the gargoyle's massive wings flare and clipped her in the chin, sending her flying back. "Oof!"

Coco's eyes widened in revulsion as the creature's jaw's snapped shut inches from her face as she tried to fend it off of her. The gargoyle was horrendous up close, its body exuding a foul, corpse-like odor, its glowing red eyes glared down at her through its bone-white skull mask.

 _HISSSSS!_

The creature hissed at her as Coco struggled to shove the monster off of her as it kept her pinned to the ground with the haft of its halberd.

"Get… _off!_ " Coco shouted angrily, glaring back at the best as it opened its jaws once again.

FOOM!

Before it could close its jaw around her face, its whole body seemed to swell and convulse before exploding to pieces. Coco winced in surprise, before opening her eyes to see Fox Alistair standing before her, his hand extended out towards her.

"You alright?" he asked, no nonsense in his voice.

Coco smirked and took his hand as she climbed to her feet.

"Sure am, babe," she assured him, a defiant look in her eye. "But I'm getting _really_ sick of these things constantly one-upping us!"

She stepped over to where Emerald had fallen, dazed, before slowly helping her to her feet.

"Still with us, Sweet Pea?" she asked.

Emerald groaned and jubbed her jaw. "Yeah, I'm here."

Coco nodded. "Good. Watch my back - I'm gonna try something."

She turned around and spotted Velvet and Yatsuhashi squaring off with a trio of Grimm. Velvet leaped into the air, a wire frame version of her partner's blade in her hands. Yatsuhashi caught her by the ankles with both hands, and proceeded to swing her like a bludgeon. With the sword in her hands, the mighty weapon gained about five feet of extra reach as it tore through the three gargoyles, bashing them halfway across the dark tunnel.

"Mochi! Cottontail!" Coco hollered at them. "Barricade position!"

The two of them caught her eye and nodded, turning to run across the tunnel towards their leader while idling pondering her taste in nicknames.

Coco then turning back to Fox.

"Red, you cover me," she said.

Fox nodded while Velvet and Yatsuhashi formed a position on either side of Coco, fending off any daring flankers. Meanwhile, Fox positioned himself in front of his partner, crouching low to leap and swing at any Grimm that came near with his blades. And finally, Emerald stood behind her, guarding the rear.

As her team surrounded her, Coco dropped to one knee and withdrew another golden gun from her bag, doubling her arsenal, before aiming straight up at the ceiling.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

She unloaded a hail of gunfire into the ceiling above, each shot affixing to the granite stone, before their liquid metal payload began swelling in size. Before long, the entire ceiling bristled with auto-turrets while Coco withdrew her scroll and initiated the firing sequence.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!

Emerald could only watch in awe as the entire ceiling lit up in a hail of gunfire. The tunnel ceiling was high enough that the Grimm couldn't reach them before they started firing. Those that attempted to take to the air on wing were quickly torn out of the sky as their wings were peppered with turret fire.

Team CFVY continued to defend their leader as the gargoyles around them were cut down in an instant, and those that avoided Coco's turret fire began to flee.

"Yeah, that's right!" Coco cried, firing off a few more rounds for good measure. "You better run!"

The tide of the battle had turned, and the rest of the Huntsmen were slowly managing to push the Grimm back. As soon as they did, the gargoyles immediately began to run, most of them taking flight as they fled. It was as if they were deliberately attempting to minimize their casualties, retreating as efficiently as possible. Even in defeat, the gargoyles acted with a keenness that almost no Huntsmen had heard of.

Still, a victory was a victory.

" _YEAH!_ " the collective shouts emerged from the Huntsmen as they raised their weapons in triumph.

"Nice job, everyone!" Coco called out to the crowd. "All team leaders, sound off! Give me a casualty report!"

"All good here," Nebula Violet called out.

"One of my boys got a little banged up, but we're still good to go!" Flynt Coal chimed in.

"I've got a man down here!" Arslan Altan shouted, crouching down next to a boy laying on his backside with brown hair and olive skin.

Coco hurried over to the fallen Huntsmen and took a look at his wound – a series of gashes along his leg where one of the gargoyles had clawed at him. It looked as though Arslan had staunched some of the bleeding with a piece of cloth. But it looked deep.

"How bad is it?" Coco pried.

The young Huntsman, a boy by the name of Bolin, shook his head in discouragement.

"Not good," he admitted. "I'm just gonna slow you guys down at this rate. You should go on without me."

"We're not leaving you here!" Arslan said forcefully.

Coco held up her hand.

"Listen, the general's forces are going to come marching through here once we've cleared this place out," she said, turning to Arlsan. "Once they find him here, they can ferry him back to a fallback position where he can get help. Pick one or two of your team members to stay here and keep him safe until they get here. They can rendezvous with the rest of us when the militia hits Beacon."

Arlsan pursed her lips, but nodded slowly before turning back to Bolin.

"You're not dying on me today, mister," she said, setting her jaw. "You hear me?"

Bolin cracked a smile, wincing through the pain.

"Not a chance," he said.

Coco looked around for any other signs of injury, but the rest of the damage looked largely superficial. Not bad for what had appeared to be an utterly hopeless situation going in.

"Okay!" she called out, capturing everyone's attention once more. "We're not far from Beacon! Let's move!"

The troupe of Huntsmen wordlessly began to march forward once more as Coco and her team lead the group towards their destination. As they moved, Emerald was struck by just how resilient these Huntsmen were, and how efficiently Coco conducted them. When she had been in Cinder's employ – as with most of the other gangs she had ever been a part of – the boss had leader her troops through fear. But Coco did not. Oh, sure, she was intimidating, but that was only one of her characteristics. The Huntsmen that followed her drew their inspiration from something else. Emerald wasn't sure how it was that Coco inspired her troops to push onward, but whatever it was, it made them so much more effective than anyone in Cinder's employ had ever been.

"Hey boss lady," came a voice, as Flynt Coal stepped up to talk to their de facto leader. "What's the deal with these new Grimm, huh? I've been talking to the other teams, and everyone here is talking about how different they are. They're _way_ too smart for Grimm."

Coco glanced back at Emerald, giving her a look that warned her to remain silent. Emerald wrinkled her nose, but said nothing. As much as she wanted to tell everyone what she had found about the gargoyles, giving the Huntsmen even more to worry about wouldn't solve anything right then.

Coco shook her head as she walked. "I don't have an answer for you, Jazz Hands. All I know is we've got to beat 'em. I'm counting on each of you team leaders to come up with your own strategy for how to do that."

Flynt shrugged, clearly dissatisfied with this answer.

"Whatever you say," he acquiesced, slowing his step to rejoin his own team.

When the Huntsman was out of earshot, Emerald hurried over to Coco's side.

"You can't keep this from the other Huntsmen, you know," she cautioned in a whisper. "If I was able to figure out what these Grimm are underneath, then chances are, someone else will too."

Coco's face remained placid behind her black shades.

"We don't know _what_ they are, Lima Bean," she chastised. "Just because you saw something that felt human in their heads doesn't mean you've unlocked the secret of the Grimm. For all we know, these gargoyles absorb their victims' memories or something. We just don't have all the facts."

Emerald pursed her lip, letting out a grunt of displeasure. The Grimm had never been a concern of hers before she had joined up with the Huntsmen, and she had never wanted them to be. But now that they were, Emerald couldn't help but worry about what other secrets they might hide.

"Coco!" Velvet called out in an excited voice. "This is it!"

The rest of Team CFVY turned to see a rusty ladder build into a cement wall that ran the length of the tunnel. It lead up the wall towards what appeared to be a storm drain, the walls crusty with mold and mildew.

"Alright," Coco said. "Stay here. I'll go check it out."

The rest of the team watched with trepidation as Coco stepped up the ladder, the rest of the Huntsmen teams slowly coming to a halt around them as they waited anxiously for their leader to give the all clear. When Coco reached the top of the ladder, she ran into a grated drain cover that let in trace amount of sunlight from the city above.

She gave the grate a hard shove to pry it free, but wasn't able to get it to budge.

"Hey, Gigantor," she called down to Yatsuhashi. "Think I could get a hand with this thing?"

Yatsuhashi sighed as he slowly climbed up the ladder after her, awkward sidling up besides Coco, before giving the drain cover a gentle tap.

CLUNG!

The grating lifted easily, flopping over to one side, allowing Coco to raise her head up to street level.

"Thanks, Cinnamon Bun," she smiled sweetly, before taking another two steps up the ladder to pop her head out through the hole.

What she saw, she almost couldn't believe.

"Whoa…" she breathed.

"What is it?" Velvet called out from down below. "Is it all clear? What do you see?"

Emerald was unable to tear her eyes off the spectacle before her as Yatsuhashi remained on the rungs below her.

"There's a Huntsman up here," she said, her voice breathless with awe. "And he is kicking _ass!_ "

The rest of Team CFVY made their way up the ladder to awkwardly poke their heads through the storm drain to see just what Coco was looking at.

Their eyes fell on a Vale city street, packed to the brim with Grimm of all shapes and sizes. Fallen bodies and already decaying piles of black ash were even more prevalent, as at the center of the crowded intersection, a blond haired Huntsman was single handedly tearing through wave after wave of Grim seemingly with his bare hands.

" _Hyahhhh!_ " he shouted, slamming his fist into an ursa's skull, crushing its face in, before wheeling to face the rest of the Grimm.

A beowolf lunged for him, but without even looking, he wheel and planted his foot squarely in the beast's chest, nearly snapping it in two.

" _Hwahhh!_ " he shouted, leaping into the air, before bringing his foot down on a boarbotusk's head, sending it straight into the asphalt, unmoving.

Coco and her team were transfixed as they watched the man fight. He was like a force of nature! Every blow he landed felled another opponent. There were at least two dozen Grimm around him, and he did not seem to be the least bit tired. With not a weapon or a scratch on him, he swung again and again with fists and feet, sending everything around him flying as he unleashed a furious assault.

The city around them looked like a warzone. The street was crumbling all around them, cars abandoned as far as the eye could see. Buildings loomed overhead, empty and lightless, some of them crumbling from Grimm attacks. Overhead, winged Grimm dotted the sky, circling the air like vultures scouring for carrion.

And just up ahead lay the main entrance to Beacon Academy.

The final Grimm fell, and finally the Huntsman was still. He stood tall and handsome, his musculature putting even Yatsuhashi to shame. He wore a tan shirt with the right sleeve missing, a brown vest on top, and yellow-orange shorts. He had a shoulder pad and bracer on his right arm, wore a red scarf tied to his left, and a soul patch adorned his chin.

He took a single cleansing breath as he straightened his back, cracking his knuckles and his neck, before letting out a sigh.

"You can come out now," he said, before turning to the student Huntsmen hiding out in the storm drain.

Coco and her team winced before awkwardly climbing their way out of the storm drain. Before long, all five of them, including Emerald, were standing before the blond-haired Huntsman.

"Ummm…hi," Velvet called out gingerly. "That was…an impressive display."

"I'll say," Coco nodded appreciatively. "You really know how to handle yourself."

The man shrugged his broad shoulders, crossing his arms as he cocked his head.

"No sweat," he said, shrugging it off. "What are you kids doing out here? Are you Huntsmen too?"

Coco nodded as they each straightened their backs.

"We're team CFVY," she said, before gesturing to each of her teammates. "My name's Coco, and this is Velvet, Fox, Yatsuhashi and Emerald."

The man nodded his head.

"Taiyang," he said with a friendly wave. "Nice to finally see some friendly faces around here."

He fixed them with a curious gaze.

"Are you all from Beacon?" he asked, trepidation in his voice.

"Most of us," Coco nodded, crossing her arms.

"Oh!" Taiyang said, his eyes widening excitedly. "Hey, maybe you could help me. I'm looking for two Huntresses that also used to go to Beacon - Yang Xiao-Long and Ruby Rose. Would any of you happen to know either of them?"

Coco and her teammates exchanged nervous looks. Suddenly they could see the family resemblance, at least to Yang. And given his mannerisms, it didn't take much to figure out that this must have been Ruby and Yang's father. And the fact that Yang and Ruby were still likely halfway around the world was probably the last thing any father wanted to hear.

"You want the long version or the short version?" Coco shrugged helplessly.


	141. Chapter 141

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 141

* * *

Weiss' dragon tore through the sky on wings of silver, plowing through swathes of Grimm like they were so much chaff. With all of Team RWBY linking their auras, the dragon's power seemed almost immeasurable. And with Ruby now able to draw upon the power of her silver eyes, the dragon itself was now in possession of all the powers of a Grimmslayer.

GWRAAAAARRRRRRWWWW!

As the nevermores and gryphons swarmed around it, the dragon swooped and lunged through the air, overtaking its prey, hounding and corralling the airborne Grimm into clusters, before descending upon the pockets of black winged beasts like a whale engulfing a school of krill. The dragon didn't even need to bare its claws or its teeth. Just touching the beast, the Grimm melted away like oil on a hot stove top. The dragon's pure white scales were like acid, dissolving the Grimm on contact. A single flap of its wings took out a hundred Grimm at a time. Nevermores tumbled to the earth, theirs wings in tatters, and gryphons were obliterated into clouds of feathers.

All that power, however, came at a price.

"Ruby!" Weiss called out from the dragon's back. "I don't know how much longer I can hold this summon!"

Ruby, Blake, Yang, and the dragon's summoner Weiss were all lined up on the spines lining the dragon's back, clinging to them for dear life. Apart from Weiss, who controlled the dragon's movements, the entire team was remaining completely still, focusing on maintaining their aura link to provide Weiss with all the energy she needed. But even with all four of their powers combined, they too were feeling the strain. Weiss was telling the truth.

"Okay, Weiss," Ruby shouted amidst the rushing wind, looking at the diminishing numbers of airborne Grimm around them. "The fleet will have to handle the rest. Set us down."

As the dragon began to descend, Ruby cast her eyes around at the broken halls of Beacon Academy around them as she contemplated their next move. It was disheartening to see their home in such a sorry state, but she forced herself to put it out of her mind. Buildings could be rebuilt, so long as there were people around to do the building. It was the people of Beacon - the people of Remnant - that she was trying to save.

"Hey Ruby!" Yang called out, capturing her sister's attention. "Look!"

Ruby snapped to attention and directed her gaze in the direction where Yang was pointing. Her eyes fell on Beacon tower, the remains of Ozpin's office, which was now open to the sky. She could still vividly recall the last time she had been there, arriving too late to save her friend's life, and been forced to watch Pyrrha die. She stifled her last memory of the place, and shook her head as her eyes fell on the figure standing atop the tower.

"Is that…?" Ruby asked aloud, before shaking her head. "Weiss, can you drop us off at the top of Beacon tower?"

"Oh, no problem at all!" Weiss glowered sarcastically, wincing from the strain of maintaining her summon. "Where ever's convenient for you! Shall I make us all some _tea_ while I'm at it?"

"Weiss!" Ruby cried impatiently. "We don't have time for your sass!"

"Okay, okay, fine!" Weiss groaned, closing her eyes as she concentrated on her link with the dragon. "Just hold on!"

The dragon dropped into a steep dive, gaining speed as the team descended towards Beacon at a rapid rate. The team held on tightly to the pristine white spines jutting from along the dragon's back, clenching their stomachs as they dropped. The ground was approaching them at a rapid rate, and the sudden descend was gut churning. Finally, the dragon's wings snapped open, catching the air as they rose from the drive, the g-forces nearly knocking the team out cold as the dragon righted itself, heading straight for Beacon tower.

"Almost there…" Weiss called out, squinting through the winds whipping past them all as they rode. "Almost…"

As the dragon neared Beacon tower, its wings began to flare outward, slowing its speed dramatically.

"Now!" Weiss hollered.

The team leaped from the dragon's back, including Weiss herself, as they all descended towards the top of Beacon tower. As the four Huntresses descended, Ruby and Yang fired off their weapons to slow their descent. Blake's monofilament cables snagged one of the jagged pillars extending upwards from the ruins of the tower to swing down, and Weiss cast a glyph to gently alight to the tower's surface. And above them, released from its tether, the dragon fizzled out of existence, breaking down into shimmering white dust.

As the four Huntresses landed, their eyes fell on a familiar face, at least to some.

"Aunt Raven!" Ruby blurted in surprise.

"You got here fast," Yang commented dryly.

Raven Branwen stood at the center of the tower, her hand on her hip as she regarded the Huntsmen dispassionately, as overhead, the Atlesian fleet began to move into position to take on the rest of the airborne Grimm.

"Who's this?" Weiss asked, looking somewhat out of breath as she glanced towards Ruby.

"Is this your mom?" Blake asked Yang.

"Yep," Yang nodded dryly. "Everyone, meet the woman who's been pulling all the strings for the past fifteen years."

The other two Huntresses regarded the older woman with trepidation. Even without her mask, Raven Branwen was still an intimidating sight to behold. Her sword alone was more fearsome than almost any weapon any of them had ever seen. And the imposing stare with which she fixed the team could have even put the likes of Winter Schnee on edge.

"What are you doing here?" Ruby asked warily, looking around nervously at the battle going on overhead.

Raven remained as stoic as ever as she turned her eyes to the sky, watching the last few airborne Grimm encircling Beacon tower, as though looking for an opening to swoop down and attack.

"I've been trying to track Salem's movements," she explained, her hand resting on her sword hilt. "As far as I can tell, she has not left Beacon tower. I fear she may be down in the vault."

Yang narrowed her eyes. "What's she doing down in the vault?"

"Nothing good," came another familiar voice.

The team turned to see Qrow Branwen seemingly materialize out of thin air, morphing out of his crow form as he landed.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby called out excitedly. "You're here too!"

The old man nodded, before fixing Raven with a hard gaze.

"If the Witch is still at the Nexus," he said, keeping his gaze on his sister, "Then that means we still have a problem. If she retreats back into the netherworld…"

Raven nodded forebodingly. "Then she'll be almost impossible to kill."

Team RWBY exchanged troubled looks. While Yang and Ruby had attempted to impress upon their teammates the gravity of the situation with the Witch, it was difficult to convey with words just what a terror she truly was. It made the prospect of facing her all the more frightening. They had all come so far together, and yet they all still felt like they were in so far over their heads.

"Salem is the Witch, right?" Weiss asked, glancing at Ruby for clarification.

"Yeah," Ruby nodded. "She's the one who's been controlling the Grimm."

"What about Cinder?" Blake asked, crossing her arms.

Raven shook her head. "You won't have to worry about _her_ any longer."

Ruby and Yang exchanged a glance.

"Wait…" Ruby said, eyes widening. "You mean you…?"

Raven narrowed her eyes.

"I told you, Cinder was _never_ the real threat," she said. "The Witch is our only real enemy. And now that you're here, we might be able to finally _do_ something about her."

Raven turned towards the stairs.

"Now come," she said in a voice that broached no argument. "We gain nothing by delaying any further."

"Hold up," Ruby said, taking out her scroll. "Before go anywhere, I want to check in with the rest of the team. If any of them are close by, then we should at least try to reconvene with them if we can."

Raven let out a sigh. "Be quick about it."

Ruby nodded and hurried dialed in an open hailing frequency that tapped into the Atlesian communication grid supported by the _Aeneid_.

"Team RSJC, this is Ruby Rose!" she called into her scroll. "Team RSJC, this is Ruby Rose, please come in!"

There was a nervous silence as the members of Team RWBY exchanged glances with one another, waiting for someone to respond to Ruby's hail.

"This is Ruby Rose, calling out to _any_ members of Team RSJC that can hear this message!" she said again anxiously. "If you can read me, please come in!"

There was another pause, before the waveform pattern on Ruby's scroll finally picked up something.

"KZZZZ-SHHH-Ruby?" came a hurried and familiar sounding voice. "Ruby, is that- KZZZZ-SHHH-KZZZZ…hear me?"

There was a collective murmur of relief amongst the team. Joy filled Ruby's heart as she lifted the scroll to her lips.

"Jaune!" she called out in elation, tears of joy welling up in her eyes. "Oh thank goodness, you're still alive! Are you alright?"

"Still breathing for the moment," Jaune said over the scroll. "And you'll never guess who's with me…"

There was a moment's pause, before another voice sounded over the scroll.

"Hello again!" came a soft female voice.

Ruby's eyes widened as she glanced all around at the rest of her team.

"Pyrrha!?" Ruby gasped in elation. "Pyrrha, is that _you!?_ "

"Yes! Thanks to Jaune!" Pyrrha's voice sounded elated, if breathless. "He managed to break Cinder's spell. For good this time, I hope."

"Oh, Pyrrha!" Ruby cried. "It's so wonderful to hear your voice again!"

"Mm-hmm!" Yang nodded.

"What a relief!" Weiss added.

"Finally, some good news," Blake said.

Ruby fixed Raven with a look that said 'I told you so,' before bringing the scroll once again to her lips.

"Where are you two right now?" Ruby prodded. "Where's the rest of the team?"

The voices on the other line hesitated anxiously.

"Ruby, I…" Jaune said, a note of despair in his voice. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I got separated from Team RSJC! I can't reach _any_ of them!"

"What?" Ruby gasped. "Jaune, slow down. What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I've lost the team, Ruby!" Jaune cried. "I've been trying and trying to reach them ever since, and I…I…I don't know where _anyone_ else is! They could all be _dead_ for all I know! I…I failed, Ruby. I failed."

A pang of sorrow permeated the group as Team RWBY exchanged nervous looks with one another. None of them wanted to imagine the rest of Team RSJC had fallen. The team had become their family ever since they had reconnected. And without the rest of the team, they would be facing the Witch on their own.

Ruby took a deep, steadying breath, a placid look on her face. She was not ready to call it quits just yet.

"We have to keep moving forward, Jaune," she said calmly into the scroll. "Let's just focus on our next move, and try to figure things out from there. With any luck, we'll find the rest of our teammates on the way."

The sound of ragged breathing could be heard on the other side of the scroll.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha's voice said, sounding faint through the speaker.

"Okay…" Jaune finally responded. "Okay, Ruby. What's our next step?"

Ruby looked up at each of her teammates, a determined look on her face.

"We're heading down to the vault under Beacon tower," she explained. "That's where we think our enemy is holed up. Can you make it down there?"

"Yeah…" Jaune said nervously. "Yeah, I think we can manage that."

"Good," Ruby said. "Get there as soon as you can. We'll meet you down there."

"Okay, Ruby…" Jaune agreed in a haggard voice. "Okay…"

"Stay safe, you all!" Pyrrha's voice sounded over the scroll. "We'll get through this together!"

"Will do," Weiss agreed.

"Count on it," Yang added.

"You too," Blake nodded.

"Jaune…Pyrrha…" Ruby said in a quiet voice. "Be careful, you two."

"Will do," Jaune assured her.

As Ruby hung up, she lowered her head as she squeezed her scroll in her hand, eyes clenching tightly.

"I'm sure they're alright, kid," Qrow said, stepping over to place a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You've put together a good team. I wouldn't count them out just yet."

Ruby opened her eyes, smiling up at her uncle, before putting away her scroll.

"Okay…" she said, taking another cleansing breath. "Let's get moving."

"Hold on," Yang said, withdrawing her own scroll. "If we're going underground, I'm calling in the big guns while I still can."

The team watched Yang tap some buttons on her scroll, sending a signal up to the _Aeneid_. Moments later, a rocket propelled locker descended from the heavens to slam into the top of Beacon tower with a loud _crash!_

Yang walked over to the locker, opening it up to reveal an oversized artillery weapon, the likes of which none of them had ever seen. At least, none save for Weiss.

"Is that…?" Weiss' eyes widened in shock "…Is that what I _think_ it is?"

Yang grinned as she hoisted the heavy weapon out of the locker. The barrel alone was nearly four feet long, and its main firing mechanism looked like something out of a science fiction novel, with glowing neon conduits and modules protruding from it.

"Winter called it a proton cannon," Yang said, smiling as she hefted the gigantic gun for them all to see. "I call it seventy-six pounds of sweet, sweet carnage in a can."

Weiss was still staring at a weapon like it was going to bite her if she got too close to it.

"These things were outlawed _years_ ago!" she said in disbelief. "You can only find them on the black market nowadays! How in the _world_ did Winter manage to get a hold of one?"

"You'll have to ask her yourself," Yang shrugged, still admiring her weapon. "When someone hands me a weapon that can punch a hole through an Atlesian capital ship, I don't tend to ask questions. And the best part of all, it integrates directly with my own Atlas tech!"

She opened up a slot on the gun's side, sliding her robotic arm into the slot up to the elbow, affixing it to her arm as it locked into place, allowing her to lift the gun with ease. As if responding to the connection, the massive cannon seemed to hum to life, its neon tubing glowing brighter than before. Her robotic now looked almost comically oversized, extending out past her elbow nearly as far as she was tall, the massive barrel of the proton cannon resting just off the ground.

Ruby winced, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Yang, do you think that maybe your robot arms are getting just a _little_ too big?" she asked warily.

"No," Yang said, shrugging. "Why?"

"Yang," Raven said, sounding more maternal than Yang could ever remember hearing. "If you rely too heavily on your Atlas tech, you may find yourself at a loss should it fail."

Yang fixed her mother with a hard look.

"I'm not taking any chances," she said. "I'd rather have and not need than need and not have."

"I'd still advise against using that thing," Raven said, sounding displeased with Yang's response. "They were outlawed for a reason."

Yang pursed her lips, the intensity in her eyes increasing as she stared down the other woman.

"Why don't you quit being so mysterious and just tell me what's going to happen?" she demanded. "We already know you can see the future or whatever."

"Not since the two of you entered the pool," Raven corrected, glancing at Yang and her sister. "Your fates are a mystery to me now. And that is precisely what scares me."

Yang placed her good hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow sardonically. "My mother, actually scared of something? Now I've seen everything."

Raven's disappointed expression did not abate.

"Have it your way then," she said, before turning to proceed down the stairs. "Let's just get moving. We've delayed for long enough."

Yang still looked unsatisfied as she and the rest of the team followed Raven down the stairs, with Qrow taking up the rear.

"So what should we do if we actually find this Witch?" Blake asked pointedly as they began to circle down the stairs.

"If she's anywhere near the Nexus, then she'll have an escape route," Raven said gravely. "If she feels like there's a legitimate threat to her life, then she'll retreat back into the netherworld. We need to lure her away from the Nexus."

Ruby pursed her lips. "And how are we supposed to do that?"

Qrow Branwen cracked his trademark smile.

"Well, I am the living incarnation of her late husband," he said in a half-joking manner. "I imagine _I'd_ be a rather tempting prize."

"No," Raven flatly refused. "In fact, you shouldn't even _be_ here, Qrow. If the Wizard should fall, Remnant will most certainly follow suit."

Qrow wrinkled his nose. "This is my fight too, Raven. Don't try to keep me out of it."

Raven furrowed her brow in irritation.

"It seems that _no one_ will be heeding my warnings today," she let out an exasperated sigh. "And you wonder why I was less than forthcoming about my plans with all of you."

An uneasy tension fell over the team as they continued to plod their way down the long twisting spiral staircase. They had no real plan of attack, no recourse for failure, and no real idea of what they were about to face. All they knew was that at the base of these stairs would most likely be the single greatest threat they had ever faced.

They descended uninterrupted for what felt like forever. When they had been students here, most of the time they had just taken the elevator, but that had of course been destroyed during the first attack on Beacon. But even as they reached what should have been the ground level, the stairs seemed to just keep going.

"So…" Weiss mused, the tension evidently growing too much for her. "I've never seen a weapon like that before. Are those individual dust blades in your scabbard?"

Raven glanced down at the sword at her hip. The technicolor array of blades arranged in a revolving holster glimmered, even in the dim lighting here in the bowels of Beacon academy.

"Midnight Dreary is one of the last remaining Grimmslayer blades," she commented. "Forged with the dust of ancient Silver Eyed warriors long past. With it, I intend to eliminate the enemy that humanity has faced since the dawn of its existence on Remnant."

Weiss eyed the sword warily, her eyes widening in awe.

"So it's true…" she said, her voice breathless with wonder. "Dust really _does_ come from the aura of ancient beings."

Raven nodded. "And if that ancient being was in possession of a particular semblance, those traits will be reflected in any dust that comes from their remains. Fire dust comes from those with a semblance of fire, ice dust from the semblance of ice…"

Weiss nodded in understanding.

"And silver dust comes from silver eyed warriors," she finished. "Doesn't it feel…I don't know…disrespectful? To use our ancestor's remains like this?"

Raven shook her head. "I should think that they would be honored that their remains go to serving a noble purpose – so long as your purpose is indeed a noble one. It does give one pause to consider what our ancestors might think of our actions. In this way, such knowledge gives our actions far greater weight than they might otherwise possess."

Weiss nodded again, still somewhat ill at ease.

"I suppose you're right…" she allowed.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ruby added, throwing Weiss a smile. "I wonder what kind of dust would come from an ancient member of the Schnee family, hmm? Maybe that dust might let whoever used it control glyphs?"

Weiss blanched somewhat at the thought. "Well, I…"

"I wouldn't count on being able to try it any time soon," Qrow cut in from behind. "The Schnees are a relatively young family as far as Remnant goes. I doubt the collective aura of their family line has had enough time to permeate the ground yet."

Weiss blinked in surprise. "Oh…I suppose that's true…"

"It would also depend greatly on how the dead are processed," Raven said. "Many kingdoms still bury their dead, allowing the fullness of their ancestor's auras to seep into the soil. But when the dead are cremated, as is the standard practice in Atlas, the richness of the body's aura is evaporated into the air. Some of that aura would remain in their ashes, but the vast majority goes into the atmosphere, and would never turn into dust."

"Oh…" Ruby blinked in surprise. "Then how come there's so much dust in Atlas if they all use cremation?"

"Because it wasn't always that way, Ruby," Weiss explained patiently. "Atlas itself is a fairly new kingdom. Whatever civilization that lived there before Atlas most likely buried their dead just like everyone else. And there was probably a dense population there too, given the prevalence of dust in the ground. I'm guessing this would have been earlier than even the last ice age, when the climate up north wasn't so harsh."

Raven nodded, giving Weiss an impressed smiled.

"Very astute," she nodded approvingly. "It's also entirely likely to have come from a large forested area, or an area of an abundant animal populations. All life contains aura."

"And all aura is aura," Ruby reminded herself with a nod.

"Indeed…" Raven held up her hand as they finally came to what appeared to be the final landing. "Now stay sharp. We've reached the vault level."

Team RWBY gathered at the base of the stone staircase, looking out across a wide open tunnel leading further into the vault. Already, shadowy figures could be seen moving about the long wide corridors, wings and staves reflecting wicked visages against the stone and steel façade. Ruby and the rest of her team peeked out from behind the corner to see over a dozen horrific creatures patrolling the entrance to the vault. Standing eight feet tall, the humanoid creatures carried long halberds and axes, with enormous bat-like wings on their backs.

"What _are_ these things!?" Ruby hissed in disbelief. "I've never seen a creature of Grimm like _that_ before!"

"It doesn't matter what they are, Ruby," Raven assured her in a hushed voice as the six Huntsmen hid from sight around the corner. "They are standing between us and the Nexus. We need to get through them."

"What about Jaune and Pyrrha?" Ruby demanded. "They still haven't made it down here yet!"

"We're out of time, kid," Qrow shook his head. "The longer we wait, the worse our odds get. Nothing my powers can do about that now."

Ruby hung her head, evidently not liking their odds.

"We can do this guys!" Yang whispered, hefting her giant arm cannon over her shoulder. "Let's just go for it!"

"Hold on," Weiss interjected quietly. "If we fight them here, anything further inside the vault will be able to hear us. We'll lose the element of surprise."

"And we don't know what these new Grimm are capable of," Ruby muttered, crossing her arms. "I'd rather not have to fight these things if we can help it."

Blake and Yang shared a look.

"I think we might be able to manage something…" Blake smiled.

A few minutes later, Team RWBY vanished, appearing just within the open vault door. Blake's shadow step, normally limited in terms of distance and duration, was strong enough to encompass the entire team while Blake and Yang were aura linked. And with a single move, they had bypassed the dozen or so guards outside, the entire team stepping into the vault as light as a feather.

A few moments later, a pair of black birds also quietly fluttered through the open vault, the Grimm outside none the wiser.

"Good work…" Raven said, as she and Qrow transformed back from bird form, rejoining the team. "The Nexus is just up ahead."

The team moved silently over the wide marble tiles that expanded throughout the vault. Torches of green lit the walls, casting the wide hallway into a dim glow, as the Wizard's signature clockwork pattern lay etched into the floor.

"Why _does_ the Wizard control time anyway?" Ruby asked, staring at the clock pattern in the tiles at her feet.

"Is now _really_ the time to be asking these questions?" Weiss grumbled. "We're about to face off with the most powerful enemy of our lives here!"

"It could be important," Ruby countered. "It hasn't come up yet, and I'm curious."

Qrow and Raven exchanged a glance.

"I don't think anyone really knows for sure," Qrow admitted. "Legends say that he represents father time, but that's probably just folklore."

"More likely, it's another product of the ancient dust that bound his consciousness in time," Raven added. "While time never truly passes for him, he is able to manipulate time for everyone else."

"Something like that," Qrow said, shaking his head as they all marched forward. "Too bad it can't go in reverse. I can think of quite a few things I'd fix if it could."

"Yeah…" Ruby sighed despondently. "Me too."

"Quiet…" Raven shushed, her eyes locked on their destination. "We're nearly there."

Team RWBY nodded as they each drew their weapons. There was something glowing up ahead of them. At the center of the vault, the wide circular opening was visible within the floor. As the team drew nearer, the glowing flagstones arranged in a circle came into view, each one emitting a pale ultraviolet light that seemed to just stray from the visible spectrum. The green torchlight in the hallway mingled with the violet hue, creating an eerie feeling all about the room. From within the flagstones, a deep, sickly mist was slowly rising from the ground to fill the room. The fog that pervaded seemed to choke the warmth from everything it touched, and bore with it an offensive odor, not unlike the decay of death.

No one wanted to approach the circle, but when they did, the team could see that within the flagstone arrangement lay a peculiar sight – a night sky, somehow beneath their feet. Ruby and Yang could vividly recall the last time they had laid eyes on this portal. They had seen the face of wickedness gazing out towards them from within its depths. Over time, it had been adorned by flagstones marked in ancient Vacuan that spelled out the name given to the unholy gateway. But everyone there knew what they had found when they saw it.

"The Nexus…" Ruby breathed in trepidation.

Looking around, the team could see no sign of the Witch or anything else in the dark chamber, though the poor light was ill-suited for seeing anything at all. Even Blake, with her Faunus vision, was having trouble peering through the murky darkness, as though the very light emanating from all around them was not of this world.

"This doesn't feel right…" Raven breathed warily. "There should be _someone_ here."

"Keep your eyes peeled," Qrow warned. "There's no telling where…"

The Wizard trailed off when his eyes fell on something in the back of the room.

"What is it?" Ruby asked aloud. "What do you see?"

From within the choking fog, a pair of glowing red eyes began to emerge from the darkness. As the team strained their eyes to see, a figure began to emerge as the faint sound of footsteps emanated, and slowly, a face began to appear. A spiderweb of red veins was laced across a mask of pale white skin adorned by a black dot between her eyes. Tresses of white hair were lined about her face like spider legs, and her midnight black dress trailed all the way to the floor, almost hovering over the fog as she moved.

Qrow held the Wizard's cane in the offensive position in his hand as his eyes narrowed. Anger seared through his eyes as his eyes remained locked on the figure that slowly emerged from across the Nexus before him.

"Salem…" he uttered the word like it was a curse.

The smile on the Witch's face was like something out of a nightmare. All of Team RWBY clenched their weapons in fear as the woman came into view. She moved like some other worldly thing, the simulacrum of her face uncanny in its likeness of a human smile. In their previous dealings with Cinder, it had been clear from the start that, although twisted, their enemy had still ultimately been human. But not the Witch. Her body may have been human once, but there was not a shred of humanity left in the creature.

"I knew you'd come," the Witch said, her eyes only on Qrow. "Like every Wizard that came before, you are _utterly_ predictable."

Team RWBY shuddered at the sound of her voice. Her words were like beeswax that seeped into their ears, a menacing threat that flowed flowed like honey, but came with the promise of a deadly sting if provoked. Though each of them clenched their weapon at the ready, not a one of them seemed inclined to swing the first strike.

"You must all fancy yourselves the daring heroes," she intoned, pacing the length of the Nexus, her eyes fixed on the Huntsmen and Huntresses opposite her. "Come to put a stop the evil doings of the creatures of Grimm…am I right?"

Ruby and her team said nothing as she and the rest of them stared down the Witch. She seemed to float atop the misty floor surrounding the Nexus, her legs invisible beneath the flowing black dress.

"Well…" Salem breath, staring down into the Nexus. "Your ignorance will be your undoing soon enough. There's only _one_ way this ends, my little Huntsmen."

She raised a single arm, her pale skin marred with jagged red lines like cracks within stone, and clenched her hand into a fist.

"Whether you choose to accept it or not…" she whispered cruelly, fixing her gaze on the Huntsmen and Huntresses before her. "I've already won."

It was Yang who spoke out first, determined to put on a brave face.

"You talk an awful lot for an old hag," she crowed, hoisting her proton cannon to bear. "Let's see just how much you have to say when you're nothing but a pile of ash on the floor!"

Salem's hand rose to her lips as she chortled with laughter.

"Ohhhhh-hohohoho…" she tittered unabashedly. "I had forgotten just how _salient_ human bravado could be!"

The Witch fixed the blonde-haired Huntress with a pungent smile.

"And just how long until that sparks goes out, Yang Xiao-Long?" she purred. "In almost every case I've found, the more outspoken the individual, the _weaker_ they are on the inside."

Yang gritted her teeth as she leveled her weapon at the Witch.

"Why don't we put that theory to the test, huh!?" she offered maliciously.

Blake put a hand on her partner's shoulder.

"Yang, wait," she cautioned. "We need to stick together on this. Don't go charging ahead."

Yang took a breath, fixing her partner with a curious look. "Blake…"

"Yes indeed…" Salem cooed, her lips curving into a wide smile. "Says the girl who's spent her entire _life_ running away from her battles. It's okay to be afraid, Miss Belladonna. No one will think any less of you if you run now."

Blake's ears went flat against her head as she drew her swords.

"I'm _through_ running away!" Blake hissed pointing her sword at the Witch. "Least of all from someone like you!"

Ruby looked around at each of her teammates. The Witch seemed to know them all by name, and knew what each of them seemed to fear. If what Qrow and Raven had told her was true, then she would attempt to undermine them all by using what they feared against them. She may have been a powerful Grimm, but she was a manipulator first and foremost, and thrived on the opportunity to have her opponents destroy themselves instead of having to raise a finger herself.

Ruby shared a glance with Weiss, who nodded and lifted her own sword, seemingly on the same wavelength as her partner.

"If you're trying to get under our skin, you're wasting your breath!" she chimed in. "Yang's the most powerful fighter on our team, and Blake has already proven herself more times than I can count!"

Blake glanced back at the other Huntress, surprise on her face. "Weiss…"

"And what of you, Weiss Schnee?" Salem said, drifting back and forth across the floor as she fixed the Huntress with an inquisitive look. "Are you honestly sure _you_ have what it takes? After so many years of letting big sister and dear father fight all your battles for you, are you certain you should even _be_ here?"

Weiss clenched her sword, bringing it up to a ready position.

"Don't even _try_ to lecture me!" Weiss sneered. "I've never been more certain of anything in my _life!_ "

"Weiss is right!" Ruby called out, determination in her voice as she fixed the Witch with an angry glare. "We're all here because we _choose_ to be! Nothing you say will scare us. Nothing you say will divide us. Our minds are made up. We're here to stop you. That's all there is to it!"

Ruby glanced around at her teammates, seeing the looks of resolve in their faces, and raised her sword as well. And as soon as she did, Salem visibly bristled in response, her brow furrowing, her teeth baring, her hands clenching into fists.

" _Grimmslayer!_ " she hissed, her pupils narrowing to slits in an almost reptilian manner as she stared at the weapon in Ruby's hands.

Ruby's eyes widened at the Witch's reaction. Her entire body seemed to respond to the sight of Grímnir, the waves of mist rippling around her body, her hackles raised, her hair standing on end like a cat reacting to threat.

She smiled. If the enemy felt _this_ strongly about her uncle's sword, then perhaps she could use that to lure her away from the Nexus.

"Oh…so you recognize this weapon?" Ruby asked, an air of confidence in her voice. "My uncle gave it to me. I imagine it's killed quite a few of your Grimm in its day."

Salem was still unable to tear her eyes from Ruby's sword.

" _Grimmslayer_ …" she said again, waves of anger rippling through her. "The hated enemy…oh, Ruby Rose, how I shall _enjoy_ killing you…"

The Witch spread her arms wide. And that's when all hell broke loose.

 _HISSSSS!_

All at once, the Nexus seemed to erupt with gargoyles. Winged beasts by the dozen began to storm up through its entrance, flying upward and outward, rapidly filling the room, their long spears, halberds and axes bared. Suddenly, all the weapons that Team RWBY had drawn at the ready to fight the Witch were instead occupied with fending off a swarm of hissing nightmare monsters that towered over all of them.

"Look out!" Ruby shouted, swinging Grímnir with all her might as her weapon clashed with the black steel of the Grimm.

The rest of Team RWBY were similarly occupied. Mrystlenaster sang as Weiss nimbly maneuvered her blade around the enemy guard, Cassius and Jin lashed outward on their tethers, sending hordes of beasts recoiling in anger, and Yang's proton cannon let out a blast of bright blue light that carved into the enemy ranks like a hot knife through butter. Soon, the bodies of a hundred Grimm littered the floor, rapidly dissolving into putrid black dust. And still, more kept coming. For every enemy the team cut down, another emerged from the Nexus to take its place. It was an unending swarm of monsters, each one armed to the teeth and packed into such a relatively tight space, that it was all the four of them could do to keep up with them all.

 _HISSSSS!_

"Yes…" the Witch smiled viciously, remaining where she stood before the Nexus as she watched wave after wave of gargoyles emerge from its bowels. "Come, my children. Your vengeance awaits…"

Ruby gritted her teeth as Grímnir clashed with black steel. The blade may have been designed to counter Grimm, but that did not seem to apply to the black halberds and axes they wielded. She had not expected the fight to be easy, but each and every one of the gigantic humanoid monstrosities had the advantage in height and reach, and with their limitless number, the Huntsmen were being pushed back at every turn.

"Hahhhh!" Raven let out a shout as she lunged over the Nexus towards the Witch, Midnight Dreary unsheathed in her hands.

Salem eyed the Branwen sister dispassionately, her form seemingly vanishing into the ground at her feet, the woman's sword cutting through nothing but air as the Witch disappeared. She emerged from the ground not ten feet away, eyes narrowed as she focused her attention on Raven's sword.

" _Another_ Grimmslayer blade?" Salem hissed, looking more delighted than afraid this time. "You must truly wish to die, my dear!"

"Damnit!" Raven spat as she turned her eyes to see the Witch standing. "I _won't_ let you get away!"

As Raven lunged once again towards Salem, the Grimm continued to harangue Team RWBY.

"Gah!" Yang cried out as one of the gargoyles managed to knock her legs out from under her.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted, turning towards her, before raising her sword to block an attack from another gargoyle. "No!"

"Damn it!" Yang growled as the Grimm standing over her seized her by the collar.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Her last remaining Ember Celica fired off as Yang punched the gargoyle in the face, but she couldn't bring her proton cannon to bear in such close range, and the gargoyle began to flap its wings, lifting the Huntress into the air.

"Get… _off!_ " Yang shouted, smashing her fist into the gargoyle's face to no avail.

"Yang!" Blake cried out in alarm as she tried to disengage from her opponent to reach her partner.

 _HISSSSS!_

Yang stared back as the creature growled at her, its eyes focusing on her with an intensity unlike any Grimm she had ever seen before. Its snarling face was a mask of horrendous fury as it lifted her into the air, staring at her with an almost singular fury.

"Hang on, kid!" came a shout.

Before anyone on the ground could manage to reach Yang, Qrow Branwen had frozen the gargoyle in place, it's massive body paralyzed in the air as the Wizard's cane seemed to move as fast as lightning, striking the Grimm's body so many times that Yang could barely keep track. The force of his blows culminated in the gargoyle being flung backward seemingly in slow motion, releasing Yang as she tumbled to the ground.

"Oof!" she grunted, regaining her footing. "Ugh…thanks old man."

Qrow landed next to her as the rest of Team RWBY moved to join her.

"Don't thank me just yet," Qrow admonished, glancing back at the Nexus. "We got more incoming."

As he spoke, the Witch continued to evade Raven's relentless assault, the woman's sword clearing the thick clouds of fog at their feet without ever touching her foe. As she moved, Salem seemed to delight in toying with the Huntress, before once again raising her hands to the air, as if summoning a horde of followers from the depths of hell.

"Heads up!" Ruby called out as raised her sword.

Another wave of Grimm emerged from the pit at their feet, each one standing eight feet tall, wielding deathly black weapons that looked like they had been forged in the blackest fires. Once again the gargoyles began to swarm the Huntresses, and each enemy they felled seemed only to give way to more.

"There's too many of them!" Weiss cried out, as she withdrew her blade from the corpse of one gargoyle just in time to block the attack from another.

Ruby glanced around, surveying the situation. The Witch seemed to have an endless supply of Grimm to throw at them, and while this new type of Grimm was not unbeatable, they were easily among the strongest type of Grimm they had encountered thus far.

"Link up!" Ruby commanded.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang stood back to back, their auras slowly merging together as they each fended off the slashing claws, gnashing teeth and swinging steel of the eight foot beasts. With a flash of yellow, Weiss encircled the four of them in a time glyph that heightened their speed. With a flick of her wrist, Blake prepped a shadow step around the lot of them in case anything got past their defenses. With a clenched fist, Yang channeled the damage they had all received into energy that the four of them could throw back at their enemy. And with a flash of silver in her eyes, Ruby lent each of them the power of a Grimmslayer, extending her weapon into its scythe form.

" _HaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHH!_ " they all shouted in unison as they pushed back against the Grimm.

With an explosion of bright silver light, the gargoyles were all thrown back, many of them slamming into the walls around them, and those nearest to the Huntresses turning to dust in the ensuing blast. Raven and Qrow had to sheild their eyes from the explosion, and for the first time since they'd laid eyes on her, a twinge of fear appeared on Salem's face as she continued to evade Raven Branwen's attacks.

"Insolent humans…" Salem fumed, gritting her teeth in anger. "My children will devour you _all!_ "

The Witch seemed to radiate with power, and suddenly Raven was hurled away, skidding across the floor.

"I have a shot!" Yang called out, leveling her proton cannon at the Witch. "I'm taking it!"

Her arm cannon let out a loud hum, its neon conduits glowing brightly as Yang charged it up to its maximum output. Then Yang suddenly collapsed to one knee, her arm cannon resting off to one side.

"Gahhhhhhhhh!" Yang cried out in pain, clutching her chest.

"Yang!" Ruby cried in distress, rushing to her side. "Are you alright?"

Yang grit her teeth, her eyes suddenly turning red as her whole body began to spasm in pain.

"Rrrrrggghhhh!" Yang cried, her veins throbbing on her forehead as her aura began to glow vibrantly.

"Yang, what's happening!?" Blake cried out, kneeling at her side. "What's going on?"

Ruby glanced back at their enemy, who still remained standing on the far side of the Nexus. There were still numerous gargoyles around them. Raven was climbing slowly to her feet, Qrow was still standing vigil next to Team RWBY as they gathered around Yang, doubled over in pain.

"What is this?" Ruby demanded, glancing back at Raven. "Is this what you were warning her about?"

Raven said nothing, her eyes still locked on Salem. As Ruby glanced back at their enemy, she saw the Witch raise her hand, producing a brightly glowing crystal from the recesses of her black dress.

A crystal that Ruby recognized.

"Oh no…" she breathed in disbelief.

"That's…that's impossible!" Raven cried.

"Hmm…" Salem mused, inspecting the ancient dust crystal, as if she were just as surprised by its presence herself. "I had hoped you would last just a _little_ bit longer than that, my child…"

Ruby had no idea what she was talking about, but she had no chance to comment before the Witch pocketed the crystal once again and made a sudden dash towards Team RWBY.

"Look out!" Ruby cried, raising her scythe.

Every member of Team RWBY steeled themselves for the onslaught, determined to protect Yang as she continued to writhe in pain.

But Salem was after a different target.

"Hrrk!" Qrow shouted as the Witch seemed to materialize in front of him and seize him by the throat

"Qrow!" Raven cried out in terror.

"Come, my love," Salem said tauntingly as the old man glared back at her. "Eternity awaits."

Moving like a shadow, Salem rose into the air, carrying the Wizard with her.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted in alarm, leaping after him in a flurry of rose petals, only to be halted by another gargoyle, its weapon raised defensively to block her path.

 _HISSSSS!_

"No!" Ruby cried out in despair as she attempted to cut her way through the Grimm.

"No, _Qrow!_ " Raven screamed, desperation in her eyes.

Qrow thrashed within the woman's grasp as she lifted him into the air, smiling at him like he was a plaything. When she reached the ceiling, she flipped over backwards to careen like a wayward spirit into the Nexus, bringing the Wizard with her.

And just like that, with scarcely a ripple, the two of them were both gone.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted again in terror, finally cutting down the gargoyle in her midst. "No!"

"No, no, _no!_ " Raven cried in panic. "We _can't_ afford to lose him!"

Weiss continued to fend off the gargoyles around her and her teammates as Blake tried to tend to her partner.

"What happened!?" Weiss hollered. "Did she get away!?"

"Yang, what's wrong?" she pleaded with the crumpled figure in her arms. "Please, tell me!"

The blonde haired Huntress glared red-eyed through gritted teeth.

"Nnnrgh…" she growled through the pain. "Uncle Qrow…"

The Team foundered as the gargoyles continued to pour out of the Nexus. With their master gone, most of them simply ignored Team RWBY entirely and pushed their way past the Huntresses to fly out of the vault and back up Beacon tower.

"This is bad!" Raven gasped as she stared into the Nexus, her pupils dilated to fine points. "This is _very_ bad! The Wizard has been taken _into_ the netherworld!"

Ruby landed next to her, her scythe still in hand as she stared at the pale, glowing portal through which her uncle had been taken.

"What did she do?" she demanded, shaking her head in confusion. "Why did the Witch have that ancient dust crystal? Why did she take uncle Qrow? I don't understand what's going on anymore!"

Raven fell to one knee, her whole body shaking as the fluttering of Grimm wings kicked up the wind around them.

"Ruby, we _have_ to get him back!" she said as she began to tremble. "He _can't_ survive in that world! The very _air_ will be like _poison_ to him! I'm the only thing keeping him alive at this point! Our connection will only keep him alive for a little while longer! He'll _die_ if he stays in there!"

Ruby stared down at the woman as she began to look sickly, her skin growing pale.

"Aunt Raven?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"He can't pass on in that world," Raven gasped, staring back at Ruby in desperation. "It's a world full of Grimm! If he dies, his aura will be _devoured_ before it can find another host. If Remnant loses its Wizard, then we won't stand a _chance_ against the Grimm! We have to get him _out_ of there, or this has all been for _nothing!_ "

Ruby's eyes flitted back and forth between Raven at her team. Yang was still doubled over in pain as her other two teammates stood at her side. The gargoyles were pouring out of the Nexus in droves now, flying over their heads and flitting off towards the spiral staircase leading out towards Beacon academy. Her team needed her. Her uncle needed her. Ruby didn't know what to do anymore.

"What about Yang?" Ruby demanded, looking stricken. "What's happening to her?"

"Ruby, there's no time!" Raven shouted. "I need to stay on this side of the Nexus, so I'll do what I can for Yang! But _you_ need to go through that portal and get the Wizard out of there!"

Ruby shook her head in disbelief as she stared down into the whirling portal of the Nexus, the wind from the wing-beats of a hundred flying Grimm tossing her hair into disarray.

"But what about your visions?" she asked, despairingly. "I thought you said that entering the netherworld was a death sentence for _all_ of us!"

"None of that matters anymore!" Raven shouted. "You _have_ to save Qrow! Your silver eyes are the _only_ chance he has in there!"

The woman reached up to tug at Ruby's sleeve, looking up at her with tears in her eyes.

"He _needs_ a Grimmslayer!" she pleaded with the girl.

Ruby's eyes widened as she realized what was being asked of her. She cast her eyes back at her team. Yang was in no shape to fight, so her team would have to stay here and deal with all the Grimm pouring through the Nexus. But her uncle needed her. The _Wizard_ needed her. She had to go through the Nexus and bring him back.

And she would be going in there alone.

She rose to her feet.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out to her teammates. "Blake! Yang!"

Weiss raised her eyes to meet Ruby's gaze, though Blake remained fixated on Yang as she continued gasping for breath.

"Ruby!" Weiss called out to her. "What is going _on?_ "

Ruby gave her partner a sad look.

"Keep Yang safe!" she cried. "Do what you can about all these Grimm, but stay safe, whatever you do!"

"Okay, but what are you going to do?" Weiss demanded.

Ruby retracted Grímnir, sheathing it behind her back.

"I'm going after Qrow!" she declared.

Weiss' eyes widened in disbelief as she looked down at the Nexus. "Wha-? Ruby, that's _insane!_ "

Ruby didn't answer, taking a step back, preparing to take a running jump.

"I'll get him back," she said to her aunt Raven. "Count on it."

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted in protest.

Ruby couldn't bring herself to meet Weiss' gaze as she dashed forward, before leaping headlong over the flagstones and into the whirling vortex of the Nexus.

All at once, everything changed. Night became day, up became down, and light became darkness. The Nexus was a transitional field that divided the world into two distinct halves. Like yin and yang, those halves interplayed with one another, as aspects of one flowed into the other, and vice versa. Those two halves existed as polar opposites from one another, neither capable of existing without the other, yet the two halves remained completely incompatible with one another.

Ruby could have never described the sensation she felt as she passed through the Nexus. An overwhelming feeling of vertigo struck her as gravity seemed to shift, and she was at once on her hands and knees, the wind knocked out of her as she was left staring at a barren wasteland.

She looked down at the ground, and touched the rocky terrain beneath her fingertips. If she hadn't known any better, she could have sworn she had not left Remnant, if not for the eternal night that blanketed the world around her, as well as the inescapable of sensation of not belonging.

As she looked around, all that met her gaze was darkness, the ebony sky punctuated by lightning strikes, providing the only means of sight. The land around her was barren and devoid of life, rocky outcroppings surrounding the Nexus at her feet, the swirling vortex looking back at the ceiling of the vault back in Beacon. She couldn't feel anything but the cold wind whipping at her clothes. And as the seconds ticked by, she started to feel something deep in her bones that there was something incredibly _wrong_ with this place.

Lightning continued to pierce the sky, and her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light. The more she observed her surroundings, the more uneasy she felt. The normal aura of life around her was completely gone. The netherworld was devoid of aura. It was startling how clearly she felt it. It was not something she could have pinpointed in the world of Remnant, but now that she had left it behind, it was all she could think about. The air was stale and cold, bitter and tasteless, devoid of microbial life. Though perhaps not as noxious as she had expected from Raven's description, perhaps the Wizard was more sensitive than she. Or perhaps, as a Grimmslayer, she was simply immune to whatever effects this world might otherwise have.

Whatever the case, as she rose to her feet, Ruby suddenly became aware of just how many Grimm were surrounding her. There was not a sign of the Witch or her uncle anywhere. Just a crowd of gargoyles, staring at her like she was a tender piece of meat, their weapons bared as their focus fell upon her.

 _"_ _Human…"_ a breathy voice sounded from somewhere amongst the crowd.

Ruby's eyes widened in disbelief. Had she just heard a creature of Grimm _speak?_

"What…what are you?" she demanded angrily, clenching her weapon in her hands.

There was a shuffling amongst the gargoyles as they continued to stare at her.

 _"_ _Human…"_ the voice repeated, and it was unclear from which of the Grimm it had come, if at all.

Ruby shook her head. Now was not the time to be pondering the mysteries of the Grimm. Her uncle was in trouble. She extended her scythe, staring at each of the gargoyles eying her up as her eyes narrowed viciously.

"Come on," she breathed. "I don't have time for this."

Heedless of her words, the Grimm lunged at her, ten, twenty, thirty at a time. It was like being tackled by a freight train, their numbers outweighed her so much. Ruby was able to fend off their spears and lances with her sword, but the sheer number of gargoyles piling onto her was overwhelming.

 _HISSSSS!_

Ruby growled in anger as the Grimm piled on top of her, pinning her to the ground. The pressure was stifling! She could scarcely breathe!

Just as she felt that they might crush her to death, she finally activated her silver eyes.

SHOOM!

In an instant, the Grimm were blown away like so much dust. Every gargoyle that had so much as laid a hand on her disintegrated in an instant, and the light emanating from her eyes was like a ward, driving off any survivors that dared approach her. The area around her lit up as she glowed like a lantern light, and as she stepped, the Grimm shied away, as if she were a cleansing panacea to a noxious contaminant.

Ruby gazed back at the Grimm in amazement, astonished by how effective her silver eyes were in this world. She was a shining beacon of light in a world that knew only darkness, and as such, every creature in her path recoiled from her like a cat from water.

She clenched her teeth. If this was truly the world of the Grimm, then there would truly be no end to them. She could sit here and wipe out Grimm until the end of time, but she still needed to find Qrow. She may have her silver eyes to rely on, but her uncle had no such defenses.

She leaped forward, bounding up onto one of the rocky formations around the Nexus, trying to find higher ground. As she moved, the Grimm moved with her, keeping their distance and drawing back as she drew near, her silver eyes still burning brightly. She wasn't sure how long she could keep her power activated, but she had a feeling that as soon as she let it drop, the Grimm would be upon her once again.

As she climbed the stone hill, she began to notice more Grimm around her than just the gargoyles. As the lightning continued to crackle overhead, she caught glimpses of shapes in the dim light. Wandering packs of beowolves, ursi and deathstalkrs, winged gryphons and nevermores littering the sky. All manner of Grimm, some large, some small, some in shapes she had never seen before. It was like an entire ecosystem, if such a thing could exist where there was no such thing as aura.

And as she finally crested the top of the hill, her eyes fell upon the largest number of Grimm she had ever seen.

Gargoyles. Hundreds upon thousands of them, lined up like soldiers, each carrying one of their black weapons in their claws. Beneath Ruby's feet, lining the base of a ravine leading directly at the Nexus, was a veritable army of Grimm. Among their ranks were goliaths, massive ursi, deathstalkers and types of Grimm she had never seen before. Often these larger Grimm had a gargoyle upon their backs, with those in the lead thrusting forward with their weapons, as if directing a platoon towards an enemy before them.

And the lead platoon was just beginning to advance on the Nexus.

"It's an invasion army…" Ruby breathed in realization.

The Grimm were planning to invade Remnant in force! Whatever these gargoyles were, they were more intelligent than anything they had ever faced before. Against a foe that was capable of giving orders to other Grimm and leading them in such an orderly fashion, the world of Remnant could not repel such a force. The four kingdoms had struggled for their very lives as it was, and had already lost two kingdoms to the Grimm. If the army that Ruby saw before her managed to make it through the Nexus…

The world of Remnant wouldn't stand a chance.

This was Salem's end game, Ruby realized. This was what the Witch had been planning for all those millennia. She must have been building this army for thousands of years. And now that the Nexus was finally open once again, there was nothing stopping the Witch from marching that army straight into the world of Remnant, laying siege to all mankind and wiping them from existence.

As Ruby's eyes scanned the horizon, they fell upon a tall stone tower beyond the armies of Grimm that looked to be an almost mirror image of Beacon tower. In fact, the more Ruby surveyed the landscape, the more the layout of the landscape appeared to be a mirror image of Beacon Academy.

As Ruby approached the tower, she could see a number of objects circling the tower in the brief flashes of lightning. Surrounding the tower, a number of stone platforms at various elevations seemed to be floating by some ethereal force, rotating in alternating orbits around the axis of the tower.

And atop the tower, a bright light shone so brightly that Ruby could see it even from the ground. And she could feel a familiar aura, slowly flickering along with the light.

She couldn't see exactly what was at the top of that tower, but she had a pretty good idea of what it was.

"Hang on, uncle Qrow," she whispered, silver eyes aglow as she ran towards the tower. "I'm coming!"


	142. Chapter 142

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 142

* * *

Watching Jaune fight and getting the chance to fight at his side may have been the greatest privilege Pyrrha had ever known.

He was on a completely different level than the day she'd met him. He had come so far in such a short amount of time that Pyrrha almost couldn't recognize him. His foundation was solid, his footwork was on point, and he no longer wasted his movements. He was also clearly much more comfortable in his own skin now. She suspected much of this change was owed to discovering his semblance, which had to have been a major confidence booster. Never mind how singularly powerful his semblance was, but having a solid grasp of who one was and what one was capable of made for a much more definitive path forward.

As much pride as it would have given Pyrrha to take credit for his progress, however, she fully recognized that she had been absent for most of it. While she had gotten him started, Jaune had found his way without her. Part of the stark contrast in his caliber was how much time had passed between now and the last time she had ever seen him in action. There had been times where she had faced him while in Cinder's thrall, but that perspective had been entirely different than the one she was seeing now. The Jaune she had known before may have had potential, but the Jaune she saw today had realized that potential.

She had been so worried that her departure might have hurt him too much for him to push on. Loathe as she was to make such a presumption, but if being separated from him had been anywhere near as painful for him as it had been for her, then Pyrrha could scarcely imagine the resolve it must have taken for him to soldier on in spite of that. In point of fact, Pyrrha herself had not been up to the task. She had survived, yes, but how she had suffered for it. She had not been lying when she had said that her strength had decreased substantially during the ordeal. She was less of a Huntress now than she had been at her prime as a student at Beacon. She felt it in her bones. If she had to face her old self in combat now, she would have lost by a substantial margin.

But Jaune had somehow thrived. Pyrrha had put her faith in Jaune, and knew in part that his growth was indeed testament to the strength of his character. But she also suspected that this strength had not come wholly from within. Jaune had a team. A good team. Ren and Nora had been there for him, and Ruby had stepped in to guide him in Pyrrha's absence. She had never gotten the chance to properly thank the young Huntress for all that she had done for Jaune. She would have to remember to do so when next they met.

For now, however, there were still more battles left to fight.

"Behind you!" Jaune cried, lunging past her to drive his sword into the ursa's chest as it raised its claws to strike at Pyrrha from behind.

Pyrrha smiled as she watched him, still somewhat out of breath. Their duel had taken a lot of out of them both, but with their auras linked, they were managing to supplement each other enough to keep fighting. But as much aura as Jaune possessed and as much stamina as he had accumulated on his journey, even he looked like he was flagging.

"Jaune, look out!" Pyrrha cried as she leaped to cover him with her shield.

Her shield began to glow as she borrowed Jaune's semblance for a half second as another ursa swung its claws at them. The claws ricocheted off of her shield like it was a concrete wall, sending the ursa toppling back.

"Yahhhhh!" Jaune hollered as he turned to see the ursa before dashing forward, spring-boarding over of Pyrrha's shoulder, before bringing his sword down across the ursa's flank, cutting a broad swathe along its trunk.

With a groan of defeat, the Grimm collapsed.

Jaune rested on one knee, gasping for breath. His muscles ached and burned, and yet still he carried on. Pyrrha felt exhausted herself, and much as she enjoyed the competition of seeing which of them would throw in the towel first, she was in no hurry to have this battle be their last.

"Jaune, Beacon is overrun," she said, panting for breath. "And we're both running on fumes. We need to find someplace to hide and rest for a bit."

Jaune looked up at the carnage all around them. Pyrrha was right. They may have cleared out everything in the immediate vicinity, but the school grounds that had once been their home was now a hotbed of Grimm activity. He could still see roving packs of beowolves and deathstalkers in the distance, and the sky still teemed with nevermores and gryphons. The two of them were still in the school's courtyard, and if they stayed out in the open like this, it would only be a matter of time before more Grimm showed up.

"Alright…" Jaune nodded, looking around. "Why don't we go see if one of these school buildings are safe enough to take shelter in?"

Pyrrha nodded and followed him as Jaune slowly made his way towards one of the lecture halls, leaving the statue of the first Huntsmen behind them. Stepping lightly, the two Huntsmen carefully crept towards the nearest school building, cautiously inspecting the windows as they passed. Finally, they came to one that was not latched, and after carefully prying it open, they both quickly slipped inside.

They arrived in a large lecture hall classroom, the stadium seating leading upwards towards the back of the room. The room itself had been utterly trashed, chairs and desks broken, the chalkboard cracked on the floor, with the scorched remains of textbooks littering the floor.

But at least it was empty. And after carefully checking the door leading out to the hallway and seeing no sign of any Grimm activity, the two Huntsmen huddled together beneath the window they had come in through, sitting on the floor with their backs to the wall.

Jaune withdrew his scroll and tried once again to reach his team.

"Ren, Nora," he said in a tired voice. "Can either of you read me?"

Pyrrha said nothing, but chewed on her lip as she watched the static sound wave on his scroll as it remained silent.

"Ren, Nora, can you hear me?" Jaune urged again, uneasiness in his voice.

Pyrrha glanced back up at his face, troubled by the tension in his brow.

"Jaune…" she whispered.

Jaune clenched his jaw, not willing to give up.

"Neptune," he prompted again. "Scarlet, Sage, anyone! Can _anyone_ hear me!?"

Silence was his only answer, and finally Jaune lowered his scroll, hanging his head in defeat.

Pyrrha placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Jaune…" she whispered once again. "We'll find them."

Jaune shuddered, eyes closing in agitation.

"Ruby put _me_ in charge of this team while she was gone," he lamented, his whole body gripped with tension. "I was supposed to keep everyone safe. And I failed."

Pyrrha shook her head. "You did the best you could, Jaune. But you _all_ knew you were going up against impossible odds. Ren and Nora are strong Huntsmen. You made it down here in one piece. So will they."

Jaune gave his scroll one last hopeful look, before slipping it back into his pocket.

"I sure hope so…" he sighed, before leaning his head back against the wall, taking a deep breath,

Pyrrha wrapped her hands around her knees as she looked around the classroom. As she started recognizing features, she was hit by a wave of nostalgia as memories of simpler times began to return to her.

"I think this might have been Professor Oobleck's history classroom," Pyrrha commented idly, her eyes casting about the room.

Jaune opened his eyes and started looking around.

"I think you're right," he agreed, a wistful smile coming to his face.

A smile slowly crept to Pyrrha's lips as well.

"I remember trying to help you answer the professor's questions from across the room," she said in recollection.

"Hah," Jaune exhaled in laughter. "Yeah, I'm still not very good with sign language."

Pyrrha closed her eyes, smiling in reminiscence.

"Remember the days when the worst of our problems was Cardin Winchester and how he used to pick on you?" she asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Oh yeah…" Jaune chuckled in amusement. "Those were the days, huh?"

"Nora and I were _this_ close to breaking his legs," Pyrrha snickered, running her hand through her hair. "He was such a jerk!"

Jaune let out a sigh.

"Oh, come on, he wasn't _that_ bad," he said.

Pyrrha smiled over at the young man, giving him a peculiar look.

"And that's what I love so much about you, Jaune," she said wistfully. "You somehow manage to see the good in _everyone_ , even the people who least deserve it."

Jaune scratched his head. "Oh…well…I guess."

Pyrrha smiled up at the ceiling, crossing her arms.

"And when it came down to the wire, you _saved_ _his life!_ " she beamed with pride. "I still remember the look on his face when you took out that ursa!"

She fixed him with a warm, loving smile.

"I think that was the moment I first knew just how much potential you had, Jaune," Pyrrha said happily.

Jaune shook his head, lamentingly.

"For all the good it did…" he sighed. "Cardin's dead. Ruby told me that he died with the resistance."

Pyrrha's eyes widened, her laughter dying in her throat.

"Oh…" she said. "I…I never knew. I never saw him among any of the captured resistance members, so I just assumed he got away somehow. I…"

Jaune shook his head, picking up the scorched remains of a history textbook, half of its pages burned to a crisp. A year ago, Cardin had bullied him into writing up a report on that very same textbook. Now it was so much kindling from a war for their very lives.

"We really can't go back, can we?" he asked forlornly as pieces of the book crumbled to ash in his hands. "Even if we win here today, even if we save Beacon and defeat every Grimm in the the world…things will _never_ be like they used to be."

Pyrrha stared back at Jaune, pursing her lips as he hung his head despondently.

"No…" she agreed, narrowing her eyes. "They won't…"

She drew in her breath, clenching her fists.

"And that's a good thing, Jaune," she added, raising her head. "As nice as things may have been back then…if things had never changed at all, then…well, there's just no point to _any_ of it."

She reached out and touched his shoulder.

"We all have to keep moving forward, Jaune," she smiled. "No matter what."

Jaune attempted to smile back at her, but it came out much less sure than he intended.

"Yeah…" he agreed, nodding his head. "I just…I just wish things had turned out different, that's all."

He let out a self-deprecating laugh as he clenched his forehead.

"I mean, I was such a stubborn _ass_ back then!" he sighed. "I was too proud to even admit when I needed help. I had no _idea_ what the world was like back then. There are _so_ many things I'd do differently if I could go back and do it all over again."

Pyrrha's eyes did not leave him as Jaune studied the floor.

"Like what?" she asked.

He finally lifted his head to gaze back at her.

"Well, for one thing," he said, his cheeks coloring a bit. "I wouldn't have wasted so much time chasing something that was right in front of my face."

Pyrrha flushed a little as well.

"Jaune…" she breathed.

He reached out to take her hand in his, giving it a squeeze before bringing her hand to his lips. Pyrrha watched, lighthearted, as he kissed her hand. The tension in his brow, and the way he pressed her fingers to his lips, Pyrrha could see just how much he treasured her. He clung to her with such raw need that it was like her very touch gave him sustenance. Her heart was pounding as she watched him, doing nothing more than hold her hand to his face, his tears emerging anew as the previous year came back to him in waves of heartache.

"I was so blind to what was going on around me," he breathed in a whisper, refusing to let go of her hand. "I still can't believe how stupid and stuck up and…completely _useless_ I was…"

Pyrrha furrowed her brow and threw her arms around him, holding him tightly.

"Jaune…" she whispered, squeezing him with all her might. "We _all_ we all start out not knowing anything, and we _all_ make mistakes as we grow up. _I_ could have done things differently too. I made decisions back then that I regret just the same."

Jaune snorted disbelievingly in her arms.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, shaking his head. "Like what?"

Pyrrha released her hold, her hands falling to where his lay in his lap, taking his hands in hers.

"I…" she breathed. "Well, I can't say for certain that I would have turned down the offer to become the Fall Maiden…"

Jaune looked up, peering into her eyes.

"But…" Pyrrha attempted a weak smile. "But if I _had_ to do it again…I certainly would have been _up-front_ about it with the rest of the team – or at very least, with you, Jaune."

Jaune stared back at her, concern in his eyes.

"Pyrrha…?" he asked.

Pyrrha lowered her eyes.

"It may have been my decision," she said. "But it was a decision that affected more than just myself. It affected _all_ of you, in more ways than I could have imagined. I shouldn't have kept it from you. You deserved…"

Her voice hitched as she tried to fight back tears.

"You…deserved to know the _truth_ , Jaune…" she whimpered, reaching up to wipe away the tears trickling down her face. "I should have been more honest with you…about _so_ many things…"

Jaune reached out to hold her by the shoulders as she wept.

"Pyrrha…" he shook his head.

"About becoming the Maiden…about my feelings for you…" Pyrrha sniffed. "But the truth is…"

She looked back up at him, tears in her eyes.

"The truth is… _I_ was scared too," she confessed, her lower lip quivering. "I dragged my heels, kept my mouth shut, and just waited for you to take the decision out of my hands…"

Jaune's hands came up to her cheeks, dabbing away the tears with his thumb.

"And when you tried to do _just_ that…" Pyrrha sobbed even harder. "I…I pushed you away!"

Jaune shook his head, throwing his arms around her.

"Pyrrha…" he breathed, squeezing her tightly in his arms.

"I thought that I was protecting you, Jaune…" the Huntress whimpered, letting him hold her. "But the truth is, I was too scared to tell you _anything!_ I just kept waiting and waiting until it was too late! And I just…I just thought we'd have more time…"

His hands came up to stroke her back, and Pyrrha wept all the more for how wonderful it felt just to be held like this. As much as it terrified her to surrender once again to his embrace for fear of only being yanked away by Cinder's thrall once again, she had lost all willpower to resist the warmth of his arms.

Then when his hands enclosed around her face and brought her lips to his own, she simply melted away. How could such a simple thing be so wonderful as this? How could the simplest of touches bring her to such weakness when she had weathered gale storms in his absence? She could, without ego, claim to be among the strongest Huntresses of her class. Yet here she was, unable to muster the strength to do aught but tremble in his arms as he kissed her.

For a while, the two of them simply sat there on the floor of the ruined Beacon Academy classroom, savoring one another. Pyrrha never wanted it to end. She never wanted _any_ of it to end. Not for the first time, she wished that she and Jaune could have simply run away together, and put the entire war with the Grimm behind them simply to live out their lives together.

But she had her pride as a Huntress, and she knew that Jaune had his as well. Neither of them could have abandoned their friends in such a manner. Which was why, when Jaune's scroll went off in his pocket, it was with reluctant acceptance that they parted.

"KZZZZ-SHHH-Team RSJC, this…" came a static-riddled noise at Jaune's hip. "Team RSJC, this is Ruby Rose, please come in!"

Jaune flinched as his scroll went off in his pocket, breaking the kiss.

"H-Hey!" he gasped, reaching for his scroll. "It's Ruby!"

Pyrrha pursed her lips in dismay as Jaune pulled away from her. They never seem to have enough time, she thought remorsefully as Jaune withdrew his scroll. Maybe it was due to his feelings of guilt or responsibility about being a team leader. But the eagerness with which Jaune had reacted to the sound of Ruby's voice could not help but leave Pyrrha feeling somewhat ill-at-ease.

Ruby's voice squawked again through the scroll, before Jaune thumbed the microphone button.

"Ruby?" he said into the scroll. "Ruby, is that you? Can you hear me?"

Ruby's response was immediate.

"Jaune!" her voice sounded. "Oh thank goodness, you're still alive! Are you alright?"

Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged a smile as he stared at the dancing waveform pattern on his screen.

"Still breathing for the moment," he said with a relieved sigh. "And you'll never guess who's with me…"

He held his scroll up to Pyrrha, who waved despite the video feed not recording her.

"Hello again!" she said.

"Pyrrha!?" Ruby's gasp was palpable. "Pyrrha, is that _you!?_ "

"Yes!" Pyrrha smiled widely. "Thanks to Jaune! He managed to break Cinder's spell. For good this time, I hope."

Jaune squeezed Pyrrha's hand in his as she squeezed him back.

"Oh, Pyrrha!" Ruby's voice sounded so relived. "It's so wonderful to hear your voice again!"

There was a murmur of agreement through the speaker that sounded like the rest of Team RWBY on the other line.

"Where are you two right now?" Ruby finally asked. "Where's the rest of the team?"

Pyrrha could practically see the shadow that passed over Jaune's face as he hung his head.

"Ruby, I…" Jaune said, a note of despair in his voice. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I got separated from Team RSJC! I can't reach _any_ of them!"

"What?" Ruby gasped over the scroll. "Jaune, slow down. What are you saying?"

Pyrrha placed her hand on Jaune's shoulder, but he was inconsolable.

"I'm saying I've lost the team, Ruby!" Jaune cried, nearly dropping his scroll. "I've been trying and trying to reach them ever since, and I…I…I don't know where _anyone_ else is! They could all be _dead_ for all I know! I…I failed, Ruby. I failed."

Pyrrha sighed as she stroked Jaune's back. It was never easy to admit defeat, she knew, especially to the people who looked up you. And she could tell that, for all her leadership abilities, Ruby definitely looked up to Jaune. And she could tell that Jaune knew it too. Which made it all the more difficult for him to let her down like this.

Finally, Ruby's voice returned.

"We have to keep moving forward, Jaune," her voice sounded remarkably calm. "Let's just focus on our next move, and try to figure things out from there. With any luck, we'll find the rest of our teammates on the way."

Jaune let out a sigh as he placed a hand over his eyes, as if fighting back tears. Here he had been, trying to break the bad news to Ruby, thinking it would break her heart. And she still continued to soldier on, in spite of everything. Even Pyrrha had to acknowledge Ruby's leadership skills in that moment. She was taking this setback in stride, and making the most of it. And now it seemed that Jaune was the one in need of consolation.

"Jaune…" she said, placing a hand on his shoulder when he didn't respond to Ruby's words.

"Okay…" Jaune finally responded, raising his head to fix her with a grateful expression. "Okay, Ruby. What's our next step?"

"We're heading down to the vault under Beacon tower," she explained. "That's where we think our enemy is holed up. Can you make it down there?"

Now it was Pyrrha's turn to grow pale. Both she and Jaune still had nightmares about what had occurred down in that vault. That was the day that Cinder had taken everything from them. But Pyrrha knew, as well as Jaune did, that Cinder was not the only threat. And from the sound of it, this enemy was fixated on whatever else lay in that vault.

"Yeah…" Jaune said, slipping his hand into Pyrrha's and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Yeah, I think we can manage that."

Pyrrha chewed on her lip, but nodded.

"Good," Ruby said over the scroll. "Get there as soon as you can. We'll meet you down there."

"Okay, Ruby…" Jaune agreed in a haggard voice. "Okay…"

Pyrrha squeezed his hand back, before leaning in to speak into his scroll.

"Stay safe, you all!" she said. "We'll get through this together!"

"Will do," Weiss' voice sounded.

"Count on it," Yang added.

"You too," Blake said.

"Jaune…Pyrrha…" Ruby's voice was quiet. "Be careful, you two."

Jaune threw a weak smile towards Pyrrha as she nodded back. She was ready.

"Will do," Jaune said.

Pyrrha sighed. Despite her concerns, she was glad that Ruby's words had seemed to put Jaune's mind at least, at least a little. She regretful that she herself had not been able to give him such comfort. She knew that Jaune was a kind and honest soul, and she supposed that if his time spent with Ruby had been a positive impact on his life, then she was in no position to be suspicious. Still, though, it was enough to make her wonder.

Jaune pocketed his scroll and the two of them rose to their feet. Wordlessly, they strode towards the door, peeking out into the hallway, before treading lightly through the door. They were both familiar with the school grounds, and knew the fastest way through the school buildings to get to Beacon Tower while staying indoors as much as possible.

The lecture halls, though trashed, seemed largely devoid of Grimm, and the two Huntsmen were able to skirt their way past the Grimm, ducking from building to building, as they slowly made their way towards Beacon tower above the main hall.

They were forced to stop just shy of the main hall beneath the tower, as a pack of beowolves were sniffing the ground between the two Huntsmen and the tower.

Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged a glance. Neither of them wanted to fight their way through such numbers at the moment. By now, the two of them had enough strength to take them down, but the commotion would only draw more creatures of Grimm to their location, and then they'd be in the same mess as before.

The answer came in the form of a down bullhead. After linking auras, Pyrrha tapped into her semblance, lending her enough strength to engulf the craft in her black aura and silently lift the massive broken airship off the ground, before hurling it towards the other end of the campus.

CRASH!

The distant sound caused the entire pack of beowolves to lift their heads, and go rushing off to see what the commotion was about.

Jaune gave Pyrrha an approving smile before the two of them made their way to the tower. However, before they even made it halfway there, Pyrrha suddenly stopped in her tracks. She felt something deep in her bones that she simply could not ignore.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune asked, skidding to a halt just a few steps ahead of her. "What's wrong? Those beowolves won't be gone for long."

Pyrrha said nothing. Instead, she turned and dashed towards the edge of the main hall, making a beeline not for the doors, but to the base of the tower itself.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune called out to her, rushing after. "What's going on?"

Pyrrha finally came to a halt as Jaune caught up to her, catching his breath.

"Pyrrha…" he said, looking down at the pile of rubble at her feet. "What's…?"

Pyrrha could barely hear him. Adrenaline was coursing through her system, as he blood began to boil. Her instincts had been right on the money.

There, lying in the pile of rubble at the base of Beacon tower, was Cinder Fall.

" _You!_ " Pyrrha hissed, her upper lip drawing up to bare her teeth.

The crumpled form of Cinder Fall lay broken and disfigured upon a pile of rocks and rubble that used to be part of the main hall. Her red dress was torn, and her arms and legs hung at odd angles, her bones broken beyond use. A trickle of blood, caked dry from the dust in the air, ran down her nose and from her lips.

Her eyes, however, lay open, and her chest still slowly heaved up and down. She was alive, if barely.

"It's…" Jaune breathed in disbelief, his hand on his sword. "…It's Cinder!"

The broken woman's eyes flickered over to the two Huntsmen standing over her, her eyes slowly focusing on them both. Her body did not move, her neck did not swivel to turn her head toward them. Only her eyes seemed to move as she stared unblinkingly at them, drawing in a ragged breath into what must have been punctured lungs.

"Well…" he voice came out as a rasping hiss, before she coughed up a mouthful of blood, spitting it out onto her dress with a messy splash. " _Ughh_ …how the…tables have turned…"

Pyrrha's had her weapons out in an instant, her whole body trembling in rage as she knelt over the woman before her, Miló poised to stab her.

"What is this!?" Pyrrha demanded furiously. "What's going on here?"

Cinder's lips curved into what might at one time have been a smile.

"Isn't it obvious…?" she sputtered, her whole body straining as she spoke. "Y-You're a smart girl… _nnnng_ …you can see for yourself…"

Jaune was staring down at the woman in red, just as flabbergasted.

"She's dying…" he said, shaking his head in confusion. "She must have fallen from the top of the tower."

"V-Very astute, boy…" Cinder breathed mockingly, her eyes flickering over to the Pyrrha. "This one's… _ahhh_ …a keeper, my dear…"

Pyrrha still seethed as she stared down at the broken body of Cinder in disbelief. Here she was, all but ready to slit the woman's throat, and now she was dying on the ground before her. It was utterly preposterous.

"Well now," Pyrrha let out an exasperated breath. "Isn't this just poetic? I finally get the chance to make you _pay_ for everything you've done to us…and now it seems that killing you would only be an act of _mercy_ at this point."

Cinder let out a laugh that resulted in another clump of brown blood spewing out from between her lips.

" _Ahhh_ … T-Trust me…" she rasped, her eyes growing darker as her body continued to drain of life. "The irony…is _not_ lost on me…"

Pyrrha couldn't believe what she was seeing. She felt robbed. As much as she never wanted to see the woman again, to be denied the opportunity to seek her revenge somehow felt like the world cheating her out of something. She did not like to think of herself as being so petty. If there was one thing her ordeal with Cinder had taught her, it was that life was _anything_ but fair.

But Pyrrha was commanded by a strong sense of justice, and had been so all her life. She would never have become a Huntress without it. And for someone like her, being unable to deliver the final blow to the one who had made her and so many others suffer so maliciously felt like just another insult.

"What should we do, Pyrrha?" Jaune asked staunchly.

Finally Pyrrha managed to tear her gaze away from the woman and fix her eyes on her partner. Jaune was still very uneasy with the situation, and still had his hand on his weapon. As non-threatening and helpless as Cinder appeared, they had both learned all too well that Cinder was capable of anything, and may still very well be dangerous. For all they knew, this could all just be some elaborate trick.

Still, if this was truly what it appeared to be, Pyrrha mused, how had someone with the power of all four Maidens been felled so easily? Perhaps that power had become too great for her to handle. Perhaps some greater enemy that was calling the shots had stripped Cinder of her power, leaving her to die. Perhaps she had simply been caught unawares. They would likely never know; the only one who knew for sure was Cinder herself, and Pyrrha did not think that she could trust anything the woman told her.

But the question remained…what were they to do with Cinder, now that they had found her in such a state? This was clearly no illusion – Pyrrha could _sense_ the woman's aura flickering into nothingness. Did they leave her to die a slow and painful death after hours or possibly even days had passed, letting her wounds fester until her life ran out or she was discovered by some wayward Grimm? Or did they do the merciful thing, and end her suffering right then and there? One choice certainly felt more satisfying…but the other was clearly the more just.

"I want you to tell us everything you know…" Pyrrha said, pointing her sword at Cinder's chest, a hint of disgust in her voice. "Tell me what I want to know, and I will _ease_ your passing."

Cinder seemed to find this amusing.

"I-I am…an open book, my dear… _nnng_ …" she rasped.

Jaune gave Pyrrha a concerned look.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked warily. "Even if she has nothing to lose, we can't trust anything she says."

Pyrrha re-sheathed her sword.

"I'll be sure to take anything I hear with a _sizeable_ grain of salt," she said gruffly, keeping her eyes on Cinder. "Now talk. Who are you working for? Who's calling the shots once you're gone?"

Cinder's face was a mask of dispassion.

"The bringer of night…the shepherd of darkness…the queen of all damnation …" she said, straining to breathe. "My master…m-my mother… _ughhh_ …the Witch…known as Salem."

The name Salem echoed in Pyrrha's head, and she felt a stirring of feeling somewhere in the deep recesses of her subconscious mind. She had heard that name before, she was certain of it. The name meant something, she just didn't know what.

"Yes…" Cinder said, evidently seeing the quizzical look in Pyrrha's eyes. "You…know that name well, my dear…don't you?"

Pyrrha blinked, and blinked again. Of course! The name must have resonated with the knowledge of the Maidens! The Maidens must have fought against this Salem before!

"Who is she?" Pyrrha demanded. "Tell me what she's capable of?"

Cinder laughed again, before breaking into another fit of coughing.

"There… _ughhh_ …" she spattered violently. "There…aren't…enough words…to even begin to describe…how powerful she is…"

Pyrrha's gaze narrowed. She was not in the mood for hyperbole.

"What does that mean?" she glared.

Cinder's tried to move her body, but winced in agony as a shudder ran through her body in protest.

"Ahhhhh!" she gasped in pain. " _Ughh_ …she…she has power…over life and death…"

Pyrrha and Jaune exchanged a glance, not knowing what to make of her words. This was getting them nowhere.

"Is _she_ the one who did this to you?" Jaune asked, trying to get a measure of how powerful their enemy was, determining that Cinder herself would be a useful gauge.

Cinder gritted her teeth as her eyes clenched shut.

"No…" she shuddered again. "It…it was another. One of…one of my own minions. She was… _ughhh_ …she was a traitor…"

Pyrrha furrowed her brow in skepticism.

"Even with the power of all four Maidens?" she asked.

"The Maidens…can be killed…just as easily as…any other…" Cinder gasped, gritting her teeth in pain "You should…well know this by now, child… _nnng_ …"

Jaune leaned forward, his hand still on his weapon.

"This minion who betrayed you," he said. "How did she do it?"

Cinder's upper lip drew back in anger where she lay at their feet.

"What does it matter!?" she demanded, before coughing up another wad of blood. " _Ughhh_ …she…she stabbed me in the back! She…she _betrayed_ me! N-Now let us be _done_ with this farce!"

Jaune and Pyrrha stared down at the broken woman with no sympathy in their eyes as she coughed up even more blood. Though she was clearly in agony, there was not a hint of remorse in either of the Huntsmen.

"One more question," Pyrrha pressed on. "The Maiden powers are still with you until you die, right? What happens to them after that?"

Cinder closed her eyes, struggling to draw in her breath.

"They r-return…to their creator…" she said in a halting voice. "They…return…to Salem."

Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes widened to saucers.

"What!?" Jaune gasped.

"That's ridiculous!" Pyrrha shook her head. "You're telling me…you're telling me this Witch Salem created the Maidens!?"

Cinder looked less than amused by their response.

"A-Are you deaf…as well as naïve, child?" she sneered. "The power of the Maidens… _ughhh_ …has _always_ belonged to the Witch."

Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged a worried look.

"But…" Jaune stammered. "Wait a minute…I thought the _Wizard_ was the one who gave the Maidens their power!"

"Yes…" Cinder growled. "A-And…where do you think…the Wizard _got_ that power, hmm?"

Pyrrha shook her head in disbelief.

"No…" she gasped. "No, it can't be…"

"She's lying, Pyrrha!" Jaune scowled down at Cinder. "She _has_ to be!"

Cinder fixed them with a look of disgust – one to which her blood-spattered visage lent itself fully.

"Don't…waste my time…" she spat angrily. "Y-You children…have been _lied_ to…u _ghhh!_ Y-Your _Wizard_ …has not told you _everything!_ "

Pyrrha's eyes were still wide as she trembled with fear. If what Cinder was saying was true…

"This is pointless, Pyrrha," Jaune urged her, turning away from their fallen enemy. "We can't trust a _thing_ she's telling us. She's just trying to rattle our nerves and put us off our game. Let's just go."

Pyrrha was still looking uncomfortably down at the woman who had held her captive and tortured her ceaselessly for days on end. How someone like her could have ever come to exist in the world was testament to just what a dark place the world could be. She could never forgive her. But she could most certainly pity her.

"I hope you find some kind of solace in the next life," Pyrrha said bitterly as she turned away. "Maybe then, you won't turn into such a _monster_."

Cinder glared as she saw the two Huntsmen standing to their feet, turning to leave.

"Whatever hell awaits me," she growled, her body unable to move as she shook. "It's nothing compared to what awaits _you_ my dear!"

Pyrrha froze in her steps at Cinder's words. Jaune only shook his head.

"Come on, Pyrrha," he urged her. "Let's just go."

Cinder let out an agonized, choking noise as she trembled with malice, her body spasming as her aura flickered, blood draining from between her lips.

"I… _ughhh_ …" she grimaced as she choked. "I…do not envy you…the choice that…lies ahead of you, child!"

Pyrrha turned to face her.

"What was that?" she asked, glaring back at her.

"Pyrrha, don't listen to her," Jaune said, turning to face her. "Just leave her!"

Cinder let out an eerie chortle of laughter as more blood trickled from her lips.

"Y-You…you _died_ , child!" Cinder crowed, a sickening smile on her paling face. "I…I brought you back from the dead! Wh-where do you think…that power came from!?"

Pyrrha took a step towards woman, disbelief in her eyes.

"What…?" she breathed.

Jaune began to shake as well.

"Pyrrha, no…" he said in scarcely contained anger. "Don't listen…"

Cinder seemed only too happy to continue.

"I told you!" she crowed, looking more and more like a corpse with every passing moment. "M-My mother…is a master… _ughhh_ …of life and death! It was _her_ power…that I used…to bring you back!"

Pyrrha took another step closer as her eyes began to flicker in terror.

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

"Shut up!" Jaune growled, his back still turned. "Shut up, shut up!"

Cinder had a manic look in her eyes as blood began to drain from her eyes and ears.

"Even _if_ …you manage to beat her…" she gasped. "H-How long…do you think you'll last…when she's gone!?"

Pyrrha nearly fell to her knees.

"No…" she whispered in despair. "You can't mean…?"

Cinder's sickening smile was palpable.

"Y-You exist…because of _her_ , my dear!" Cinder spat, blood oozing from every orifice on her face. "H-Her power…is what keeps you _alive!_ If she dies…so do _you!_ "

This time, Pyrrha did fall to her knees. Her vision blurred and, her whole body went numb. All at once, everything became clear to her. The question that had been lingering in the back of her mind that she had never wanted to know the answer to had finally been answered.

She was alive by the grace of her latent Maiden powers. And the power of the Maidens ultimately belong to the Witch. The tiny thread of Maiden's potential inside her meant that that this Witch Salem would always have a hold over her. In order for the Witch to be taken down…she would have to give up her own life.

Pyrrha didn't register much of anything for a moment after that. She was simply lost in a sea of thought, overwhelmed by what she had learned. When she finally did regain her focus, Jaune had flown into an utter rage.

" _Liar!_ " his eyes narrowed as he release a blood curdling scream, drawing his sword. " _LIAR!_ "

Pyrrha could only watch as Jaune drove his sword into Cinder's unmoving chest.

SHHHNK!

Pyrrha stared, dead-eyed in cold dispassion as Jaune plunged his sword into Cinder's body again and again, each spattering more and more blood as Cinder's face remained utterly unmoving.

"You _MONSTER!_ " Jaune screamed, tears in his eyes as he gutted the woman's body like a fish. " _Damn you! DAMN YOU!_ "

Pyrrha watched unblinking as Cinder was cut to ribbons. Jaune slashed and stabbed unrelentingly, mutilating the woman's body until it was completely unrecognizable and Crocea Mors was utterly drenched with blood.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha whispered as the tears finally came.

"Damn you!" Jaune continued to scream as he ground his enemy's remains into a bloody paste with his sword. "You've taken _everything_ from us! _EVERYTHING!_ "

"Jaune!" Pyrrha sobbed, stumbling towards him to throw her arms around his shoulders. "Stop…"

Jaune was trembling in anguish as he dropped his sword, his armor spattered with blood as he fell to his knees. He collapsed in on himself, his head touching the ground before him as he let out a wail of rage and despair. His hands clawed at the earth, grabbing fistfuls of dirt as he shook with rage, the dripping remains of their enemy before him.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha whimpered, clutching him from behind as they both reeled in shock. "Jaune, stop…please…"

Jaune slammed his fists into the ground, his tears splashing down on the dry dusty dirt before him.

"It's not fair…" he wept, shaking his head in despair. "It's not _fair!_ "

Pyrrha clenched her arms around him even harder as she attempted to swallow her own tears.

"I know, Jaune…" she wept, her voice quivering as she embraced him. "I know…"

He finally turned around and threw his arms around her, weeping within her embrace.

"She has to be lying!" he muttered in desperation. "She _has_ to be!"

Pyrrha shuddered as she squeezed him harder.

"I…I don't think she was, Jaune…" she whispered.

Jaune drew in another breath and let out another sob.

"We have to find some way to stop it!" he growled angrily. "I'll find _some_ way to save you, Pyrrha! I…I…"

"Jaune!" Pyrrha whimpered, pressing her head to his chest. "Please…"

She nearly lost herself as his hands came up to tangle themselves in her hair.

"Don't make a girl a promise…" she trembled, "If you know you can't keep it…"

Jaune let out another howl of anguish.

"Why…?" he wailed, his hands coming up to tug at her back. " _Why!?_ You're finally _free!_ We're finally together again after all this time! And now…"

Pyrrha couldn't hold back the wave of tears that spilled from her eyes as she held him tighter than she ever had in her life. She had always known the world to be an unfair place, and as a result, her duty as a Huntress had often come before her own happiness and even her own life. Now it seemed that her duty would once again come between herself and the man she loved.

If the Witch Salem was as dangerous as she suspected, there was no way that they could allow her to go free. A creature even more powerful than Cinder, who commanded the Grimm and held dominion over life and death was too dangerous to let live in the world of Remnant. They would have to destroy her.

And when they did…

"How…?" Jaune shuddered, lifting his head to fix his partner with a desperate expression. "How are we supposed to fight anymore?"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha muttered, still too lost to answer him properly.

"How am I supposed to fight?" Jaune asked tremulously, "When I know that even if we _win_ …I'll _still_ be losing you?"

Pyrrha shook her head, but could not answer him. She had no answer to give him. She felt so utterly lost. Every hope she had held onto, every dream she had for a future in this world…it was all being swept away into nothingness.

"Pyrrha…" Jaune whimpered, clasping her face between his hands and gazing back at her, eyes swollen red from tears. "What are we supposed to do now…?"

Pyrrha withered under his gaze, and her heart broke anew as she slowly digest what their parting would do to him. For Pyrrha, once this was over, everything would simply end. But for Jaune…

He would have to go on without her.

"Jaune…" she whispered, tears streaming down her face as she brought her hands up to his cheeks.

She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. She would have to be strong for both of them. Jaune needed her, now more than ever, to be the strong one. Just for a little while longer.

She could do that much. For his sake.

She opened her eyes.

"We…" she began, steadying herself on his shoulders. "We have to _fight_ …"

Jaune said nothing for a time. He simply stared back at her, slowly shaking his head.

"No…" he finally said. "No, Pyrrha…I can't…"

Pyrrha squeezed her eyes shut, before opening them once more.

"We don't have a choice, Jaune…" said, breaking into a cold sweat as she attempted to rationalize what she was saying. "The only alternative is a world overrun by Grimm. Even if we could survive in that world…it wouldn't be one worth living in."

Jaune was still shaking his head, clenching his eyes as more tears fell.

"Pyrrha…" he sobbed.

Pyrrha took him by the shoulders, sniffing back her tears.

"Our happiness isn't worth the price of every other life in this world…" she whispered, forcing herself to smile. "It's like I told you before, Jaune…just like Ruby said…"

She gazed into tear-filled eyes, saw the battered heart behind those eyes, and nearly lost herself in how agonizing it was to have to break that heart once again.

"We _have_ …to _keep_ …moving _forward_ …" she whispered.

She touched her forehead to his as his breathing finally slowed to a calm. He opened his eyes, focusing on how green they were, and tried not to imagine never being able to gaze into those eyes again.

He swallowed hard. And nodded.

"Okay…" he said in a tremulous voice. "Okay…okay…"

It wasn't fair. It would never be fair. But that was what the life of a Huntsman was. Facing down the world in all of its unfairness. And somehow managing to charge forward anyway. It was a Huntsman's job to take on the sacrifices of today so that tomorrow would not have to endure them. As much as it pained them, as much as it tore at them inside, they were both Huntsmen through and through. They would both find some way to soldier on.

One way or another.

Just as the two of them began to rise to their feet once again, however, the very ground began to shake beneath them.

"What the…?" Jaune gasped.

Before either of them could so much as raise their swords, every single window in Beacon tower shattered, spilling out a veritable storm cloud of Grimm gargoyles, fluttering like a swarm of hornets to spill out into the sky.

 _HISSSSS!_

The sound of their combined hisses of anger coagulated together like the buzzing of bees, filling the sky with a thousand raging wings of dark malice.

"Are we too late!?" Pyrrha gaped in despair.

"Run!" Jaune cried.

The two Huntsmen fled as a multitude of the gargoyles descended upon them. Hundreds of bat-like wings, carrying harbingers of death, each armed to the teeth with steel black weapons of malice, and all of them with their sights set on the two Huntsmen below. The two of them tried to fight them off, but there were just too many Grimm in the air to hold their ground.

Jaune and Pyrrha ran for cover, finally managing to dive back inside one of the school buildings, taking shelter in one of the lecture halls as the skies echoed with the cacophony of wings.

"Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, wheezing for breath.

"Yeah," Jaune gasped. "Where did they all come from?"

"I think they're coming from the vault!" Pyrrha said, catching her breath. "Team RWBY's still down there! They're in trouble!"

Jaune gritted his teeth in frustration, his whole body shaking. They were _this_ close to the end, and now they were powerless to do anything. There were just too many Grimm between the two of them and Beacon tower.

Not that he was all too eager to face that end, he admitted grudgingly.

Then a voice sounded from the scroll on his belt.

"KZZZZ-SHHH-Jaune!" came a familiar voice. "Jaune, are you there!?"

His heart skipped a beat as he grabbed for his scroll, yanking it open to turn on his microphone input.

"Nora!?" he cried out in relief. "Nora, is that you!?"

Nora's response was instantaneous.

"Oh my gosh, you made it!" she cried, utter relief in her voice as well.

"Yeah," Jaune nodded hurriedly. "Pyrrha's here too! Are Ren and the others with you?"

"Pyrrha!?" Nora's voice hit an even higher octave. "You found Pyrrha!?"

Jaune stifled a pained noise, before letting out a sigh.

"Yes, Nora," he said. "What about Ren? Is he with you? What about Neptune and his team?"

CRASH!

A piece of debris falling from the tower above crashed down to the earth as the swarming creatures of Grimm encircling the tower and still flooding outward from its windows caused pieces of the tower itself to break off and hurdle towards the and Pyrrha skirted farther into the lecture hall as a loud noise from outside assaulted their ears. They could hear Nora's voice, but couldn't make out what she was saying.

"What was that?" Jaune pressed. "I didn't copy!"

"I _said_ Ren is here!" Nora repeated. "So are Team CFVY and the Huntsmen she was leading! We got blown _way_ off course and landed far away from campus, but we managed to reconvene with Coco and her team! The general and his forces are here too!"

Jaune let out a sigh.

"Oh, that's such a relief!" he shuddered. "What about the rest of Team RSJC? Are Neptune and the others there too?"

There was a slight pause.

"Scarlet and Sage are here," Nora said. "I…I haven't seen Neptune though…"

Pyrrha watched as Jaune clenched his jaw. She didn't want to imagine that they'd lost another Huntsman, but that was clearly what Jaune was thinking right at that moment.

"Jaune…" she breathed.

Jaune gritted his teeth in agitation.

"Damn it…" he muttered, before fixing his attention on his scroll. "Nora, how close are you guys to Beacon? Team RWBY's down in the vault under Beacon, and they _need_ us to back them up!"

"We're just outside the entrance!" Nora said hurriedly. "But there's a _huge_ number of Grimm out here blocking our path! We can't get into the campus!"

Jaune paled, and turned his eyes towards Vale. Most of those new Grimm were in the air, but they all seemed to be heading in the direction of the city. One the ground, most of the remaining Grimm were also gathering – ursi and borbotusks, and an entire heard of goliaths all gathered together to form a blockade. And the gargoyles were slowly joining their ranks.

"They're outnumbered…" Jaune shook his head. "There's no way the Huntsmen will be able to make it through all that."

"Jaune…" Pyrrha whispered. "What about Ruby and her team? They need our help down in the vault!"

Jaune gritted his teeth. They couldn't hope to get inside Beacon tower on their own. The Grimm would descend upon them like hawks before they reached the main hall. But Team RWBY needed their help. They'd have a better shot with more numbers on their side, but all the Huntsmen were still blocked at the entrance to the academy. They could probably make their way back to the main force, but what good would two more Huntsmen do for an army that size? They were stuck between a rock and a hard place, and they had no way out.

"What are we going to do, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked helplessly.

Jaune clenched his fist. He had just been asking that very same question. And he still didn't have an answer for it.

"What are we going to do?"


	143. Chapter 143

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 143

* * *

The netherworld was a vast never-ending expanse of death. Nothing grew – no plant life, no animal life, and what few pockets of aura emerged from the various pools of murky black ooze were rapidly devoured by scavenging creatures of Grimm. The Grimm themselves seemed to be the only thing that existed in this dimension besides rocky terrain and lightning-streaked clouds overhead. Darkness pervaded across the sky, as the lightning provided the only source of light for miles. The air was bone chillingly cold, and while the smell of death customarily attributed to the Grimm did not seem to pervade this plane of existence (the requisite microorganisms needed to cause things to rot simply did not exist here), the absence of any odors somehow gave the air a harsh edge that almost seemed to eat away at ones insides with every breath.

It was hell. There was no other word for it.

For Qrow Branwen, this sensation was heightened to the point of toxicity. Once Salem had finally released him, dropping him onto the top of the black tower overlooking the legions of Grimm, he had found himself gasping for breath. It was as if the world around him were attempting to leech away at his aura, from both inside and out. He was forced to erect a barrier around himself to keep himself alive, which left him unable to otherwise defend himself, as he stared around in horror at the world he had been taken into.

He was somewhere high off the ground, atop a raised platform at the top of a tall tower. Hovering just overhead were a number of gargoyles, the enormous humanoid Grimm that had been popping up ever since the Nexus had been opened, keeping steady vigil over the Witch. From his vantage point, Qrow could see more creatures of Grimm stalking the arid landscape below. Though the nevermores and gryphons in the air seemed to be spiraling in a chaotic, un-choreographed pattern, the Grimm seemed to be gathering at the lowest point on the map, a wide basin at the bottom of a ravine. There, the Grimm were organized in a much more orderly fashion, and he could just barely make out more gargoyles, somehow endowed with the ability to corral the Grimm into something akin to an army.

Qrow slowly got to his feet, his aura fueling the green tinted barrier around himself, keeping him protected from the harsh atmosphere of the netherworld. It was an inefficient use of his aura, and would not last for very long, but it might just give him the opportunity to make a run for the Nexus in the unlikely event that Salem could be distracted. Given the predatory malice with which she fixed her gaze on him, however, Qrow was not terribly optimistic about his chances.

"You cannot fathom how long I've waited for this day, my dear…" Salem's voice was silky sweet, and might have even sounded sensuous given the right circumstances.

For Qrow, and the knowledge of the Wizard that he carried with him, she would never be anything but a monster.

"Six thousand, two hundred and forty six years," Qrow growled harshly. "Give or take a couple decades."

Salem narrowed her gaze at his words. Of course, the man who could leverage the powers of time itself would know exactly how much time had transpired since the day she had been ripped from her world.

"Quite," she sneered. "So I've had an _abundance_ of time to plot my revenge on you, my dear. You and your pitiful, pathetic little world."

Qrow glared back at the Witch with trepidation. He could not move without breaking out of his barrier, and there were so many gargoyles circling around in the sky the he couldn't hope to make it a hundred feet without being attacked once again. And even if he could break free, he had no idea where the Nexus even was. He was completely lost in a world devoid of any semblance of life, and every moment he wasted outside his barrier would shave years off his life. His Wizard powers would do him little good in a world where the very passage of time was a death sentence.

And so he had no choice but to stall his enemy and wait for a moment to strike.

"For such an insignificant race, we've done a pretty good job of keeping you and your forces at bay for all these millennia," he said, putting on his best trademark smile. "It took you six thousand years to even manage to break out of the Nexus. That's not bad for a pitiful, pathetic species like us."

The Witch did not rise to his baiting, though she did seem to find it amusing.

"You misunderstand," she said, waving him off. "Humanity has had the deck stacked in their favor since they got here. It is the Grimm who have had to scrape and claw for every scrap we could get a hold of."

She gestured to the world around her, and Qrow saw as more and more Grimm began to gather in the distance, lining up to funnel through the Nexus into the world of Remnant.

"Your technology, your weapons, your _dust_ ," Salem said flippantly. "All of the things that you've stolen from the world. None of it inherent to your being. Without these things, you would little more than naked apes before us. Were our two peoples to face each other on equal footing, you would be utterly crushed."

Qrow wrinkled his nose.

"So ingenuity and resourcefulness counts for nothing among the Grimm?" he demanded.

This time, the Witch did seem to grow angry at his words.

"You just don't get it, old man," she growled. "You don't understand anything at all. What you call ingenuity and resourceful are merely pretty words to give to your people's dangerous tendency to throw the entire world out of balance."

Qrow closed his eyes, feeling the generations of minds all rising to the service.

"We've had this conversation a thousand times before, Salem," he said in a hoarse voice. "The world is a zero sum game where all creatures look out for their own best interests. If humanity or any creature does not do everything in their power to better their situation, then they simply will not survive."

Qrow's eyes began to glow a faint, pale green as the wisdom of a thousand voices spoke through his own.

"For humanity, digging dust from the ground and making fire is how we stay alive," he said in a deep tone of voice. "All creatures consume what they need from the world around them, and will fight back against anything that tries to stamp them out. Your Grimm are no different from humanity in that respect."

Salem clenched her fists in fury.

"You're _wrong!_ " she screamed. "The Grimm are a phenomenon that exists _outside_ of life as you know it! They are a self-defense mechanism created to protect the planet from creatures like _you_ who take more from the world than the world has to offer!"

Qrow simply shook his head. "How convenient, then, that the tools we use to fight back against the creatures of Grimm is the very _thing_ you claim to be our greatest transgression. As if the Grimm were endowed with some unalienable right to _devour_ all life as they pleased!

"The usage of dust is a _perversion_ of the very life you claim to protect!" the Witch spat. "All of the aura that would otherwise go back into the planet is stripped away from its rightful recipients every time your kind _pries_ another shard of dust from the ground! The Grimm exist to take it all _back!_ "

Qrow clenched his teeth, glaring back at the woman who used to be his wife in a past life.

"Then what is humanity supposed to do then?" he demanded. "Just roll over and die? Give up our whole existence, just so you can feel satisfied with yourself?"

Salem shook her head with disgust.

"Humanity will _never_ change its ways," she glared. "They are a force that exists only to further its own ends. That is why you must be destroyed."

Qrow held his arms out widely.

"So what's stopping you?" he demanded. "You're either keeping me alive to use me as bait, or you're just taunting me. I'm sure you know that none of the Huntsmen on the other side of the Nexus are foolish enough to come after me. So which is it?"

The Witch gave him a bored expression as she reached into her dress to withdraw a vibrant dust gem, looking like a fusion of four different crystals, each of a varying shade and color. The gem wrapped around itself, spiraling upward into a sharp flame-like pattern, its entwining colors seemingly dancing together, throwing off light and vibrancy in an otherwise dark and depressing world.

"You may disillusion yourself of any hope you might have of your friends coming to your aid…" she smiled, wickedly. "I have taken…extra precautions…that we are not disturbed."

Qrow's eyes narrowed, recognizing the ancient dust crystal from earlier. How she had collected these fragments from the world of Remnant, Qrow could only guess at. Over the generations, untold iterations of the Daughter of Fire must have tracked them down one by one and sent them through the Shadowglass. When he had last seen it, the gem had been as black and lifeless as the world around them. The fact that it now shone brightly with potency indicated that the power of the Maidens was once again vested within.

Which meant that not only did Salem possess the power of the four Maidens, but she could also open and close the Nexus at will.

"You've sealed the Nexus…" he breathed, furrowing his brow, his chances of escape dwindling before him.

The Witch grinned.

"Funny thing about the Nexus…" she said. "Whoever holds the key can control who can enter and who cannot. While your Huntsmen remain trapped on the other side, my Grimm shall pour into the world of Remnant and engulf everything in their path like a cleansing fire."

Qrow bristled. It would have been one thing if he would be the only one to die here. But it looked as though Remnant was still on the chopping block.

"So now…what?" he demanded. "You're keeping me alive for a reason. What are you planning to do? Just sit here and gloat at me?"

Salem fixed him with a murderous glare.

"How long did you say it's been?" she asked coyly. "Six thousand years? Six thousand years of being trapped here, forced to watch humanity make a mess of the world, stealing from my children, and butchering them en masse? Six thousand years, without any hope of release? I'd say I've earned myself a little recompense."

Qrow threw up his arms, helplessly.

"I _tried_ reaching out to you through the Shadowglass to broker a truce, Salem!" he said. "And we both know how well that turned out."

Salem seemed to find this amusing.

"We are _so_ far beyond the realm where mere words can mend anything between us," she said.

Qrow clenched the Wizard's staff in his hands. So it was to be a fight to the death. And one that he would surely lose.

"Still so petty after all these centuries," he snorted rudely. "I don't know what I ever saw in you."

"You saw in me the same thing you saw in everything, darling," Salem sighed. "Something to exploit. Something to take advantage of."

Qrow drew back his upper lip in disgust, not sure if he was speaking for the Wizard or just himself.

"That's not true!" he grimaced. "I only ever wanted to _learn_ about the world!"

"Call it what you will!" the Witch sneered back at him. "The end result was the same! You took _everything_ from me! My daughter! My life! My whole world!"

Qrow shook his head.

"Will you lay your every grievance at my feet?" he demanded. "Will you accept no part of what transpired between us? You've been cooped up in here so long that you've absolved yourself of any responsibility whatsoever!"

"Oh, I am indeed responsible, darling!" Salem cackled. "Responsible for all the lives _you've_ ruined over the years!"

Then the ancient dust crystal in her hands began to glow as the Witch appeared to channel her aura into the massive gemstone. Before her, a glowing circle of light appeared in the floor at her feet. With one hand clutching the massive dust gem, she held her other hand before the circle of light on the ground, as if casting a spell.

"Let's meet one of them, shall we?" Salem glowered.

Qrow watched in wide-eyed revulsion as a being of light began to emerge from the circle, rising from the depths like an unholy summoning. As they rose from the circle, the light began to diminish, and color and shape began to fill the void. A small, lithe humanoid shape began to take form. Feminine features came to light, as a small demure face appeared, hidden behind a plain white hood.

Qrow's jaw dropped in absolute horror.

"No…" he whispered.

Standing between the Wizard and the Witch was Summer Rose. A pale, shadowy figure, her eyes blank and unblinking, her face expressionless as Pyrrha's had been when he had been forced to duel her once upon a time. The Witch had brought back a pale copy of Summer Rose, and she was now looking at him with cold, dead eyes, her dagger clenched tightly in her hand.

"Summer…" Qrow said, withering in despair.

She looked just like her! Color was drained from her features, and she carried with her none of the spark that he had loved so much about her. But her poise, her grace, and the deadly ferocity with which she clutched her blade left no doubt in his mind. She would be just as powerful as she had been the last time he had seen her. And this time, she would not be holding back. The question that he could not answer, however, was whether or not _he_ would as well.

The Witch's smile was palpable as she watched the Wizard reel in shock.

"This power that you stole has long since been corrupted by your ancestors," she gloated, clutching the ancient dust gem in her hands. "But even in this perverted state, I can still tap into its ancient energies to bring about the instrument of your destruction."

She placed a hand on Summer's shoulder, who remained unmoving as she did.

"Now, my pet…" she said maliciously to her new puppet. "You see that man in front of you?"

Qrow drew in his breath as he clutched his cane in his hands. He tried to peer into Summer's eyes, seeking some semblance of recognition from the long dead girl.

But Salem's control was absolute as she whispered in her ear.

"I want him dead," she hissed.

Without hesitation, Summer's dagger extended all the way into its lance form, and Qrow recoiled in alarm as she lunged.


	144. Chapter 144

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 144

* * *

Yang let out a gasp of breath as she came back to her senses. She was staring up at her mother who was kneeling over her, looking down with clinical concern in her eyes. Yang blinked a few times, and was about to open her mouth to speak, when she noticed the green dust blade her mother was holding, embedded hilt deep in Yang's chest.

"Gahhhh!" she shouted in alarm, grabbing at the hilt of the sword, trying to crabwalk backwards away from her mother and from the blade.

"Easy, easy…" Raven said, holding her daughter rigidly by the shoulder. "You've just been through a rather strenuous ordeal."

Yang was still staring wide-eyed at the sword that was currently in her chest.

"What the hell is _this!?_ " she demanded, her heart racing as she stared down at what should have been a grievous chest wound.

Raven remained the pinnacle of tranquility as she maintained her hold on the blade.

"You were in a lot of pain," she explained. "So I employed one of my dust blades to help you through it. This is a painkiller blade. It can't harm you. It will only help reduce any pain you feel."

Yang blinked and blinked again, staring down in a cold sweat as the green blade continued to protrude from her chest. It went all the way through her, though there didn't appear to be any blood. And as she caught he breath, she slowly realized that she didn't feel anything besides a general numbness in the area.

The whole situation reminded her of when she and her mother had met after Mountain Glenn, and she remembered the blue memory blade Raven had used on her in much the same fashion. Like that blade, this green one appeared ghostly and translucent, as if it did not fully exist on this plane of existence. After a moment, she realized that her mother was correct, and that her body was still unharmed.

This did little to ease Yang's discomfort as she fixed her mother with a defensive glare.

"You can't just go stabbing people whenever you feel like it!" she clamored, throwing her a dirty look.

"Cute," Raven said drolly, before she slowly began to withdraw the blade. "It would appear that you're feeling just fine now."

Yang gasped, her whole body tensing, as she felt the ephemeral green sword leave her body. While it left no mark on her skin, it still felt something akin to having a massive syringe removed from her body, her muscles instinctively constricting around it. Only when it was fully out of her body could Yang inhale once more, and she clasped her chest in agitation.

"That feels _so_ weird…" Yang complained, tugging the hem of her shirt down to inspect for any damage. "And there's not even a _scratch_ on me. How does that even work?"

"The blade is mostly raw aura, held together by an electro-chemical binding agent," Raven explained as she holstered the green painkiller blade along with the two dozen or so other dust blades in her sheath. "It can pass through flesh and bone unimpeded, and interact with the aura of whatever subject it touches."

"Who puts painkiller meds in a sword, anyway?" Yang demanded, still feeling numb as she slowly sat up. "What, do you just have a special blade in there for _every_ possible situation?"

"I told you," Raven shook her head. "The Ancients used dust for _everything_ in life. From recreation to physical therapy to simple time-saving measures. My arsenal includes a mere handful of what they were capable of. Infusing the essence of dust into a sword blade is the only remaining technique that has managed to be passed down through the ages that enables me to leverage this dust. I make due with the tools at my disposal."

Yang groaned, shutting her eyes, trying to focus on where they were and how they had gotten there. She recalled facing off against Salem and her minions. She recalled leveling a shot at the Witch. And then she recalled doubling over in pain, and not much else after that.

"So what happened to me?" she finally asked. "I didn't get hit by anything. I just started hurting for no reason."

"You collapsed," Raven said, standing up and offering her hand to help the girl to her feet. "I can only surmise that your body is still adapting to the changes."

Yang reached for her hand, but withheld her grasp when she heard the explanation, eying her mother skeptically.

"What changes?" she asked suspiciously.

Raven reached forward and seized the girl's mechanical arm, hoisting her to her feet with scarcely a grunt.

"It is as I suspected," she explained. "With Qrow inheriting the Wizard's power, and I inheriting some of that power myself, you as my offspring were a potential candidate for the next Daughter of Fire."

Yang's eyes widened in disbelief.

" _What!?_ " she demanded.

Raven stared dispassionately at her.

"With Cinder Fall out of the picture, all that power needs to go somewhere," she said. "Consider yourself lucky, Yang. If you can master this power, we just might succeed here."

Yang was still standing in stunned silence, wobbling precariously on her feet.

"Wait a minute…" she said, sweat beading across her forehead. "Daughter of...what!? No _frigging_ way!"

"It'll take time to adjust," Raven assured her. "But if you can learn how to use this power-"

"Hold on!" Yang blared, giving her mother a look of revulsion. "Are you telling me that _I'm_ the new Cinder now!? I don't _want_ that bitch's power! I don't want to have anything to _do_ with her!"

Raven let out a helpless sigh.

"You have this power whether you like or not, Yang," she said. "Just be thankful that the power ended up in you, and not some innocent girl somewhere out in the world who has no knowledge of the Wizard or the Witch. Now that the power lies in someone who knows the truth, you can at least do some _good_ with these powers."

Yang stared down at her hands, one mechanical, one flesh and blood. She didn't _feel_ any different, apart from the lingering numbness in her chest where her mother had stabbed her.

Had she truly become the Daughter of Fire?

"I don't believe it…" she grimaced, clenching and unclenching her fists. "I don't _feel_ any more powerful than I was before. How can you be sure?"

Raven pursed her lips.

"You have a better explanation for why your aura would suddenly flare up to the point of incapacitation?" she asked pointedly. "It's possible that the painkillers are numbing some of the effects, but make no mistake. Your aura has changed. You're the Daughter of Fire, Yang."

Yang clenched and unclenched her hands once again, shaking her head in disbelief.

"So what does that mean, exactly?" she asked. "Do I control Grimm now?"

"No," Raven shook her head. "That was Salem's power, given to Cinder for aiding her cause. By herself, the Daughter of Fire controls only one thing: fire itself."

Yang attempted to tap into her aura. It was difficult to do without getting angry, but her eyes slowly shifted red. She then felt a searing pain behind her eyes, and she immediately released her hold, clutching her forehead in aggravation.

"Ugh…" she growled angrily. "My head! This is _so_ messed up…"

Raven crossed her arms. "You have to focus, Yang. You can master this. I know you can."

Yang began to feel light headed, her mouth going dry. She couldn't be sure of what she was feeling. She couldn't tell if the sensations flowing through her body were some strange outside influence on her aura, or her own anxiety at the thought of having Cinder's power.

"How could this happen to me…?" she asked, shaking her head in distress. "I thought the power went to some random candidate after the last one dies. What are the odds that this power came to _me_ of all people? Was it just dumb luck? Was it just cause I happened to be nearby? Why _me?_ "

Raven let out a sigh as she shrugged her shoulders.

"To be honest, I don't really know," she admitted. "The Pool doesn't tell me _all_ , just what I need to know. Somehow, you were just the right candidate at just the right time to fill the role. Perhaps it is because you are related to the current Wizard, perhaps it is your natural affinity to fire…all I know for certain is that the power has manifested in you, Yang."

Yang's eyes narrowed as she fixed her mother with an accusatory glare.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" she growled. "That's what you weren't telling me back in Menagerie! Somehow you _knew_ this would happen to me!"

"It was a long shot," Raven admitted. "The Pool revealed to me that there was a chance you would inherit the power, but it was one of the few variables I had very little control over. The only thing I could do was not tempt fate by telling you in advance. Knowing about it ahead of time and being as recalcitrant about it as you evidently _are_ may very well have prevented it from happening. You know what they say about watched pots never boiling."

Yang ground her teeth together as she glared back at the older woman, seething with anger.

"You know, I am getting so _sick_ of you _manipulating_ me all the time!" Yang growled. "Just because I'm your daughter doesn't mean you get to make all these decisions for me! When do _I_ get to make a decision for myself, huh!? Did you _ever_ stop and think that maybe I don't _want_ to be the Daughter of Fire!? Did the thought even _occur_ to you!?"

"Yang!" Raven shouted as she pointed off to the side. "There's no time! What you _want_ doesn't matter! We _needed_ this power on our side! And like it or not, _you_ were our best shot at getting it!"

"You didn't even bother to _warn_ me about this!" Yang glared angrily at her mother. "I was given absolutely _no_ say in the matter! How is that anywhere _close_ to being fair!?"

Raven shook her head, gestured off down the hallway.

"Yang, you can yell at me all you want later," she said. "But right now, your teammates are in danger! You need to tap into this new power if you want to help them!"

Yang thrust her chin out at the other woman.

"Fuck that!" she growled. "I won't do it! Where's my gun? I'll do this the old-fashioned way!"

"Yang," Raven groaned in protest.

Yang ignored her as she looked around, finding her proton cannon on the ground next to her feet. The room they were in was otherwise empty. It looked as though they were sequestered in a side passage of the vault, though from the cacophony just down the hallway, the battle was not yet finished.

Wasting no time, Yang slid her mechanical arm back into the slot of the proton cannon, its mechanism whirring into place to link up with her dust enhanced systems. With a grunt of exertion, Yang hoisted the gun off the ground, her head still spinning, her skin sweating profusely as she turned towards the sound of the battle.

"Yang, you don't _need_ that thing!" Raven implored, standing in front of her. "You don't need Atlas tech to win! You have all the power you need inside-"

" _No_ ," Yang pronounced obstinately. "You don't get to make decisions for me anymore, mom! You don't get to control me anymore! I'll fight how _I_ choose to fight! I'm not playing your game anymore!"

Raven's eyes narrowed slightly and she drew in her breath. She had been expecting resistance, but this was outright defiance.

Yang shoved past her, stomping towards the Nexus, lugging her massively oversized cannon, walking off-kilter with its weight throwing her off-balance.

"Now get out of my way!" Yang yelled bitterly. "I'm going to go help my friends. And I don't want to hear another _word_ about this Daughter of Fire bullshit!"

Raven watched her daughter hobble away, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Yang, don't!" she pleaded. "You can't ignore this!"

The young Huntress simply plodded onward, heedless of her mother's warnings. Farther ahead of her, the glowing portal of the Nexus lay still embedded in the floor, the fluttering wings of angry gargoyles still filling the vault.

And standing before the Nexus, their swords raised defensively, were Blake and Weiss, fighting side by side. Though the only one who seemed to be doing any fighting was Blake. Weiss was busy creating a glyph over the Nexus. She stood perfectly still, with her sword poised against her outstretched hand. And as she cast her spell, the Grimm inside the chamber swarmed around her, as Blake fended them off one by one.

"Hahhhh!" Blake cried as she leaped into action.

Yang was briefly taken out of her frustration with her infuriating mother for a moment as she had to stop and admire how Blake fought. Her blades flew around her body like a pair of falcons, weaving back and forth around her body in a tight circumference. Where her blades could not penetrate defenses, gargoyles soon found themselves blinded by noxious fumes released from her grenades, leaving them exposed to her attacks.

With each strike, her swords seemed to sing. With each flash of black powder, she struck like a thunderstorm. With each furious leap, she moved like a wisp of smoke on the wind. How anyone so light and graceful could simultaneously be so powerful and deadly, Yang could barely fathom. But as she watched the Faunus girl's form, Yang felt a kernel of happiness return to her.

Even after everything she'd been through, after everything the enemy, the Grimm, and her own mother had put them all through, there was at least one reassurance in Yang's heart. No matter what happened, no matter where she went, no matter what she did, in spite of everything, her partner would be there for her. She could always count on Blake.

It was enough to make her heart ache.

"Yang!" Blake called out when she saw that Yang had recovered. "Yang, are you alright?"

Withdrawing her blade from one of the gargoyles and flipping over backward over the strike of another black glaive, Blake darted over to her partner to rest a concerned hand on her shoulder.

"I'm alright, Blake," Yang said, reassuringly.

"Are you sure?" Blake said.

They both ducked out of the way of another strike from a Grimm blade, before Yang bashed the gargoyle aside with her oversized gun-arm. Yang considered for a moment telling Blake what her mother had told her about the Daughter of Fire, before quickly squelching the idea. No need to give Blake anything further to worry about. Besides, Yang had already decided that she would win this fight on her _own_ strengths, not someone else's.

Just like her _real_ mother before her, she realized. She was beginning to understand Summer Rose' reasoning more and more.

"I'm sure," Yang said, giving Blake a reassuring pat on the back.

The two of them took up a defensive position around Weiss, who continued to channel her aura into the glyph at their feet. As the two of them fought off the remaining Grimm, Yang gave Weiss a friendly wave.

"Sorry I was out for a bit, Weiss," she said confidently. "Get me up to speed."

Weiss, taking up the role of the team leader in Ruby's absence, remained calm as she stared down at the glyph covering the Nexus.

"Ruby went into the Nexus," she said simply. "She's gone after your uncle."

Yang's sour expression returned.

"And the reason we're not going in there after her?" she demanded, punching at one of the gargoyles around them, which blocked her punch with the steel haft of its blade.

Suddenly, a loud _thud_ made the entire vault shudder.

THOOM!

"That," Weiss explained, gesturing to the snarling faces of the Grimm within the Nexus and concentrating on her glyph. "The portal has been sealed somehow. It must have closed itself shortly after she went in. I've been trying to re-open it, but nothing's working. And while I've been at it, the Grimm have been trying to claw their way in."

Three gargoyles landed beside Weiss in an attempt to bring their halberds down upon her, but Blake intercepted them all with an exploding smoke bomb in their faces, before she dispatched them with three swift strikes of her carbon nano-filament blades.

THOOM!

Another insistent banging shook the chamber as the Grimm within the netherworld pounded at Weiss' glyph.

"It took the combined power of all four Maidens to open this thing before," Blake pointed out. "I doubt anything in Weiss' arsenal is going to be able to get this thing open."

Yang brought her enormous gun-arm down on the head of another gargoyle, bashing its skull in as it growled in anguish.

"So what do we do?" Yang demanded. "Ruby's still in there! That portal leads to the world of the _Grimm!_ She won't last long in there, even _with_ her silver eyes!"

Blake and Weiss exchanged a trouble look.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, Yang," she said somberly. "There's…really nothing we can do."

Yang's gnashed her teeth in response to that.

"That's my _sister_ in there!" she growled, pushing past Weiss and taking aim with her proton cannon. "Get out of the way!"

Weiss put her hand on her shoulder.

"Yang, stop!" she pleaded.

Yang didn't listen. Her massive gun slowly hummed to life as she pointed the business end right at the Nexus. Glowing lines of energy lit up across the gun's barrel as it heated up, a concentrated mass of power collecting at its tip.

"Yang!" Blake protested, seeing the rage in her partner's eyes.

Yang glared down at the Nexus, still covered by Weiss' glyph, seeing the only thing standing between her and her sister, and opened fire.

 _FWOOOOOM!_

An enormous burst of energy exploded out from the barrel of Yang's gun as it impacted the Nexus, as well as Weiss' glyph. There was an explosion of light as the proton beam exploded against the Nexus, shattering Weiss' glyph in an instant. The explosion was so powerful that all three Huntresses were flung backwards, landing unceremoniously on their backsides.

When Yang managed to climb back to her feet, all she saw within the Nexus was a horde of angry faces staring back at her, as a crowd of gargoyles leaped from the bowels of the pit and up into the vault, weapons bared.

"Yang!" Weiss grimaced, raising her sword to cast her glyph once more. "The seal on that thing is one-way! We can't get inside, but there's nothing keeping the Grimm from entering our world! I'm using my glyphs to try to keep them all out!"

Blake and Yang were busy fending off a brand new wave of fresh gargoyles that had just entered the vault and stared swarming them.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" Yang growled, punching her way through Grimm while her proton cannon cooled. "But we've still got to get Ruby out of there!"

Blake cleanly decapitated one gargoyle, before snaring two more with both of her mono-filament wires, preventing them from escaping down the hall and out towards Beacon.

"Well, unless you happen to know of anyone else with Maiden powers," Blake shouted, before pouncing on her prey with a vicious flurry of blow, "We're not going anywhere!"

Yang turned to aim her gun down the hallway as a dozen or so gargoyles flew past them and made another attempt to escape the vault. An orb of pure energy collected at the end of her gun barrel, before released a beam of bright blue light that blasted in a straight line all the way down the hall, obliterating everything in its path.

 _FWOOOOOM!_

The gargoyles each let out a hiss of rage as they fell to the floor, most of them laying still, the rest thrashing about with missing limbs. Yang rushed ahead to finish them off, leaping towards each of them to let loose with a volley from her Ember Celica, blasting each one to bits with a furious series of blows.

 _HISSSSS!_

Yang raised her head to see one last gargoyle raising its axe to bring it down on her head, before it was suddenly bisected in two by a massively long sword. As the Grimm fell to pieces on the floor, Yang was left looking up at her mother as she re-sheathed her sword with a flourish.

"About time," Yang snorted derisively. "What took you so long to join the fight?"

Raven looked weary as she shook her head.

"As I said," she sighed. "Qrow and I are linked by the Wizard's power. Right now, his aura is slowly draining, and my aura is the only thing keeping him alive. I will be weakened until he is released…or he dies. And if _I_ die first…he won't be long for this world."

Yang cracked her neck as he looked around the vault, seeing that the immediate number of Grimm seemed to have abated. Weiss had managed to erect her glyph once again atop the Nexus, with the faces of a hundred more gargoyles glaring up at her through the voice, noiseless yet terrifying all the same.

THOOM!

Another reverberation shook the vault.

"Wonderful," Yang commented dryly, walking back towards her team. "Well, _what_ are we supposed to do in the meantime?"

Before anyone could voice an opinion, a voice crackled from Weiss' hip.

"KZZZZ-SHHH-Weiss!" came a familiar voice. "SHHH-KZZZZ-Weiss, this is Winter! Please come in!"

Weiss turned her head back to her team, both her hands on her sword as she maintained her glyph.

"Could someone answer that for me please?" she asked. "I'm a little busy at the moment."

Blake stepped over to her teammate and retrieved the scroll from Weiss' belt pouch, bringing it to her lips.

"Winter," she said into the device. "It's Blake."

Winter's voice sounded rushed and static-riddled on the other line.

"At last!" she exclaimed. "I had to boost the _Aeneid's_ signal to reach you! Where's Weiss?"

THOOM!

"I'm here, Winter!" Weiss called out loudly, not looking up from her task. "Just trying to stop a legion of evil from entering our plane of existence!"

There was a pause on the other line.

"Carry on then," Winter finally said. "I need to speak to Operative Belladonna, however. I've just received word: the White Fang is inbound."

Blake's eyes lit up at the news.

"Already?" she asked, exchanging a glance with her teammates. "How long have we been down here?"

"A while," Winter answered. "The White Fang will be landing shortly, but they are insisting that their leader join with them. Given what little I know of the White Fang's tactics, it would do a considerable amount to boost their morale if you were to join them, Operative."

Blake raised her head to look at the vault's occupants. Weiss looked somewhat concerned, but ultimately nodded in approval. Raven had no visible expression nor did she deign to comment. When she finally locked eyes with Yang, however, her partner gave her a reassuring nod.

"Go on, Blake," she said with confident smile on her face. "Your people need you."

Blake was not so convinced.

"But Yang…" Blake muttered. "What about you? Your mother's vulnerable as long as your uncle is in the netherworld, and Weiss is busy keeping the portal sealed! Which means you'll basically be on your _own_ down here!"

Yang shrugged and gestured to Weiss.

"Hey, it'll be fine," she said. "Weiss has got the Nexus bottled pretty tight. Nothing's going to get through."

THOOM!

The ground shook once more.

"For now!" Blake exclaimed. "What if something happens? I won't be able to back you up!"

Yang gritted her teeth in agitation.

"Blake, there's no time for this!" she cried. "Did you _see_ just how many Grimm blew past us and made it to the street level? The other Huntsmen _need_ the White Fang at their best or they won't make it! Our whole force is counting on you, Blake!"

Blake shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I won't leave you, Yang!" she shouted. "I'm _always_ running away! I'm _always_ leaving you behind! I _won't_ abandon you, Yang! Not again!"

Yang's eyes began burning red, pain searing through her body as her new semblance tried to rise to the surface, but she squelched it as she glared back at her partner.

"I'm not _asking_ you to abandon me, Blake!" she shouted, fury leaking into her voice. "I'm _asking_ you to trust me!"

Blake shook her head in protest, tears spilling from her eyes as she wept.

"But what if-!?" she started.

"Blake!" Yang cut her off, seizing her by the shoulders before mashing her lips into hers.

The two of them stood there for a moment as Yang kissed her. Blake was paralyzed in astonishment, her partner's lips like fire on her breath as she held her there, her hands gripped tightly around her shoulders. Despite her ferocity, Yang was trembling, as tears began to well up in her eyes before their lips finally parted. Blake stared back at her in stunned silence as Yang's eyes faded back to pale lavender.

"Go…" Yang said, her voice cracking as she tried not to let on how scared she was.

Blake remained where she was, eyes widened, her lower lip quivering in disbelief. They both knew how unlikely it was that they would ever see each other again. And they both knew the only reason Yang would do something like that is if she thought they never would.

Yang shoved her partner away, causing her to stumble backwards.

"Go!" she shouted, her voice lilting in misery.

Blake staggered back, unstable on her feet as her eyes remained fixed onto Yang's. She then took another step back. And another. Until finally, she turned to go.

Weiss blinked in surprise, as she glanced over at the only other occupant in the vault.

"Did…did she just…?" she asked hesitantly.

Raven arched her eyebrow in a way that suggested that she was much more concerned with their chances of survival than her daughter's current romantic interests.

Weiss cleared her throat and returned her attention to what she was doing.

"You're right, you're right," she muttered, refocusing on her glyph. "This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion."

THOOM!

Yang watched Blake disappeared down the hallway, praying to whatever god would listen that she made it to the White Fang. Then she turned to rejoin the other two.

"Thanks," she said bluntly, glancing at her mother.

Raven did not need to ask what she was being thanked for.

"Don't thank me yet," she said. "I still wish you'd reconsider. We've got a _very_ dangerous task ahead of us. We are currently the _only_ choke point between the netherworld and the world of Remnant. If I were in Salem's position right now, I would send my most powerful forces right to our location."

Yang idly checked her gun, letting it vent and monitoring its power consumption.

"As long as Weiss can maintain that glyph, we should be okay," she said. "Speaking of which, how are you holding out there, Weiss?"

"I'm fine for now," Weiss reassured her. "So long as I don't have to fight anything, I should be able to keep this glyph in place."

THOOM!

Raven still had a grave expression on her face.

"The Nexus is hardly Salem's only means of reaching our world," she cautioned. "The creatures of the Grimm can burrow through the streams of consciousness left by the passing aura of beings within the world of Remnant when they die. That's how the emerge from their pools of blackness across the world."

Yang nodded in understanding.

"So that's why death and destruction brings the Grimm," she said. "Whenever anyone in our world dies, they're _literally_ leaving a trail that the Grimm can follow into our world."

"It's much easier for them to traverse the Nexus, and Salem herself cannot bring her host body through these channels, but their entry is far from staunched," she said. "We currently stand on a battlefield where there have likely been a multitude of individuals that have recently perished. We had best be…"

Raven's voice trailed off when her eyes fell on a figure in the darkness.

"What?" Yang said, raising her weapon. "What is it?"

Raven placed her hand on her sword as she gritted her teeth.

"You may soon regret sending your partner away so abruptly," she said soberly.

The other two Huntresses looked to where Raven was staring, and their eyes widened as they saw someone approaching them. She had long flowing white hair, and stood tall with a flowing white dress. Her skin was as pale as ice and her eyes shone a pale ivory as she stepped towards them, a long crystal clear staff in her hands.

She bore a face that was familiar to them all, though the stoic look in her eyes carried none of the friendly glimmer and glow that she had worn when they had last seen her.

Weiss's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"M-Mom…?" she gasped in utter shock.

Yang stiffened at Weiss' words. She knew exactly what was happening as soon as she laid eyes on her. They were looking at another ghost. Just like Pyrrha had been. A familiar face, designed to dishearten them and throw them off their guard.

Only this time, it was a former Maiden.

Weiss' own mother.

Crystal Schnee.


	145. Chapter 145

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 145

* * *

Ironwood surveyed the battlefield before him from the passenger's seat of a hovering bullhead. It may have been a school at one time, but now "battlefield" was only word he could use to describe what he saw before him. The approach to Beacon Academy was currently occupied by the largest heard of goliaths he had ever seen, each one standing vigil, a towering and imposing black figure, staunch and insurmountable in their size. Seated atop each goliath was an eight foot tall gargoyle, each either an axe or a halberd held upright. Scattered amongst the goliaths were death stalkers, each one similarly mounted by another gargolye, their weapons at the ready. Other Grimm interspersed their ranks, and together, they formed a line just within the balls of Beacon Academy, barricading all from entering.

The creatures of Grimm had been scattered and chaotic back when they had first seized Beacon a year ago, but now, they were as organized as a well regimented army, and they were giving the Huntsmen no quarter. All attempts at entry to the Academy had been met with insurmountable resistance, and now the Huntsmen were at a standoff. Overhead, the nevermores and gryphons swooped and soared, the gargoyles amongst them helping them keep the Atlesian fleet at bay. Despite the ongoing conflict overhead, the forces on the ground remained unmoving, as if they knew that breaking rank would weaken their overall defenses.

The Hunstmen had gathered just beyond the walls of Beacon, just outside of the Grimm's effective threat range. Amongst the Huntsmen, his own men were lined up, and now the armies of Remnant prepared to make the final push towards Beacon. Still, to face such a huge number a Grimm in open conflict, particular when they held all the advantages, would be catastrophic. It was a last ditch effort. And everyone knew it.

Ironwood ground his teeth. He had never faced an army quite like this before. They fought with the aggression and ferocity of the Grimm, but stood firm with the rigidity and discipline of a fully trained battalion of soldiers. They seemed unflinching, did not rise to baiting, and did not succumb to intimidation. They seemed unwavering, unmoving, and completely steadfast in their resolve.

Their intention was clear. They would be giving no ground this day.

Jasmine continued to lead the Atlesian fleet while the general recuperated from his ordeal within the small aircraft, his right arm ending at the elbow in a mechanical stump, his right leg propped against the floor, rigid and useless. In spite of their injuries, Professor Oobleck and Prot were on the ground amongst the Huntsmen, assuming provisional control of the ground forces. At his side within the bullhead, Glynda sat nursing his wounds despite Ironwood's insistence that she return to the fleet with the rest of the evacuees. She had declined, electing to stay on the front line with the rest of them, keeping an eye on the general while he recovered. As she had so eloquently put him, he was about as defenseless as a tin soldier in his current state.

As he peered down at the two opposing forces on the ground, he felt less and less optimistic about their chances. While Team CFVY had managed to lead their Huntsmen and ground forces through the sewers of the city, his mechanized forces had suffered heavy losses in the city. As a result, they did not have nearly the level of military might that he had hoped for, now that Beacon was finally within sight. Moreover, Team RSJC had still not reported in, and though he was led to believe that Team RWBY had made it back from their away mission in Menagerie over the course of the battle, and that they could be expecting reinforcements sometime soon, they still had not acquired the necessary foothold that they had needed inside of Beacon.

The last hope of Remnant stood in formation just beyond the academy, the main gates having long since been blow open by the creatures of Grimm from the initial attack the previous year. Ironwood's soldiers stood side by side with Special Operatives and elite fighters from all across the globe. And at their back, a small but resilient number of Knights and Paladins still stood. Despite their diminished number, the forces of Remnant were gathered, forming ranks as they waited to make the final push.

Ironwood had no illusions. This would be the last battle. And there would be casualties.

Then his attention was diverted as heard a commotion coming from the school.

"What in the…?" he breathed as he peered across the ruined campus.

He and Glynda both stared in wide-eyed astonishment as a giant Grimm spider began plowing its way across the battlefield, eight giant furry legs crashing through trees and foliage as it rushed towards the Huntsmen. Eight red eyes glowed with fury as it bore down upon them, a towering monstrosity that dwarfed even the goliaths in size.

"A widowmaker…" Glynda inhaled sharply, loathing in her voice. "I...I haven't seen one of those since…"

Glynda trailed off, and James said nothing as he continued to stare at the massive Grimm. However, he did squeeze Glynda's hand when she slipped it into his. She had told him the story of how she had lost her sister and her best friend to such a creature, so he knew that seeing it again must have brought back some painful memories.

As the massive spider charged forward, the general thought at first that it was the initial barrage of the Grimm breaking ranks and going on the offensive. He began to reach for his scroll in preparation to give the order to Professor Port and the rest of the Huntsmen to prepare themselves. But as he peered closer, he could see that the rest of the Grimm did not seem to be moving, watching the giant spider advance towards their enemy, as if waiting to see what would happen.

And when he looked again, he make out the shapes of two human figures running towards them, just ahead of the widowmaker. It was hunting them down!

Ironwood stiffened. Even though he was out of commission, he still yearned to be on the frontlines with his men. Peter Port had an extensive military career that even the general himself had to admire. But even so, being unable to lead the Huntsmen in such a situation, Ironwood felt worse than useless!

But Professor Port had not even needed to give the order. The Huntsmen below reacted with the swiftness garnered from years out in the field, pouncing upon the widowmaker as it drew nearer. The widowmaker let out a screech of displeasure as it was attacked, its massive legs thrashing and slamming into the concrete walkway, snapping at the Huntsmen with its oversized mandibles. But there were still over a hundred Huntsmen in its path, and while they might not be enough to retake Beacon on their own, they were more than a match for one Grimm, even if it was the size of a house.

The creature was halted in its tracks by the assault, and for a while, Ironwood thought that it might turn back. Then two Huntsmen stepped forward, both of whom carried massive oversized swords. The two of them leaped into the air over the widowmaker and brought down their blades upon its narrow neck segment. With a screech of agony, its head fell from its body, the whole creature collapsing into a massive heap.

At the creature's death, the line of Grimm still blocking the Huntsmen's entrance began to stir. There was an uneasiness as many of the gargantuan goliath's began tossing their heads, and the deathstalkers began snapping their claws, seemingly outraged at the widowmaker's death. Perhaps it was the loss of one of their own, perhaps it was the aggressive feelings in the Huntsmen, perhaps it was merely the smell of death in the air. Either way, there was discord in the enemy ranks.

The general gritted his teeth. It would not be long before their enemy went on the offensive.

Then as the two figures running from the pursuing Grimm passed through the entrance of the Academy, Ironwood realized that he recognized both of them.

"It appears as though Operative Arc has finally returned," he said out loud, though the only one who could hear him was Professor Goodwitch. "And it would appear he's managed to recover Operative Nikos as well."

Glynda nodded, a discerning look in her eyes as she studied the two of them.

"And here I thought that boy would never amount to anything at Beacon," she observed.

The general shook his head.

"Well, we still don't have our foothold," he said. "A single Huntress safely returned is hardly a consolation."

Glynda gave him a half smile.

"And yet you abandoned your post to go looking for me," she said wryly.

James' cheeks colored slightly in embarrassment.

"That's…that's hardly the same thing!" he protested, stumbling over his words a little too hurriedly. "The mechanized forces under my command _still_ succeeded at their mission, albeit sustaining heavy losses! And…and it's not like I was _just_ trying to save you! There were…there were _several_ student Huntsmen under your protection that needed saving!"

Glynda had to stop herself from laughing out loud.

"James," she shook her head patiently. "I'm sure Jaune did his best. Just as we all did."

Ironwood sighed in resignation, as he stared down at the young Huntsman and his partner as they reunited with their team. There were tears shed and arms embraced as Team JNPR was made whole once again. He could recall when he had been so young, so eager to fight and to prove himself. He only wished he could impart a single iota of foresight he had gleamed during those years into the Huntsmen under his command.

As the bullhead touched down on the city streets behind the Huntsmen lines, Jaune and his team slowly approached the aircraft, the general and Professor Goodwitch sitting just within the open hatch on its side.

"General!" Jaune called out, as what remained of Team RSJC followed him, Team JNPR, SSSN and CFVY among them.

The young man's eyes widened when he saw the condition the general was in.

"A-Are you alright, sir?" he asked hesitantly, looking at the man's arm.

"I'm fine, Operative," Ironwood nodded curtly. "Report."

Jaune stood up straight, still somewhat out of breath having been chased down by a widowmaker, his team watching him worriedly.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the mission was a failure," he said through gasps of breath, visibly straining to maintain his composure. "Everything went to pieces once we hit that swarm of Grimm. Our team was scattered, and I lost contact with everyone. I managed to find Pyrrha – I mean, Operative Nikos…but Operative Vasilias is MIA, sir. And we were forced to retreat."

The faces amongst Team RSJC exchanged glances with one another. Ironwood saw the same tired eyes he was so used to seeing amongst his own men, those who had spent days or weeks in the field, with narry a prayer in sight. It was clear that this mission had not been kind to any of them. However, the general was not here to treat them with kid gloves.

"Are you two still fit for duty?" he pried, looking at Jaune and his partner.

Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged another glance, and hesitated perhaps more than Ironwood was comfortable with. But they both ultimately nodded.

"Yes sir!" they both side.

"Good," the general said. "Have you had any contact with Team RWBY?"

"Yes sir," Jaune nodded. "They're inside the vault at Beacon tower."

The general nodded as he drew in his breath.

"Our primary target," he observed. "That could be our way in. Very good, Operative. Anything else to report?"

Jaune took another glance at Pyrrha before nodding.

"Cinder Fall has been…eliminated, sir," he said.

Glynda's eyes shot up at that.

"Come again, young man?" she demanded.

Jaune looked away, and Pyrrha took the opportunity to step in.

"Cinder," she said. "She's dead. We found her lying in a pile of rubble, nearly dead. We're not sure who did it to her, but we…we put an end to her misery."

Glynda lowered her eyes in consternation, her face a mosaic of emotions. Ironwood, for his part, just crossed his arms.

"I see…" he said. "Then there is some good news after all it seems. What of the Maidens' power?"

"Unknown for certain," Pyrrha said remorsefully. "Though we…have reason to suspect that it is now in the hands of someone called Salem."

Ironwood frowned. He knew that name well.

"Salem…" he muttered grimly. "Damn. Then we're no better off than we were before."

Jaune looked stricken.

"Is she really that dangerous, sir?" he asked.

The general sighed, massaging his brow with his good hand.

"I never met her myself, but Oz used to tell me stories…" he said, lifting his head to meet the gaze of his team of special operatives. "We should…"

He trailed off when a cacophony of roars emanated from the direction of the school. There was a stirring amongst the Huntsmen lined up along the entrance to the academy as they each drew their weapons. The air was filled with tension, and as Jaune and his team turned to look towards their foes, it became clear exactly what was going on.

The Grimm were through waiting. They had amassed enough numbers to begin an all-out assault on the Huntsmen.

Ironwood gritted his teeth.

"Team RSJC, join up with the rest of the Huntsmen!" he commanded. "Form ranks and hold the line! This is about to get ugly!"

Jaune glanced around at his team. They were battered and bruised and didn't look like they were nearly ready to face an entire army of Grimm. Coco and her team had just spent the day traipsing through an underground tunnel system, Ren, Nora, Scarlet and Sage had each had to survive a sixty thousand foot drop, harried all the while by airborne Grimm, and he and Pyrrha had just dueled each other into submission before facing down their arch-rival in an emotional slugfest, and then trying to sneak back through enemy lines before being chased down by a giant spider.

And the rest of the Huntsmen did not look much better. Those that had fought their way through the tunnels looked haggard. He saw Team BRNZ, NDGO, FNKI, and ABRN, all of them ready to face what was coming, but not a one of them optimistic about their recognized several of his teachers from Beacon who had joined the fight, as well as an older Huntsman who he didn't recognize, but looked almost like Yang somehow.

When the older man caught sight of Jaune and his team, he waved towards them urgently.

"Hey!" he called out to them, pushing his way through the crowd of Huntsmen to reach them. "Hey, you! You're Jaune, right? Ruby's friend?"

Jaune blinked as the Huntsman approached him, glancing nervously at the uproarious din that was emanating from the Grimm.

"Y-Yeah…?" he said anxiously. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ruby's dad!" he spat out hurriedly. "I'm trying to find her and Yang! Do you have _any_ idea where either of them might be?"

Jaune glanced back at his team, before fixing his gaze on Beacon tower.

"I just spoke with Ruby not an hour ago," he said, agitation in his voice. "She and her team were headed down to the vault beneath Beacon."

Ruby's father's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh no…" he shook his head. "Then we've got to get them out of there."

Jaune nodded as he and Team JNPR took position at the head of the Huntsman formation.

"No argument there," he agreed. "But first we've got to survive this."

The older Hunstman took position alongide the others.

"I'm right with you, kid," he said, clenching his fists.

Jaune nodded, before turning his attention to the enemy line. He could see why the Huntsmen all appeared so tense. There were more Grimm standing before them than they could _possibly_ hope to deal with. The enemy completely dominated the school grounds. The goliaths stamped their feet, raising their trunks into the air, releasing a blare of angry trumpets as their winged riders brandished their black steel blades. As the nevermore screeched through the air, the deathstalkers snapped their claws, the king taijutu's hissed, the beowolves howled and the ursi roared, all of their voices coagulating into a frightful, loathsome dirge.

It was a war cry, Jaune realized. They were standing guard over the conquered sigil of human dominance in the world. They had usurped Beacon Academy from their hands, and they were going to keep it for themselves. They were making a testimony to the destruction of humanity with this one final act. After today, the fate of Remnant would be decided once and for all. It was enough to make the Huntsmen shudder with fear.

Then the first goliaths began to advance. Then following them were the death stalkers. Then the ursi and the beowolves, the king taijutus and the boarbatsusks. So many Grimm, all of them bearing down on the ranks of men and women at the gates of Beacon, their footfalls kicking up a dust storm as the sound of thunder emanated like a beating drum.

Jaune looked around, expecting to see the Huntsmen around him charge in return. But to his surprise, no one was moving. They were all holding their position, weapons clutched tightly in hand, white knuckled. Each of them was exchanging glances with one another, waiting for someone else to take the first step. They were all simply standing their ground, their weapons raised defensively, waiting for the Grimm to strike. Even Ruby's father, who had been so full of gusto not a moment ago, appeared hesitant.

They were scared. Their confidence had been shattered. With so many Grimm bearing down on them, it was if the monsters were draining the very life from the air. A rampaging stampede of towering monsters with demons riding upon their backs was charging towards them, each one more fearsome than the last. It was like watching a tidal wave of death itself approaching from a terrifying abyss. In that moment, they were no longer Huntsmen – they were prey, staring down their demise like an approaching storm. The only thing on any of their minds was somehow managing to weather it. None of them would be foolish enough to charge right into it.

Jaune glanced at his teammates. They had all fought tooth and nail to make it this far. Team CFVY looked battered and worn, and none of them lacked some kind of scrape or bruise to show for it. Scarlet and Sage looked utterly lost, with two of their teammates already stripped from their ranks without so much as a backward glance. Ren and Nora were standing side by side, clutching their weapons with trepidation, somehow having survived that impossible fall on their own. And Pyrrha…

Pyrrha…

Jaune looked at her, hopelessness in his eyes. After this, it would all be over. One way or another, this would be their last battle.

Jaune set his jaw.

If this was to be their last battle, then they may as well make it a good one.

"Guys," he said to his team. "Link up."

The rest of Team JNPR stared at him oddly.

"All four of us?" Nora asked quietly.

"All four of us," Jaune nodded, smiling at Pyrrha. "If we want to survive this, we've got to give this everything we've got."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded, stretching out with her feelings. Her aura fell upon her other three teammates like a warm blanket. As she did, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie felt themselves being swept up in her embrace, and Jaune along with her. She was the warm center around which their entire team had revolved. And now that she had finally returned to them, they could finally fight as one.

And all the while, the Grimm bore down on them, trampling the over the flagstone campus grounds, destroying everything in their path as they charged towards the Huntsmen.

"Here they come…" Ren said, widening his stance.

"There's just so many of them…" Pyrrha shook her head anxiously.

"Jaune, are you sure we can do this?" Nora asked.

Jaune chewed on his lip, giving his teammates a sad smile. He could feel their fear, their sadness, their emptiness. But he could also feel their hope, their longing, their love. He fought now, not for his future…but for theirs.

"We will," he said, glancing at Pyrrha as she stood by his side. "We have to."

They closed their eyes in concentration and Jaune felt his aura soaring to new heights as his team's energy flowed into him. Even after all they'd been through, the abundance of energy they possessed in total was still overwhelming. Through the connection, he tried to pour his reassurance, his hope, his affection, his gratitude, all the feelings he wished he had conveyed to them all so much better than he had before. And in return, their feelings poured into him, washing over him like a blanket of reassurance.

They weren't going anywhere. They were here to stay. So long as he stood his ground, then so would they. And as the ground shook with the approaching stampede, the Huntsmen raised their shields to meet the coming tyranny.

Jaune ground his teeth together as he stared down his enemies. It would not end here! It would not end now! They would pull through this together! They would make it out of this alive! He would fight! He would _win!_ And they would _all_ keep going!

"We've lost _so_ many friends already!" he shouted in defiance at the Grimm. "I _won't_ let you take any more!"

Pyrrha's eyes flitted back and forth between the oncoming stampede and her partner.

"Jaune…" she said nervously as she held her sword and shield before her.

Jaune drove the edge of his shield into the ground before him, preparing for the assault.

"No one else dies on my watch!" he cried.

As his shield touched the ground, his semblance went off almost without his realizing. It enveloped the entirety of his shield, and his entire body glowed with power. Emanating more power than his body could contain, the only place the energy had left to go was beyond himself. As his aura expanded ever outward a glowing wall of light emerged where his shield touched the ground, extending upward and outward in all directions, creating a massive barrier of glowing golden light before the Huntsmen.

SHOOOM!

Like a massive force field, the barrier of Indominance erected before them all, all stemming from Jaune's shield as his body channeled his entire team's aura into the glowing wall of light. It extended over a hundred feet in the air, and spread wide enough to shield the entire Atlesian ground force. It was a barricade of pure light, cutting through the ground, dividing the battlefield in two between the Huntsmen and the Grimm.

And then as the rampaging stampede of goliaths was upon them, they were stopped in their tracks as they slammed into the translucent glowing wall, their tusks cracking off of its surface, and the following beast slamming into them from behind, ramming them further into Jaune's impenetrable shield wall.

KRRRRRSSSHHHHHMMMMM!

Just like that, the entire line of over a hundred Grimm was brought to a halt.

Pyrrha and the rest of the team were positively stunned. One moment, they were about to be trampled by a raging stampede, and then next moment, the enemy forces were breaking against a translucent wall of gold like waves upon the cliff face.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha gasped in awe. "How are you _doing_ that?"

Jaune remained where he was, kneeling behind his shield, brow furrowed in concentration. Ren and Nora stood behind him, funneling their aura into him. And Pyrrha did the same at his side, facing the coming Grimm with a defiant eye, her energy pouring into the aura link sustaining the massive shield before them.

Every Huntsmen gathered watched in awe as the might of a single team somehow managed to stop an army. A legion of Grimm slammed headlong into the mighty golden wall, releasing howls of anguish as their bodies broke against the shield and one another. Their enemies crushed themselves to death upon the wall, when all the while, the entire gathered force of Remnant lay untouched on the other side.

From his position in the bullhead, Ironwood and Glynda were left equally spellbound, lost for reason as to what they were seeing. That was, until something in the recesses of Ironwood's memory came rushing to the surface.

"A Grand Arc…" he gaped in realization.

Glynda blinked as she glanced over at him.

"A what?" she demanded.

Jame could not pry his eyes away from the giant wall of light.

"The bulwark of King Uruk," the general explained, staring in awe. "A technique said to be so powerful that it could turn the tide of an entire battle! This is how the king of Vale ended the Great War! I…I never thought I'd witness such a technique with my own eyes…"

Glynda's eyes widened in realization as she fixed her gaze on Team JNPR as they stood together at the center of the wall of light.

"Just who _is_ that boy!?" she gasped.

As the Huntsmen looked at the disorganized and discombobulated mass of Grimm piling up on the far side of the barrier, their confidence slowly began to return. This was the power of the Huntsmen. This was the power of Remnant. One single team was a worth a _hundred_ Grimm. So long as they fought at one another's side, they would never fall.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha breathed in realization. "It's your semblance! You're indominating the very _air_ around you!"

As Jaune maintained his hold on the shield, his right hand slowly raised skyward, bringing the blade of Crocea Mors overhead. All eyes were on him in wonder as he raised his weapon. If all that aura funneled into his shield was enough to craft such a wall of light, then what could that same energy do when it was channeled into his sword?

With a mighty cry of defiance, he brought his sword down.

"HYAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH!" he screamed as his sword glowed with the power of his semblance.

The wall of light fell just as his sword touched the ground.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!

The entire area before them exploded with the force of Jaune's attack. A massive swathe was carved through the line of the Grimm, cutting almost all the way to the school itself. Everything in Jaune's path was reduced to ash as the brilliant flare from his sword extended outward into the enemy ranks. Everything that wasn't destroyed was thrown into utter chaos.

When the smoke cleared, Jaune felt completely numb, as if every nerve in his body was completely shot. Looking around at his teammates, he saw that they too were exhausted. Burning through so much aura had been draining for all of them. But he knew that if they did not seize this opportunity, the Grimm would regroup, and they would lose any chance of taking Beacon.

So with a feeble arm, he raised his sword into the air once more, his held high.

" _CHARGE!_ " he screamed at the top of his lungs.

That was all the sign the Huntsmen needed. Team JNPR's combined attack combined with Jaune's war cry had galvanized them once more, and with a furious shout of righteousness, the Huntsmen launched into an all-out attack.

" _HYAAAAGHHH!_ " their combined cries of valor echoed across the campus as they descended upon the hapless Grimm before them.

Jaune and his team watched as the Huntsmen they had known since the Vytal tournament all charged ahead. Nebula Violette drove her sword into the nearest ursa, before sending it flying with a crossbow bolt launched from her blade. Dew Gayle sent a deathstalker flying into the air, before it hit the ground, impaling itself on her spear. Gwen Darcy let loose with a hail of throwing knives, felling beowolves by the dozen. Octavia Ember seemed to have teamed up with Arslan Altan as they both slashed at the heels of a stumbling goliath with their daggers, before entangling its feet within Arslan's rope dart, sending it toppling over on its back.

Reese Chloris was going toe to toe with one of the gargoyles who had lost its mount, ducking and weaving through its attacks, before sliding between its legs, twisting her board to slash at its ankles, ham-stringing the massive creature. Nadir Shiko and May Zedong provided long range cover with their guns, while Branwz Ni unleashed a flurry of blows against another gargoyle with his claws, with Roy Stallion and Nolan Porfirio backing him up with spinning blade and baton alike. And while Neon Katt skated circles around the Grimm, Flynt Coal multiplied himself to unleash a hail of trumpet fire upon them, absolutely decimating their number.

Not to be outdone, Professor Port and Oobleck unleashed a gout of fire from their weapons, obliterating everything in their path. And Ruby's dad fought with a level of ferocity that seemed nearly inhuman, ripping Grimm to pieces with his bare hands!

"HAAAAAHHH!" he shouted in rage, determined to reach the tower in time to save his children.

Jaune looked around as the battle for Beacon raged on. The Huntsmen were holding their own. His last attack had given them just the push they needed to move forward. Now even Ironwood's militia and the last remaining mechanized forces were moving in, taking ground as their forces moved steadily towards Beacon tower. The gryphons and nevermores overhead were still being occupied by the Atlesian fleet, the artillery raining down from the Vacuan aerostat vessels doing considerable damage.

As for Team RSJC, Jaune could see that Coco had things well in hand, and had even seemed to have taken the remainder of Team SSSN into her fold. Scarlet and Fox were a versatile fighting force, and when paired, Yatsuhashi and Sage were a force to be reckoned with armed with their massive swords. And with Velvet's ability to copy weapons, and Emerald's quick, stealthy techniques, they were able to take out any stragglers that managed to get past them.

Team JNPR was running on fumes, however. That massive wall of light, followed up by such an incredible attack had drained their aura. It had been worth it to get through the choke point that the Grimm battalion represented, but now they were all visibly flagging. Ren was walking with a limp, his arm draped over Nora's shoulder as she carried him along. And though she hid it well, Pyrrha had used up much of her strength as well.

Jaune could feel the ache in his bones as he trudged forward, the Huntsmen fighting all around him, as he led his team towards Beacon tower.

"Come on, guys," he gasped for breath. "We're almost there."

Nora was giving him a helpless look as Ren leaned against her.

"What are we supposed to do when we get there?" she asked, out of breath.

Jaune didn't look back.

"We find Team RWBY," he said. "We find this Witch. And we finish this fight."

"How?" Nora pried anxiously. "The team is exhausted, Jaune. How are we supposed to beat her, exactly?"

When Jaune couldn't supply an answer, Pyrrha turned to smile back at Nora. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, before turning to put her other hand hand on Jaune's.

"Together," she answered.

Nora rolled her eyes.

"Great," she intoned. "And here I thought _I_ was the sappy one…"

Despite the diatribe, Team JNPR wwas finally in range of Beacon tower. The Grimm were scattered all about them, but the Huntsmen had broken their line. It was anyone's game now. But if any more Grimm arrived to bolster the enemy's defenses, the Huntsmen would be routed.

Then their progress was suddenly halted by a bolt of lightning from the sky.

KR-KR-KRRRKRSHHH!

The sudden jolt of electricity struck the earth before the Huntsmen, catching them all off guard. The burst of ozone and static discharge sent the team staggering back, the hard granite walkway shattering from the impact as the ground before them lit up like a bonfire.

"What the-!?" Jaune gasped.

"Look out!" Pyrrha cried, raising her shield to cover Ren and Nora from flying debris.

As the smoke cleared, Team JNPR was left staring at a lone figure at the epicenter of the blast. She knelt before them in the center of the scorched circle, a staff ending in a rosy gemstone at its head, a blue one at its base, the two entwined with vines. She wore a frilled blouse bound in a wide vest and tunic, her arms and legs bound in yellow boots and spaulders. While her eyes, hair and features may have evoked the color of autumn at one point, now her every feature was blanched, ghostly and devoid of any light whatsoever.

"Who's that?" Nora stammered in surprise, Ren still hanging limply on her shoulder.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed in recognition.

"I know who this is…" she breathed fiercely.

Jaune clutched his sword tightly in his hand.

"So do I…" he said.

The deathly stare of the former Fall Maiden was ghostly and hollow, just as Pyrrha's had been once upon a time. Amber slowly rose to her feet, bringing her staff to bare as she stared down the Huntsmen before her. Her purpose here was clear – no one would be getting past her without a fight.

"I suppose Cinder wasn't lying then…" Pyrrha mused, her lips pursed in remorse. "The Witch's power brought _me_ back from the grave. If the Maidens' power truly belongs to her, then…I suppose it stands to reason that she could bring _other_ Maidens back to our world to do her dirty work as well."

Jaune stood on unsteady legs next to Pyrrha as he stared down at their foe in disbelief.

"So does that means we'll have to fight our way through _every_ Maiden who's ever lived?" he gasped in despair.

Pyrrha shook her head.

"I don't know, Jaune…" she admitted.

Jaune glanced over at Ren and Nora. They were in no condition to fight. They had been supplying him with their aura all day long, and they were spent. Pyrrha was still standing, but she did not look terribly eager for a fight. Jaune himself could feel the fatigue penetrating his bones as he stared back at the face of the Fall Maiden, the girl who, in a way, had started them all on this journey together.

He glanced back at Pyrrha. She hadn't said a word about what they had learned from Cinder. If she had been telling them the truth, this day could very well be the end of the line. And just to rub salt on the wounds, now they had to face down the Maiden who had inadvertently torn their lives apart. Yet despite it all, Pyrrha still stood strong. He dared not believe his presence had anything to do with that resolve; he prayed that she was not merely putting on a brave face to put him at ease. But he believed in her nonetheless. He believed in Pyrrha's strength. He would not have made it half as far without that strength. It may have been put to the test time and time again, but at the end of the day, the two of them were still standing.

He smiled.

"You two stay back," he said to Ren and Nora. "Pyrrha and I can handle this."

Nora looked worried, but she wasn't really in a position to argue, and Ren could barely keep his eyes open as he leaned into her for support. Jaune watched as the two of them backed away, giving their teammates and the Fall Maiden a wide berth. And when his eyes met Pyrrha's, she turned to him, her lips curving into a weary smile of her own.

"Come on, Jaune," she exhaled breathlessly. "Fight by my side. One more time."

Jaune nodded, turning to face their opponent, bringing Corcea Mors back up again. It was a heavy burden after so arduous an ordeal, but as his aura linked with Pyrrha's once again, her energy as familiar to him as his own, his weapon didn't feel quite so heavy anymore.

"I wouldn't have it any other way…" he intoned.

The two of them raised their swords. And they charged forward.


	146. Chapter 146

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 146

* * *

Weiss had very few memories of her mother. The most poignant had been the memory of her long white hair. Her big sister Winter's hair had not yet grown in back then, and by comparison, their mother's flowing silvery tresses had been a wonder to behold. Even as a baby, she had been fascinated by it, seizing tufts of it whenever they were within reach.

When Crystal Schnee had taken ill, she had undergone chemotherapy as part of her treatment, losing what many considered to be one of her defining attributes. Even after treatment had ceased, what had grown back had barely come into being before she had been placed in cryo-stasis. When Weiss and her team had awakened her from her frozen slumber, her hair had not grown back, leaving Weiss' final memories of her mother as a frail wisp of a woman, and not the glowing vibrant daughter of the Schnee founder that she was.

For the enemy to bring back Crystal Schnee in such a manner, and to endow her phantom not only with all of her fighting spirit, but also with the glorious vibrancy of her pristine white hair, it felt like a slap in the face to everything Weiss had ever treasured about her mother.

Which was probably why Weiss was caught so off guard when the ghost of her mother made a lunging dash towards her with the blunt end of her crystalline staff.

Weiss hesitated as she saw the oblong weapon coming at her, loathe to release her hold on her glyph, lest the Grimm once again flood into their world en masse. The apparition of Crystal Schnee appeared to have somehow maneuvered her way around Yang, encasing the Huntress' feet in a block of ice, while Crystal glided across the floor of the vault with trails of ice left in her wake.

Fortunately, Yang's mother was able to intervene in time, blocking the Maiden's attack with the oversized and multi-faceted hilt of her sword, before raising a hand to imprison the former Winter Maiden in a time bubble, her movements momentarily slowing to a crawl.

Then she turned on Weiss, drawing a shimmering white sword from her sheath, before plunging it into the glyph atop the Nexus. And all at once, Weiss felt an odd feeling of relief as the glyph no longer seeped her aura.

"What…?" she glanced down at the glyph, which continued to remain in place, stemming the flow of Grimm as they pounding at the barrier from below.

"Weiss, go!" Raven cried as Crystal Schnee hovered over them both in mid-strike. "I won't be much help in a fight in my current state, but I can at least keep your glyph in place while you and Yang hold off the Winter Maiden!"

Weiss was still staring down at the white blade in Raven's hands as it lay embedded within the glyph that she herself had cast over the Nexus.

"How are you doing that?" she demanded, dumbstruck.

"It's just like you said," Raven explained hurriedly. "Dust forged from the first of the ancient Huntsmen to ever use glyphs. I'm not familiar enough with your semblance to make glyphs on my own, but I can keep one raised if it's already been cast! Now go! That temporal distortion won't last much longer!"

Weiss hesitated a moment longer before nodding and climbing to her feet. She leveled her sword at the ghost of her mother just in time to see Yang break her feet out of the ice and slam the broad side of her proton cannon into the frozen woman, sending her toppling end over end across the vault, her long white hair tossing as she fell.

Weiss joined Yang at her side, the two Huntresses standing between the Winter Maiden and Yang's mother, determined to keep her from re-opening the Nexus.

"You okay, Yang?" Weiss asked, weighing their options.

"She caught me off guard," Yang said in an annoyed tone, leveling her proton cannon at their target. "I'm fine. What about you? That's your _mother_ we're fighting."

Weiss drew in a breath as she steadied herself. Even as her enemy lay toppled on the floor, Weiss had to fight the urge to rush to her aid. It left a sour taste in her mouth, not only to have had to say goodbye to the woman who had given birth to her forever, but to then come to blows with her likeness, destroying her all over again…

It was cruel. It was unfair. But Weiss knew that the life of a Schnee was always one of cruelty and unfairness. Not a single member of her family did not grow up to face unfathomable hardships. From her father. From her school. From the White Fang. From the world.

Weiss had overcome such trials before. And she would do so again.

" _That_ …" she said slowly, raising her sword "…is _not_ my mother. My mother _died_ saving us all back in the frozen north. I will _honor_ her memory by setting her spirit to rest, here and now."

Yang eyed the other Huntress warily, but she seemed adamant in her position. Ruby had told her once that Weiss was adept at hiding her true feelings, and everything she knew of the girl reinforced this fact. Still, Weiss was technically still in command of Team RWBY, for what little of it remained, so she decided not to second guess her.

"It's your call," Yang nodded pensively. "I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to sit this one out. I wouldn't want to have to fight the ghost of _my_ mother either."

"Speaking of which," Weiss added, glancing back at Raven Branwen. "Apparently your mother has a dust blade that lets her use my _glyphs_ now."

Yang rolled her eyes.

"Somehow I'm not surprised…" she snorted.

The two girls watched the former Winter Maiden slowly rise to her feet. Even in her ghoulish form, she was still strikingly beautiful. Her white hair seemed almost unnaturally perfect, and she moved like a spirit through the air, as if drifting like a snowflake. Nothing she did seemed to cost her any effort, as if every movement was linked together in a single fluid motion.

"Come on!" Yang raised her gun aggressively. "Let's take her down!"

Weiss nodded bitterly, fighting the urge to shiver. The shadowy form of Crystal Schnee was already causing the air around them to cool as particles of moisture crystallized into snowflakes around her as she raised her staff.

"We should link up," Weiss advised. "We'll stand a better chance of beating her with our aura pools merged."

Yang nodded anxiously. "Alright…"

Weiss raised an eyebrow at Yang's hesitance, but reached out with her aura all the same. It had been difficult for her to get the hang of aura linking when Pyrrha had first introduced it to the rest of the team. Weiss hadn't been able to manage it at first, while Ruby had pulled it off like a natural. But Weiss had attacked the problem the same way she attacked every other problem set before her - with rigid determination and stalwart repetition. By the time she had next seen combat, she had considered herself quite well versed in the technique, if she did say so herself. She had even been adept enough to link with _Jaune_ of all people, someone she had spent precious little time with. And while she had never linked with Yang before, they had all shared a link when Ruby had connected to them both, first during the battle of Atlas, and again during their air drop on Beacon Academy.

But something was wrong this time. Yang's aura felt completely different. She was used to Yang's semblance giving off a "hot" sort of flavor, almost like a kind of spice. But her aura burned so aggressively that Weiss could almost not bear to touch it.

And from the sound of it, neither could Yang herself.

"Gahhhhhh!" Yang cried out in pain, gripping her head as her eyes went red.

"Yang!" Weiss cried out in surprise, wincing as she felt heat emanating from her friend's body. "What's going on?"

Yang clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth in agony as wave after wave of heat flared around her as her aura encircled her, glowing bright red. Weiss could see veins popping up across her skin as her whole body began to tremble. Whatever was happening to her, she was in too much pain to even answer Weiss' question.

"Yang!" Weiss shouted again.

She was forced to pull away from her teammate when her opponent sent a gust of icy wind towards her, causing her to stagger backwards. Weiss leaned into the wind, but her feet began to skid across the floor as ice slowly materialized beneath her feet, causing her to lose traction. Without anything to brace herself on, she began to slide back across the floor until she cast a black glyph beneath her feet, rooting herself in place.

"Nnnng!" she grunted with an effort as she held her position, bracing herself against the deathly cold winds.

The temperature in the room had dropped substantially, and Weiss was freezing! She was normally able to buffer herself against the effects of ice dust, but the Winter Maiden's powers were on a completely different level! At least her opponent had not decided to take to the air as some of the previous Maidens had done, but her mother was still _world's_ more powerful than Weiss would ever be on her own.

She needed to aura link with _someone!_ And without Ruby or Blake around, Yang was the only teammate present with whom she was confident enough to manage it!

She turned her eyes forward, shielding her face from the harsh snowy winds as she looked for Yang. When she laid eyes on her, she saw that the blond girl had fallen to her knees, her whole body still wracked with pain. The twisted facsimile of her mother stood before her, her crystal clear staff raised high over her head to strike the Huntress before her.

Yang wasn't even looking at her, she was still so overcome from pain.

"Yang!" Weiss cried out worriedly before casting another glyph.

A sigil of red appeared before her, casting a ray of heat towards the Winter Maiden that penetrated the gale of ice. The atmospheric pressure caused the winds to shift, and suddenly the path was clear. Weiss was suddenly able to stand as the ice beneath her feet started to melt away as she charged into the fray, Myrtlenaster flashing like lightning.

SCHWNNNG!

Crystal had to break off her attack on Yang to deflect the sword strike, swinging her staff in a dazzling twirl of shimmering crystal to counter the flurry of blows from Weiss' rapier. Myrtlenaster was bright red from the fire dust in its chamber, counteracting the frigid effects of the Winter Maiden's staff, but still, the air was freezing, and everything the apparition touched seemed to crystallize into ice.

As the pale copy of her mother deflected Wiess' sword, the winds began kicking up all around them once more. Soon, the Huntress again found herself battling the elements more than the Maiden herself. And as the winds kicked up faster and faster, Weiss felt herself being forced back once again. When she peered through the dense flurries, however, she saw the ice crystals solidifying into a series of long, sharp looking spikes, hovering just over the Maiden's head.

And they were pointed directly at her incapacitated teammate.

"No!" Weiss cried, before leaping towards Yang, cutting her way through the frozen wind with a slash of heat from her sword.

Weiss stood before her teammate, erecting a defensive glyph just in time to block the first volley of icicles flying towards them.

KRSSSHHH!

The hail of ice crystals shattered against Weiss' glyph, spraying out in all directions. She winced under the assault as more icicles came flying towards them as Weiss kept her barrier erected.

KRSSSHHH! KRSSSHHH! KRSSSHHH!

The constant bombardment was deafening! Weiss could barely hold her defensive glyph in place, much less fire back. Each impact exploded a shower of glass at her feet, shoving her back towards Yang little by little.

She glanced back at Yang, who was still gasping for breath, her hands resting on her knees, biting her lip. Weiss was insanely outclassed here, and every instinct was telling her to make a tactical retreat. But she couldn't abandon her team. She couldn't abandon Yang. She couldn't abandon Ruby. And she couldn't abandon their mission, not when it was this critical.

"Yang!" Weiss cried out. "Come on, Yang! I need your help!"

As the winds blew past them, slowly coating the entire vault in snow, Yang slowly lifted her head.

"Weiss…" she gritted her teeth, her eyes once again back to their normal lavender hue.

"Yang!" Weiss cried, still holding up her glyph as the Winter Maiden struck at her defenses with ice. "Whatever's going on, you _need_ to snap out of it! We need to link up! Now!"

Yang blinked, as if only just realizing what was going on around them, looking around and staring at the blizzard that was enveloping them both. She saw her mother, kneeling behind them both, a look of agitation on her face as she hunched over the Nexus, her pristine white sword still plunged hilt-deep into the glyph that kept it sealed.

She wanted to help. She wanted to fight. She wanted to lash out with her semblance, and burn her enemies to a crisp. But every time she so much as touched her own aura, it stabbed her like a white hot knife of pain. She was completely paralyzed by her own powerlessness, and for a moment, she didn't know what to do.

"I…" Yang muttered, clenching her eyes shut, remembering what her mother had told her. "I can't use my semblance!"

Weiss gritted her teeth as the gale force winds pushed her back, and she redoubled her efforts, straining to resist the wrath of the Winter Maiden.

"What do you mean, you _can't_ use your semblance?" Weiss demanded.

"I don't know!" Yang cried, shaking her head. "I don't know what's wrong! It just won't work!"

Yang shuddered, and not just because of the cold. That was a lie of course. She knew _exactly_ what was wrong. But she couldn't speak it aloud. How could she? How was she supposed to explain that she was the reincarnation of their enemy? Even _if_ she could figure out how to tap into the power of the Daughter of Fire, even _if_ that power was strong enough to save them here…what would Yang become if it did? What sort of monster would be left when it was all said and done?

Yang watched as Weiss's glyph shuddered against the tumultuous storm as she kept Yang, Raven and the Nexus safe from the Winter Maiden's assault. Yang could only stand there, feeling utterly useless. Every attempt she made at activating her semblance resulted in a lancing fiery pain in her skull. Even her mother, who was fighting at half strength, was still maintaining her hold on the seal that kept more Grimm from entering their world.

And somewhere within the Nexus was Ruby and her uncle, still trapped within a world of Grimm.

Yang seethed. They were still no closer to saving them than they had been since they've first been separated! And they were running out of time!

"Weiss!" Yang yelled, raising her proton cannon. "Get down!"

Weiss turned back to see Yang's black market Atlas tech slowly humming to life, beginning to glow more brightly than it ever had before. She saw Yang tearing some kind of valve off of her gun, dropping a seemingly trivial hunk of junk onto the floor.

Her eyes widened in realization when she realized she was looking at the remains of the gun's fusion limiter.

"Yang, don't!" she shouted in a panicked tone. "If you overload that thing…!"

Yang didn't listen. She probably couldn't even hear her. The proton cannon was already overheating, as the entire barrel began to glow bright red, the surge of energy letting out a loud angry howl within the storm. The entire area around Yang's body began to shake as power emanating from the gun on her arm. Her hair was tossed wildly as her whole body almost seemed to be engulfed in a wreath of energy as the output on her gun grew higher and higher, until Weiss was almost convinced that it would explode on itself.

"Yang!" Raven's voice cut through the cacophony, still locked into place above the Nexus. "No! Stop!"

Yang was well beyond words at this point. The look on her face was one of pure rage. Weiss had never seen her so terrifyingly angry before. Vibrant energy was pooling all around her, melting the snow and ice, as her gun hissed and steamed, still collecting energy at its muzzle. The Huntress took aim with the massive cannon on her arm, fury in her eyes as she stared down the barrel at the Winter Maiden.

"Eat this!" she cried, before unleashing the full fury of the cannon.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!

A singular blast of pure blue energy cut through the vault, bursting through Weiss' glyph and sending the Winter Maiden flying backward. All the snow in the air instantly evaporated, and the entire vault lit up like the surface of the sun. Yang shook and shuddered as she tried to remain standing, maintaining the blast for as long as she could. But no human alive could have held back against such a force, and she was kicked off her feet, falling the floor as her proton cannon released its howling inferno.

And as Yang tumbled back, the twisted hunk of steel and titanium on her arm began to disintegrate, pieces bursting into flames before snapping off entirely. As the weapon fell apart, the last gasp of the beam's energy petered out, before the entire proton cannon exploded. Yang was sent careening away from the blast, her mechanical arm completely destroyed.

"Yang!" Weiss shouted in alarm.

"Yang!" Raven echoed her cry.

Yang lay prone on the floor, staring blankly up at the ceiling, her eyes faded, her entire face in a motionless state of catatonia. She looked completely drained, like the life had been sucked out of her. And all the remained of her arm was a bloody stump, the titanium and fiber-optic filaments connecting the prosthesis to her nerve endings ripped from her body.

Weiss fell to her knees beside her, taking her by the shoulders to try to rouse her.

"Yang!" she cried. "Can you hear me? Wake up!"

Yang lay unmoving, her body still and unresponsive, a pool of blood trickling from the re-opened stump on her arm. She was completely unresponsive, and Weiss' eyes widened in anguish as she realized just how hot her skin was to the touch. She was completely burning up!

"What's wrong with her?" Raven asked urgently, looking frantic as she was unable to leave the Nexus unattended, not even to see to her own daughter. "What's wrong with her, Weiss? Tell me!"

Weiss shook her head, checking her teammate's pulse.

"I…I don't know…" she said, shakily. "Her heartbeat and breathing are all accelerated, and she's burning up like she's got some kind of fever, but she's not sweating it out! It's…it's as if her body can't regulate her internal temperature anymore! It doesn't make any sense!"

Raven shook her head forebodingly.

"Oh no…" she said.

Weiss threw the older woman a suspicious look.

"What?" she demanded. "What is it?"

Raven looked down at the glowing white glyph beneath her feet, her hands still clutching at the white sword keeping it in place, and the snarling faces of the Grimm far below.

"This…this might be difficult to explain…" she began, before raising her eyes.

Then she saw it. Just beyond the president of the Schnee Dust Company, the face another Schnee came once again into view.

"Weiss, look out!" Raven shouted, pointing past her with a look of alarm on her face. "She's still alive!"

Weiss felt a cold grip clench around her heart as she held her teammate in her arms. Turning to look up in the direction of their foe, she saw what Raven's words had already confirmed.

The Winter Maiden, slowly marching towards them, her glass staff still clenched in hand.

Weiss shook her head in despair. Yang had given everything she had in that last attack, and now she was down for the count! With her last teammate down, and Raven unable to defend herself, Weiss was truly on her own.

"No…" she breathed as the phantom of her mother slowly approached her.

She raised her staff. And lunged.


	147. Chapter 147

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 147

* * *

Qrow recoiled as Summer's lance grazed his aura once again as he was just barely able to dodge away from her. He didn't even try to riposte, instead opting to fight as defensively as possible, Ozpin's cane in his hand knocking her blade away from his body.

CLANG!

He staggered backwards. He was getting slower by the moment, and not just because the netherworld was slowly sapping at his aura. Of all of his teammates, Summer was the only one who had never beaten him in a sparring match. However, he had always suspected that she had simply been hiding her true strength all that time as a means of easing his bruised ego, him having been so handily defeated by his sister and Taiyang in previous matches.

If the speed and ferocity of this doppelganger was any indication, his assumption had been right on the money. And even _if_ he had possessed the strength to defeat her…he honestly wasn't sure if he could slay a foe who wore Summer's face as she did.

Qrow knew in no uncertain terms that this was a fight he could not win. He had no choice but to fight defensively, and try to stay alive as long as possible. He had no idea what his passing here in the netherworld would entail for the world of Remnant, but he was determined to stall the discovery for as long as he possibly could.

Summer flew towards him, gliding like a bird on the wing as her bladed lance aimed straight for his throat. He backed away again, knocking her weapon to the side, his whole body aching as his lungs pleaded for breath.

CLANG!

Qrow gasped as he recoiled, stumbling over his own feet. This whole fight was an exercise in futility. Even if he could survive Summer's onslaught, he couldn't keep his temporal barrier erected while in combat. Doing so while would have chewed through his aura faster than he could blink. Which meant that the noxious air around him continually sapped him of his strength. He could barely see straight, and it was taking all his coordination to put up a decent struggle. Fighting in the netherworld for him was like all the bad parts of being drunk, without the pleasant side effects. It was as if the very world around him was trying to kill him.

And all the while, the Witch merely watched as Summer toyed with her prey like a kitten with an injured mouse. As the two of them danced around the circumference of the gloomy tower, the sky continued to crackle with lightning overhead. The Grimm gargoyles were hovering above them like hungry vultures, swooping down to bar Qrow's escape every time he attempted to flee from the tower.

He was trapped like a rat, surrounded on all sides by hungry predators, and he was pretty sure even his trademark wit wouldn't be enough to get him out of this jam. But at the moment, it was all he had left.

"So that's it then?" he called out to Salem, still panting for breath. "You're just going to let your minion do your dirty work for you?"

The Witch let out a sardonic laugh.

"This is _so_ much more satisfying…" she answered.

Qrow flinched, reacting too slowly to dodge Summer's next strike, so he wasted more of his precious aura by trapping her in a time bubble and leaping away.

"What's the matter?" he crowed, sweat dripping from his forehead as his aura dwindled. "Can't fight your own battles?"

Salem's smile was wickedly sadistic as she watched her prey struggle to stay standing.

"Why should I bother, when your own teammate serves as such a capable proxy?" she asked. "You humans have always been your own worst enemy. For all that you lay at the Grimm's feet, your irrepressible urge to cling to life has always been your greatest shortcoming. It has led to the most dangerous tools for destruction ever created. Even your own _aura_ has been twisted into a weapon. I could not muster a _tenth_ of what your kind's own desperate floundering has wrought."

Qrow's spell finally broke, and Summer lunged towards him once again. The reprieve had not nearly been long enough for the old man to catch his breath, and he was forced to raise his staff, catching Summer's lance, stopping its bladed tip inches from his face.

"How does it feel, darling?" Salem cooed as the Wizard strained under the Summer's Maiden's weapon. "To be slain at the hands of the woman you love?"

Qrow turned his eyes back towards Summer. He knew from his battle with Pyrrha that even if some tiny ember of her soul remained underneath, there would be no hope in getting through to her. There wasn't a single shred of recognition in her eyes, not one single hint of emotion. For all that, though, in spite of her ghostly pale pallor, she was still strikingly beautiful. He had ached for her ever since he lost her once upon a time, and it broke his heart to see her reduced to such a state now. But he would not allow his enemy to know that.

"Don't flatter yourself," Qrow's lips curved into the smile. "I don't think the old man _ever_ really loved you…"

Salem's coy expression melted away into a hard scowl. For a second, Qrow thought he had finally found a way to get under her skin. But then with a sneer of derision, the Witch raised her hand, and suddenly, Qrow found himself set upon by a pair of gargoyles who descended upon him so quickly that he couldn't get away in time.

"Gahhh!" he shouted as the two massive eight foot monsters seized him by either arm, his cane tumbling away as they forced him to his knees. "Get _off_ me!"

He tugged and yanked at their grip on his arms, but his reserves were drained, and he barely any strength left. The gargoyles were far too strong for him to break free from their hold. There was nothing he could do as the pale imitation of Summer Rose slowly stepped towards him, her lance retracting into its sword form, holding the thin blade like an extension of her arm.

"I grow tired of this game…" Salem said impatiently from behind the Summer Maiden. "I'm afraid your time is up, my love."

Qrow watched despairingly as Summer raised her sword to finish him off. He thought that maybe, just maybe, he just might have enough aura left to transform. But he doubted he could escape Summer's blade even if he did.

It seemed his luck had finally run out.

He closed his eyes as he waited for the blade to land. If there was any consolation, he thought, it was that Summer's face would be the last thing he saw before he died, twisted though it was.

Then he felt a swift gust of a wind from the stroke of a blade.

SCHWNNNG!

He expected to feel nothing afterward. Instead, he felt the iron grip on his arms slowly loosen as the two gargoyles on either side of him fell to the stone floor beneath him. When Qrow opened his eyes, he saw that their heads were missing, and they both began to slowly disintegrate.

And standing before him, between himself and Summer, was Ruby Rose, her eyes aglow with Grímnir extended in her hands.

"Don't you touch him!" she said in a low, angry voice.

The Witch's eyes flared widely, her pupils dilating into snake-like slits as she recoiled in revulsion.

"Grimmslayer!" Salem hissed, cursing her name.

Summer withdrew as well, holding her sword out defensively as she stared back at her new opponent, as if unsure of how to proceed. Ruby stared back at her harshly, bitterness on her lips as her eyes bled silver like teardrops, a corona of pure white light emanating all around her. There was no way in _hell_ that she didn't recognize the woman in front of her. For half a heartbeat, there was simply silence as the two women stared at each other. Qrow didn't even _know_ what words to use to try to soften the blow. What Ruby must be feeling, seeing her mother like this…

"Mom…" she breathed in a voice seething with disdain.

The ghost of Summer Rose stared back at the young Huntress dispassionately, without a single shred of emotion visible on her face.

Qrow could have sworn he saw Ruby's silver eyes flare even brighter than before.

"It wasn't enough for you to bring Pyrrha back to haunt us…" she ground her teeth in anger. "Now you've brought my _mother_ back my too?"

Salem's face became an absolutely sickening expression of glee.

"My, my, my…" she laughed. "This _is_ quite the family reunion now, isn't it?"

Ruby clenched her weapon tightly, but said nothing in response.

"Ruby…" Qrow breathed in trepidation as she stood before him, defensively.

He shook his head. A wave of panic washed over him as the full implications of her arrival sank in. There were just too many variables to keep track of. He had already been prepared to lay down his own life, but now Ruby was putting herself squarely in the line of fire, and against her own mother no less. He had seen Raven's predictions too many times to count. Every time Ruby entered the Nexus, she always wound up dead.

Every time.

"Ruby…" he muttered weakly as he slowly stumbled to his feet. "No…no, you _have_ to get out of here…"

Ruby finally turned to look at him, a sad, sympathetic smile on her face.

"I won't leave you, Qrow!" she said, stretching out with her aura. "Now link up with me! I'm _not_ letting you die!"

Qrow swallowed. He was used to hearing Ruby's voice sounding chipper or heartfelt or tender or sweet. Every word she had ever spoken came out as a child's would, earnest sincerity lacing every syllable. But in that moment, Ruby sounded more grown up than he could have possibly believed. She was not simply being stubborn, she was not acting out of childish idealism. She had simply made up her mind.

She was going to fight.

He accepted her aura, surprised by what an abundance she had left within her. Or perhaps he had simply been so drained that even her meager supply seemed eternal. Either way, she seemed unaffected by the netherworld's noxious air, her glimmering silver eyes keeping her shielded from all that was Grimm.

"So, child…" Salem muttered again, hatred filling her voice as her upper lip rose in disgust. "You've managed to slip through the Nexus, have you? Well, I'm afraid Qrow is indisposed at the moment. You'll just have to wait your turn. In the meantime, my children are all quite eager to welcome you…"

As the Witch raised her hand, Qrow watched helplessly as over a dozen more gargoyles descended from the heavens, raising their axes and halberds to strike at her. Before he could set one foot in front of the other, they were upon her, like harpies swarming a fresh kill.

"Ruby!" he cried, reaching out towards her.

The Huntress didn't even flinch.

SCHWNG! SCHWNG! SCHWNG! SCHWNG! SCHWNG!

Ruby's scythe moved faster than Qrow could even follow! Within half a second, the dozen or so gargoyles disintegrated into a black powder, scattering in the tumultuous wind. Within seconds, all the remained was Ruby, standing placidly where she had been moments before. She held Grímnir extended at her side, and hadn't even appeared to have broken a sweat! She simply stood her ground, seemingly unaffected by the ethereal phantom of her own mother as the two of them faced off, her silver eyes burning like phantom wisps.

As Grímnir retracted to its sword form, Ruby fixed her gaze on the Witch.

"Qrow's leaving with me," Ruby's voice cut in like a knife as a bolt of lightning pierced the sky overhead. "You're _not_ stopping us."

Salem was scarcely able to contain her outrage. She spoke through clenched teeth, feigning amusement as she clenched her hand into a fist.

"I see I've underestimated you, Grimmslayer…" she said, her words tightly wound in a strained, sign-song voice. "I won't make that mistake again. Summer dear?"

The Summer Maiden turned her head back to the Witch.

"Would you do me a favor and _kill_ your daughter for me please?" she said in a silken voice.

At first, Summer did not respond. Then darkness seemed to fill the space around them as her head turned back to Ruby, her eyes shifting color from blanched white to deep, deep ebony.

All around them, the world began to grow darker. The sky overhead became so filled with shadow, not even the crackling of lightning could be seen. Summer's gaze had become pitch black, and radiated negative energy that seemed to sap the very light from the world around them.

Qrow felt his heart thundering in his chest as a wave of dizziness hit him, forcing him to his knees. He wasn't sure what was happening exactly, but he had a feeling he could guess. Salem's enthralled Summer Maiden had been gifted with the silver eyes of a Grimmslayer in life. Now that she was a creature of the netherworld, however, that power had been turned into something far more sinister.

What had once been the purest form of cleansing silver had now become its very antithesis. A deep, penetrating blackness that corrupted all who fell within its gaze.

Yet somehow, Ruby was able to remain planted firmly in place, Qrow's old weapon held tightly in her hand. Around her and him, a small aura of light remained, a tiny fragment of hope within a desolate world of complete and utter blackness. As the entire netherworld fell into an eternal night, Ruby remained untainted; a single glowing beacon of hope in the darkness, shimmering and dauntless.

"Ruby…" he shook his head. "You _can't_ beat her. Her silver eyes have been corrupted beyond belief. They've become something _specifically_ designed to counter your Grimmslayer powers."

Ruby shook her head, undeterred.

"Stay back, uncle Qrow," she said. "You're still vulnerable. We can't lose you now."

Qrow shook his head, as dumbfounded by her steadfast determination as he was heartbroken by it. He tried to get to his feet, but staggered. Even with their auras linked, he struggled to stay conscious. He was nothing but a liability here. This would be the hardest fight of Ruby's life. And he was only weighing her down.

He attempted to sever their aura link, but her resonant power simply refused to let him go.

"Ruby, please…" Qrow gasped. "Don't throw your life away…"

Ruby was beyond his reach. She simply stared back at her mother, growing intensity in her eyes as they glowed brightly, repelling the darkness emanating from all around her, like a shining ember.

By contrast, the energy from Summer's eyes seemed to suck the very light from all around her. If it were somehow possible to radiate darkness, that was what she was doing, for the already blackened netherworld had become a bleak and empty nothingness around her.

With a swift, deft motion, she extended her weapon into its lance form.

Ruby responded by extending Grímnir into a scythe.

And all at once, the two of them seemed to vanish, before a sudden burst of energy released, revealing them once again, their weapons interlocked.

KSHHHH!

Once again they vanished, both withdrawing from one another, before flying towards each other once again.

KSHHHH!

Within an instant, they disappeared once again, only seeming to materialize, their weapons clashing once again.

KSHHHH!

Mother and daughter fought, moving faster than lightning, their bodies blinking in and out of the visible spectrum as they both hurled their weapons towards one other at a blinding speed. Between Ruby's semblance, and the Summer Maiden's gift of wind, the two of them were moving so fast, it almost defied comprehension! With each clash of their weapons, a burst of energy lit up the sky. A thundering cacophony of steel filled the air, the two Huntresses dueling as sparks flew from every strike.

KSHHHH! KSHHHH! KSHHHH!

The two beings of light and dark continued to clash, flying through the air overhead, their battle rising higher and higher off the ground as their intensity only increased with every strike. Their weapons were moving so fast, they didn't appear to move at all. No words were exchanged, no quarter was given, and not a single breath was spared as they moved. Like a coordinated dance at lightning speed, they dashed through the sky, as if possessed by the very essence of their element.

KSHHHH! KSHHHH! KSHHHH! KSHHHH! KSHHHH! KSHHHH!

Qrow stared up in awe, and even the Witch appeared spellbound by the dazzling display. It was like watching two goddesses wielding thunder and lightning, dueling for supremacy in the clouds above. The two of them almost appeared to be enveloped in shrouds of pure light and darkness. Qrow eventually had to shield his eyes from the intensity of it all.

Ruby's silver eyes were glowing so brightly now that the explosion of light from every strike was like staring into the sun. With each swing of Grímnir's blade, Ruby lit up the sky like midday, before Summer plunged them once again into darkness. Their weapons clashed, blades sparking as scythe and lance seemed to glow white hot from the near constant impact of steel on steel. And all the while, the two Huntresses fought, stone faced determination in their eyes as both mother and daughter determined to overpower the other.

KSSSSSHHHHHHHH!

Finally the two warriors parted, both landing hard on opposite sides of the tower, their feet skidding across the stone as their weapons dug into the floor for purchase as they were repelled back from one another.

Qrow gritted his teeth. He had never seen Ruby put up such a fight as she had! She had truly grown up since he had first trained her as a kid. But for all of her strength, she was still human.

"Ruby…" he breathed, his aura slowly leveling out as he began to catch his breath.

Salem, for her part, actually clapped her hands.

"An impressive performance…" she trilled, stepping towards Summer as she kept her eyes locked on Ruby. "Your own mother stands before you, reborn in all her strength and skill, and yet still you fight on…"

Ruby furrowed her brow, throwing a murderous glare back at the Witch.

"Do you have any idea how many times I had to face my friend Pyrrha in battle because of what you and Cinder did?" she demanded, her fury bubbling to the surface. "I've had to learn the hard way how to fight for my life against someone I cared about!"

Ruby thrusted Grímnir's edge out towards the woman, gesturing aggressively.

"And I've had half a lifetime to come to terms with my mother's death!" she cried defiantly. "I've _long_ since come to terms with it! You won't defeat me just because you've brought her back!"

Qrow watched, uncertain whether to be terrified or proud. With their auras linked, he could feel that her essence was still burning as strong as ever. Despite his fears, Ruby was holding her own. She was dealing with Summer Rose's appearance much better than he was, at least, and the two of them actually appeared to be evenly matched! In spite of everything that had happened to her, Ruby had somehow managed to surpass her own mother!

But Salem was a dangerous foe, and she had thousands of years to prepare for this day. And she was far from finished here.

"Well then…" she purred, withdrawing a familiar looking crystal from her dress, holding her free hand out before her, palm downward. "Perhaps I should have chosen another…"

The ground before her seemed to glow as a small circle of light formed on the stone below her feet. The crystal in her arms glowed as well in a vibrant lattice of colors and hues, and slowly, a figure began to emerge from the circle before her.

Qrow stiffened as he recognized the incantation that had brought Summer into being.

"Ruby!" he hollered. "Get back!"

Ruby couldn't hear him. She could barely breathe. The light in her eyes went out as she stared down at the figure who had emerged from the Witch's summon circle. A tiny girl, no older than twelve, her normally caramel skin now an ashen gray. A colorless head wrap adorned her hair, the rest of her body bound in traditional Vacuan clothing, and she held a knobby wooden staff in her hands, all of it stricken of life or pallor.

The girl's eyes opened and Ruby's heart broke.

"Dora…" she whispered in disbelief.


	148. Chapter 148

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 148

* * *

The vault had become so caked with ice that Weiss could hardly move. She stood her ground, arms clenched tightly around herself, shivering furiously. Flurries whisked all around her, coating the ground at her feet in a layer of snow, with massive icicles clinging to the walls all around them. Frost clung to her hair and eyelashes, her combat skirt had frozen stiff, and her skin was starting to turn blue. She could barely maintain her grip on her sword, the cold was so fierce. The very air around her was sapping her of her strength, and she could feel her core temperature dropping at a startling rate.

And all the while, the ghost of her mother simply stood before her, a phantom of wind and snow, her eyes aglow with the Maiden's power as she tapped into the power of winter, her staff raised as she orchestrated the blizzard, filling the room with her power, and turning the entire vault into a tomb of ice.

As she stared back at the image of her mother, Weiss tried to raise her sword arm to cast another glyph, but her body wouldn't obey her commands. All of her aura was going towards sustaining her body temperature, and she had nothing left to fight with. At this rate, the Winter Maiden wouldn't need to lay a hand on the young Huntress to defeat her – Weiss would simply perish from the cold.

"W-Weiss…" the tremulous voice croaked behind her.

The wind was kicking up such a tumultuous maelstrom that Weiss could not be sure if she wasn't hearing things. The Huntress turned to peer at the woman behind her, and saw Yang's mother huddled over the Nexus, struggling to maintain the faltering glyph with her sword. Raven was doing no better off than she was, and unlike Weiss, was functioning at half their normal aura, and using what little aura she had left to power her glyph.

If this kept up, Raven wouldn't last long, and the Nexus would begin pouring Grimm into their world once more.

And Yang…

She had to do something, fast! She had to melt this ice! She needed _heat!_

Weiss concentrated every last ounce of strength on a single glyph. Slowly, a sigil of red began to flicker beneath her feet, revolving at a slow, strenuous crawl. Slowly, the red glyph turned and turned, slowly bringing the temperature up around her body.

But there was so much snow. So much ice. And it was so, so very cold. Weiss had never felt such bitter cold in her life! Each gust of wind was like a flurry of needles piercing at her skin. She could scarcely feel her limbs, and her entire face had grown numb. She could hardly see, could hardly _breathe_ , and her concentration was beginning to falter.

Weiss fell to one knee, watching as the phantom of her mother loomed over her, a heartless imitation of the woman who had brought her into this world. Crystal Schnee had died to give her daughter life, and now it was as if she had come back to reclaim what was owed her. Weiss had robbed her mother of any chance she'd had in life, and now she would suffer the consequences, along with the rest of the world.

She began to despair. Yang was down. Ruby was trapped. Blake was nowhere close by. Her only other companion was a woman she barely knew, and even she was hanging on by a thread. It had all fallen on her shoulders. If Weiss faltered now, it would all be over.

 _One problem at a time, Weiss!_ she said to herself. _Just focus on that glyph! You won't get_ anywhere _if you freeze to death! You've got to melt this ice! Everything else can come after that!_

Wordlessly, she berated herself into action, just as she had done countless times with every day of her Huntress training. She redoubled her focus, narrowing her concentration until it was needle-sharp. Even as she felt her body shutting down from the cold, she put every iota of her being into casting her glyph.

And soon, the ice around her began to melt. It was slow and gradual at first, but as the red glyph at her feet began slowly turning more and more, soon the ice crystals coating her skin began to turn into water, dripping from her body as the snow began to puddle into slush at her feet.

This only seemed to spurn the Winter Maiden onward as she increased the intensity of the hail storm, her glowing golden eyes shimmering like will-o-wisps in the snow. Weiss continued to strain as she focused all of her aura into her glyph.

 _Heat!_ she thought to herself. _I need heat!_

The melted snow began to pool around her feet, as the red glyph slowly melted a circle of water within the deep basin of snow surrounding her. As the water continued to splash beneath her, Weiss began to feel light headed. She was running out of aura. She wouldn't last long at this rate. She needed to work fast!

Then, seemingly without warning, the water at her feet began to whirl around the circle formed by her glyph. She didn't take notice at first, but when she looked down, she realized that the water beneath her was becoming a small whirlpool. As the centrifugal force pushed the water up around the inside of the small circle of warmth, the surrounding ice began to melt away, crumbling to pieces and adding to the pool.

Weiss nearly lost control of her glyph. She wasn't sure what was going on. Her glyph was only supposed to create heat, not motion. Something else was causing the water to stir at her feet. Was it the winds of the surrounding snow storm? That had to be it, she thought. She just had to ignore it and concentrate on maintaining her glyph.

But as the moments passed, the whirlpool began to increase in size, rising up around her in a whirling cascade of slushy water. Weiss suddenly found herself walled in by a swirling vortex of water, the warm whirlpool spreading out to engulf the surrounding snow.

"Weiss!" came a distant and familiar voice. " _Weiss!_ "

The Huntress glanced back, peering through the rushing waters. She couldn't see past the aquatic whirlwind, it was so high. But that had not been Raven's voice she'd heard.

The cyclone of water began to widen, getting higher and higher, until it nearly reached the ceiling. As Weiss peered up at the cascade of waves surrounding her, she saw a familiar figure leaping over the water's crest to descend towards her, landing with a graceful flourish before her.

"Neptune!" Weiss cried in elation.

The young Huntsman rose to his feet before her, reaching out towards her with his hand.

"Weiss!" he shouted. "Your aura's in the red zone! Link up with me!"

Weiss could barely breathe. She still felt so light-headed, and thought her mind may have been playing tricks on her. Her situation looked so grim, and she was honestly not sure of her odds of survival, much less ever seeing the young man before her ever again. She barely had any aura left, and she was worried that if she tried to take another step, she'd simply collapse.

Somehow Neptune was standing right before her. His hair was frosted with snow, and his goggles were pulled down over his face to protect his eyes. Weiss had so many questions! Where had he been all this time? How had he found her? How had he managed to make his way through all the Grimm outside? How was he managing such an incredible defensive technique with such a small amount of water? Why wasn't all this water terrifying him? And more than anything, Weiss just felt such an incredible _relief_ that he was here!

Then she saw Neptune lift the goggles from his face, staring at her with those gorgeous blue eyes, eyes so filled with worry and adoration, and such honest concern that she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Weiss!" he cried. "Link up! Hurry!"

The young Huntress set her jaw. She didn't have any time to waste here. She still had a job to do!

"Right!" she hollered, reaching out with her aura.

She felt the young Huntsman's aura brush up against her, and it was like slipping into a hot bath. To Weiss' frozen body, just being near him was such palpable relief. Neptune's aura felt like warm sea foam. In that moment, she felt safe and warm again. For all the sea's unforgiving and frigid cold, Neptune's power seemed to radiate heat, filling her heart with the light of a hundred sunny beaches, fueling her with the warmth of the ocean's deepest volcanic vents. The seas were vast an infinite, but even those lost to the cold could still find warmth if they knew where to look.

All at once, Weiss felt vitality return to her, and not a moment too soon, it seemed. Within moments, the whirling vortex of water around them began to turn into ice once more, before shattering into a thousand pieces, as a tumultuous blizzard came rushing through with a vengeance.

And flying towards them, her crystalline staff outstretched, was the Winter Maiden.

"Look out!" Weiss shouted, erecting a defensive glyph like it was nothing.

CHHHHHNNNG!

The Maiden's staff landed squarely in the center of a brilliant white sigil as Weiss held her hand out to protect her and Neptune from the assault. The shimmering light shining from the glyph was enough to fill the entire frost-crusted vault, glimmering off of the icy walls. Weiss could hardly believe how easy it had been to cast her glyphs after having struggled under the duress of the Maiden's power. Now that she and Neptune were linked, her power felt limitless!

"Weiss!" Neptune hollered, raising his glaive defensively as he stared at their opponent. "Is that-!?"

Weiss grimaced when she realized what Neptune must be seeing right now – Weiss' own mother, attacking them without mercy.

"It is, Neptune," Weiss said despondently. "No time to explain. Just help me defeat her."

Neptune stared uneasily at the ghostly woman before her. Her flowing long white hair was the spitting image of Weiss' own, and her pale skin and crystal clear eyes were such an unnatural white that they were practically blinding. Already, the water around her was beginning to crystallize as she brought the temperature of the room down against from being awash in the cascade of Neptune's power.

"Right!" Neptune said, bringing his weapon to bear.

Crystal Schnee brought her staff down towards them, forcing them both to leap backwards. The maiden's staff struck the stone floor before them, sending the water around them spraying in all directions, each droplet freezing to a deadly ice shard. Neptune responded by leaping in front of Weiss, twirling his glaive defensively, deflecting the thousands of tiny blades.

Weiss ground her teeth. Even with Neptune's help, this was going to be a tough fight. But she wasn't out of ideas just yet.

"Can you hold her off for just another minute?" she asked.

Neptune nodded pensively, transforming his glaive into its gun form, laying down a hail of covering fire.

"I can give you several if you've got a solid plan," he said in an upbeat manner.

"Well," Weiss admitted. "I don't know how solid it is, but it's definitely a plan."

The Winter Maiden slammed the end of her staff into the ground at her feet, sending a column of ice erupted from the ground before her, angling it towards the two Huntsmen at an angle.

KRSSHHHH!

Neptune leaped forward, extending his weapon into a glaive once again, the curved edge humming to life as he brought the glowing blue blade down upon the ice, cutting the column neatly in half, sending either part crashing into the walls on either side of them.

"Better make it quick then!" Neptune cautioned.

Weiss closed her eyes, focusing on their shared aura. She was quite familiar with her own glyphs, and had capitalized on the massive aura boost found in aura linking to increase the potential of her own abilities, in particular, her summon skills. It had been the most optimal strategy in her view to do so, however such a strategy would not necessarily work here, as the confined space would only make her summon more cumbersome.

But there was an entire area of abilities that she had yet to tap into, and that was the semblance of her linked partner. With Ruby, she would have incredible speed, making her casting that much faster. With Neptune, however, she would have access to his water semblance. And that opened up a whole new realm of possibilities.

Ice and water were two expressions of the same element, after all. And thanks to the Winter Maiden, the room was now _filled_ with it.

"Hahhhhhh!" Weiss cried as a massive blue glyph appeared beneath their feet, spreading out across the entire vault.

Glyphs were capable of summoning their element out of nothing if need be, but it was much more resource intensive than using what was already around them. With so much ice and snow, it was the essence of simplicity to simply tap into it, using Neptune's natural affinity to water to boost her glyph. In an instant, every last speck of snow and ice suddenly melted, leaving the entire vault filled ankle deep with tepid water, leaving the Winter Maiden completely devoid of any ammunition.

If it was possible for an emotionless manikin in the Crystal Schnee's current state to display surprise, she was somehow accomplishing it now.

"Neptune!" Weiss cried out. "Go!"

Needing no further prompting, the young Huntsman waved his glaive in the air, its bladed edge splitting into a trident, before bringing the end down into the water before him. As he did, the water all flowed towards him, as if drawn by a strong, steady tidal force. The water level behind him rose higher and higher, until it almost reached as high as the ceiling.

"Hahhhhhhh!" Neptune cried, before casting his trident forward.

All at once, the buildup of water capsized into a single massive tidal wave, cascading forward to envelop them all. As they did, Weiss cast a green wind glyph beneath them, creating a spherical bubble of air around them as the water washed over them. The tidal waved passed over the two Huntsmen, leaving them untouched, before crashing down upon the Winter Maiden, who looked on, helpless to stop it.

She raised her hands, attempting to push back the wave with a gust of cold, but the ice shards only clung to her as the wall of water fell upon her. And as it did, she suddenly found herself submerged in a rushing river, clumps of ice building up around her frozen skin. Shards of frost crystalized all over her, slowly forming a shell that completely surrounded her. Submerged as she was in water, every drop that touched her body froze on contact. As more and more ice grew, it began to cover her entire body, building up more and more until she was completely trapped inside a massive crystal statue of her own making.

Once the water cleared, all that remained was the Winter Maiden, trapped and immobilized. Seeing her chance to strike, Weiss brought Myrtenaster to bear, before leaping forward to strike.

SCHWNNNG!

A single tear fell from her eye as her blade struck true. She had probably only been imaging things, but she could have sworn she'd seen a ghost of a smile on her mother's face just before she'd landed the killing blow.

KRRRSSSSSHHHHH!

The crystal statue of Weiss' mother shattered into a million pieces, leaving nothing left of the Winter Maiden or the spell that bound her.

With a gasp of exhaustion, Weiss fell to her knees, panting and wheezing as Neptune rushed over to her.

"Weiss!" he cried, kneeling down beside her and taking her by the shoulders. "Are you alright?"

Weiss could barely nod in response. She was just too spent. She knew that right at that moment her best friend was trapped in the netherworld, while another friend was still bleeding on the floor somewhere in the vicinity, but right then, all she could think about was that she had just let her mother die again.

"What _was_ that?" Neptune demanded, sounding more confused than ever. "I mean, don't get me wrong – that was _amazing_ , what you did back there! But why the heck were we fighting-?"

Neptune stopped talking when he saw the tears streaming down Weiss' cheeks, and his voice caught in his throat.

"Weiss…?" he whispered in trepidation.

She shook her head, reaching for him.

"Oh, just…shut up and hold me, would you?" she pleaded.

Neptune nodded and acquiesced, taking her in his steadying arms. He didn't understand a lot of what was going on, but in that moment, he could tell that Weiss needed him. Battling her mother like that must have taken a lot out of her. And it wasn't in his nature to disappoint.

"Thank you…" Weiss whispered, shuddering in his arms as he knelt by her trembling form. "For coming to my rescue again."

Neptune squeezed her by the shoulders, embracing her tightly.

"I've already lost my partner, Weiss," he said in sober voice. "I'm not about to lose you too."

Weiss bit her lip, looking up at him in wonder. When she had first met him, he had been so utterly terrified of the water that he couldn't bear to go near it. As she had grown closer to him, he had slowly begun to conquer that fear, until he revealed that the water that he feared was a part of his own semblance.

Now he had proven himself a master of that fear, and in the same stroke, proven himself a master of water itself. Weiss could scarcely imagine an act more worthy of admiration.

"Oh, Neptune…" she sighed. "How did you even _find_ me down here?"

Neptune's lip curved into a smile, his teeth somehow gleaming in the dim, ambient light of the vault.

"Why, I sensed your need, my lady, and came running forthwith to be by your side," he grinned, striking a pose.

Weiss snickered and shoved him backward.

"Oh, you are such an _ass!_ " she exclaimed.

Neptune snorted as he withdraw his scroll, revealing a crack running down the screen.

"My microphone must have broken or something," he explained, dropping his jovial tone. "I heard Ruby's message, but I couldn't respond to it. I had to fight my way through hordes of Grimm just to find this place. Speaking of which…where are we, exactly? And where is the rest of your team?"

Weiss shuddered as she looked around at the dimly lit chamber. The water was slowly draining between the stones on the floor, and the green torches along the walls still bathed the halls in an eerie glow. Yang was still lying on the floor, and her mother was still poised over the glowing white glyph, still somehow managing to keep the Grimm trapped inside.

"This place is called the Vault, I'm told," Weiss explained. "And that…"

She gestured over to where Raven knelt with her sword plunged into the ground, the glowing remnant of Weiss' glyph still clinging to being.

"…is the Nexus," Weiss explained.

Neptune glanced over at Raven Branwen, raising a curious eyebrow.

"Oh, sorry, didn't see you there," he called out to the older woman. "Nice to meet you, I suppose. The name's Neptune."

Raven didn't respond. Her eyes were furrowed in concentration, and sweat was beading down her face. Weiss didn't need her scroll to tell her that Raven was running on fumes.

"What's she doing?" Neptune asked Weiss when Raven didn't answer, holding her steady.

Weiss hesitated. Her first thought was to go to Raven's side and help rekindle the glyph, but as she climbed to her feet, Weiss felt a shudder move through her body as she realized just how weak she still was. Her skin burned as her blood tried re-circulating through frozen capillaries, her body still aching from the battle. Both Raven and Yang needed her help, but at the moment, Weiss barely had a drop of aura to spare.

"All I know is that our enemy is on the other side of that portal," Weiss said feebly, stepping over to where Yang's crumpled form lay. "And so are Ruby and her uncle."

Neptune held Weiss by the arm as she hobbled over to Yang.

"Well, if our friends are on the other side," Neptune furrowed his brow, "Then why aren't we going in there after them?"

Weiss busied herself tending to Yang, checking her pulse, respiration and temperature. She was still burning up a fever, but at least the bleeding from her arm seemed to have slowed. But she was still unconscious.

"There's a massive number of enemy Grimm on the other side of the Nexus," Weiss explained, ripping off a swathe of fabric from her dress and using it as a bandage to wrap the stump of Yang's arm. "Raven here is keeping them contained so they don't come swarming out en masse. So now, we're at a stalemate while we wait for backup, preferably in the form of a squadron of Huntsmen – or hell, I'll even take the White Fang at this point. I only hope Blake reached them in time. But until _someone_ arrives, we're in no position to go in there after Ruby. As soon as that glyph goes down, we'll have another fight on our hands."

Neptune nodded, looking down at Yang's crippled form with trepidation.

"Like that… _thing_ we were just fighting?" he asked, cautiously.

Weiss shook her head, her attention still on seeing to Yang's injuries.

"That was something else," she said. "Apparently our enemy can bring back the Guardian Maidens to do her bidding, including my mother. It seems that's what happened to Pyrrha, at least according to Ruby."

"Wait…you mean the Maidens that we've all been trying to protect?" Neptune stammered. "They've coming back to life on the enemy's side?"

Weiss nodded grimly. "That's the situation, yes."

Neptune nodded anxiously, seemingly taking the news of their enemy's power in stride.

"Okay, so…if that…thing…didn't come through the Nexus…" Neptune speculated, "Then how did she get here?"

Weiss hesitated. She thought back to what Raven had said, about the Grimm having other avenues of entering their world.

"I don't know…" she admitted, looking around nervously. "Ruby said something about a Shadowglass being able to bridge the worlds. Maybe there's one of those down here too?"

Neptune shook his head, giving voice to her fears.

"Well…if _one_ of the Maidens could get to us without coming through the Nexus…" he said nervously, "Then what's to stop any _more_ of them from coming?"

Weiss shook her head belligerently as she tied off Yang's bandage.

"One problem at a time, Neptune!" she grimaced. "I can only handle so many…"

 _BRRRRRRMMM…_

She trailed off when the stone floor began to shake beneath where she knelt. Weiss' eyes widened as her hand instinctively went for her weapon. As she furtively glanced back and forth for signs of attack, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her when she saw the stone tiles lining the vault beginning to shift around, as though something beneath them was trying to force its way through.

"What the…?" Weiss breathed, slowly getting to her feet, leaving Yang lying prone on the floor.

 _BRRRRRRMMM…_

She and Neptune stood back to back as the vault around them began to shake. All at once, the massive stone tiles started to rise and fall, tilting at uneven angles, until finally whatever was tunneling beneath them finally pushed through.

BRSSSHHH!

The vault erupted into a mess of green spindly vines! The water soaked stone gave way to plant life, as over a dozen monstrous, tendril-like vines burst their way from the floor beneath their feet. The plants were enormous! The largest among therm were at least fifty feet long and over a foot wide where they grew. As they rose into the air around them, the nearest plants turned towards the two Huntsmen, as if guided by a mind of their own.

"Look out!" Neptune shouted, slicing his glaive through the nearest vine as it lashed out towards them.

Weiss shuddered as she held her sword out, standing with her back to the young man. The vines were amassing all around them, surrounding them along with the Nexus and the other two Huntresses, all of them equally overshadowed by the wall of plant-life.

And then she appeared, standing amidst the vines. A young woman, wielding a bejeweled staff and adorned in muted green armor over robes of faintest rose came marching towards them. Around her head was an interlaced band that kept her pale, pale hair in place. Her eyes were aglow with power as she held her staff aloft.

Weiss had a suspicion she knew who this was. For Neptune, however, there could be no doubt.

"No…" he whispered.

Weiss glanced back at the young Huntsman, concern in her eyes.

"Neptune?" she asked warily.

Neptune's eyes were as wide as saucers, his pupils dilated to fine points as he stared at Vera's ghost in utter shock.

"No…" he repeated. "Y-You're dead!"

Weiss watched in horror as Neptune took a step forward, and then another, his arms reaching out in tremulous despair.

"Neptune, stop!" Weiss hollered, rushing over to him to take him by the shoulders.

Neptune didn't respond. His eyes were locked on the Spring Maiden as she raised her staff, bringing more and more vines from the earth beneath the stones at their feet. Her face was blank and as pale as the moon, as Crystal's had been. There was no doubt in Weiss' mind that the figure before them was as much an enemy as their previous encounter had been.

For Neptune, however, things were not so clear cut. All he saw was the face of the girl he had failed to save, the culmination of a night of unspeakable horror. He saw his every trauma made flesh, the terror that kept him up at night laid bare before him. His failure, his weakness, his helplessness in the face of death…

It was as if the very ghosts of his past had risen just to laugh in his face.

"Neptune!" Weiss shouted as the young man fell to his knees.

Weiss shook the Huntsman in her arms, urging him to his feet. He simply knelt there, a blank stare in his eyes as his jaw hung loose.

"Neptune!" she cried in desperation. "Come on, get up! Please!"

Weiss felt a wave of panic. She had been no match for the Winter Maiden on her own, and she had no reason to suspect the Spring Maiden would be any easier a foe. She _needed_ Neptune on his feet if they had any chance of surviving this. But now, it seemed that Vera's reappearance had triggered a flashback, rendering him completely inert. Neptune had been so brave in the face of his fear of water. Weiss had felt such pride in the boy as he had managed to conquer that fear. But it seemed as though his trauma experienced in the wilds of Mistral were still far too raw.

Weiss gritted her teeth in anger. It wasn't fair! It was as if their enemy knew all of their weaknesses! Using her own mother…using someone from Neptune's past…what right did this Witch have to toy with their emotions like this? Who could be so unconscionably cruel?

Weiss glared back up at the fearsome visage of the Spring Maiden, the menacing greenery slowly closing in around her, preventing her escape. She slowly rose to her feet and raised Myrtenaster defensively. Neptune was compromised, Yang was down, Raven was defenseless, and there was no way out through all those vines. She had learned that lesson fighting Cinder up north. And even if there was, there was no way Weiss could leave the Nexus unprotected.

She knew this was a battle she couldn't win, but she could never call herself a Schnee if she did not face her opponent on her feet. She would protect Neptune. She would protect her teammates. And she would fight to her last breath to complete her mission.

"Come on then," she muttered angrily at the Spring Maiden. "I'm not going anywhere…"

The pale copy of Vera raised her staff in the air, and all the surrounding vines came rushing forward all at once.

FWOOOOOOSSSHHHHH!

Just as suddenly, the entire vault lit up in flames as the Spring Maiden and the vegetation at her beck and call were all abruptly engulfed in a gout of fire!

"Whoa!" Weiss cried, ducking beneath the plume of flame, throwing herself over Neptune's crumpled form to shield his body.

Weiss could feel the intense heat radiating all around her. She couldn't even turn her face towards the blast of flame, it was so hot! The temperature of the chamber suddenly rose substantially as the entire hall was bathed in a bright orange light as flame licked at every crack and crevice.

And as Weiss winced through the heat, turning her eyes up to look at the source of the flames, she saw her teammate, Yang Xiao-Long, standing above them, an enormous blast of fire emanating from her arm.

From her _right_ arm.

"What the…?" Weiss stammered in disbelief.

Yang was ablaze with a fiery aura, her eyes seething red, a look of pure fury on her face. Her hair was glowing brightly, blasting outward in all directions as her body exuded pure energy. She stood firmly on her feet, thrusting her arm outwards towards the Spring Maiden. Just above her elbow, where her stump had ended, the rest of her arm extended all the way to her fingers, her entire arm aglow like a white hot iron..

"Yang!" Weiss cried as the heat continued to consume the plant life around them.

She couldn't believe her eyes! Yang was utterly bathed in fire, her eyes glowing with the intensity of a thousand suns. Her arm had grown back somehow, reforged from pure aura, as if she had somehow _willed_ it into existence. And from her fingertips, an enormous gout of flame poured out of her glowing hand, almost as big around as she was tall.

And she was pouring every last drop of that fire into the Spring Maiden.

FWOOOOOOSSSHHHHH!

Weiss looked around in fear as the vines around her burned to a crisp. She couldn't even _see_ the enemy anymore. Neptune was still trembling in her arms.

And when her eyes fell on Raven Branwen, it seemed as though the conflagration was finally enough to catch her attention, staring weakly up from her task above the Nexus, staring at her daughter in disbelief.

"Yang…" she whispered.

As the flames died down, the blast finally ceased, and Yang lowered her arm. The regrown portion still glowed bright yellow as she hung her head, gasping for breath as if exhausted by the ordeal, her eyes still a scalding hot red. The air around her shimmered from the heat, and her skin was slick with sweat.

Weiss looked around at the destruction her teammate had caused. Little could be seen of their enemy and her plants but ash. As she and Neptune both looked back to stare up at Yang, gazing upon her with a kind of fear in their eyes, neither one seemed inclined to speak.

"Y-Yang…" came Raven's voice.

Yang wheeled at the sound of her mother's voice, seeing her kneeling over the Nexus, weak and weary, her hands trembling as she continued to maintain her hold on the white dust blade.

"You!" Yang seethed, turning her right arm towards the woman. "You did this to me!"

Weiss and Neptune gaped in astonishment as Yang opened her bright, glowing palm out towards her mother, and her aura began to flare up once again.

Was she actually about to attack her own mother?

"Yang, don't!" Weiss cried, stumbling towards her.

"W-What…?" Neptune stammered, looking completely lost. "What's going on?"

Yang stared murderously down at the woman as she knelt before her, powerless to protect herself. Yang's fury roiled as her whole body seemed to ignite, her right arm seething with power.

" _You_ did this!" Yang growled furiously. "I didn't _want_ this! What right do you have to just… _toy_ with my life like this!?"

Raven said nothing as she stared back at her impending death, her eyes unwavering as her daughter bore down on her with the raw power of fire given material form in her hands.

"The Daughter of Fire chooses its own host," she said. "You were a suitable candidate. That's all there is to it."

Weiss and Neptune exchanged a terrified glance. Had they heard correctly? Was Raven actually implying that Yang was the next Daughter of Fire? The inheritor of Cinder's power?

" _You_ were the one who set all this into motion!" Yang accused, looking like she was ready to blast her mother's head off. "None of this would have happened if not for you!"

Raven stared back, unyielding in her determination.

"You have your arm," she said calmly. "You have more power than you could ever imagine. What more could a Huntress ever want?"

Yang's eyes flared bright red as she ground her teeth together as she clenched her hand into a fist. Her entire arm was still glowing with radiant energy like a hunk of hot iron, and the air around it still shimmered from the heat.

"I _can't_ undo this!" she blared. "I _can't_ turn this off! I'm _stuck_ like this forever now! You've made me into a _monster!_ "

Weiss and Neptune stared at Yang in astonishment. Her arm was still glowing brightly, making her look like something otherworldly. Even from where they were standing, they could feel the heat emanating from Yang's arm. Neither of them had any idea what was going on, but if Yang was stuck like that forever, she'd be even more dangerous than she had been with the proton cannon. She'd be like walking, talking fusion reactor, ready to go off at any minute.

Raven shook her head, slowly reaching up with a tremulous hand to place it on Yang's outstretched fist. Her skin blistered from the contact and Raven hissed in pain, but she bit her lip as she stared back at her daughter.

"You always were…such a basket case…" she grimaced as her skin burned.

Yang watched in astonishment as Raven closed her eyes, the last of her aura glowing around her. Yang felt her mother's aura gently seep into her arm, and she suddenly inhaled when her arm abruptly stopped glowing, revealing steaming, sweat-drenched skin underneath, still scalding red as if submerged in boiling water.

She withdrew her arm, staring at the bright pink skin that once glowed like a burning hot flame, clenching and unclenching her hand in disbelief. Running all the way up and around the regrown limb, a massive flame-like scar slowly became visible, covering the entire length of her forearm. Steam rose from the blistering skin as the rosy color slowly faded, and her skin slowly began to return to a more natural looking color.

"W-What…?" Yang gasped in astonishment, staring at her arm in bewilderment.

Raven's own arm went limp at her side, her lips curving into the weakest of smiles.

"You could _never_ be a monster, Yang…" she whispered, her eyes flickering shut. "Because you'll always be…my Sunny Little Dragon…"

Yang's eyes widened as Raven went limp, losing her grip on her sword as she fell forward.

"M-Mom!" she cried, reaching out to catch her as she fell.

As soon as her hand left her sword, the glyph beneath Raven crumbled away, leaving the Nexus wide open. All at once, the swarming, thrashing forms of a million black gargoyles began to rise through the eerie depths.

"Neptune!" Weiss cried, scrambling forward. "Link, now!"

Neptune snapped to attention at Weiss' panicked voice.

"Oh…right!" he cried, stretching out with his aura.

Weiss felt the sweet relief of aura replenishing her body, and stood above the Nexus, hurried casting one more glyph.

"Keep these things off me!" she yelled through gritted teeth, out of breath as the dozen or so Grimm that slipped through began swarming all around them.

"Got it!" Neptune shouted, extending his glaive.

As the Huntsmen fought off the Grimm around her, Yang cradled her mother's form in her arms. Her right arm was still bare and bony, the reddish flame-like scar running the length, but she didn't care. Her mother was lying limply in her lap, and for some reason, Yang couldn't stop crying.

"Mom!" she shouted. "Mom, wake up!"

She shook her mother's body to no avail. The woman lay dying in her arms, and should couldn't do anything about it!

"Mom!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! She couldn't just die like this! She had so much left to tell her, so much left they had to reconcile! There were so many things that she needed to hear, so much she needed to do!

It didn't make any god damned sense! Raven had manipulated Yang, her sister and her friends in so many ways! She could never forgive her for it! She should _hate_ her for it! So why!? Why was she _crying!?_ Why wasn't she _glad_ that her mother was finally out of her life for good!? Was it because she had been _right_ all along? Was it because when all was said and done, her mother had finally gotten the last laugh? Or was it because, deep down inside, despite everything she'd done…she was _still_ Yang's mother in the end?

Yang fumed as the battle raged around her, paling in comparison to the one that raged within her heart.

No.

It could _not_ end this way. Not when they were _this_ close to ending it. She had been searching for her mother for her entire life. And she wouldn't let her slip away.

Not like this.

Tapping into her newfound aura, Yang felt a wave of revulsion hit her. Like sitting in the ambient warmth left over from the most horrid person imaginable. Her enemy's fingerprints were all over this new semblance, and it made her sick to even touch it. But she swallowed her pride and delved into the sickening power, steeling herself against its heat.

To her surprise, however, she felt something familiar lingering within that she had not felt before. It wasn't the power of the Daughter of Fire. It was something else. Something…familiar.

Then it hit her. She was sensing her mother's aura, faint but flickering. Raven had vested the last portion of her own aura into Yang's body. That's how she had quieted the raging inferno in her arm. Her mother's power had given her just the boost she needed to overcome the roiling madness that was the Daughter of Fire. And in so doing, her mother had sacrificed what little aura she had left.

Well, Yang decided, it was only fair that she return what she owed her!

Though her mother's light was flickering and fading, Yang poured her aura back into Raven's waning being. The Daughter of Fire was a powerhouse of wild, untamed energy, boundless and uncontainable as fire itself. And as Yang linked their auras, allowing her essence to pour into that of her mother, she felt the flickering candle of her life come slowly back from the brink.

Raven's eyes opened as she gasped in a breath of air, coughing and gasping as she felt the oxygen rushing into her lungs.

" _Hahhhhh!_ " she inhaled as she sucked in a lungful of air.

Yang was still staring down at her, out of breath. She gazed into her mother's eyes, glimpsing her at what may have been her weakest moment. After everything Raven had done to her daughter, all the torment she had put her through…Yang could hardly believe how the tables had turned. In that instant, her mother's life had been in her hands. And yet, she had still chosen to save her.

Sometimes, she supposed, family was just more important.

"Yang…" Raven gasped, staring up at her in bewilderment.

Yang didn't say a thing. What more was there to say? They had both saved each other at their most desperate moment. Forgiveness was a hard thing to come by. But it would come eventually, she knew. For now, all that there was left to do was to keep moving forward.

SCHWNNNG!

Around them, Neptune and Weiss stood, looking more than exhausted as the last of the Grimm fell. The crumbling bodies of the last remaining gargoyles were turning to dust at Neptune's feet as he retracted his weapon, and Weiss knelt down over the Nexus, keeping the rest of the Grimm trapped inside.

"You doing okay, Weiss?" Neptune called out, still linked.

"For now," Weiss allowed, her sword held before her as she lifted her gaze to peer at Yang. "Now will _somebody_ please tell me what's going on?"

Neptune nodded crossing his arms.

"Yeah," he agreed. "What _was_ that just now, exactly?"

Yang and Raven exchanged a glance. Raven gave her a daughter a look, as if to say that it was still her choice. Yang furrowed her brow, staring down at her open palm, clenching her new hand into a fist.

Things would never be the same after this. For all she knew, her relationship with her friends might be forever altered. But it was time for her to stop denying what she was.

Who she was.

"Guys…" she said in a somber tone of voice as she slowly got to her feet. "It looks like I'm the new Daughter of Fire."


	149. Chapter 149

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 149

* * *

Fighting the Fall Maiden was like fighting against nature itself.

Amber had summoned a fearsome thunderstorm around her that had completely engulfed most of the school. Clouds swirled in a rapid maelstrom overhead as bolts of lightning began to crackle through the air. Ice materialized in mid-air and came pelting down, the hailstorm striking the earth like bullets. The wind speeds were _astronomical._ She was tearing the very land to pieces. Park benches, street lights and trash cans bolted to the ground were ripped from the concrete, and as the winds increased, soon entire _trees_ were being uprooted by the furious storm.

Jaune and Pyrrha could barely get _near_ her. The wind was whipping by so fast that the two of them had to struggle to stay on their feet, and the debris flying around them was either stinging at their skin or bashing at their armor depending on the size of what was hitting them. The two Huntsmen had their shields raised to protect their heads and each other as the winds buffeted them both. And as the lightning strikes continued to tear up the asphalt at their feet, sending clouds of dust and debris flying out in all directions, the Huntsmen were kept at a definitive halt, unable to progress further towards the tower.

Utterly drained, Ren and Nora huddled some distance back behind an outcropping ripped up from the school courtyard of Beacon Academy. All around Team JNPR, the other Huntsmen continued to do battle with the Grimm, struggling to maintain their position amongst such a tumultuous storm and against such entrenched opposition. And at the forefront, continuing to stand at the head of the charge, was Jaune and Pyrrha.

And they both knew that they were running out of time.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted through the gale force winds. "We have to get through this storm!"

Jaune nodded, clenching his eyes as he tried to see through the tussling winds, the glowing figure of the Fall Maiden still just barely visible through the dust and debris, her eyes shining like two glowing beacons. If they could just _get_ to her, they might just be able to take her down. But the longer they weathered out this storm of hers, the worse off they'd be.

"Alright, let's make a push for it!" he called out to Pyrrha, shielding his eyes from the wind with his sword arm. "Use my Indominance if she hits us with anything too big to handle, but don't overdo it! Ready?"

Pyrrha nodded brusquely. "Let's go!"

The two Huntsmen took one step forward and then another, pushing back against the storm. As branches and rocks and scraps of wood and steel came hurling past, Jaune and Pyrrha both raised their shields, letting the detritus roll over them as they slowly made their way forward.

When a massive uprooted tree came flying towards them, they both took a knee.

CRASH!

The giant log splintered into woodchips as it broke against the two Huntsmen, their shields glowing vibrantly from Jaune's Indominance. As the wood flew past, the light in their weapons faded and the two of them once again rose to their feet.

"Just a little further!" Pyrrha called out as she peered through the dust devils, squinting as the wind howled all around them.

The glowing visage of Amber gazed down at her enemies as she floated just above the ground, her arms raised wide on either side of her, her staff hovering before her as she cast her spell. Amber's face was becoming more and more clear through the wind, and as they slowly got into range, Jaune and Pyrrha could see the pure destructive power she wielded. If the Fall Maiden's greatest internal aspect was one of reflection, her greatest external attribute was that of _change_. When fully unleashed, the Maiden of Fall could alter the world around her to the highest degree. This made the Fall Maiden perhaps the most powerful of all the Maidens to come throughout the years.

This was not the same meek girl who had been set upon by Cinder and her lackeys in a moment of unguarded weakness. This was not the girl who cared for the sick and downtrodden, and tempered her power with the aim of doing no harm to the innocent. No, the being within their midst was a force of nature, who changed and altered the world around her with impunity, heedless of those who might perish in her wake.

And as the two Huntsmen got within ten feet of the woman, the intensity of the storm kicked into high gear, and soon the asphalt beneath their feet began to crack, and before either of them knew it, the ground beneath had broken apart, rising into the air, the massive hunks of concrete carrying them both skyward.

"What the-!?" Jaune shouted in fright as he dug his sword into the chunk of ground beneath him.

"Whoa!" Pyrrha cried, latching onto the ground beneath he feet as the two massive concrete blocks carried their passengers into the air.

The two Huntsmen clung tightly to the hunks of the sidewalk as they were ripped off of the street and flung into the air, spinning, tossing and turning as the intensity of the storm threw everything into disarray. The power of the wind was so tumultuous that Jaune and Pyrrha were hurled away with mere impunity, along with the very ground beneath their feet, hurdling end over end around the massive vortex of power surrounding the Fall Maiden.

"I'm…gonna…be… _sick!_ " Jaune yelled in aggravation as the centrifugal force and the vertigo began to hit his stomach.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha urged, gritting her teeth as she clung to the crumbling hunk or concrete.

CRASH!

The ground seemed to appear out of nowhere, and as the hunks of concrete hit the ground, they shattered into bits. Both Huntsmen were sent rolling end over end, covered in dust as they hit the road, gasping out in pain as they landed hard. It would have been the essence of simplicity to have used Jaune's Indominance to break their fall, but with the whirling dust combined with the disorientation of being bodily uplifted and flung to the edge of the courtyard, it had been impossible for either Huntsman to anticipate their landing.

Wearily, the two climbed to their feet. Jaune was clutching his sword arm in pain, and Pyrrha's left leg wouldn't straighten all the way. It had been a rough fall, and their aura had taken a significant hit. Not that they had that much to begin with.

"How are we supposed to beat her?" Jaune demanded in anger. "We can't even get _close_ to her!"

Pyrrha gritted her teeth. A trickle of blood trailed down her forehead, the wound she had received from her earlier duel with Jaune reopened in the chaos. Despite herself, she was smiling. She had every confidence that she and her partner could get through this fight. Things may look bleak. Their friends were in the fray, lives were at risk, and the future of their world of Remnant was on the line.

But none of that mattered now. She and Jaune were standing side by side. Their auras were linked, and they were fighting as one. This was how things were meant to be. This is how she wanted to remember her time on this world. Not as some victim waiting to be rescued, but as a warrior, fighting alongside her beloved. Perhaps she was simply losing her touch with reality, but at that moment, there was nowhere else in the world she'd rather have been.

"We'll think of something, Jaune," she assured him, her breathing coming out in staggered breaths. "We just have to…"

Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of the Fall Maiden raising her bejeweled staff to the sky, flipping it upside down so that the blue stone was pointed skyward. The blue jewel began to glow brightly, and then suddenly, the sky lit up with a crackle of static discharge.

"Jaune, look!" she shouted in alarm.

Pyrrha tried to move, but her injured leg refused to cooperate and she found herself stumbling.

"Look out!" Jaune cried out, tackling her to the side.

KR-KR-KRRRKSSSHHH!

A bolt of lightning struck the ground where they had just been standing moments earlier. The asphalt exploded into rubble, sending chunks of smoking debris flying every which way, bouncing off their armor as Jaune covered Pyrrha with his shield.

"Ugh!" he groaned as he felt the blast rattle his bones, looking down at his partner. "Uh…are you are okay?"

Pyrrha winced as pain shot through her leg, and she saw a trickle of blood running down her calf. When she looked up to see Jaune's face, it was a patchwork of tiny scuffs and grazes. Even while they were linked, their aura was so pitifully low now that they were even succumbing to minor scrapes and bruises.

"Nnnng…" she winced, trying her hardest to smile up at him, knowing that he'd never attend to his own hurts until she had allayed his fears regarding her own. "I'm…fine Jaune, I…"

Her eyes widened again as she saw the sky light up again.

"Look out!" she cried out, springing towards him at an awkward angle with her good leg.

KR-KR-KRRRKSSSHHH!

As the crackle of electricity lashed the earth, Pyrrha lunged away from the blast zone, wrapping her arms around her partner, tackling him to the ground as the two of them rolled over one another.

"Oof!" Jaune gasped out in pain, before his tumbling ceased, leaving him lying on his back with Pyrrha draped over him. "Ugh…"

Pyrrha looked down at Jaune, helplessly. Her ears were ringing from the deafening bolt. The smell of ozone filled the air, and the hairs on their skin were sizzling and charged from the static. She tried to stand, but her legs had no strength left. She could barely lift herself up on her arms, much less pull the young Huntsman before her to his feet. They were a mess, and at this point they were little more than sitting ducks.

She turned her head to look at the Fall Maiden. She was still some distance away, but she was close enough that Pyrrha could see her face. It was the same face she had seen suspended in animation within the Vault of Beacon, and now that very girl was a slave to the enemy who had seized that school from them. She knew all too well the painful reality that Amber must be faced with at this moment, the feeling of helplessness and futility, like living in a nightmare. She knew all too well that even if Amber had used every bit of her willpower to resist, the attack would only be halted by mere moments. She could see the cold, empty look in Amber's eyes, and she saw in that face the same emptiness she had felt for those long months as Cinder's slave. In that face, she saw true hopelessness. She saw utter despair.

The Fall Maiden raised her staff once more to send a charge of static into the sky overhead. The Huntsmem wouldn't be able to dodge the next bolt, and they didn't have enough aura to indominate themselves. They could only watch as the sky light up with the Maiden's power once more, a bolt of lightning coming down from the heavens to strike them.

KR-KR-KRRRKSSSHHH!

Pyrrha and Jaune both squinted through the blinding light. The blast of lightning should have vaporized them, or at very least sent them both flying. But apart from an intense level of static lifting their hair out in every direction, the two of them were still very much alive.

When the flash of light slowly died down, they finally saw why.

Nora Valkyrie stood before them, hammer raised upward like a lightning rod, her body aglow and absolutely crackling with pure electrical energy.

"Nora!" Jaune shouted in surprise, realizing that she had effectively shielded them both from the blast.

"Jaune! Pyrrha!" the Huntress cried, reaching out towards them with a trembling hand, her body radiant with power. "Go!"

The two of them watched her as they felt the enormous swell of her aura brushing up against them, and immediately knew what she was telling them. Wordlessly, they both latched onto her aura, linking with her and letting her power fill them both.

The two Huntsmen let out a gasp as Nora's aura replenished them. Electricity surged through their skin, invigorating them completely, their aching bodies slowly beginning to mend. Their auras resurged from the brink of emptiness, their two bodies crackled with lightning as if anointed by the very goddess of thunder herself.

"Nora…" Pyrrha gasped as she looked down at herself, her fingertips interlaced with tiny flecks of electricity.

Nora grimaced, her body still quivering from the force of the blast. It seemed that even _she_ had her limits when it came to how much electricity she could channel. A lightning strike from the Fall Maiden was unlike anything she had ever experienced. The other two Huntsmen were taken aback as they slowly realized just what an _astounding_ risk she had taken, putting herself in harm's way for them.

But lightning was lightning, and Nora was nothing if not an opportunist.

"Go!" she repeated, leaning on Magnhild for support. "Now!"

Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged a glance as they stood tall, their bodies still crackling with energy.

"Right!" he acknowledged, looking to Pyrrha. "Together?"

Pyrrha nodded in affirmation.

"Together!" she agreed.

They both turned their eyes to the Fall Maiden off in the distance between them and the school as she raised her staff once again.

Before she could cast another bolt, however, the Huntsman and Huntress were already charging forward.

"Hahhhhhhh!" Jaune cried out as he dashed towards his foe.

"Hahhhhhhh!" Pyrrha echoed as she charged alongside him.

Amber's eyes widened as she twisted her staff back around, raising the red gemstone defensively. The ice cold hail in the air slowly evaporated into steam, and soon a wreathe of fire began to form around the Fall Maiden as she rose up into the air.

Jaune and Pyrrha continued charging forward as fire began to rain all around them, the swirling maelstrom of flying rubble acting as a floating shield around the Maiden.

" _Hahhhhhhh!_ " they cried in unison as they charged forward in spite of the fire, the storm and the rubble in the air, their shields raised to deflect the bursts of flame and stone as they exploded all around them.

Amber's eyes narrowed as she thrust her staff forward, sending blasts of fire out towards her foes. Though there were no emotion behind those cold, brown eyes, her actions spoke of desperation as her enemies drew ever closer. And as the winds picked up, she began to rise higher and higher into the air, as more and more pieces of concrete began to rip from the ground, splintering into pieces from the hail of super-heated plasma all around them. The Fall Maiden was the mistress of all storms - wind and rain; thunder, ice and fire – but nothing she could throw at the approaching Huntsmen seemed to deter them.

And as they drew nearer, their bodies seemed to glow with power. The white sparks of Nora's semblance charged their aura. The black grip of Pyrrha's polarity bound their armor, propelling them into the air to reach their foe. And the indelible golden glow of Jaune's Indominance made them into an unstoppable force. The two of them were enshrined in so much aura that none of Amber's powers had any effect on _either_ of them.

The two warriors soared through the air, using the airborne rubble as stepping stones, rising to strike their target. As they did, the intensity in their eyes was enough to ensnare even the ensorcelled mind of the Fall Maiden in the paralyzing grip of fear.

" _HAHHHHHHH!_ " The two Huntsmen screamed as they drove their swords forward.

Amber watched wordlessly as the blades of Miló and Corcea Mors struck home. Jaune and Pyrrha soared past her in a crisscross formation, their bodies absolutely shimmering with power as the Huntsman and Huntress struck true.

The Fall Maiden let out a gasp as she seemed to float, suspended in the air as the two figures landed on the ground behind her. The fires went out. The lightning was quieted. The rubble fell back to the ground. The wind began to die down. The clouds above slowly diminished.

And as Jaune and Pyrrha rose to their feet, the glimmering aura in their bodies gently subsiding, they watched as Amber's slight form crumpled and fell to the ground. As she did, Pyrrha let out a breath as the Fall Maiden disappeared.

"Farewell, sister…" she whispered.

She wasn't sure what had spurned her to utter such words, but it didn't really matter. They had won. The sounds of battle still echoed as the Huntsmen and the Grimm around them continued to fight on. The school grounds were in ruin, and war continued to rage on. But they had defeated the Fall Maiden.

And they were still alive.

Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes met, smiling as they sheathed their swords. There were no words that needed to be said between them. They had fought side by side, and they had emerged victorious. They had conquered the Fall Maiden, the being who had ultimately brought the two of them into the larger war with the Grimm in the most personal way, a being whose power neither of whom could even comprehend.

They had both come so far from where they had begun. And they were both determined to see this battle through to the end.

Whatever that entailed.

The moment ended as Nora approached them, Lie Ren's arm slung over her shoulder.

"You did it…" she said wearily.

Ren seemed to be clinging to consciousness, and gave a weak thumbs-up as he peered, eyes half-lidded at his teammates.

Jaune and Pyrrha smiled back at the team.

" _We_ did it," Jaune amended gently, before turning to face Beacon tower.

Team JNPR stood, bruised and battered but triumphant. And around them, the battle for Beacon raged on, the Huntsmen and Grimm fighting all around them. The battle was still far from over, and before any of them could take another step, the sound of growls and heated footfalls surrounded them.

As their eyes darted all around, the glowing red eyes of a dozen beowolves, a pack of ursi and a score of other Grimm appeared through the clearing smoke, running the gamut of sizes and shapes as they all snarled in fury.

Wordlessly, Jaune and Pyrrha redrew their weapons, keeping guard around Nora and Ren, who were still struggling to stand. None of them had much left after the battle with the Fall Maiden. But they would fight on regardless.

Before any of them could raise their weapon to strike, however, a beowolf suddenly let out a howl of pain as it was struck to the ground.

 _GROWWR!_

More cries of anguish could be heard from the Grimm as Team JNPR whipped their heads around to see what was going on. All around them, more beowolves, ursi and creeps began to fall, and soon, the four of them could see figures appearing amongst the Grimm. But the figures they saw amongst them were _not_ Huntsmen. These were warriors, clad in black and wearing white masks, each of them wielding a blade or firearm or both in their hands. And the masks they wore bore a familiar visage, bestial in their appearance, with slitted eyes glaring over grimaces carved with jagged teeth.

"The White Fang!" Pyrrha called out in recognition. "It's the White Fang! They're here!"

All around them, more and more White Fang began to rain from the sky, as overhead, the sky began to fill with airships. It was an all too familiar image, to see the Grimm and White Fang flooding the streets of Beacon once again. But this time, their Faunus brethren were on a different side.

Suddenly the tide of battle began to turn. The Grimm in the air suddenly found themselves surrounded, with the Atlesian fleet on one side and this new wave of airships on the other, and they were forced onto the defensive. An all around the Huntsmen on the ground, the White Fang rushed the Grimm with a savage ferocity that the Huntsmen could not but stare at in awe.

"Wow…" Jaune breathed as more and more fighters filled the school. "Look at them go!"

Team JNPR stood motionless while the White Fang leaped into action. Their weapons flew like lightning, the fresh blood of a thousand young warriors rushed into the fray, hungry for battle and eager to show up their human counterparts. The Grimm, who had already been worn down by the Huntsmen of Remnant, were completely overwhelmed as an entirely new army, easily equal in might to the Huntsmen, suddenly sprang upon them with lightning speed. All around the campus, blades flew and guns went off as beowolves and ursi were felled by the dozens. The Grimm had nowhere left to fall back to, and even the gargoyles were being overpowered as the White Fang took down each in groups of three or four at a time, before moving on from one to the next.

They hunted in packs, each group breaking up to target weaker foes, making short work of them before moving on to combine into larger groups to take on larger targets, wasting no time in taking down everything in their path. Like clockwork, they systematically took the Grimm apart, starting with their smallest number, before eventually ganging up on the gigantic goliaths. The Huntsmen continued to watch in awe, as one by one, the gigantic beasts raised their trunks in despair as they fell to the ground, before dozens of fighters leaped onto their flanks, sinking their blades into their flesh like hungry wolves taking down a mammoth.

The White Fang moved upon their prey like a perfect killing machine, efficient and unerring in its deadliness. It was as if the Faunus had been bred for this very task, an entire race purpose-built for slaying Grimm. And all Team JNPR could do was watch and be amazed.

"Gee," came a voice. "I sure wish these guys had been on our side from the get-go."

Jaune and the others tore their eyes away from the carnage that the White Fang was inflicting upon the Grimm, and saw that the rest of Team RSJC had finally caught up to them and were all slowly gathering around their de facto leader. Sage and Scarlet were a far cry from the pristine image they usually projected, they were so covered with dirt and grime. Velvet was walking with a limp, clinging to Yatsuhashi for support. Fox couldn't seem to open his eyes for some reason, and was being lead by the arm with Coco's aid, who herself had long since run out of nano machines for her guns. Even Emerald was accounted for, limping beside her newfound team, bruised and battered but still standing.

They all looked more worse for wear, but they were alive. And while the rest of Remnant's Huntsmen were cleaning up the stragglers amongst the Grimm and securing the campus grounds, it appeared as though several bullheads were landing outside the campus to deliver more infantry to ground level.

Slowly but surely, they were reclaiming Beacon Academy.

Jaune shrugged his shoulders at Coco's comment.

"Better late than never, right?" he offered.

Coco looked tired, but her team was still in good spirits, and now that the White Fang had arrived, they all had a moment to catch their breath. Before she could offer a reply, however, another figure approached.

It was difficult to suppress the urge to raise their weapons at the appearance of the White Fang up close. The figure who appeared was clad in a long white coat, a pair of black cat ears protruding from a long mane of black hair, her twin swords held at rest in either hand. She was accompanied by an entourage of tough looking White Fang officers, each of them armed to the teeth, their masks hiding their faces.

When she raised her mask to rest it on the corner of her head, however, they all recognized their teammate.

"Blake…" Jaune nodded graciously. "You guys got here just in time."

The leader of the White Fang nodded curtly, her mind on one thing and one thing only.

"Where's Team RWBY?" she demanded. "Has the vault not been secured yet?"

Jaune shook his head helplessly.

"Not yet…" he admitted, breathlessly. "We've had our hands full up here, but it looks like we're in the clear now. We…"

He hesitated as he turned his eyes towards the rest of his team. They were battered, bruised and utterly worn out. None of them looked like they were keen on standing, let alone getting back into the fight.

"We'd be grateful for the White Fang's assistance in taking the vault," Jaune said slowly.

Blake was about to respond, when another Huntsmen approached the group. Jaune recognized Ruby's father, his clothes scuffed and battle worn, his fists raw from overuse. It was clear from his posture, however, that he was nowhere near ready to throw in the towel just yet.

"Count me in too," he said simply.

Blake nodded brusquely, before raising one of her swords to sky.

"Brothers!" she called loudly, capturing the attention of the White Fang all around her, before gesturing towards the main hall with her sword. "Seize the tower!"

Like a pack of wolves, the White Fang descended upon Beacon tower, completely surrounding it as they began to pour in through the doors. The sound of clashing blades, gunfire and the howls of slain monsters soon filled the air as the Grimm were routed from the tower. Around the structure, the last remaining gargoyles tried to make their escape from the topmost windows only to be shot down by the surrounding airships.

And as Team RSJC made their way towards the structure, they entered to find it completely cleared of Grimm. The White Fang had all but emptied it.

"This way," Blake urged, concern evident in her voice as she gestured her men forward. "The vault is down below."

Wordlessly, the rest of Team RSJC followed behind her troops as she made her way to an open passage that none of them had ever seen before, which lead to a long, dark stairwell. Blake did not hesitate to descend as her guards followed obediently behind her, and Team RSJC had no recourse but to make the descent as well. They were all running on fumes, but they followed behind nonetheless. Team RWBY still needed them, and until they knew the last of their teammates were safe, none of them would be quitting any time soon.

They reached the bottom of the stairs, finding the long white flagstones lit by pale green light, cracked and trampled underfoot by the heavy weight of a thousand angry gargoyles. Despite the signs of use, however, there were no Grimm to be found, though plenty of scorch marks were visible on the walls. And the vault seemed much damper than when Blake had last seen it.

"Keep your guard up," she cautioned to her men as she lead them forward, the rest of Team RSJC following deftly behind.

Jaune and Pyrrha both shuddered as they recalled the dark, gloomy tomb that was the vault beneath Beacon. It was here that the real nightmare had begun for them both, and neither was particularly keen on returning. The presence of their companions was small reassurance in these fearsome depths. The world that had opened up to them here had been one where there was always something more powerful than themselves to contend with, and safety was never a guarantee.

But then, they had never had _quite_ so many allies gathered as they had now. If they were to face the Witch down here, they would do so together.

"Stay close," Jaune motioned to his team.

Pyrrha tightened her grip on his arm; she hadn't let go of him since they'd arrived in the vault. And Nora was still carrying Ren, his arm draped over her shoulder. Yatsuhashi was carrying Velvet in his arms, despite the look of utter embarrassment on her face, Coco was guiding Fox forward to make sure he didn't bump into anything, and Emerald was taking up the rear, keeping her eyes open in case they were followed. All of Team RSJC looked ready to drop, but there was clearly no stopping them. Ruby's dad was also with them, still looking ready for action.

It was Scarlet and Sage, however, who ran forward when the first signs of life became apparent up ahead.

"Neptune!" they both cried out in elation.

The group came within sight of the Nexus, finding the vault's four occupants equally tired and worn, but alive. Weiss was crouched next to the portal, a glyph slowly rotating at her feet above its opening. Yang was kneeling next to her, looking more exhausted than ever. And sitting opposite her was another woman that many of the team did not recognize at first.

But none of that mattered to the remaining members of Team SSSN as they came together, reunited once again as they drew their estranged blue-haired teammate into a group hug.

"You're alive!" Sage laughed.

"We all thought you were done for!" Scarlet added.

Neptune laughed back as the two of them swarmed him.

"Hey, no sweat you guys," he assured them both. "Just wanted to make my grand entrance at the last minute. You know how it is."

Weiss smiled at the three of them as the rest of Team RSJC filed into the chamber.

"Is everyone alright?" Jaune called out, though his voice was still a little weak.

"We're alive," Weiss confirmed, sounding slightly miffed. "Though you sure took your sweet time getting here!"

"We got here as soon as we could!" Jaune assured her. "There was a whole army of Grimm up there! And we had to fight through a _Maiden_ to get down here!"

"Big deal!" Weiss snorted. "We had to fight off _two!_ "

Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock. "Two…?"

Blake ignored the bickering, her eyes falling on Yang. Her first instinct was to rush to her side. She wanted to throw her arms around her and tell her everything was alright. She wanted to lift her up, to comfort her and be her shoulder to lean on. She had a million things to ask her - about her arm, about that kiss, about just what had happened after she had left to find the White Fang…

But she still had a job to do first. Her partner was alive, that much she could see. Her primary objective now was to ensure she stayed that way. And there was someone else who needed to see Yang first.

"Spread out," Blake commanded her troops. "Secure the area and keep watch."

The four White Fang troops moved to each corner of the room, taking up a guard position, eager to fulfill their chief's order. Blake was in full leader mode, and she commanded the respect of her people with every word she spoke. She hadn't been in command of the White Fang for very long, but she knew that they looked up to her for guidance. And she was determined to fulfill that role to the best of her ability. She had a good role model after all.

Yang Xiao-Long slumped her shoulders as her father slowly approached her.

"Hey kiddo…" he said, relief evident in his voice. "Looks like you've been through hell and back."

Yang let out a snort as she slowly climbed to her feet, wincing in pain as she clenched her newly acquired fist, anxiously.

"You could say that…" she allowed, feigning nonchalance.

She put up no resistance, however, when her father pulled her into a crushing embrace.

"I'm _so_ glad you're safe…" he whispered gratefully.

"Dad…" Yang muttered, fighting back tears.

It had been _months_ since they'd seen each other, and they had so much to tell each other, about her adventures, about her team, about her arm, and about her mother and their family in general. But as much as they yearned to make up for lost time, they both knew that there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Where's your sister?" Taiyang asked plainly, without letting go.

"Nnng…" Yang groaned, giving her father one last reluctant squeeze before releasing him. "Still on the other side of this Nexus thing, along with Uncle Qrow and a metric _butt-load_ of Grimm. We need to get them _both_ out of there, or this victory won't mean a _damn_ thing."

Taiyang nodded. "We'll get it done, kiddo…"

Then he finally turned to Raven. He had seen her as soon as they'd entered the room of course. He always figured he might run into her again eventually. He had no idea how she fit into all this, but it wasn't in her nature to leave things like this alone. She looked completely worn out, almost sickly, as if she had gone for days without sleep. Yet for all that, she still exuded a calm collected radiance that he had always admired about her.

He tried to keep the ice out of his voice when he spoke to her.

"Raven," he said placidly.

Yang limped away from Taiyang's side, before nearly collapsing into Blake's arms, who all but materialized at her side as soon as she did. As Taiyang stared down at his ex-wife collapsed on the floor, the woman lifted her head where she knelt and looked at him with a somber expression.

"Hello Tai…" she muttered, her breath raspy.

The Huntsman crossed her arms, looking down at her, too many emotions going on in his head at once. Questions pervaded his mind, relief filled his heart, anger flooded his veins, but roaring above it all was his desperate concern for his last missing daughter. So instead of acting on any of these impulses, he simply stared at her, a soft look on his face.

"One hell of a mess, huh?" he asked.

Raven cracked a smile, the same smile that always made him weak at the knees.

"You could say that…" she said sardonically, before looking away. "I'm glad to see you, Tai. I…really missed you…"

Taiyang pursed his lips. He wanted to scream at her. He wanted to demand where she had been all this time. He wanted to fly into her arms. He wanted to know why she had left, why she had come back, why she had dragged their _children_ into such danger. But at the moment, all he knew was how happy he was to see her.

"I really missed you too, Raven…" he said, taking a deep, steadying breath. "But right now, I just need to make sure _both_ my daughters are safe. Will you help me save Ruby?"

Raven nodded towards the glyph at Weiss' feet.

"That would mean crossing into the Nexus," she said. "Ruby and Qrow are still in there, as is our enemy."

Jaune took that as a cue and marched up to the portal, sword and shield in hand.

"Well, what are we standing around for?" he demanded. "Let's get _in_ there!"

Weiss held a hand up, her other still clutched to her sword.

"Not so fast, you dummy!" she scolded. "It's not that simple!"

"What are you talking about!?" Jaune demanded. "Ruby's in there, isn't she? It's just her and Qrow in there against Salem and the Grimm! We _have_ to get her out!"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha muttered from behind him. "I don't think we can do that."

"What?" he demanded. "Why the hell not?"

"I'm with _this_ kid," Taiyang vehemently agreed, clenching his fists. "I say we charge in there, guns blazing!"

Raven shook her head sadly. "Damn it, Tai…you're _always_ acting without giving the situation a _single_ thought!"

The Huntsman wheeled on her, anger in his eyes.

"What the hell does _that_ mean?" he demanded.

Yang grimaced, leaning on Blake for support.

"It _means_ that the damn portal's sealed shut!" she grunted in agitation. "No way for us to get in! But that glyph is the only thing keeping the Grimm on the other side from getting _out!_ "

"And I don't know about you," Weiss added. "But _I'm_ certainly not ready to fight our way through an entire Grimm army after everything we've been through today! We just don't have the manpower right now! We were waiting for reinforcements, and in the shape _you're_ all in, we don't stand a chance!"

Jaune peered down at the glyph at his feet. As he stared closer, he saw the glowing red eyes and the gnashing teeth of thousands and thousands of gargoyles waiting on the other side.

"What are you saying!?" Taiyang demanded in outrage. "That's my _daughter_ in there! I don't care if there _is_ an army of Grimm in the way - you can't _stop_ me from going in there after her!"

Weiss wheeled on the older Huntsman, tears in her eyes.

"You think this is _easy_ for me either!?" she cried. "Ruby's my partner! _And_ my best friend! But if we open this thing, then this whole damn _war_ starts all over again! This is about _more_ than just us and our team anymore! This is about the entire world of Remnant!"

Tai drew in his breath, but said nothing at Weiss' words. The rest of Team RSJC stared at Weiss, everyone visible shaken by her words. They had the bite of truth to them that no one amongst them could deny. But that did not make them sting any less.

"Weiss…" Neptune said, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

Jaune stared down at the unending pit before him, his sword arm trembling in frustration.

"You can't be serious!" he shook his head slowly, desperation in his eyes. "Come on you guys, we can't just _leave_ them in there!"

He raised his sword as if to strike the Nexus through Weiss' glyph.

"Jaune, don't!" Weiss barked. "Stop! You'll only make it worse!"

Jaune froze, trembling as he held his sword over his head, staring down at the portal below his feet, powerless to do anything. The last of his friends was behind one single barrier, and she might as well be miles away. He had saved Pyrrha. He had saved his team. He had saved every last one of his friends to have gone into battle on this day, except for Ruby.

Ruby was the only one left.

"We have to do _something!_ " he cried in outrage, tears welling in his eyes. "We've come too far be stopped here! We can't…we can't just do _nothing!_ "

Team RSJC exchanged troubled looks. Yang clenched her newfound fist in fury as Blake held onto her tightly.

"So it's just like mom said…" Yang seethed in frustration, throwing Raven a dark look. "It's a Huntsman's job to endure the sacrifices of today so that future generations don't need to make them."

Blake said nothing as she held Yang in her arms, unable to conjure the words to ease her partner's worries. Neptune's hand remained on Weiss' shoulder, knowing just how hard it must be for her to put the safety of the world over her partner.

Raven shook her head helplessly.

"Don't forget, Qrow's in there too," she said. "If we lose him, there's no telling what will happen to the world of Remnant. Salem could march on our world, unimpeded, and we'd be powerless to stop her."

Yang gritted her teeth, raising her fists.

"If that's the case, then what do we have to lose by charging in there?" she demanded. "Salem's got an army of Grimm either way! We might as well try to save Ruby and Qrow while we still can!"

"You already know how that battle ends, Yang!" Raven chastised sharply. "We'd be overwhelmed before we even _reached_ your sister! At this point, this choke-point is the _only_ advantage we have left, the _only_ means we have of stemming the tide of the Grimm. We _must_ keep it sealed, and hope that the Wizard and the Grimmslayer are equal to the task set before them."

Yang glared back at her mother.

"This whole plan was _your_ idea!" she accused. "Now you're telling us we just have to sit around an hope for a miracle?"

Raven wrinkled her nose.

"My plan hinged on Salem leaving the Nexus," she sighed. "With her _and_ her prey still confined to the netherworld, the odds were never in our favor."

Taiyang gnashed his teeth in anger.

"So you're telling me…what, that we just have to _wait_ this out?" he demanded, fury seething behind his teeth. "Wait it out and _hope_ that Ruby finds a way out on her own!?"

"I'm sorry," Raven breathed, looking at Taiyang. "But only the power of a Maiden can open the Nexus."

Jaune fell to his knees, slamming his fist into the floor, still clutching his sword.

"Damn it!" he growled in anger. " _Damn it!_ "

Pyrrha felt a tremble course through her body as she watched events unfolding, a wave of deja vu hitting her like a ton of bricks. As the pieces fell together in her mind, she was at once aware of what she had to do. She knew the odds were against her, but in spite of everything, she was a Huntress. And she was determined to try.

She placed her hand on her partner's shoulder.

"Jaune…" she said softly.

The leader of Team JNPR was trembling as grief overtook him.

"I failed her…" he whispered. "Just like I failed _you_ …"

Pyrrha felt her own tears welling up as she swallowed her pain, taking the boy in her arms.

"Jaune…" she whispered, a look of understanding in her eyes. "You truly do care for Ruby…don't you?"

Jaune blinked, a look of confusion on his face.

"I…" he stammered, a war of emotion battling inside him all at once, a blockade of hesitation keeping the conflict from spilling out of him.

Pyrrha sighed. It broke her heart to see him like this. It tore her apart to watch him feel the pain of hopelessness, while at the same time, feeling incapable of setting those woes at east. In the back of her mind, she knew that she would not be able to ease the pain. Just as she knew that she would not be able to stand by his side for very much longer either.

"Jaune," she repeated, staring into his eyes. "Do you trust me?"

Jaune stared back at her, eyes soaked red as he nodded in confusion.

"Y-Yeah…" he said slowly. "What…?"

Pyrrha released him and stepped towards the Nexus.

"Weiss," she said in a commanding voice. "Drop the glyph."

The president of the Schnee Dust Company gaped at the Huntress, eyes wide.

"What?" she demanded. "After everything we just learned? Are you crazy?"

"Drop the glyph," Pyrrha repeated, holding her hands out over the portal. " _I'll_ open the Nexus."

Jaune gaped at his partner in astonishment. "Pyrrha…"

"What are you saying?" Yang spoke out, shaking her head in disbelief as she clung to Blake. "You heard what my mom said! Only a Maiden can open that portal!"

Pyrrha's eyes broached no argument.

"I know," she said.

There was a long pause, and Raven's eyes took on a terrified look.

"Child," she said in a wary tone. "You only received a _fraction_ of the Maiden's power. A _fraction_ of a fraction! That's nowhere _near_ enough for you to do what you're trying to do!"

Pyrrha closed her eyes. The more she stared into the Nexus, the more she understood. She understood finally what the voices had been telling her within the Shadowglass. The power of the Maidens was the personification of the Earth made flesh, given one voice shouted across a trillion lifetimes. Maidens were no more human than they were any other lifeform. They were the wind and the sky…they were the sea and the soil…they were the spirit of every living being on this planet…

Pyrrha's eyes flew open.

They were _aura_ itself!

"Weiss!" she commanded. "Trust me! Drop the glyph!"

Weiss drew in a breath, but finally acquiesced.

"Okay…" she nodded. "Everyone get ready…"

Team RSJC steeled themselves as Weiss' glyph fell. There were enough Huntsmen in the room, Weiss reasoned, that they could most likely contend with a _few_ Grimm should they manage to escape, but she resolved to recast her glyph at a moment's notice should the need arise.

The attack never came, however. Instead, the Nexus shimmered as Pyrrha's whole body began to glow.

"What…?" Raven gasped in awe.

Pyrrha spread her arms wide as her aura filled the room, her eyes igniting with the Maiden's light.

She could feel it! She could _feel_ the spirit of the Maidens flowing through her! They had all been stripped from their hosts, suffused to the depths of limbo, as a thousand, thousand souls all swam about in disarray, with no place left to go. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, all denied so much as a name of their own, their powers locked once again within the ancient dust from whence it came.

But those thousand, thousand souls had not yet succumbed to the void. They had clung to life, all by the grace of the last living human to have carried their mantle. And it was through this last host that the light of all four Maidens now shined. And while they lacked the raw potency of the dust from which their powers stemmed, their life force had been exposed to that power for so many centuries that the familiar patterns still danced within them. They had amassed such vast reserve within themselves over countless lifetimes, as thousands upon thousands of young women live and died, all interconnected as their combined auras added to their shared pool of strength.

That aura alone had become a power of its own! And now here it was, given form once again in the body of Pyrrha Nikos, free from the constraints of the dust which had brought it into existence. For what was aura, if not the predecessor to dust itself? It may have paled in comparison to the power of the ancient dust, but it could certainly contend with the Nexus at Pyrrha's feet.

"The spirit of the Maidens!" Raven cried in recognition as the tumultuous storm of pure aura swirled all around them. "The combined essence of all four Maidens, refined to their purest form! I didn't think it was _possible!_ "

The Huntsmen were gaping in wonder as Taiyang fixed his wife with a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "What's all this about Maidens?"

Raven rose to her feet as she put her hand on her sword, a smile on her face.

"The Maidens' power is what controls the Nexus!" she declared. "It Pyrra Nikos is actually still in touch with all four Maidens, then _she_ can reverse the flow of the Nexus! It will let us enter while keeping the Grimm from entering our world!"

At the floor, the Nexus shone as Pyrrha's power washed over it, filling it and transforming it. The void became clear, and the thousands of gargoyles within shied away, as if repulsed by the light.

"P-Pyrrha…?" Nora stammered in disbelief, holding Ren tightly in her arms.

"Are you…?" Jaune gazed at her in wonder.

Pyrrha drew her weapons, looking back at her partner with a fond smile in her eyes.

"Come on, Jaune," she said softly. "Let's go save Ruby."

She then turned her gaze towards the rest of her teammates,a fierce look in her eyes as she raised her sword.

"Everyone!" she cried. "Follow me!"

With a mighty leap, she plunged headlong into the Nexus, with the rest of Team RSJC on her heels.


	150. Chapter 150

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Chapter 150

* * *

Part 1

* * *

Ruby was exhausted.

Dora's power was unfathomable. Gifted with dominion over wind and sand, and ensconced in a world made of nothing _but_ wind and sand, she had no shortage of ammunition to throw at the Huntress. One moment, Ruby was staring at a ghost of her one time friend; the next minute, she was completely enveloped in a sandstorm.

Ruby was totally overwhelmed by the storm. All at once, she was on the defensive as she fended off the onslaught from the shadowy form of Summer Rose, who darted in to attack her from within the storm. She just barely managed to fend off the Summer Maiden's attacks coming at her through Dora's storm, as she parried her mother's attacks one after the other, being forced steadily backwards. Two against one, Ruby would have likely fallen then and there, had Qrow not jumped in to keep Summer off of her back.

It had all happened so fast, and Ruby could barely see what was happening through the storm. Just as Summer was about to land an attack on her, Qrow had seemed to materialize out of nowhere, deflecting her with his cane. Before Ruby could even protest, she watched as the two of them disappeared back into the wind and sand, and all at once, she was suddenly alone. She swung her sword this way and that, but the younger Maiden was well out of reach.

Moments later, Ruby found herself gasping for breath. While the surrounding gargoyles could not even touch her with her silver eyes alight, the Maidens didn't have to get anywhere near their targets to strike at them. Her silver eyes protected her and Qrow from the likes of the Grimm. But this? This was nature itself. There was nothing for her to swing her sword at but an endless cloud of sand that dust. Before long, the tussling winds of the netherworld had stripped her throat raw, and she had been all but blinded by the whirling sands around the tower.

Each grain was like a tiny bullet that slowly chipped away at her aura. Her and Qrow's shared pool allowed him to resist the effects of the netherworld for a time. With their two auras linked, she and Qrow might have stood a chance against one Maiden or the other. But not both at once. Here in this unholy place, his aura was not regenerating as most did in the world of Remnant. Ruby was supplying aura for the both of them. The two of them were fighting a losing battle, and they both knew it.

Every time Dora so much as showed her face, Ruby lunged, only to be plunged back into a blinding vortex of sand, unable to find her target. She swung her scythe this way and that, but only hit more sand as the storm engulfed her. Her eyes were all but useless, and she could not hear anything through the tumultuous wind. She could not even sense the other's girl's aura, as there was no aura to sense. Dora was little more than a shell now, a shadow of her former self. And the more Ruby fought on, the more her heart broke to know that the girl she had failed to save had been made into little more than a toy for her enemies to play with.

"Dora!" Ruby wailed, her strength draining by the moment.

A face appeared in the storm, and Ruby swung Grímnir at what she thought was the Summer Maiden, only for the weapon to fly from her hands as it hit nothing but air. Her grip had weakened so much that she could not even keep hold of her weapon, and the sword landed out of reach, its blade embedded in the stone tower.

Ruby fell to her knees, tears dripping from her sand-stung eyes, her skin raw and chapped, her throat and nostrils burning from the unrelenting assault of whirling sand. This must have been how the Grimm outside of Vacuo had felt when Dora had unleashed the full fury of her powers upon them. It was no wonder they had been wiped out in an instant. Even with her aura linked, even with the Maiden's gift of Silver, she was no match for the storm.

"Damn it!" she screamed again, clenching her eyes shut in frustration and pain.

It felt like the very world was against her! The elements around her were fighting her, wearing her down. Her friend Dora…her own _mother_ …both of them had been turned into thralls. She was cut off from her team, and Qrow was nowhere to be seen, his aura flickering in the red zone as he squared off against Summer. This battle was unwinnable.

Was _this_ what Raven had seen in the Pool when she saw the Huntsmen of Remnant enter the netherworld? Was _this_ the true power of the Witch?

When Ruby managed to open her eyes, she saw Salem standing before her, her smile bitter and malicious. She remembered what her aunt Raven had told her – that the Witch was the mother of all Grimm. It was her power that had made Cinder into such a dangerous foe. It was her power that had brought back Pyrrha, Dora, her mother, and god knew how many others, to do her bidding. It was just as Raven said – Salem held the power over life and death. And if the netherworld truly was the realm of the dead, then that meant that she had a near endless supply of thralls to draw upon.

How could any foe be so powerful, Ruby wondered? It was like trying to fight a Goddess, someone who could change the very rules of the board at her whim. Ruby had no idea who she really was, or why she wanted them all to suffer like this. But what she did know was that she was completely and utterly _sick_ of being toyed with.

" _Why?_ " she croaked, glaring up at the Witch, her silver eyes flickering as her aura wavered in the red zone. " _Why_ are you doing this? Why do you _hate_ us all so much? What do you _gain_ from all this? What… _possible_ purpose could all this serve!?"

Salem did not approach more than five steps, seemingly unable to draw any closer to Ruby's silver eyes. The two were at a stalemate – Ruby had no strength left to fight, but the Witch could not touch her while her eyes still glowed silver. The sandstorm still continued to rage around them, locking the two figures in an isolated whirlwind of furious power, and Salem's expression was flippant and dismissive as she spoke.

"Is it really so difficult for you to fathom, Grimmslayer?" she asked coldly. "We are taking back the world that your kind _stole_ from us all those years ago."

A flash of memory crossed Ruby's mind, a vision conjured from within the Waters of Life that Raven had showed her. The ancient humans of days long past, the unrivalled industry and ingenuity in their technology, and the cataclysm of destruction that ruined the moon, and brought the Grimm down upon them.

Ruby seethed.

"What are you _talking_ about?" she demanded angrily, still shaking too hard to rise to her feet. "The _Grimm_ were the ones who invaded this world! I _saw_ it happen! The city of Elysium! The shattered moon! All of it!"

Salem blinked, appearing somewhat surprised by Ruby's revelation.

"You…you have actually _glimpsed_ from the Pool of Life?" she asked in astonishment, slowly shaking her head as if the pieces were not quite fitting together in her mind.

"I know all about how you ensnared the Wizard's wife!" Ruby blared defiantly. "How your Grimm have plagued humanity since the dawn of civilization, and how you and the Wizard have waged war on each other, with your own _daughter_ trapped in the middle of it all!"

Salem was still shaking her head in utter confusion.

"You…you've _seen_ it all then?" she demanded, still sounding befuddled. "Then…then you _know!_ You _must_ know! You _must_ understand what crimes were committed towards my kind!"

Ruby drew back her upper lip in disgust, shaking her head.

" _Your_ kind?" she growled. "The human race was at the _peak_ of civilization before _you_ arrived! We had cured all diseases, ensured that no one ever went hungry! And then your Grimm came along and ruined _everything!_ "

Salem's eyes flared in anger as her teeth ground together in a snarl.

"Typical human arrogance!" she decried, turning to the side as she began to pace back and forth before the Huntress. "Only thinking about yourselves, as usual! You think any world you find is yours to do with as you see fit! And anything that gets in your way is somehow guilty of atrocity for trying to defend itself!"

Ruby shook her head back and forth, still glared back at the Witch.

"You're not making any sense, lady!" she breathed. "You're the ones who attacked _us!_ "

"Be silent!" Salem shouted, throwing Ruby a furious look. "You clearly know _nothing_ of which you speak!"

Ruby's head was pounding. She couldn't understand what she was hearing. How could her enemy's anger with humanity be so misguided? Anger and confusion welled up inside Ruby's chest as she tried rising to her feet, intent on lashing out at her tormentor. But her strength was too diminished and she shuddered and fell back to her hands and knees, coughing up a fit.

"Ugh…" she groaned in pain and irritation, gasping for breath. "Y-You're blaming humanity for a crime that we didn't commit! As if _you_ were the victims in all this! But I _know_ what I saw! I know that the Grimm came to Remnant six thousand years ago! That's why the moon shattered!"

Anger flared in Salem's eyes.

"Fool!" she berated, glaring at Ruby through the sandstorm, looking like she wanted nothing more than to strangle her if only she could approach her. "Are you so blind to your own sins!? It was _humanity_ that shattered the moon! It was _humanity_ that came to this world and brought calamity! It is _humanity_ that have been a plague to this world ever since that day!"

Ruby stared back at the Witch, dumbfounded.

"No…" she said, shaking her head. "That can't be right…I _saw_ it in the Waters of Life!"

Salem crossed her arms, dubiously.

"Are you _certain_ you saw what you think you saw, Grimmslayer?" she demanded. "You saw _humans_ , walking about the forests and plains of this world?"

Ruby blinked slowly, thinking back to what she'd seen. Raven _had_ said that with the lower population back then, there had been fewer beings alive to witness the events, and thus less aura with which to record their memories into the Waters of Life. But still, she knew what the Pool had shown her.

"I saw…I _saw_ the city of Elysium…" she said, trying to put together the pieces in her memory. "An _enormous_ city that rivaled even Atlas, where human beings lived peaceful lives."

The Witch shook her head.

"There _were_ no cities on this world before you came," she spat. "Nor was there _any_ sign of your precious technology. No, this planet was lush and green, filled with a rich wildlife that lived in harmony with the environment. When creatures died, they passed on as nature intended. The aura of the planet was not plundered for riches as it is now!"

Ruby narrowed her eyes.

"Aura of the planet?" she asked. "You're talking about dust?"

Salem spread her arms wide, gesturing to the dark and dreary landscape around them.

"You think the netherworld was _always_ such a retched wasteland?" she demanded. "Why is it you think the Grimm delve to the other side to seek out and kill your kind? It is for our very _survival_ , human! The amount of aura that has seeped into our world has _dwindled_ to such paltry amounts that we are on the brink of _starvation!_ "

Ruby's eyes widened in disbelief.

"So it's true then…" she breathed, looking around at the surrounding sandstorm that still pervaded. "The netherworld really _is_ where our aura goes when we die…"

The Witch smirked maliciously.

"So the human _can_ learn," she crowed.

Ruby tilted her head back, staring up at the sky, at all the winged gargoyles circling around the eye of the storm above.

"Then the Grimm…?" she whispered.

Salem gestured around her with an outstretched hand.

"The very antithesis of life, given shape by your world, while at the same time shaping it in return!" she said, throwing her arms in the air as though proselytizing. "The two worlds of life and death exist together in a perfect balance, exchanging aura in equal amounts, with neither side laying claim to more than is needed."

Ruby blinked as she watched her gesticulate wildly, struggling to maintain her silver eyes. She could feel her aura reserves dwindling, but she still kept her Grimmslayer powers active. It was the only thing keeping her alive at the moment. She knew the Witch was merely biding her time, but Ruby was determined to hold out.

"The Grimm take shape based on the creatures in the world of the living, and the living world in turn takes shape based on the Grimm," Salem continued. "When a wolf dies, its aura coalesces into the netherworld to become one of the creatures that you call beowolves. When a bear dies in your world, it becomes an ursi in ours. From your birds come the nevermores, from elephants come the goliaths…"

Her lips curved into a smile.

"And from humans…" she said, casting her eyes to the sky.

Ruby's heart suddenly thudded in her chest as she watched the circling demons in the air above the storm, hovering over them like hungry vultures, their staves and axes clenched firmly in hand. Though their faces were masks of horror and death, they had fought with a cunning that was uncommon to Grimm, as if gifted with greater intelligence than any other.

Almost…human.

"The gargoyles…" Ruby breathed.

Salem smiled wickedly as she held her arms up, as if basking in the sweet irony of it all.

"My gargoyles should be all the proof you need, Grimmslayer!" she crowed. "The transition of aura into the netherworld is a process that takes _thousands_ of years! It has taken _this_ long for your kind to begin adding to our numbers! Enough of your kind have died out over the millennia that we _finally_ have an army capable of truly fighting back against humanity! And now at last, after all this time, nature has a leg up! You retained dominance over this world when the Grimm were naught but wild beasts! But how long do you think that supremacy shall last when your own ingenuity and intellect is being leveraged against you, human?"

The Witch spread her arms wide.

"We are the custodians of the planet!" she declared. "We are the balancing force. We are the answer to the overabundance of life on this world. When life starts to take more than its fair share, the Grimm emerge to keep them in check. It may take time, but nothing in this world lasts forever! We are the answer to your question, the reaction to your action, the yin to your yang! And in a perfect world, humans would have acquiesced to this cycle as nature intended."

"What cycle?" Ruby shook her head in confusion. "You're not making any sense!"

The Witch shook her head in disgust.

"When you and all other living things die, your aura seeps back into the Earth," she explained impatiently. "It is a process that can take millennia, but from there, it finds its way into the netherworld, where the Grimm may feed and grow. Then when the Grimm die, the aura transfers once again to the living world, where it can create new life!"

Ruby was still staring at the gargoyles in disbelief. If what the Witch was saying was true, then those flying, spear-wielding demons had all been _human_ once! Possibly even Huntsmen, if their tactical abilities were anything to go by! This was utter madness! The Grimm were a perversion of everything she knew! And yet the Witch had the gall to insist that this was all somehow _natural?_

"You're insane!" Ruby shook her head. "There's no way _any_ of this is how nature intended it!"

Salem shook her head wearily.

"No, child, it isn't," she admitted. "The Grimm belong in the netherworld, not in yours. For the Grimm to have ventured into the realm of the living for so long is unprecedented! None of this is would be necessary if not for the existence of humanity. But when the very _aura_ around us is ripped from the planet, it throws the world so drastically out of balance that nature has no choice but to try to compensate."

Ruby's eyes were like saucers as she listened to the Witch's words. What she was hearing ran counter to everything she had ever learned about the Grimm. She had always known the Grimm as creatures of darkness that sought to consume life in its entirety, and must be opposed at every turn. If what Salem was telling her was true…then the Grimm were as much a part of the natural world as everything else in Remnant!

"So you're saying…" Ruby shook her head, staring at the ground as she knelt. "You're saying that only reason the Grimm attack humans…is because of our _dust?_ "

"Precisely, human," Salem's eyes narrowed. "We can only survive on the aura you shed when you die, and you've been hording more and more of it as your kind has evolved. Were everything in its proper place, the Grimm would have no reason to venture into your world! But now, the only means we have of survival is to consume the aura directly from living things! Perhaps, in the distance past, things were different where you first came from. But one thing is clear to me, Grimmslayer: your kind came to our world for one thing and one thing only: _plunder!_ And this tradition _continues_ to this day!"

Ruby shook her head furiously. What she had learned from Raven…what Salem was telling her now… none of it was fitting together in her head.

"What are you saying? she demanded. "You keep saying that _we_ invaded _your_ world! But humans are as much a part of this world as anything else in it!"

Salem drew back her upper lip, baring her teeth.

"That's where you're wrong, Grimmslayer," she spat maliciously. "Your kind are _invaders_ to this world. You always have been."

Ruby shook her head in refusal.

"That's ridiculous!" she cried. "I _saw_ the city of Elysium! I _saw_ people living in peace! And then I saw the moon shatter and the fire raining from the sky! It was only _then_ that I saw the Grimm appear! You have to be wrong! You _have_ to be!"

The Witch shook her head dismissively.

"This city you saw…" she asked. "Tell me…was it actually a _part_ of this world?"

Ruby's mouth began to grow dry.

"What…?" she breathed.

Salem shook her head, impatiently.

"Is it so hard for you to wrap your head around?" she demanded. "Is it so hard to imagine that, with all the dust your kind could accumulate, given time, they might just be able to create such technology that allowed them to traverse the stars?"

Ruby opened her mouth and then closed it again. What she was hearing was utter nonsense.

"No…" she said quietly. "That's…that's impossible. Dust stops working above the clouds…"

"Only because this word's aura has been depleted to such pitiful amounts!" the Witch explained. "But imagine you started on a world with _ten times_ as much life as ours! Or a hundred! Imagine if all that dust could be harnessed to the point where it could actually carry your craft beyond the reach of the planet!"

Ruby blinked and blinked again.

"Beyond the…reach of the planet?" she stammered in confusion.

Salem looked unamused, an impatient look on her face.

"You could potentially travel to other worlds, given enough time and resources," she elaborated. "The longer the journey, the larger the craft you'd need. Large enough, even, that it might begin to resemble one of your cities…"

Ruby's jaw dropped as realization dawned on her. She could see it so clearly now. The circuitous pathways that seemed to go nowhere. The towering spires that curved together in an almost fuselage shape. The glimpses of the night sky, plainly visible through the windowed openings overhead as they traversed the stars.

"Elysium…" she whispered. "Elysium wasn't a _city_ …it was a _ship!_ "

Salem bared her teeth as she nodded.

"An immense ship that brought forth the end of days for our world!" she spat. "A ship with which your kind sought to _mine_ our world of dust, to strip us of our aura, and leave our planet as nothing more than a husk of its former self!"

Ruby's eyes widened even more as her pupils began to dilate in horror.

"No…" she shook her head in utter revulsion. "No! I don't believe you! That's _impossible!_ "

"Not impossible, human!" the Witch scoffed as she held her arms out wide. "Just inconvenient for you to swallow! Face the truth, Grimmslayer! You come from a race of pillagers and thieves! Your forefathers roamed the galaxy, searching for planets _rich_ with aura for you to pilfer so you could continue to build your vessels even more terrifying than before! This world was simply _fortunate_ enough that some freak accident caused your vessel to collide with our moon! For all the devastation it caused, it brought your kind down to our level, where we might fight on even terrain! It gave my world a fighting chance!"

Ruby felt sick! She couldn't believe what she was hearing! It was utterly ridiculous! There was no way this could be true! There was just no way!

Because if it was, then that would mean that she, her friends, the Huntsmen, the entire human race…

 _They_ had been the real bad guys all along!

"No…" Ruby whimpered, crumbling into despair.

Salem's rage was palpable as she spewed her vitriol at the Huntress' feet.

"Take a good, hard look at your world, human!" she scoffed. "You think all that technology you so carelessly consume comes from _thin air!?_ The price of those great towers of steel that your people treasure comes from the _blood_ of a _thousand_ innocent souls! Nothing so austere could be possible without the sacrifice of the many! Whether that be on the backs of slaves, through the blood of warfare, or from ripping the life essence straight from the very bowels of the planet, you _cannot_ build something so monumental without a _mountain_ of death at its foundation!"

Ruby began to grow light-headed. She had been using her silver eyes ever since she crossed the Nexus, and her concentration was beginning to waver. Her aura was dangerously low, and she could still feel Qrow's aura, but barely. She didn't have any left. And being hit with such a revelation as all this…

" _That_ is why I despise your kind, human!" the Witch declared. " _That_ is why I despise your technology, your so-called ingenuity and innovation! You called Elysium a utopia? You say you _cured_ all disease and _rid_ the world of all hunger? For _whom?_ Such prosperity doesn't come for _free_ , you self-righteous hypocrite! It doesn't come to those who are _decent_ and _considerate_ enough to give _back_ to the world that was so generous to them! The world is _full_ of people like you, Grimmslayer! People that exploit the weak to build themselves greater and greater without end! People who take and take without a _single_ thought of the price it might cost those around them!"

Salem placed her hand over her chest.

"And _my_ mission…" she said somberly. "The mission of _all_ Grimm everywhere, is to _rid_ the world of the _pestilence_ that is _your_ kind! Before you _decimate_ the planet in its entirety. _We_ , the _Grimm,_ are the _true_ defenders of this world, human! Not _you!_ "

Ruby was reeling. As much as she wanted to believe that what she was hearing was a lie, there was an unmistakable air of truth to it. Weiss and Raven already confirmed that dust indeed came from condensed aura extracted from the fossilized remains of long dead life. And looking around, she could see the desolation of the netherworld all around her. This was a world that was full of starving Grimm, sipping at meager pools of raw aura. The Grimm clearly hungered for life. If at one point there had been an abundance of aura in the netherworld instead of this lifeless rock, was it possible that, in the past, the Grimm had simply chosen not to venture into their world?

Given that, how hard was it to believe that the state of the world was due in some part to mankind's rise to prominence? It was certainly true that human nature lead to a disparity in power, even amongst other humans. Those in power were far from devoid of corruption. Did the kingdom of Atlas not owe its existence to the exploitation of is Faunus workers? Greed had shaped their kingdoms as much as anything else in this world. As much as Ruby wanted to deny it, she couldn't bring herself to believe that, even if people everywhere knew that stripping the planet of its dust would hypothetically lead to the Grimm, someone out there wouldn't decide to do so anyway.

But how could it be possible that humanity had originated from some other world amongst the stars? After having built so much for themselves on the world of Remnant, to have all that humanity had created be invalidated by the simple fact that _they_ were the invaders and not the Grimm…

Ruby was stunned. She was absolutely speechless. What Salem was proposing was unfathomable. Preposterous! There was just no way that humanity had come from such a place! The world of Remnant was her _home!_ Her whole _life_ , she had grown up believing this to be true, safe in the knowledge that it was the _Grimm_ who were the invaders to their land, not the other way around! This notion had been baked into her whole worldview. And now the enemy was suggesting that her entire race was completely foreign to this world, an entire race of alien invaders who had wound up marooned on the very planet they had sought to subjugate.

It made no god damned sense! She couldn't believe it! She _refused_ to believe it! Her whole life, all she had ever wanted was to be a hero! Someone who _protected_ people by slaying monsters! How was she supposed to accept the fact that she and everyone she knew had been the real monsters all along?

As her resolve wavered, Ruby's heart thudded in her chest. Her mouth was dry and her skin became clammy, and she felt her energy reserves dwindling. She blinked, and felt the light in her eyes go dark, as the Maiden's gift of silver slowly faded.

Almost immediately, the sandstorm around her began to die down, seemingly in response to her lowering her defenses. Ruby's eyes had a faraway look about them, as if she were completely lost in herself, but as the world around her began to clear, and the barren wasteland of the netherworld became visible once more, she turned her head to see Qrow Branwen on his knees some distance behind her, with both Summer Rose and Dora holding him by either arm from behind, forcing him to the ground.

Tears and caked dust clung to her face. She didn't even have the wherewithal to call out to him, but the old man looked up as the storm cleared, seeing Ruby on her knees before the Witch. He tried to struggle to his feet, but he was held securely in place by the two Maidens. His face was a mosaic of bruises, with blood tricking from his lip and from his eyebrow.

"Kid…" he choked, struggling to breathe the poisonous air.

Ruby couldn't even process what she was seeing anymore. Her mind had gone completely blank. She knew that she should be fighting back. She knew that she should be getting to her feet. She knew that she should be rescuing Qrow and trying to fight off the Maidens and the Witch. But her strength had left her, and her resolve had been all but shattered by the Witch's revelation.

What right did she even have to fight back anymore?

"Over the years, your people devised new and numerous ways to destroy us," Salem slowly approached Ruby as she remained where she was, a look of utter defeat on her face. "Your semblance, your weaponry, even the Maidens. All of them products of the very aura you stole from us, and all of them designed to oppose us. To oppose _nature_. Even as your kind split off to give rise to the Faunus…even then, the union of your two peoples gave rise to your accursed silver eyes…"

The Witch withdrew a familiar looking crystal from her dress, which still managed to shimmer in the dim light of the netherworld.

"Fortunately, I am a patient woman, and aura will always return to where it belongs in due time," she smiled, before lifting up her other hand to reach out towards Qrow. "Now that I have control of the Nexus, we will begin the process of setting things to rights, in _spite_ of your dust, your semblances and those damnable eyes of yours…"

Ruby watched as Ozpin's cane – the Wizard's cane – lifted from the ground at his side, as if by magic. The metal staff floated over towards Salem's outstretched hand, where she clasped hold of it.

"However, as patient as I am, time has still not been terribly kind to me," she smiled dourly as she slowly affixed the ancient dust crystal to the head of Ozpin's cane with a twist. "This host body I inhabit is still six thousand years old, and is rather ill-suited by now for the tasks that lie ahead of me…"

Ruby's eyes widened in recognition. Though it had evolved significantly since she had first laid eyes on it, the cane in the Witch's hands was the same one the Wizard had fashioned for himself out of salvaged technology all those centuries ago. The ancient dust that was placed at its head still radiated with the same power it had when he had first discovered it. And now the two were combined into one, as they had on that fateful day when the Wizard and the Witch had been born in earnest, opening the rift between worlds.

Salem's eyes fell on Ruby, staring down at the Huntress' weak and crumpled form.

"So before I retake my world, it would be prudent to find myself a younger form, one that's better suited for combat," she said coyly, a twisted look of satisfaction in her eyes as she raised the make-shift spear over her head. "And as luck would have it, I just so happen to have come across the _perfect_ replacement…"

Time seemed to stop as Ruby stared up at the Witch. She saw the deadly-sharp prongs of the Witch's staff, and her danger sense went off. She couldn't imagine what affect the spear might have on the netherworld or the Nexus, but she could easily guess what it would do to _her_.

"No…!" Qrow choked.

Ruby could hear the distant sound of the Wizard's cries of protest as he struggled futilely to break free of his constraints. It all seemed so distant to her though, and for some reason, her body simply refused to budge. She commanded herself to move, to attack, to flee, to do something! _Anything_

But she just didn't have the strength. What did it matter? What use would it be? She was beaten. Qrow was beaten. They were cut off from their team and from the world of Remnant, and she had just learned that she had had been on the wrong side of a sick war that spanned the distant stars.

What right did she even have to resist? What good could she _possibly_ accomplish that could come anywhere close to offsetting the crimes the human race had committed? She had been an unwitting accomplice to the persecution of entire civilizations. How many worlds had humanity laid waste to? Dozens? Hundreds? How many planets' worth of dust was needed to construct a space-faring vessel that was larger than the largest kingdom in Remnant? How many _other_ such vessels still roamed the stars to this day? For all she knew, she and everyone she knew had all been – and continued to be – unwitting accomplices to an atrocity the likes of which she could scarcely comprehend!

Salem deserved her justice. The Grimm deserved justice. The human race needed to answer for their crimes.

Didn't they?

And even if Salem had been lying, even if this was all some sort of elaborate ruse, that didn't change the fact that Ruby was just so _utterly_ beaten. She could barely lift her head up to face her opponent, let alone tap into her silver eyes. Her aura was completely spent, and she could even feel her tenuous connection with Qrow slipping away.

Ruby closed her eyes as she awaited the inevitable bite from the Witch's spear. Her whole life, all she had wanted to do was to be a hero. And she had failed. In every conceivable way it was possible to fail. Guilt enveloped her, and she felt a wave of vertigo come over her as her thoughts drifted to all the people she would be letting down and leaving behind, all the people she should have apologized to beforehand.

Yang…Weiss…Blake…

Jaune…Pyrrha…Velvet…

Penny…Dora…

Qrow…

They all deserved _so_ much better than her, she thought, watching in despair as the Witch raised the dust-tipped spear to finish her off.

Some hero she had turned out to be.

* * *

Part 2

* * *

The netherworld was a vast an unyielding wasteland, dark and desolate, made almost entirely of barren rock. The sky crackled with lightning, as the beating wings of a million black forms dotted the sky. The armies of Grimm gathered within the deep ravine had accumulated to such fearsome numbers that their bodies almost coalesced into a sea of death and destruction. And at end of the ravine, the Nexus marked their one and only entrance into the world of the living, and it was here that the densest accumulation of Grimm had gathered.

But as the radiant form of Pyrrha Nikos emerged from the Nexus, however, the Grimm withdrew in absolute terror.

 _GRAAARW!_

 _TSEEEEER!_

 _HISSSSS!_

The Grimm withdrew from the Nexus with a fervor, recoiling from the form of the Guardian Maiden as she entered the netherworld, her feet touching down on the solid rock as she leveled her weapons at the creatures around her. Her eyes were erupting with the power of the Maidens' light, and the beowolves, ursi, nevermores, and gargoyles alike began to retreat, flying, clawing and crawling over one another to get away from her. And as they fled in terror, leaving the Nexus a wide berth, the rest of Team RSJC emerged, weapons drawn and ready to press their attack.

"Form up!" Jaune commanded as his team gathered around.

"Keep your eyes open!" Weiss added, before glancing at Jaune in befuddlement.

There was a moment of hesitation, as both Jaune and Weiss looked at each other, trying to figure out which one of them was technically in charge. Weiss had assumed command of Team RWBY in Ruby's absence, but Ruby had put Jaune in charge of Team RSJC. They had both been Ruby's partner at some point or another. But they had never really hammered out which one of them was calling the shots now.

Finally, Jaune acquiesced.

"You take command, Weiss," Jaune said, before turning and raising his shield. "I'm going to look for Ruby."

Weiss nodded, glancing around at the terrifying hellscape surrounding them. There were Grimm _everywhere!_ And while they seemed to be shying away from Pyrrha, there were just _so_ many of them!

"Stay on your guard, everyone!" she shouted as Team RSJC gathered in formation around the Nexus. "I don't want to have to explain to Ruby that I lost any of you trying to rescue her!"

"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out to him, drawing his attention. "Look!"

As Pyrrha gestured upward with her spear, Jaune's eyes fell on a dark, looming tower, surrounded by floating platforms revolving around the structure at varying heights, moving in a slow, rhythmic pattern.

"Is that…?" Jaune stammered, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the top of the tower.

At the tower's precipice, a cloud of sand seemed to be forming. Brief flashes of light could be seen within the sandstorm, signalling the clashing of blades and the discharging of firearms. In this barren wasteland where nothing lived, and having been linking with his allies for so long, Jaune could clearly sense the presence of two flickering auras atop the tower. And circling over the sandstorm like a flock of vultures was a swarm of gargoyles simply waiting to descend on their prey.

"Ruby…" Jaune breathed in realization.

He glanced over at Pyrrha, who nodded in affirmation.

"Go, Jaune!" she said encouragingly, raising her spear. "Save Ruby! We'll be right behind you!"

Jaune nodded gratefully as he made a mad dash towards the tower, slicing his way through scattered and disorganized Grimm as he did, his teammates following behind him. The giant structure was tall and imposing, seemingly carved from the very rock upon which it stood. It bore a similar makeup to the main tower of Beacon academy, but Jaune was sure this was merely coincidence.

After cutting his way through beowolves and boarbatusks, creeps and ursi, Jaune came to the base of the tower, with no clear indication of how to scale it. There were no doors and no windows that he could see through the brief flashes of lightning. The only possible path to its summit seemed to be the floating platforms revolving around the tower at varying elevations, though those were some thirty to forty feet apart from one another.

He bit his lip as he stared up at the massive stone structure. Ruby and her uncle had clearly found _some_ way of getting up there, though of course, knowing them, they might have hitched a ride atop a nevermore or something. He could still feel them up there, their aura getting weaker and weaker by the moment. Glancing back at his team, they still a ways behind, fighting their way through the surrounding Grimm.

But they were taking too long to reach the tower. Ruby needed help, now!

Retracting his shield and sheathing his sword, keeping it attached to his arm, he borrowed a trick from Ruby's playbook and slammed the hilt of his sword into the ground.

BOOM!

The dust charges in the pommel of Crocea Mors went off, and without his Indominance to keep him firmly rooted in place, he was flung skyward.

He flailed his arms as he was sent airborne, fighting back a wave of nausea, but as he reached out in desperation, his fingers found purchase on one of the floating platforms overhead. He hung on for dear life, dangling precarious over the ravine as the platform continued to revolve around the tower. With a grunt of effort, he hauled himself onto the floating piece of rock, rolling onto his back as he let out a gasp as dizziness overwhelmed him. As he peered up at the sky overhead, still crackling with lightning, he could see at least ten more floating platforms overhead. Those platforms were all that remained between him and Ruby.

Then he felt Ruby's aura fade beyond his ability to sense, and panic overtook him.

"Damn it!" he gasped, climbing to his feet on the floating rock before launching himself up into the air once more.

One by one, he began to scale the platforms circling the tower. It was a tiresome, dizzying, back breaking effort that required a great deal of timing in very little visibility. But he slowly made progress, launching, grabbing and hauling himself onto each successive platform. He only had a limited number of dust charges in his sword, however, and by the time he reached the last platform, he only had one left with which to reach the top of the tower.

The sandstorm overhead suddenly seemed to vanish, and fear clutched at Jaune's heart as he prayed was not too late.

" _YEARGH!_ " he let out a grunt as he launched himself towards the tower's edge.

BOOM!

As his last dust charge went off, Jaune hurdled towards the rocky edge of the black tower, just barely managing to grab the ledge, slamming into the wall as his legs dangled over an impossible drop as he held on by one hand. He groaned as he strained to pull himself over the edge. He felt absolutely sick and his head was spinning from vertigo, but with a great heave, he finally managed to pull himself onto the tower.

The sight that befell him was like something out of a nightmare.

He saw a woman in black, her hair and face a sickly white, her eyes a malicious red. In her hands was a steel spear tipped with a wickedly jagged dust crystal. And on the ground before her, his one time partner Ruby Rose was trembling on her hands and knees, eyes closed before this terrifying foe as the woman prepared to strike her down.

He didn't even notice the sight of Qrow Branwen being held down by a twisted version of Dora and a woman who looked strangely like Ruby wearing a white cloak. All he saw was his friend, his partner, on the verge of being struck down. Ruby had described to him a very similar scene once upon a time. She had just scaled the tower of Beacon to find Pyrrha, kneeling before Cinder, moments before she was slain before her eyes.

Jaune was on his feet, sword in hand, and was already charging ahead before he knew what he was doing. He had no idea how powerful this woman in black was. He had no idea if he would be any match for her. But he had come all this way, crossing unfathomable borders and climbing impossible heights. He had fought so hard and lost so much to get here. And as much as he had bled for this war, he knew that Pyrrha had suffered infinitely more.

And he would _not_ allow Ruby to suffer the same fate.

" _NOOOOOOOOOOOO!_ "

CRASH!

Ruby's eyes suddenly opened in fright as a glowing figure appeared before her. A being engulfed in such pure white light that she could scarcely bear to look upon them. But the radiating power of the aura before her was incredible! There was only once person she knew with such a powerful aura. And as she squinted through the vibrant white light, she could see the faint outline of a heater shield, standing firmly between her and the Witch.

"J-Jaune!" Ruby gasped in astonishment.

The entire netherworld shook from the clash. The primordial powers of a long dead race that had powered the entire legacy of the Guardian Maidens for millennia on end; all of that power came crashing down upon a single figure enveloped in pure aura, his entire body swathed in Indominance. The sheer power coming at him should have been enough to reshape the very face of the globe. Even with his immense aura, by every measure, Jaune should have crumpled under the weight of the Maidens' might.

But there was someone behind him that he was determined to protect.

And so he held.

" _HAHHHHHHHHHH!_ " he shouted as the ancient dust collided with his shield, pushing back with all his might.

KRSHHHHHHHHHHHH!

All at once, the light went out, and the Witch was thrown back in a shower of crystal shards, the ancient dust exploding into a million pieces.

" _GRAAAAAGHHHHH!_ " the Witch screeched in anguish as she was hurled backwards, tumbling end over end.

Ruby shielded her eyes, blinking as she looked up to see what had happened. The Witch had been flung to the far side of the tower amidst a shower of broken crystal shards. Jaune was standing between the two of them, his shield smoldering like a hot iron. His armor had been battered and dented, his body shuddering where he stood, his sword in hand hanging loosely at his side.

"Jaune…" Ruby choked out in disbelief. "What… _how…?_ I…I don't understand…"

Jaune turned back to face her, his face a patchwork of scratches and bruises, looking as exhausted as she was, but still somehow standing triumphant.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a hurried voice.

Ruby felt her heart leaping into her throat, and tears came unbidden as her lips began to quiver.

"You…you _idiot!_ " she blared out weakly, her voice coming out in a choking whimper, premonitions of death and destruction filling her head. "What are you _doing_ here? You can't be here! This is the _netherworld!_ It's too dangerous for you here! Get out of here, now! Before it's too late!"

Jaune's face only tightened with determination as she spoke.

"No!" he said staunchly, returning his gaze to the Witch's writhing form. "I _won't_ leave you here, Ruby! I _can't_ lose anyone else!"

Ruby felt the tears streaming down her face as terror gripped her heart. She had been staring down the maw of death, so ready to give it all up. For Jaune to be here now…putting himself at risk…and all for someone like her…

"Jaune, I…" she stammered, trying and failing to climb to her feet. "You don't understand…"

Before them, Jaune could see the Witch on her hands and knees, looking around at the shattered dust on the ground before her, seething in rage as she slowly realized just what had happened.

Ruby was still shaking her head in despair.

"Everything I knew about this war is _lie!_ " she whimpered. "Everything's changed! Humanity…the Grimm…I…I don't know what we're even _fighting_ for anymore!"

She hung her head as tears fell from her cheeks.

"It's not worth…" she wept. " _I'm_ not worth-"

"Don't you _dare!_ " Jaune shouted, wheeling on her with the most ferocious look she'd ever seen in his eyes, thunder cracking overhead. "Don't you _dare_ say that, Ruby!"

Ruby's whole body went stiff as he stared down at her, sword and shield in hand.

"J-Jaune…?" she said, quivering.

Jaune sheathed his sword and knelt down beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't you _ever_ say that you're not worth fighting for!" he exclaimed, staring earnestly at her. "You're Ruby Rose! You're one of the greatest Huntresses I've ever known! You've carried me _and_ this team on your shoulders for _so_ long! And we've come too far together for you to quit on me now that we're _this_ close to the end!"

Ruby shuddered at his words, wanting so desperately to believe them.

"But Jaune…" she whimpered. "We've been fighting for all the wrong reasons! And I've made so many _mistakes!_ I gotten so many things _wrong!_ And I've let _so_ many people down that I…I just don't know what to _do_ anymore!"

Jaune squeezed her shoulders with both hands, gritting his teeth at he stared down at her.

"Would you stop _attacking_ yourself!?" he blared, his blue eyes shimmering as he spoke to her. "None of that matters! Aren't we standing here, right now? Haven't we come so far together? Haven't we been fighting together all this time? All the people who've fought at our side…all the people we've _lost_ …it all _means_ something, Ruby!"

Another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. Ruby's eyes flickered as she stared back at Jaune, absolutely spellbound.

"Jaune…" she whimpered.

Jaune stood up before her, offering his hand to her.

" _I'm_ going to keep fighting, no matter what!" he said. "I don't care if the odds are against us! I don't care if it's for the right reasons! I don't care if it's the most idiotic, selfish or senseless thing to do! I'm going to keep on fighting! You know why? Because _I've_ got someone I have to protect!"

He shoved his hand towards her as lightning once again scorched the sky.

"What about you?" he demanded.

Ruby felt a lump forming in her throat at Jaune's words. She didn't know how she could have gotten so lost. How could she have lost sight of herself so easily? Had the Witch's words spun such a convincing tale, or had she simply been looking for a way to rationalize the prospect of her own defeat? Either way, she was grateful to Jaune for being here, against all odds. She was grateful for everything he had done for her up until now. He had been her rock from the start of all this. For the very first day she had come to Beacon, Jaune had been there. His support had been unwavering, his steadfast companionship a constant source of comfort and stability for her. And he was proving himself once again, here and now.

Ruby clasped her hand into his.

"You're right Jaune…" she sighed thankfully, squeezing his hand in hers. "You're right."

Jaune pulled her to her to her feet, and she took a stand at his side.

"You really took a _huge_ risk coming here," she said nervously as she steadied herself on his shoulder. "But…thanks for coming after me."

Jaune drew his sword once again, raising his shield to cover them both.

"Sorry I took so long," he said.

Ruby nodded, swallowing hard. She was glad for Jaune's presence, but even she knew that despite the boy's strength, the two of them were still quite outmatched. Salem was back on her feet, and was staring back at them both with a murderous look in her eyes. And there were still the other two Maidens to consider.

"I've got to be honest though, Jaune…" she muttered. "I don't know if the two of us will be enough to handle this."

Despite the terror going on around them, Jaune's mouth actually managed to curve into a smile.

"Who said it was just the two of us?" he asked.

That's when Ruby turned to see Summer and Dora leaping into view, landing beside their master, recoiling as if evading a battle in which they were vastly outnumbered.

As Ruby turned her eyes back to see what had become of Qrow, her eyes fell upon a sight that made her heart soar.

Yang. Weiss. Blake. Pyrrha. Nora. Ren. Velvet. Coco. Yatsuhashi. Scarlet. Sage. Even Emerald! It was the rest of Team RWBY! It was the rest of Team JNPR! It was the rest of Team SSSN and CFVY! All of Team RSJC had made it through the Nexus and gathered here in the netherworld, somehow managing to fight their way through an untold number of Grimm to reach her. And Pyrrha's eyes were positively glowing with power that unmistakable belonged to the Maidens.

"I…I don't believe it!" Ruby gasped in excitement, nearly falling to her knees once again as tears began to well up in her eyes. "Yang! Weiss, Blake, everyone! You're all…"

Then she saw the two people standing next to Qrow, helping him to his feet. As the old man stood, Ruby felt her heart leap into her throat as she saw that he was accompanied by the two remaining members of Team STRQ, still standing tall and proud, ready to show the world that they weren't yet past their prime.

"D…Dad…?" Ruby breathed in absolute disbelief.

Taiyang smiled in relief when he saw that his daughter was safe.

"Ruby!" he exhaled breathlessly, placing a hand over his chest.

Qrow's arm was slung over Taiyang's shoulder, while Raven held the other.

"Ruby, look out!" she called out urgently.

Ruby and Jaune both turned back to stare at the Witch as she slowly approached them, a look of fury in her eyes.

"You think this _changes_ anything?" Salem demanded angrily, gesturing to the shattered remains of the dust around her feet. "You think I am afraid now that a mere _handful_ of your friends have gathered, Grimmslayer?"

She gestured to the sky above, and the Huntsmen tightened their grip on their weapons as the sky began to darken with the beating of wings. As Team RSJC turned to face outward, the Grimm began to land along the edge of the tower. One by one, the gargoyles landed, brandishing weapons of black death, their fangs bared, their keen eyes locked on the humans that they themselves had once been.

The Huntsmen began form up, closing in on themselves in a tight circle as the Grimm surrounded them from all sides. They knew they were outnumbered. That much had been clear from the outset. Even the fierce glow of the spirit of the Maidens contained with Pyrrha's body didn't seem to dissuade the Grimm while they were in such close proximity to their mistress. But none of them had been willing to give up on Ruby _or_ Qrow. And as they stood their ground, the endless night sky overhead, stricken with lightning, began to darken ever more as the Grimm continued to descend upon the tower.

"Your numbers mean _nothing!_ " the Witch decreed. "My Grimm are unending! We will devour you all! One human at a time if we must! The scourge of humanity will finally end! The age of the Grimm is coming! And nothing you do will ever stop that!"

Ruby felt anger coursing through her veins. She was so tired of fighting. She was so tired of losing. She was so tired of being toyed with, having her world flipped upside down, and being expected to carry on in spite of it all. And most of all, she was tired of trying so hard, making so many sacrifices, only to have her goal yanked from her grasp at the last minute.

"Everyone…" she said slowly, murderous eyes locked onto Salem. "Link with me."

Jaune glanced back at the team of Huntsmen at his back. There were sixteen of them in total, seventeen including himself. Surely Ruby didn't intend to link with _all_ of them.

"Everyone?" he asked, nervously.

"Everyone!" Ruby shouted, glaring back at Salem.

The Huntsmen heard her cry, and responded by reaching out with their aura. All of Team RSJC began to resonate as one. Weiss, Blake and Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren, Scarlet and Sage, Coco, Fox, Velvet, Yatsuhashi, and even Emerald joined their auras together. And as they felt the aura rising amongst them, Qrow, Raven and Taiyang added their aura to the mix.

And all of it centered around Ruby Rose.

"What!?" the Witch exclaimed, taking a step back as Ruby's silver eyes began to glow once more.

The aura began to accumulate. The combined aura of eighteen Huntsmen and Huntresses all began to swirl together, all of them guided and centered around Ruby Rose. And as that power began to gather, the Huntress at its focal point began to shine like a diamond. The Argentine warrior, the Gintama, the last Grimmslayer. Her power was the Maiden's gift of silver, the power to unite all the aura of humanity together. All aura was aura, and now that aura existed for one single purpose.

And as Ruby tapped into the massive aura pool of seventeen other Huntsmen and Huntresses, she felt energy begin to fill her body at an astonishing rate. As her eyes started to glow brighter and brighter, her skin began to tingle as soon, her whole body was glowing white.

The power surging through her body was unimaginable! She felt like she might rip apart from the aura collected inside of her! She had been on the verge of collapsing before but now, she felt absolutely invigorated! The power and force of every single member of her team was behind her! Her body was absolutely shimmering as the power flowed through her, her eyes glowing pure white. As her body stiffened from the sheer force of the aura inside her, her head was thrown back as light began to shine from her eyes and mouth, casting beams of pure silver into the sky.

" _YEEEAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!_ " Salem screamed, as she recoiled from the light.

 _HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!_

The surrounding Grimm suddenly scattered, hissing in revulsion from the light emanating from Ruby's body. Her form positively radiated silver light, and everything that was Grimm in her line of sight was instantly petrified, crumbling to dust as the beams of light from her eyes shot through them.

"Whoa…" Jaune gasped in awe, echoing his team's sentiment as he took a step back.

Ruby was positively crackling with power, her body aglow in an aura of silver. The Maiden's gift was seeping from every pore of her skin, and as a result, her body took on an ethereal, almost unearthly form. Her eyes were the purest white, and her skin, hair and clothes were all gradient shades of argent, her body emitting enough light to bathe the entire netherworld. She had become a being a pure light, the very embodiment of silver itself.

Ruby was the culmination of all of Team RSJC distilled into one single individual. She stood firmly on her two feet, Jaune's Indominance rooting her in place. Within her, Yang's semblance converted the toil of battle on the entire team into pure energy that all manifested within her. The gifts and abilities of all of Team RSJC was at her fingertips, and all of it wrapped in the pure, cleansing fire of a Grimmslayer.

Her hand reached out towards her fallen weapon across the roof of the tower, and within moments, Grímnir was flung towards her outstretched hand, drawn to her grip using Pyrrha's polarity. As she clasped her hand around the hilt, the gears whirred and the silver dust within the blade resonated with the outpouring of power from her body, the Maiden's gift transforming into pure energy. Grímnir came alight with Ruby's power, a layer of energy forming along its edge, extending its reach and increasing the size of its blade almost twofold!

Within moments, Ruby's weapon had unfolded into a massive death-scythe, its edge bright and keen as it shone with power.

" _No!_ " Salem cried as she watched her forces vaporize from the mere sight of her enemy. "Even after all your sins have been laid bare, Grimmslayer, you _still_ have the audacity to _fight back?_ "

Looking back at the two Summer Maidens at her heels, she swung a wicked claw-like finger towards Ruby.

"Kill her!" she commanded. "Kill her, _now!_ "

Wordlessly, Dora and Summer moved to obey their master. Before they could take so much as five steps, however, Ruby was already upon them, seemingly vanishing into thin air before appearing before them like a harbinger of death.

" _What!?_ " Salem gasped as the two Maiden's recoiled.

With a single slash, Grímnir passed through Dora's form like a wisp, leaving not a mark upon her as Ruby landed behind her back. A ghost of a smile passed across Dora's features. And then she burst into light as the Maiden's gift of silver filled her completely, rending her body asunder.

 _Goodbye, Dora…_

" _No!_ " the Witch screamed, gesturing towards her last remaining thrall. "Kill her! _Kill her!_ "

Ruby turned upon the ghost of her mother, who brought her lance up. But with all of the raw power at Ruby's disposal, she was not fast enough by a long shot. Ruby brought Grímnir down upon her, moving it through the Summer Maiden as easily as water through a sieve.

Summer Rose blinked her eyes, seeing her daughter for seemingly the first time, before a blissful smile came over her features. And then she too burst into light.

 _Goodbye, mother_ …

Tears of silver streaked down Ruby's cheeks, her body still glowing brightly as she cleansed the netherworld of the two abominations, overwhelmed by heartache from bidding farewell to two souls for whom her connection felt most dear. And after she rent the two Maidens back to oblivion, the Witch simply stared at her, fury in her eyes.

" _How dare you!_ " she shrieked, lips drawn back in a snarl. "Your very _existence_ is an atrocity! Your kind will rend the world asunder until there is _nothing_ left! Even if you _could_ rid the world of every last Grimm in existence, it would still ultimately mean your _oblivion!_ "

Salem clenched her hands into fists, rage dripping from her lips.

"So _why!?_ " she demanded. " _Why_ do you continue to _fight!?_ "

Ruby opened her mouth, and as she spoke, a congregation of voices spilled forth, her voice echoing out across the endless chasm below. Her voice resonated through the clouds above, reverberating with the strength of the Huntsmen of Remnant, the words of her kinsmen crying out through her lips.

"Because _that_ is who we are!" she declared as she slowly stepped towards the Witch, her eyes and body still glowing with supernatural might, her elongated death-scythe extended at her side. "It doesn't _matter_ where we come from or how we got here! We will _never_ stop fighting for our future! We will _never_ accept oblivion! Humanity will _never_ believe in a world where we are simply snuffed out of existence!"

Salem threw her hands to the sky, summoning hordes more of gargoyles to descend upon her enemy.

"And neither shall the Grimm!" she screamed back, drawing back her upper lip in disgust. "Your drive, your anger, your fear, your hatred…the Grimm are a reflection of _your_ world, human! We are a _part_ of the very world you seek to live in! And we are every bit as tenacious as you are! The Grimm will not go so quietly into the night!"

The gargoyles swarmed around Ruby and the Witch, spiraling around them in a corkscrew of claws, teeth and steel. And as Salem bid them forward, they plunged suicidally towards the Grimmslayer, their bodies turning to so much ash as they drew near her. Ruby continued to shimmer as the aura of her team surged inside her, the silver in her veins boiling over as her body shimmered with white hot power.

"Then so be it!" Ruby hollered back as she stepped forward, her eyes still glistening with silver, her voice still booming as though delivered from the lips of a Goddess. "If the Grimm are a natural part of the world like you say, then we will _find_ a balance! We will _find_ a future where we can _both_ exist! Humans and Grimm alike! That's what I've decided! If there is a path forward, then we will take it _together!_ "

As more and more Grimm began to disintegrate, the Witch began to back away from the Huntress, fear and loathing in her eyes.

"No such path exists, you fool!" she bellowed. "Can't you see that? We have been scrounging for such a possibility for millennia! We could never find it! No future exists where Humans and Grimm can _ever_ coexist! We've been at war for so long _because_ there is no other alternative! Can you not see the limitation of your very existence, human!?"

As the Grimm continued to swarm her, Ruby took hold of her death-scythe. Sweeping her weapon forward, she sent the cyclone of gargoyles scattering to the winds with a single strike, their bodies crumbling to dust in her wake as she drove ever forward.

"That's _your_ limitation!" Ruby cried, her voice carrying the hopes and dreams of her entire world as she continued her approach. "You, who have given up on the possibility for a future together! You, who sees the destruction of our kind as your only option! You, who would return everything to the way it was before! That's _no one's_ limitation but your own!"

Ruby lifted her death-scythe into the air, Grímnir's shimmering blade shining brilliantly with silver light, the rest of the Huntsmen watching in awe, their auras unified as one behind her.

"We will carve our path together!" her voice carried into the heavens. "We will continue to build! We will continue to find our way! We will continue to carry on in spite of everything! You and your Grimm will _never_ stop us! Don't you _dare_ underestimate the human race!"

As the Grimm continued to evaporate in a futile attempt to stave off the Grimmslayer's light, Salem's eyes began to widen in terror. Desperation clawed at the Witch's features as she turned to flee, letting out a scream of fright.

" _Curse_ you, Grimmslayer!" she wailed.

Ruby pushed on, her body shimmering like lightning, lunging towards her foe as the gargoyles around her continued to crumble into dust.

"No matter the sins of our past, we will _never_ lose hope!" Ruby shouted as she charged ahead on the wake of her allies' might. "No matter the sacrifices demanded of us, we will _always_ remain strong!"

"Stay away from me!" Salem's face twisted into a grimace of pure rage as she turned and ran. " _Stay away!_ "

Before she could reach the edge of the tower, Ruby appeared before the Witch, her glowing death-scythe gripped tightly in hand, her flowing cape billowing behind her as the being of silver blocked her escape.

"No matter _what_ demons we face, we will _keep_ on fighting!" Ruby cried, her eyes blazing with white hot silver. "No matter how much we _lose,_ we will _keep_ getting back up! No matter _what_ stands in our way… _each and every one of us will_ _KEEP_ - _!_ "

She wheeled her arms back as she prepared to strike.

"- _MOVING-!_ "

She planted her feet, twisting her body as she swung her father's weapon with all her might.

 _"-FORWARD!_ "

Ruby brought her scythe upward with a climactic sweep that split the sky in two.

" _GRAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!_ " the Witch let out an ear-splitting scream.

The clouds parted from the force of strike, and Salem's body remained still for a moment more, before slowly she began to crumble. Like the many thralls that had come before her, she soon lost all color and substance, and as the Witch fell to the ground, her body turned into powdery dust that piled into a heap.

Within the small pile of ash, a wisp of black emerged like a smoky phantom. The last primal essence of the Witch, her true form emerging as her host body had finally passed after six thousand years. The black wisp rose into the air, whirling away from the tower, from the Huntsmen and from the Grimmslayer in one last desperate bid for survival.

The surrounding Huntsmen all tensed as they watched the wisp flit away.

"Ruby!" Blake shouted out a warning, her keen Faunus senses picking up on it before before anyone else.

Ruby turned to watch Salem's true form fly away. As the Witch's essence fled, the gears within Grímnir whirred, exposing the barrel of Ruby's gun as she took aim.

BLAM!

A blast of pure silver echoed out across the netherworld, aimed dead-center on the fleeing wisp.

And then, all at once, time seemed to slow to a crawl.

* * *

Part 3

* * *

Ruby and the other Huntsmen could see the blast of light hovering in the air. They could see the last of Salem's essence, frozen in time as the death-stroke from Ruby's gun hovered over it like an executioner's blade.

And then a familiar figure, cloaked in red and black, descended upon the Witch's essence, seizing it in her hand as she slammed it into the ground.

Time resumed as the Wizard's power was released, and the silver bullet continued on its path, sailing over its target by a wide margin.

And Ruby was left starring at her aunt, holding the Witch's essence in her hand.

"Raven!" she cried out in horror and confusion.

The old Huntress didn't respond. Her eyes were locked on the tiny sliver of black death in her grip as it writhed within her hand, pinned to the ground, helpless.

"Raven!" Taiyang shouted in alarm.

"Mom!" Yang called out, disbelief in her eyes.

As the twitching, squirming remains of the Witch struggled within Raven's grasp, her body began to glow a faint, blackish red. Her eyes were a mask of hatred as her jaw was clenched in fury. Her arm began to shake as the wisp of a Grimm in her hand began to slowly shrink, losing mass as Raven's body continued to glow darkly.

"Raven!" Ruby shook her head, darting towards her. "What do you think you're doing!?"

The last remains of the Witch finally disappeared as Raven's body continued to emanate a dark, eerie power. As she rose to her feet to give Ruby a stoic expression, the young Huntress could see her skin had grown paler.

And a thin black slit had emerged on her forehead.

"Ruby," Raven said darkly. "Don't come any closer with those silver eyes of yours…"

Ruby's eyes widened as she saw what had become of her aunt Raven, but she halted her approach, landing five steps ahead of her, the rest of the Huntsmen gathering around behind her.

"Mom!" Yang cried out in alarm. "Mom, what…what did you _do!?_ "

"Raven!" Taiyang was shaking his head, holding Qrow's arm over his shoulder. "What's going on?"

Raven didn't respond. She was staring at the palm of her hand, where the Witch's essence had been moment's earlier. She opened and closed her hand, staring at the paleness of her skin in amazement.

"I was wrong…" she breathed in awe. "I was _so_ wrong. About _all_ of it. The Grimm…the Grimm aren't _parasites_ …they're _symbiotes!_ "

Each of the Huntsmen was staring at Raven suspiciously, their weapons drawn. With her pale skin and the black dot on her forehead, she was starting look suspiciously similar to the enemy that they had just given every last drop of their aura to defeat.

Finally, Raven's eyes rose to the Huntsmen in her midst.

"How are you feeling, Qrow?" she asked in an almost eerily casual voice. "This must be a rather strange experience for you as well."

All eyes turned to Qrow Branwen, who was still hanging onto Taiyang for support. As he lifted his head, his own skin was looking a shade or two lighter in tone than before. And upon his forehead was a faint black dot as well. It seemed that he too had taken on the features of the Witch, although his were much less pronounced.

"Ughh…" he groaned in discomfort. "What…what the hell did you just _do?_ "

Raven held her arms wide, as if to show that she meant them no harm.

"It's alright," she assured them. "Everything' going to be alright. This was always the plan."

Yang shook her head, a look of fear in her eyes.

"Mom…" she asked, pleadingly. "I don't understand…what's going on?"

Raven turned her eyes towards Ruby Rose, her body still radiating with the silver light of the Maiden's gift, still uncertain if the threat was truly gone.

"You heard what Salem said, Ruby," Raven said somberly. "I'm afraid it's all true. The Witch and her creatures _were_ the original residents of this world, and it is the Wizard and his forces who were the visitors who ultimately upset the balance of things. They were the caretakers of the planet, whose sole purpose was to maintain order. And it was our ancestors were the agents of chaos that threw all of that into disarray."

Qrow fixed his sister with an incredulous look.

"The forces of stability...and the forces of change," he breathed in realization. "Mother Earth and Father Time. The Witch…and the Wizard."

Raven nodded.

"It is just as the old stories say," she said. "It is Mother Earth and Father Time that gave rise to life on this planet. At least, life as _we_ know it."

There was an uncomfortable stirring among the Huntsmen as the full implications of what Raven was saying began to sink in.

"Holy shit…" Yang drew in a breath, giving voice to the thought going through everyone's mind.

"And for that reason, the Grimm have every reason the hate us," Raven elaborated. "We've been powering our cities, our cars, our airships and our weapons with the dust that the Grimm need to survive. Even as far back as the time of the first Wizard, at the dawn of the catastrophe that marked our arrival on this planet, the Grimm sought to expunge us like a disease. As they rose in response to the shortage of aura cause by the Shattering, we started digging for whatever tools we could find to help us survive. When we started using dust to fight them back, their resources began to dwindle even further. Mankind slaughtered the creatures of Grimm as much as they have us, and the war has raged on this way ever since. It is a vicious, endless cycle of bloodshed that shall never be quenched. Not without finding some sort of accord."

Ruby blinked her eyes, finally relinquishing the Maiden's gift, the silver glow that surrounded her eyes and body fading as she held her scythe tightly.

"An accord?" she asked.

Raven held up her hand, a red mark visible on the palm of her hand where the Witch's essence had entered her body.

"It is as you said, Ruby," she assured her. "Humans and Grimm must learn to share the limited aura of this planet. Mother Earth and Father Time have been at war with one another for thousands of years. It doesn't _matter_ where either of our two kinds come from or how we got here - we're _all_ here now. And we _must_ make the most of this world, both for the sake of the Grimm and for ourselves. If we do not reach some sort of balance, the world will fall into chaos once more. Even if the Witch were completely destroyed, it wouldn't stop another Grimm from rising to power to oppose mankind. It won't be a matter of _if_ , but _when_. Maybe in another thousand years, maybe in ten thousand years…but eventually, all our work here would be for naught."

Yang crossed her arms suspiciously.

"How do you _know_ all this?" she demanded. "This wasn't part of what we learned from that pool of yours."

"What I gained from the Witch was more than simple power," Raven elaborated. "I also gained her memories from the life she spent for the past six thousand years. Now, at last, the gaps in my knowledge that the Waters of Life were unable to fill have now finally been illuminated."

Ruby's eyes flew open in alarm.

"Wait!" she cried out. "Aunt Raven! You _took_ the Witch's power? Does that…does that make _you_ the new Witch!?"

Taiyang's shoulders drooped, a heartbroken look appearing on his face.

"Raven…" he whispered.

Raven nodded gravely.

"You could look at it that way," she admitted. "But you must understand…the title of Witch was simply a moniker given to an enemy. Before she was the Witch, she was the steward of the very planet. She was responsible for keeping the world and the netherworld in balance. And that was a title we usurped from her."

Qrow crossed his arms.

"And now that Ruby's managed to slay the last Witch, that leaves the title open for _you_ to take on yourself," he finished the thought. "Is that what I'm hearing?"

Raven nodded slowly.

"I had a role to play in all this as well," she said simply. "I'm simply fulfilling that role."

The Huntsmen each exchanged a nervous glance with one another, but nobody else dared speak a word. Raven wasn't talking sense, but she didn't seem to be openly hostile at least.

"I…I don't understand, Raven…" Taiyang shook his head in confusion. "What's happened to you?"

Raven looked at her husband, trying not to let her guilt show.

"It's…difficult to explain, Tai…" she said slowly. "The Witch takes on host forms by infesting the bodies of living things. She also takes on the nature and traits of that individual. For Salem, it was her drive to rid the world of the technology that she feared. For myself…it is my desire to end the conflict between us."

Taiyang still looked befuddled. Yang simply crossed her arms, giving her mother a curious look.

"So…you're the new Witch then?" she nodded, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "Between Ruby's supped-up silver eyes and me getting Cinder's abilities, it seems like we're _all_ getting new powers today."

Ruby stared at Yang in befuddlement.

"Y-Yang…?" she asked in confusion. "W-What do you mean? You got _Cinder's_ powers too?"

Yang rolled her eyes impatiently.

"It's a long story," she said dismissively. "I'm still not sure how it all worked out, but to be honest, I'm still more concerned with the fact that my _mother_ apparently decided to let the Witch survive by infesting her own body!"

Raven held up her hands defensively.

"It's not an infestation, Yang," she said insistently. "Like I said, it's a symbiotic relationship. I provide her with a form to live on through, and she provides me with the power I need to fulfill my goals. And as it so happens, our ultimate goals actually happen to fall in line with one another."

Yang still looked skeptical.

"So does this mean you can control the Grimm?" she asked.

Raven shook her head.

"Not quite," she admitted. "There's only one way to end the conflict for good. And that is to merge the powers of the Wizard and the Witch _together_."

Qrow drew in his breath as realization dawned on him, brushing his fingertips across the black slit on his forehead.

"Twins…" he said, breathlessly.

Raven nodded.

"Just as I inherited some of the Wizard's power when you took the title, Qrow, so too shall you inherit some of the Witch's power from me," she said. "While we are each in possession of our own unique strengths, we shall always carry within us a small piece of the other."

Ruby's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh, I see!" she said excitedly. "You share a semblance because you're both twins, so that means the Wizard and the Witch's powers are shared as well!"

Raven nodded.

"Precisely, Ruby," she said. "And through this connection, Qrow and I shall steward our two worlds."

Qrow mused intently, looking rather fierce with his pale skin and jet black third-eye engraved within his forehead.

"You're talking about taking on the job of someone who's been at this for over a six thousand years," he pointed out. "Is that longevity supposed to be part of the Witch's power too?"

Raven nodded gravely.

"It is, Qrow," she said simply. "And this power now affects you as well. We won't be immortal, precisely…but the two of us will outlive almost everyone who's alive today."

Qrow looked light-headed as he took all that in.

"My god…" Ruby breathed, staring up at Qrow as the full implications of what Raven was saying hitting her like a ton of bricks.

Qrow threw Ruby a look of incredulity.

"Would you listen to this crazy lady talk?" he said, helplessly. "I'm gonna need a _real_ stiff drink after today."

Raven fixed her twin brother with an apologetic look.

"Qrow," she said slowly. "I know this is a heavy burden to bear. But if you're even _half_ the Wizard Ozpin thought that you'd be…"

Qrow still looked dizzy, leaning against Taiyang for support, meeting her stare with a hard look of his own.

"I'm…trying to put this as delicately as I can, Raven…" he said warily, swallowing hard. "How do we know you won't just turn into _another_ Salem, and wreak havoc on our world after the pressure of your title finally gets to be too much for you to bear?"

Raven smiled sweetly at her twin brother.

"Because of _you_ , Qrow," she explained softly. "Your part in this arrangement is _crucial_ to its success. Salem lost hold of herself because she had lost faith in humanity. But because of our connection, Qrow, that is something I will never lose. So long as you keep performing your role of the Wizard, and act as steward to life in your realm, I will never lose hold of myself, nor will I allow myself to become the monster Salem was."

Ruby fidgeted nervously, watching her aunt speak, unable to tear her gaze away from her ghostly pale skin.

"So…what?" Qrow demanded, impatiently. "Now that you've claimed that title of Witch for your own, you'll just…stay here in the netherworld? Forever?"

Raven nodded sadly. "That is the sacrifice that I must make. If that is what is required of me, then that is what I shall do."

"No…" Taiyang shook his head, letting Qrow fall to one knee as he ran to the other woman. "No, Raven, you can't! I…I just got you back! After all this time, we…we finally have a chance to be a _family_ again!"

Raven smiled sadly as Tai threw his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, my love…" she said mournfully. "But it is the duty of Huntsmen and Huntresses to take on the sacrifices of today in order to-"

"Shut up!" Taiyang hollered, squeezing her tightly. "Just _shut up_ about that already! You always say things like that to justify _everything_ you do! I don't want to hear it anymore!"

"Tai…" Raven whispered softly, allowing herself to be swept up in his embrace.

Tai clasped his wife's face between his hands, gazing into her unfamiliar eyes as tears streaked down his own.

"What about _our_ happiness!?" he pleaded with her, longingly. "You, me, Yang, Ruby…we've all fought _so_ hard to get here. Don't we…don't _we_ deserve some happiness together?"

A shudder ran through Raven's body as she drew in her breath. The temptation to accept his offer, even after everything that had happened…

"You've both come _so_ far without me," she whispered. "You've raised our daughter into an _amazing_ young Huntress, and you've done an _equally_ outstanding job with Summer's child. I couldn't be more proud you all. You don't really need me, Tai. None of you do."

Tears filled Taiyang's eyes as he enveloped his former wife in a crushing embrace, looking like he might just refuse to release her.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded in a blubbering voice. "Of course we need you! We _all_ do!"

"Tai…" Raven sighed wistfully, lifting a hand up to stroke his golden locks, closing her eyes as she savored the billowy touch of his hair. "We _both_ know that life isn't that fair. No matter much either one of us might wish it otherwise. It is your ability to rise up to surpass this unfairness that is the mark of a true Huntsmen."

She reached out to take Taiyang by the shoulders, holding him at arm's length as she gazed into his eyes.

"And each of you have proven yourselves time and time again…" she whispered.

"Mom…" Yang breathed, trying not to cry.

"Raven…" Taiyang shook his head, tears in his eyes.

Raven drew in her breath, forcing back tears of her own as she withdrew from Taiyang's grasp.

"Besides…" she said sadly, glancing over at Pyrrha Nikos. "I am not the only one whose fate lies beyond the Nexus."

All eyes fell on the red haired Huntress. Despite the danger's end, her body still continued to glow with the Maidens' light. In fact, if anything, the glow seemed to be even brighter than before. Whatever power had possessed her, it was clear to everyone watching that she could no longer turn it off.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune called out in alarm as he rushed over to her. "Oh, no… No-no-no- _no!_ Pyrrha! Talk to me! What's happening!?"

Pyrrha was standing still, her whole body giving off a soft warm glow. Her eyes were unfocused as Jaune took her in in his arms, as if listening to a thousand voices at once.

"I…I don't know…" she confessed, glancing around at her comrades. "I…I feel strange…"

Ren and Nora came to Pyrrha's side as Jaune held her shoulders in his hands. He fixed her with a desperate look, before his eyes flitted back towards the new Witch.

"What's happening to her!?" he demanded in a choking voice. "What's going on!?"

Raven sighed solemnly.

"The plain truth is, humanity is guilty," she said. "When the Wizard sealed the Witch away six thousand years ago, he proceeded to push mankind forward without end, just as our forebears had done. And despite the many, many hardships we as a people endured, humanity flourished under his guidance. And despite the terror inflicted upon us by the Grimm, their power steadily declined."

Raven cast her arms out at the dark and dreary realm of the netherworld.

"But as Salem so eloquently put it, such prosperity comes at a great cost," she said. "We have taken too much from the land. And the creatures of Grimm are the land's way of taking it back."

"But…" Ruby called out hesitantly, looking frenetically between her and Pyrrha. "But you can _stop_ all that now…can't you?"

Raven shook her head slowly.

"Originally, that was my intention," she said. "I sought to claim the Witch's power for my own so that I might quiet the Grimm, and put a stop to her plans myself. But a starving beast is impossible to control for very long. Even _with_ the Witch's powers."

Ruby glanced between her sister, Jaune, Pyrrha, and the other Huntsmen.

"What does that mean?" she demanded.

"And what's this got to do with Pyrrha!?" Jaune pleaded.

Raven shook her head, looking back at the young Huntress as she shimmered.

"Right now, you are alive by the grace of the aura of the spirit of the Maidens," she explained. "It is a power that was never intended to sustain life on its own. That you've lasted even this long is a testament what a strong will you possess."

She gestured down to the broken shards of dust that littered the top of the tower.

"The Maidens clearly had a purpose for you, young Huntress," she said. "Now that that purpose has been realized, they have nothing left tying them to this world anymore. They have but one task left to them now - to return their aura to the Earth from whence they came."

Jaune's eyes widened in absolute disbelief.

"No…" he whimpered.

Raven closed her eyes.

"As the Witch said," she muttered. "All aura will return to where it belongs in due time."

Jaune began to tremble as he looked back and forth between Raven and Pyrrha's glowing form.

"This can't be happening…" he shook his head in disbelief, tears welling up in his eyes. "Pyhha, I…you've _got_ to hold on! You've _got_ to!"

Pyrrha closed and reopened her eyes, slowly looking down at her glowing hands in wonder. Every movement was slowed, as if she was moving through water. When she looked back at Jaune, she had a tired look in her eyes, as if an enormous weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Jaune…" she whispered, glancing between him and the rest of her team. "Nora…Ren…"

"Pyrrha…" Nora whimpered on the verge of tears. "No…don't leave us again…"

"I…" Pyrrha said in a quavering voice, before turning her eyes to the new Witch.

Raven smiled back at her, before hanging her head.

"You are truly something else, young Huntress," she sighed. "You are the only Maiden in history to have been able to manifest their complete power. But a Maiden's power is never owned, only borrowed. And now…I'm afraid it's time to give that power back."

Jaune turned his eyes towards the Witch as they narrowed.

"Stop this!" he pleaded with her. "You have to _do_ something! Anything! Please!"

Raven shook her head.

"I'm afraid it's out of my hands now, young Huntsman," she sighed. "This is the Maidens' will. Soon, their power will return to the Earth. And that power will be used to restore the balance between the world of the living and the dead. This power represents the aura of _thousands_ of Maidens past. That is aura enough to nourish the planet for _centuries_ to come."

She turned her eyes towards Ruby Rose.

"Balance will be restored," she said. "And the Grimm will have no further quarrel with us. It will mean an _end_ to the war."

Ruby's eyes widened in disbelief.

"An end to the war with the Grimm…" she breathed in awe.

Jaune seethed at their words.

"At the cost of Pyrrha's life!" he growled.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha intoned, her body still glowing, as if all of her aura was trying to escape at once.

He ground his teeth, throwing a murderous glare back at Raven.

"Don't _we_ get some kind of choice in all this!?" he demanded angrily. "What about _our_ future? What about _Pyrrha_ 's future?"

Pyrrha shook her head, reaching out to him.

"Jaune, don't…" Pyrrha called out, her voice coming out in a low tone. "This is the will of the Maidens. If it comes down to a choice between _my_ life and an _end_ to the war with the Grimm…"

Jaune threw Pyrrha an astonished look, eyes wide as he shook his head in disbelief.

"No…" he intoned. "Pyrrha, I…I can't let you go! I…"

His voice went hoarse as he choked on his tears.

"I _love_ you!" he cried.

Pyrrha smiled tearfully as she took him into her arms, touching her hand to his bruised cheek.

"And you _know_ I love you too, Jaune…" she said mirthfully. "But it's out of our hands now. We don't have a choice anymore. And besides…"

Pyrrha drew in her breath as she choked back tears of her own.

"Could you _ever_ love someone who would choose to live on by _sacrificing_ the whole world?" she asked tremulously.

Jaune's face tightened as he pulled away from her, but he had no answer to give her. Pyrrha hung her shoulders as she tried her best to offer a smile.

"Maybe…maybe it's time we stopped fighting this…" she said sorrowfully.

Jaune shook his head, tears falling to the ground as he clenched his hands into fists. He turned to face Pyrrha, a look of utter despair in his eyes.

"It's not fair…" he cried, his whole body trembling. "It's not _fair!_ "

Pyrrha shook her head sadly.

"No, it's not…" she agreed mournfully. "But when has life _ever_ been fair? We received a second chance to realize _everything_ that we could have been together. Most people never get that much, Jaune…"

Pyrrha wiped the tears from her eyes as she thought back to everything that had happened after Cinder brought her back from the brink of death. It had been the most traumatizing ordeal she had ever gone through. But in spite of all of the horror she had endured, the privilege of being able to spend even that _little_ bit of time with Jaune and her friends was a blessing that she wouldn't have traded for anything.

"Every moment we had together after I came back has been a _gift_ ," Pyrrha said, mirthfully. "And at least…at least now I'll know that I've done some _good_ for this world."

Jaune didn't respond, hanging his head as he slowly drew in on himself, his whole body quivering. As Pyrrha watched him, she shook her head, placing her hand over her heart.

"Please, Jaune," she whispered. "I…I can feel it slipping. We…we don't have much time left…"

Nora and Ren flinched at her words as Jaune stood with his hands clenched into fists at his side, his eyes hidden behind his hair. And as they did, the rest of the Huntsmen hung their heads in sadness, watching as their teammates slowly began to say their goodbyes.

"No…" Ruby breathed, stepping over to the other Huntress, her hands clenched before her. "Pyrrha, I…I didn't mean for this to happen!"

Pyrrha shook her head, placing her hands on Ruby's shoulders.

"It's okay…it's okay, Ruby …" she sighed, looking down at her. "Truly, I'm grateful. You guided my team through its darkest hour. I couldn't have asked for any more from you."

Ruby hung her head, sniffing back tears.

"It was _my_ honor, Pyrrha," she said in a lilting voice. "You were the _best_ of us. You were an inspiration to _all_ of us. I only hope…"

Ruby choked on her tears and wiped her eyes, struggling to maintain her composure.

"I only hope the rest of us can live up to your example…" she whimpered.

Pyrrha squeezed her shoulders, smiling back at her.

"You already have…" she assured her, before leaning in closer to whisper into Ruby ear. "Please…take care of Jaune for me."

Her words caused Ruby's eyes to throw a tentative glance at Jaune, before clenching once again in sorrow.

"I will…" Ruby nodded, squeezing her hand.

Ruby quivered as Pyrrha parted from her, unable to think of the words she wanted to say to express her gratitude. Looking at Pyrrha now, she looked like a shining golden goddess. It was no wonder Jaune and his team loved her as much as they did.

"Pyrrha!" Nora cried out in despair, throwing her arms around her team. "Pyrhaaaaa!"

Ruby withdrew, rushing to her father's side and let him wrap her in a tight, protective embrace, letting almost a year of worry overflow all at once. As she did, Pyrrha wrapped her arms around the bawling young woman clinging to her side as she buried her tears against the crook of her neck.

"I don't want you to go!" Nora wailed, her whole body shaking. "It hurt so much when we had go on without you! I don't want to have to do that again!"

Pyrrha felt her own tears coming as she held her weeping teammate, stroking her shoulders comfortingly.

"Oh, Nora…" she said in tremulous voice. "I'm so sorry, Nora. I know it hurts. Wherever it is that I'm going…I know that I'll miss you too."

Nora continued to sob into Pyrrha's arms as the rest of the team gathered around, their heads hanging in sorrow.

Pyrrha shuddered as she embraced her friend's quivering form in her arms.

"Nora…" she whispered as she continued to stroke her back. "I need you to be brave for me, okay? Your team's going to need you, now more than ever. I won't be able to look after them anymore. So I need you to be there for all of them now. Okay?"

Nora sniffed and raised her head to look at her, her face red with tears.

"O…Okay…" she sniffed, wiping her tears.

Pyrrha stroked her cheek, dabbing at her tears, and gave her a heartwarming smile.

"Okay…" she said, before turning to Ren.

Like Jaune, Ren was doing his best to hide his sadness behind a stone wall, his body standing rigid and firm. But at Pyrrha's approach, he began to shake, his hands tightening into fists.

"I…" he breathed, stumbling over his words. "I'm sorry, I…I just…really hate saying goodbye…"

Pyrrha drew in her breath, before pulling the Huntsman in a tight embrace, his eyes flying open as she did.

"I know, Ren…" Pyrrha whispered breathlessly as she held him tightly. "I do too…"

Ren could no longer retain his composure as he returned her embrace, tears coming unbidden to his eyes. He shook in despair, frustrated by the feeling of helplessness, unable to keep his team together and save them the heartache of her passing.

Pyrrha took him by the shoulder, gazing into his eyes as she smiled at him.

"It's like you always say, Ren," she assured him gently. "All life is change, for better or worse. And all we can do is enjoy what we have, and find ways to move on when the time comes. Isn't that right?"

Ren stiffened as Pyrrha repeated his own mantra back at him, and he smiled as she wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Yeah…" he admitted, smiling through the tears. "You're right…"

Pyrrha withdrew from the young Huntsman and turned her eyes towards Jaune, who still had not moved from where he had last been. He still stood firmly rooted in place, his fists clenched tightly as he hung his head in despair.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha whispered as she came up to him.

Jaune shook his head, his eyes still hidden behind his blond hair.

"I can't do it…" he wept, trembling where he stood. "I just can't do it, Pyrrha. I…I can't watch you go…"

Pyrrha stiffened in response, before drifting towards him, her glowing form almost seeming to float along the air, as if the dissipating aura in her body was losing all weight and substance by the moment.

"Jaune…" she sighed, placing her hands on his shoulders as she herself began to tremble as she tried to find the words to speak to him. "I'm…I'm so…so-"

The young Huntsman clenched his body even tighter as the tears spilled out.

"Don't say it!" he cried, gritting his teeth. "Don't say you're sorry, Pyrrha! You're _always_ apologizing for everything, but you don't have anything to apologize for!"

He finally raised his head, gazing back at her with tear-filled eyes.

"None of this is your fault!" he said tremulously. "You shouldn't have to apologize to _anyone_. Least of all to me…"

Pyrrha sighed and took his face in her hands, gazing back at him.

"I'm so… _proud_ of you, Jaune…" she whispered in a heartfelt voice.

Jaune stared back at her wide-eyed and as she kissed him, his walls broke down and he threw his arms around her, pulling her into a crushing embrace as all his sadness came pouring out at once.

"Pyrrha!" he cried out, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha let out a gasp of breath as she began choking on tears of her own.

"Oh Jaune…" she whimpered, clutching him tightly. "Please…don't cry. We _both_ knew this would be goodbye."

Tangling his fingers through her hair, Jaune held onto her tightly, his breathing coming out in pained gasps.

"But at least…" she said in a withering voice. "At least now…it can be on _our_ terms."

Jaune shook his head as his tears continued to spill, refusing to let go of the woman he loved as her body began to grow lighter and more translucent. The glow behind her skin grew brighter as her whole body became swathed with light, taking on an ethereal glow.

The aura of the Maidens was on the verge of releasing her form.

Jaune only continued to embrace her, as if refusing to release her into the void.

"Oh Pyrrha," he wept. "How am I supposed to go on? How am I supposed to keep on fighting when it was _you_ who I've been fighting for all this time?"

The other Huntsmen watched as Pyrrha's body slowly became almost too bright to look upon. But as Jaune held her tightly, he refused to look away from her smiling face.

"You already have, Jaune," she assured him. "Even without me by your side, you've become such an amazing Huntsman. You've made such amazing friends. And I just know that you'll keep doing amazing things together."

Jaune continued to weep as he held onto Pyrrha's form as it slowly grew brighter and brighter, shimmering so brightly that it began to illuminate the sky.

"I believe in you, Jaune," she whispered, her voice becoming hollow as her form diminished. "I'll _always_ believe in you. Just promise…promise me you'll never stop believing in yourself. Okay?"

Jaune trembled as he held onto Pyrrha's glowing form and he nodded slowly.

"O…Okay…" he sighed.

As he continued to hold her, Pyrrha's body become fully obscured by the glowing light inside her. As the light grew brighter and brighter, her form finally vanished, and the glowing essence inside suddenly burst into a million points of light that rose and expanded in every direction at once.

The Huntsmen stared up in awe as all the lights from Pyrrha's soul flew up in the sky, filling the air around them. All at once, the netherworld was completed bathed in a warm, nurturing glow. The hellish landscape took on an otherworldly feel as the sky above was suddenly filled with a million tiny shimmering facets, each one of them representing the essence of a past Maiden's aura.

The flurry of aura began to dance and swirl around the tower where they all stood, forming a brilliant display of light and power. The will of the Maidens began to swirl into motion as a great cascading wave, as every drop of aura within them began to heal the world around them. As the light from Pyrrha's soul touched upon the netherworld, the Huntsmen could feel the world beginning to change.

They could feel the power radiating from beneath their feet, the shifting earth as life began to return. Plants began to grow around them, and even the creatures of Grimm, so savage in their appearance, began to grow docile, their bright red eyes losing their murderous glow. The dark black pools of aura that had represented the most meager sources of life slowly expanded to become great lakes and seas. And all around the netherworld, the Grimm began to flock to this new source of aura. And as they did, the Grimm slowly withdrew from the world of Remnant.

All across the world, from the sandy streets of Vacuo to the shimmering towers of Atlas, the people of Remnant began to feel a stirring. A warm glow seemed to pervade over all as the Grimm began to depart. The wake of destruction the creatures of Grimm had caused would leave a scar upon the land, but now at last, they could begin to rebuild what had been lost. And as the Grimm returned to where they belonged, the people of Remnant were left with a moment to reflect on where it was that they truly belonged as well.

And now it seemed that it was time for them to find an answer together.

Jaune and the others stared up in wonder and awe at all the glowing points of light as they continued to swirl over the tower, each like a tiny star overhead. Pyrrha's sacrifice had changed the entire world. Together with the spirit of the Maidens, she had set the world to rights. She had ended the war with the Grimm.

And all Jaune could do was weep as he watched the endless sky.

"Jaune…" Ruby's voice came as she pulled away from her father and slowly approached the young man, tears in her eyes. "Jaune, I…I'm so sorry…"

Jaune didn't turn to look at her. He couldn't tears his eyes away from the captivating spectacle above, as Pyrrha's last will continued to heal the world. His hands were still clenched around his chest where he had been holding her. When he finally looked down, he opened his hands to see a single, tiny speckle of light. The last tiny fragment of Pyrrha's soul, dancing in the palm of his hand.

He closed his hands together, bringing them to his lips, before raising them into the air. As he opened his hands, that last tiny fragment finally drifted away like a firefly in the night, rising up into the sky to dance alongside the other Maidens. He watched the lights shimmering above them, losing himself within the spectacular array, his face still a broken-hearted mask of sadness.

Ruby continued to stand there, a sorrowful expression on her face, feeling more and more guilty as Jaune continued to remain silent.

Until finally he spoke.

"Don't be…" he said, a tearful smile on his face as he turned to look at her. "She wanted this. She…she wanted to be a hero."

Ruby drew in a breath, not expecting him to respond.

Jaune let out a breath as he wiped the tears from his eyes, only for more to take their place as he stared up at the sky.

"And she was," he said quietly.

Ruby felt an up-welling of emotion inside her. They had won the war. But they had lost so much. And after all this time, the thought of moving on in spite of everything just seemed like too much to bear. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to sleep for a million years. She wanted to go home and tell everyone she knew how much she loved them and how glad she was that they lived in the same world together.

And in spite of everything she felt, she knew that Jaune was dealing with more still. She wanted to be there for him. As a teammate. As a friend. As a partner. For Pyrrha's sake. For her own sake. She would do whatever she could.

"Yeah…" she sighed, standing next to him as she took looked up at the fabulous array of light overhead. "She was."

The rest of Team RSJC approached them, standing together in solidarity. Team Ruby, Team JNPR, Team SSSN and Team CFVY. As the Huntsmen and Huntresses stood as one, they each exchanged looks of pride and regret, joy and grief. They had endured and accomplished so much together that it was difficult to believe that it could finally be over. They had done the impossible. They had managed what no one else could. And they had paid such a heavy price for it. What more could be said between them as they stood side by side, gazing up at the still more glorious dawn ahead?

Unconsciously, Ruby slipped her hand in Jaune's, feeling him squeeze hers in return. And as he did, she knew that in spite of it all, everything would be alright.

"And so, the era of the Maidens has passed," Raven exhaled as she stood beside Yang and her father. "Even with the last Maiden's sacrifice, this boon will not last forever. We must work together to find new means of growing and building without the use of dust. The Maidens have bought us a grace period, but if the dust industry continues to grow, the Grimm will return to our world before long. We have maybe a hundred years, perhaps more. It will be up to us to find a new source of energy before this time runs out."

The Huntsmen exchanged a troubled look as they considered the implications. The world of Remnant had been dependent on dust for so long. It would be a long and difficult path to abandon such a plentiful source of energy. But if it meant avoiding another war with the Grimm, then what alternative did they have?

"A hundred years to completely transform the dust industry into one that uses an alternative energy source…" Weiss mused, crossing her arms in contemplation. "It'll be a challenge. But we have to try at least. I'll do whatever it takes. You can count on me."

Raven nodded in approval.

"Very good," she said, smiling back at her. "Without the Schnee Dust Company president, this future we've secured here could never last."

She turned her eyes to Blake Belladonna.

"Without the leader of the White Fang, we could have never won the battle for Beacon," she added.

Turning her eyes towards her daughter, Raven let out a sigh.

"Without the Daughter of Fire, we could have never managed to hold the Nexus," she continued.

Finally, she looked at Ruby, shaking her head in disbelief.

"And without the Last Grimmslayer, we could have never defeated Salem," she finished. "The four of you have accomplished _so_ much in this war. The world of Remnant owes you everything, Team RWBY. You should all be proud of yourselves."

Ruby smiled at her teammates, before fixing Raven with a determined look.

"Team RSJC, you mean," she corrected gently. "Every single Huntsman and Huntress here was invaluable, including Team STRQ. And we can't forget about Maidens either. None of us could have managed any of this on our own. It was only together that we managed to come this far."

The Huntsmen all nodded in agreement. Raven bowed her head, acquiescing to Ruby's argument.

"Of course," she said, before turning to Qrow. "Now it's time to say goodbye. The two of us have a lot of work ahead of us."

Qrow gave his sister a smirk.

"Yeah…" he said. "It's been a hell of a ride, Raven."

Raven nodded.

"Indeed it has, Qrow," she said. "I'll be on the other side of a Shadowglass if ever you need me."

Taiyang took Raven's hand in his, smiling sadly at her as she clenched her tightly in his grasp.

"You're sure you can't come home with us?" he asked one last time.

Raven smiled back at him, shaking her head sadly.

"This is where I belong now," she said, shaking her head. "I must remain in the netherworld to maintain order here, just as Qrow is needed in your world. I wish it were not so…but this is the price I must pay, for all the past wrongs I've committed."

Tai nodded, bringing her hand to his lips, placing a single kiss on her fingers.

"Well then…I guess I'll see you around then," he said, masking his sadness behind a casual air.

Raven nodded, doing her best to hide her own sadness at his parting.

"Yeah…" she breathed. "See you around, Tai."

He released her hand and she turned her eyes towards her daughter.

"I'm sorry, Yang," she said in a lamenting tone. "It seems that I'm leaving you behind once again."

Yang remained still for a moment, before smiling and raising her newly attained right arm, clenching her fist before her, the long fiery mark on her skin glowing fiercely.

"It's alright," she assured her. "I'll always have a little piece of you with me from now on."

Raven blinked in surprise, before smiling back at her, raising her arm to bump the back of her fist against Yang's.

"Right…" she said.

Atop the black tower at the heart of the netherworld, the Huntsmen of Remnant all gazed up as the spirit of the Maidens continued to dance. It was a moment of bittersweet sorrow, saying goodbye to a friend, but welcoming in a new era in the wake of her parting. There would be struggles ahead, there would be conflict as the people of Remnant learned to adjust to their new world, and of course, there would always be more battles to fight. But now, for a time, there could finally be peace.

And now at last, at the end of the battle, it was time for them all to go home.


	151. Epilogue

**Resurgence: A RWBY Fic**

By Kraven Ergeist

* * *

Epilogue

* * *

Part 1

* * *

 _One Year Later…_

The refurbished tower of Beacon looked newer and brighter than ever before. Its shimmering white stones and silver spires rose up high to form into an elaborate and ornate clock tower, even more fantastic than its predecessor. The Huntsman academy looked out over the shards of the city at its feet, the kingdom of Vale still largely under construction as many of its citizens slowly filtered back into the city. But Beacon Academy still stood tall, as if to guide the people of Remnant back to the safety of its borders.

Much had changed in only a scant few months. With no Grimm left in the world, the Huntsmen had evolved and adapted their efforts, effectively becoming a peacekeeping force, which allowed the people of Remnant to move much more freely about the globe. The threat of bandits and brigands was always present, but the Huntsmen were more than capable of handling such dangers without the looming specter of a potential Grimm attack hanging over every conflict that broke out. The mobility this allowed for enabled the four kingdoms much greater opportunity for cooperation, not the least of which was allowing the CCTS tower system to come back online, and even reach out to some of the smaller communities throughout the land. Atlas and Vacuo's humanitarian efforts had paved the way for the rebuilding of the world, and through their toil and sweat, the kingdoms of Vale and Mistral were slowly being restored to their former glory.

It was no small task to pick up the shattered pieces after so much had been lost. Even more so knowing that relying too heavily on the already well established dust industry in order to do so would only invite future calamity. It had been an uphill battle for the leaders of the world, and not all saw eye to eye. The guardian's circle of Qrow, Glynda, Ironwood and Jasmine could only do so much on their own, especially since neither Vale nor Mistral had a clear ruler. A provisional council had been formed for each kingdom, but thus far, it was a struggle to restore Haven Academy to what it once was in the absence of Professor Lionheart.

Until a successor could be found, the guardian's circle would have little presence on the eastern continent. Without the Grimm, many of Mistral's provisional council members did not see the need to reinstate their Huntsman Academy, vying instead to spend their time and resources towards rebuilding other areas of infrastructure. And without this presence in Mistral, it was extremely difficult to convince the council not to rely so heavily on the dust industry to rebuild their kingdom, much less to impose subsidies on dust-free energy sources. And that wasn't even getting into Professor Jasmine's troubles in dealing with the council in Vacuo.

It was in the process of toiling over such concerns that Qrow Branwen found himself in contact with his sister once again through the Shadowglass, which had been hauled up from the hidden depths beneath White Fortress and airlifted all the way to Vale. The ancient artifact was now standing within the newly refurbished headmaster's office atop Beacon Academy, just behind Qrow's desk.

"We knew this would be a challenge, brother," Raven assured the old man as he paced the office.

Qrow scowled. Ozin's cane hung lazily in one hand, his short tattered cape trailing him as he paced the room. His skin was fair, not quite the sickly white of the Witch's, but pale enough that he appeared somewhat ill under heavy lighting. The small black slit on his forehead had largely been dismissed as an odd choice of makeup by the rest of the school, and his hair remained a pale silver in color, attributed to him reaching an advanced age that in reality he would likely surpass by centuries, if not millennia. Fortunately, his eyes were still his own, and had not changed to adopt the Witch's black sclera as Raven's had.

"There's challenge, and then there's trying to climb a mountain with no rope – or arms," Qrow grunted through clenched teeth. "The people of Remnant are too attached to their dust, Raven. They've had it for centuries, and it's in almost everything they use. They'll never let it go without good reason. Knight to B-seven."

Through the Shadowglass, Raven sat on a seat of carved white stone before a desk of equally ornate alabaster. Her white hair, white skin, red irises and black sclera made for an intimidating visage, save for the gentle expression on her face. She was seated in what looked to be a spartan white office of her own, though where she would have established such furnishings within the netherworld was anyone's guess. Upon the desk in front of her was a chess board, ebony and ivory set pieces arranged on the board before her. At his urging, she moved his white chess piece into position.

"So give them a good reason, Qrow," Raven said as though it were the easiest thing in the world.

She then moved the black queen on the chess board to threaten his rook.

"The truth sounds like a pretty damn good reason to me, Raven," Qrow said, turning to inspect the board through the mirror, weighing his options before announcing his next move. "Rook to E-two."

Raven obligingly represented his move on the board, before deciding her next move.

"We can't do that, Qrow," she said firmly. "The Maidens have been out of the public eye for too long. People would never understand their role in all this, much less that of the Wizard and the Witch. We can't risk causing a panic."

Qrow watched as Raven moved her queen again, putting him into check.

"But we're lying to everyone," he said, leaning against the Shadowglass to furrow his brow at the chessboard. "King to G-four."

"It's not a lie, Qrow," she explained. "It's a simplification. The Huntsmen defeated the Grimm. Your kind won the war, and the Grimm retreated to their realm. That's the truth. That's the only truth they need to know. It's the only truth that they _want_ to know. Anything more than that complicates the narrative."

She put him into check again, and Qrow could tell the game lost.

"You win again," he ceded, throwing his hands up. "Have you been practicing? I can't imagine _where_ you find the opportunity."

Raven smiled.

"The Grimm make for surprisingly good company," she said. "The gargoyles in particular have proven exceptionally endearing. They are not much for conversation, but they have a brilliant mind for tactics."

Qrow raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh really?"

Raven nodded.

"Might even be clever enough to give _you_ a proper challenge at this game, brother," she said with a laugh. "I've been teaching them many things. How to read, write, and count. They're fast learners, and eager to do so. Some of them have even started creating their own art."

Qrow looked genuinely astonished. "Grimm art?"

Raven nodded happily.

"It won't be long, I think, before the Grimm can establish their own culture down here, through which they might foster an appreciation for the good things humanity has to offer," she said.

Qrow crossed his arms. "Raven…I know I ask this every time I see you, but-"

Raven held up a hand.

"I'm fine, Qrow," she said. "Really, I am. The Grimm need me. Being their guide through all this tumultuous change keeps me busy. And besides…I'm far from alone down here."

Qrow nodded. "If you say so. Have you been able to nail down how long your resources will last?"

Raven peered past him through the void, as though speaking to someone behind him.

"Pericles, would you be so kind as to relay the day's report?" she asked.

Qrow's eyes widened when a gargoyle stepped into view besides Raven's ornate white chair. It did not seem to possess any of the weaponry Qrow had seen them with during the war, and instead, wore an ornate purple breech-cloth around its waist, giving it a somewhat regal bearing.

Then, to Qrow's utter astonishment, the gargoyle opened its mouth, and a deep, gravelly voice spilled out.

"Ma'am," the gargoyle reported in a slow, monotone voice as he recited statistics from memory. "Mine kinsmen number…nine and forty hundreds of hundreds. We have food enough to keep us fed for…forty tens of hundreds of days. That is if we are fortunate, ma'am."

Raven nodded.

"Thank you, Pericles," she said in a motherly tone. "Very well done. You may return to your duties now."

The gargoyle inclined its head politely.

"Ma'am," the created intoned.

Raven dismissed the gargoyle with a wave, and he retreated out of sight.

Qrow whistled in approval.

"Very impressive," he said. "You've started _naming_ them now too?"

"It seemed only fair," she said, a hint of pride in her voice. "He's one of my brightest, although he hasn't quite mastered concepts like _thousand_ s or _years_ yet. But broadly speaking, with the five hundred thousand or so Grimm accounted for, we should be able to last about forty-thousand days, or a hundred and nine years, give or take. This is still a rough estimate however, as we are only still developing our means of cataloging our own numbers."

Qrow crossed his arms in concern.

"A little over a century, just like you predicted," he intoned gravely. "Even with the Schnee Dust Company and the entire Kingdom of Vale pushing for dust-free tech…I just don't know if we'll manage it in time."

Raven smiled comfortingly.

"Well, best not fret over it now, little brother," she advised. "You've got a commemoration address to prepare for, if I'm not mistaken."

Qrow nodded, standing upright and straightening his jacket.

"I suppose I do," he said.

Raven nodded.

"The anniversary of the end of the war," she concurred. "Even in times of strife, it's important to acknowledge the victories we've achieved."

Qrow offered his sister a troubled look.

"You know," he suggested. "This was _your_ victory as much as anybody's. The Nexus _is_ still open down in the vault. Surely the netherworld could survive for just a _day_ on its own to allow the Witch to make a public appearance on this side."

Raven shook her head sadly.

"That would be unwise, Qrow," she said, holding her arms out wide. "I am unmistakably a creature of the Grimm now. One look at me would cause people to believe the Grimm had returned once more."

Qrow withered under her words. "Raven…"

Raven rose from her seat.

"I represent a world that Remnant is trying to leave behind," she smiled. "I appreciate your concern for me, brother. But no - for humanity to move forward, I must remain here. Besides…it's not much of a penance if I may simply _leave_ whenever I so choose."

Qrow furrowed his brow. "What about your family?"

Raven stiffened and froze, closing her eyes, and Qrow instantly regretting mentioning the subject.

"I'm…I'm sorry…" he said, looking away.

Raven clasped her arms about her waist, letting out a mournful sigh.

"I would be lying if I said I do not miss them," she admitted. "But leaving them was part of my punishment too. They will move on, brother. They still have so much left to do with their lives. And when the time comes…I'll be seeing them all again soon enough."

She threw him a pointed look, and Qrow knew that she would be alright.

"Okay," he smiled, placing his hand on the glass.

She smiled and touched the glass where his hand lay, and he could almost feel the warmth from her hand across the barriers of space and time.

"Okay," she smiled back at him.

And then her face disappeared along with the stone chamber around her, leaving Qrow staring at his own reflection once more.

He wandered his office for a time afterward, pondering what Raven had told him. He didn't hear from his sister very often, only three or four times this past year. According to what they both could find from the Wizard's memories, the Shadowglass had already been broken down from an even larger piece of ancient technology, and it was impossible to know just how reliable it was. This meant that, as a tool of communication, it must be used sparingly, if at all.

Besides, even without the Shadowglass, he could vaguely sense his sister through their shared bond. Nothing concrete, but like his Wizard powers, if he concentrated hard enough, he could peer back through the veil of consciousness and gain a sense of her presence. He couldn't peer into her mind or see her thoughts, but he could determine her emotional state much more readily than if he had been standing right next to her before their transformation. It wasn't anything substantial, but broad strokes could still keep him appraised of her disposition. If she were in any kind of distress, he would sense it. If she were attempting to be duplicitous, he would know it. If she had any ill intent, he would be able to tell almost immediately.

Raven may never set foot in the world of Remnant again. But she would not become the next Salem on his watch. Not so long as he remained the guardian of Remnant, which would likely be a very long time. They _both_ now shared the mantle of the Wizard and the Witch. Not individually, but collectively. Both twins had aspects of both personas. And so long as that was the case, the world of Remnant and the world of the Grimm would know peace.

As he peered down at the campus and farther out at the city beneath his window, Qrow felt his scroll chiming in his pocket. He withdrew it, studying its display with a taught expression on his face.

He answered it with a questioning inflection.

"Mister Arc?" he asked in annoyance, bringing his scroll to his ear. "What are you - how did you even _get_ this number?"

Jaune's timid voice sounded on the other line.

"Oh!" he blurted. "Sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you, sir! I just…had a question I thought you could help me with…"

Qrow frowned, still studying the vista before him.

"Well, I haven't got all day," he said impatiently. "Let's hear it."

Jaune seemed hesitant as he spoke.

"Well…" he stammered. "It's about Ruby, sir…"

Qrow's expression darkened.

"What happened?" he demanded, fearing the worst.

"I, ummm…" he said nervously.

Qrow ground his teeth in anger.

"Spit it out, kid!" he blared.

Jaune's voice cracked under the Headmaster's stern command.

"Well…her birthday's coming up soon, and I wanted your advice on what I should get her!" he blurted out all at once.

Qrow stiffened. He didn't know whether to be relieved or furious at the inanity of Jaune's query, but he ended up landing on the latter.

"You seriously need me to help you answer a question like that?" he demanded angrily into the receiver. "Are you her damn partner or aren't you? You think I don't have more things to worry about? Why don't you ask her sister or something?"

Qrow could practically _see_ the young Huntsmen flinching on the other line.

"Well, I tried asking Yang, but she wouldn't give me a straight answer!" he said. "Kept suggesting things that Ruby couldn't _possibly_ want – or that I couldn't _possibly_ afford! And _you're_ the one who trained her, after all!"

Jaune's voice dropped to a lowered tone.

"Besides…" he said. "Aren't you _actually_ her-?"

Qrow cut the young Huntsman off before he could finish the question.

"Watch what you say, kid," he hissed under his breath. "That's privileged information."

Jaune's voice caught in his throat.

"I-I'm sorry!" he backpedaled. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just…"

Jaune let out a long sigh on the other line.

"Look…" he said slowly. "Ruby's…Ruby's _really_ important to me. She's done _so_ much for me over the years, and…and I _wouldn't_ be where I am without her! She _deserves_ the best that I can give her, even if it's just a stupid birthday present, and I _won't_ settle for anything less. But if you can't help me, then I guess I understand…"

Qrow let out a breath as he began to take pity on the boy, reigning in his temper a little. The stress of the job must have really been getting to him. Jaune Arc was a good kid and a fine Huntsman. He didn't deserve as much ire as the old man had given him.

"Alright, look…" he said, putting his scroll onto speaker mode as he thumbed through a few of the files on his device. "I'm gonna forward you one of my old schematics. It's out of date, but it should give you some idea of something you can get her."

Jaune's voice sounded surprised over the scroll.

"Really?" he asked.

Qrow nodded, even though the Huntsman couldn't see it.

"You'll have to figure out the building process yourself," he added. "As I understand it, Miss Adel's put together quite an impressive little workshop she might let you use. You can maybe talk to your friend at the Schnee Dust Company about rushing the materials you'll need. And if all else fails, old man shopkeep can get you what you need in a pinch."

Jaune's exuberant voice on the other line could hardly be contained.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! I won't forget this!"

Qrow smirked as he sat down at his desk.

"Don't mention it, kid," he said.

He hung up his scroll and sat back down in his chair, casting his eyes up at the gears overhead. They were modeled after the same clockwork that had been present in Ozpin's office. In fact, after peering back into his memories, they had been effectively replicated, part for part. Some things about Beacon Academy needed to remain the same, he'd decided, precisely because so much at Beacon was now different.

Without Grimm to fight, the Huntsmen had now turned their sights to peacekeeping, which meant that they often ran up against local law enforcement. This mandated the existence of an office at Beacon Academy to handle this delicate relationship between the school and the kingdom. At the moment, they were currently ensconced in talks with police departments and the state militia, and these were not issues that Qrow was in any position to deal with while simultaneously contending with world leaders and energy tycoons on the subject of alternative energy sources.

It had been Glynda Goodwitch who had stepped up to the plate to act as the director of this peacekeeping division of Beacon Academy, which meant that she oversaw all Huntsmen operations within city limits. It also gave her a unique jumping off point to act as liaison with the Huntsmen Academies of their sister Kingdoms in order to help them establish similar divisions. This, of course, gave her plenty of opportunities to convene with the other headmasters, including General Ironwood, for frequent and extensive engagements. This of course made her a prime candidate for Qrow's mockery, as he wasted no opportunity to poke fun at her propensity for spending time with the general.

Not that Qrow was in any position to point fingers. There were some fringe benefits to having such close ties to Atlesian leadership.

"Qrow?" came a voice at his door as the tall frame gently slid open.

The headmaster's eyes lit up as Winter Schnee slipped in through the door, closing the massive steel barrier nimbly behind her back.

"Winter," Qrow said, masking his elation as he stood up at his desk. "I was wondering if the good general would let you slip away from your duties long enough for a visit."

Winter's eyes were fixed on Qrow's appearance, still somewhat captivated by the mystical transformation that had warped his appearance. There was something alien to it. But his appearance and the implications that came with it also lent the Huntsman an exotic air of mystery about him, which Winter could not deny made him all the more enticing.

She was at his side in moments, shoving him back down onto his chair, her lips mashing against his as she held him down. Qrow could have pushed her off of him if he'd wanted to, but he was finding it difficult to do so.

"Mmmmh…" he groaned into her lips, the stress of the day melting away as she kissed him.

When the war had ended, and she found him after he'd nearly bitten the dust, it was like opening up the floodgates. The two of them had stolen away for almost an entire day before she had departed for Atlas, and Qrow had not seen her for nearly a month after that. It was an eerily similar experience to what had happened between him and Summer, and for a time, he began to fear the worst. Then, as Vale and Atlas had begun the process of rebuilding, Winter had found him again, and it was like no time had passed between them at all.

He had explained his situation with her. About what his sister had done, about his new role as both Wizard and Witch, and all that it had entailed. After having had some time to think it over, Qrow had thought it unfair to expect anything from her, given his unique circumstances. She had not wavered at his words, however, and every time they had met afterward, she was proving more and more insistent on wearing down his resolve. It amazed him how readily Winter could adapt to any situation she found herself in. With little more than a thought, she could be as frosty as the north, or a cool spring breeze. All things considered, she was not nearly as icy as her name might have suggested.

"Nnnnng…" he intoned, looking up at her.

She was straddling his hips where he sat, hands insistent on his shoulders, determined to make her intentions fully known as she held him in place. He would be damned if he didn't find the behavior entirely maddening, and it was with breathless lack of resolve that he spoke.

"We've _got_ to stop meeting like this, Winter…" he fumbled as her lips moved over him.

Her teeth found his ear and she twisted.

"Why?" she demanded heatedly. "Are you worried people might talk?"

Qrow flinched as her lips ventured towards his collarbone.

"Nnnng…" he groaned, kicking himself for not acquiescing to her inclinations. "No. We've talked about this. It's because I'm…going to _outlive_ you by a few _millennia_ , that's why."

Winter withdrew from him, but the fire had in no way gone out from her eyes as she kept him planted firmly in place with her grip on the lapels of his jacket.

"Here's how I see this going, Qrow," she stated simply, without a single hair out of place. "I'm rather inclined simply not to _believe_ any of this nonsense about you being some kind of _immortal_ being…"

Qrow attempted, rather pathetically, to wrangle her hands off of his collar.

"Winter…that's not-" he began.

"Let me finish," she said, putting a finger to his lips. "But I let's say I _do_ believe you. Even if it's true, I don't see why we both shouldn't just live our lives for as long as either of us can anyway."

Qrow stared up at her crystal blue eyes curiously.

"What are you saying?" he asked.

Winter began to coil against him, and Qrow's hands betrayed him by gently gliding up her thighs.

"I'm saying…" she purred as she slowly undid the top button of his shirt "…that partners come and go all the time. Even when they're married, one partner will almost _always_ be the first to go, whether that be in death, for the arms of another, or for any other reason. When that happens, the one remaining has a choice to make."

Winter's hands came up to caress the man's face, while simultaneously seizing him and fixing his eyes to hers.

"Do you choose to follow your partner into the void?" she demanded. "Or do you choose to live on, in spite of losing someone you cared about, and maybe find someone else to fill that void in their absence? It's not an easy decision, I'll grant you…but there is _one thing_ I'm certain of, Qrow."

Qrow shivered as she ran her fingers across the skin of chest. He had a habit of leaving quite a few buttons undone on a regular basis, but now he was on the verge of indecency.

"And that is?" he asked tremulously.

Winter fixed him with a look of earnest compassion, mingled together with such fervent need that Qrow could not look away.

"Even if you outlive me by _centuries_ to come…" she whispered down at him as her face drew ever nearer. "No matter how many lovers cross your path after I'm gone…"

Her lips were finally upon his ear once again as she breathed a heated promise so that only he could hear.

"I have faith that you will never… _ever_ …forget me…" she said in a ghost of a voice. "As long as you keep me in your memory, Qrow, then a part of me will live on for as long as you do."

Qrow's eyes widened as his heart began to thud inside his chest. Her lips returned to his, and this time, he did not hold back, returning her impassioned kiss with a need he had not allowed himself to feel for years on end. He was panting for breath by the time she was finished, and was looking back at her with something close to awe on his face.

Winter simply smiled wickedly back at him, her eyes full of evil promises. As a Schnee, Qrow knew, she was used to getting what she wanted. And with her sights firmly set on her prize, he knew that there was nary a force in this world that would deter her from attaining it.

"In the end, all we ever have of _anyone_ we ever know are the memories that we make together," she sighed lamentingly as she caressed his cheek with the back of her gloved hand. "So I ask you…what kind of memories are _you_ prepared to make?"

Qrow was still too stunned to reply right away, and had to take several breaths to collect himself. Unfortunately, before he got a chance to respond to her query, another voice sounded at the door.

"Are you _quite_ finished fraternizing with my Chief of Security, Qrow?" the familiar deep voice said.

Winter was on her feet in moments, leaving Qrow sitting in his chair with one too many buttons undone, staring blankly at the patient face of General Ironwood, standing with his arms crossed just inside his office door.

Qrow grunted as he redid the buttons on his shirt.

"That depends, Jimmy," he said, struggling to maintain nonchalance and he straightened his collar. "Are _you_ finished fraternizing with my Special Operations Director?"

Ironwood's expression fell when a tiny but audible gasp could be heard just outside the door, before a moment later, Glynda Goodwitch appeared in the doorway, face red as she brought a closed fist to her lips to stifle a cough as she cleared her throat.

"Ahem," she coughed disdainfully. "I'm sure I don't know _what_ you're implying, Qrow."

Ironwood let out a sigh as he stepped over towards Qrow's desk, keeping his eyes off of Winter so as to give her a modicum of decency as she straightened her hair.

"Well, much as I hate to interrupt," he said, trying to steer the conversation back towards something more civil, "I do believe we have some business to discuss."

Qrow tried not to steal an amused glance towards Winter to watch her attempt to maintain her composure in front of her boss after having caught her in such a state as they had been in, and steepled his fingers before him on the desk as Ozpin had done so many times before him.

"If you're talking about the commemoration address, we have everything in order," he assured the general. "The day's events have been planned out, and everything should be set for the reception afterwards. The students have been given the day off, and the accommodations for you and the rest of the delegates from our sister kingdoms have all been arranged, as Glynda has no doubt informed you…"

Professor Goodwitch threw the headmaster a warning scowl, which Qrow simply smiled at in return.

"That's not what I'm here to discuss, actually," James said, clasping his hands behind his back. "There's been a development in Mistral."

Qrow's eyes widened at the news, leaning forward to lock his eyes on the general.

"Oh?" he asked. "Do tell."

Ironwood nodded, cracking a smile at Qrow's interest.

"I've just received word that the plans to rebuild Haven Academy are underway," he said. "And you'll never guess who has stepped up to fill the role of headmaster."

The general withdrew his scroll from his pocket, extending it to its full size, before offering it to Qrow. As the headmaster accepted the device, he was presented with the profile of a middle aged woman with red hair and features that Qrow was certain he had seen before.

"Or should I say, headmistress," Ironwood added.

When Qrow's eyes finally found the woman's name on the profile, he finally knew why he recognized her.

"Athena Nikos?" he breathed in disbelief, as Winter leaned in from her place at his side to inspect the profile. "This is…Pyrrha's mother."

Ironwood nodded. "Indeed."

Qrow was still staring at the scroll in confusion.

"Does…does she _know…?_ " he asked, unable to finish the question.

The general nodded, knowing precisely what Qrow meant.

"She knows," he assured the headmaster. "About everything."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Everything?"

"Everything," Ironwood confirmed. "It turns out Operative Nikos made contact with her mother during her brief time outside of Cinder's control. After the war, Doctor Nikos has been in touch with her daughter's team off and on. It would seem that this is what has prompted her to take on such a dramatic change in career path."

Qrow scratched his head, befuddled as he sat back down in his chair.

"I'm impressed that she volunteered for a position like this after everything her family's been through," he said in stupefaction. "And also…not that we can afford to be picky, but shouldn't the headmistress of a Huntsman academy be…I don't know, a Huntress?"

Winter shook her head as she perused Dr. Nikos' profile.

"She may not be a licensed Huntress, but it seems that she did receive Huntsman training at Sanctum Academy before moving on to med school," she said simply. "She's run her own family practice for more than a decade, and has plenty of experience as an administrator. She may not possess the physical qualifications, but she more than makes up for it in terms of people skills. And it's not as though the headmistress of a Huntsman academy is expected to do much fighting themselves."

Qrow shrugged, ceding the point, before glancing at the only other occupant in the room for affirmation.

"Glynda?" he asked, voicing his query within a single breath.

The Huntress adjusted her glasses.

"I've reviewed her qualifications extensively," she said. "She knows how to manage people, and she's a familiar face to the people of Mistral. With a family history such as hers, she's someone that they can look up to. She'll do just fine, I think."

Qrow nodded, glancing around at the people in the room.

"Well, I don't have any complaints then," he said. "Has anyone spoken to Jasmine about this?"

"She gave her approval as well," Ironwood confirmed. "I contacted her while I was en route."

Qrow cracked a smile.

"Was that _before_ or _after_ your rendezvous with Miss Goodwitch?" he smirked.

Glynda gritted her teeth.

"You know something, Qrow?" she scowled. "I have half a mind to-"

Ironwood held up a gloved hand.

"Easy now, Glynda," he said, trying to lower the tension in the room. "Let's all try to remain civil, shall we? We're all friends here after all."

Qrow's raunchy smile did not abate.

"Some of us, a little more than friends," he smirked.

Winter threw him a withering glare, and Qrow held up his hands.

"Alright, alright, I'll shut my trap," he acquiesced.

Ironwood let out a sigh, shaking his head dismissively.

"We'll see you at the ceremony, Qrow," he said, turning to go.

As Winter moved to following him out, Qrow stood up again.

"Oh, and Winter?" he called out to her.

The Schnee Huntress turned to glance back at the man, his appearance still lending him an ethereal air.

"Yes?" she asked.

Qrow opened his mouth, before finding his mouth somewhat dry.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "Regarding what we were discussing earlier…I'd be more than willing to discuss things further at a later time."

As Glynda rolled her eyes, Qrow realized that what he'd said could be construed in a _very_ different manner than he'd intended. But at Winter's charming smile, he could tell the genuine meaning in his words had reached her ears.

Some memories were worth holding onto, it seemed.

"Glad to hear it," she said, before turning to go.

* * *

Part 2

* * *

Emerald crossed her arms as she craned her head back, staring up at the austere stone statue overlooking the plaza. The Vacuo marketplace was swarming with prospective buyers and tourists as they roamed up and down the rows of stalls and vendors. Emerald ignored the passersby's, her attention solely on the statue of the roguish girl standing watch over the townsfolk of Vacuo.

Every so often, someone would pause to inspect the statue, paying no attention to the green-haired girl doing the same beside them. Invariably, they would nod introspectively, scratching their chins in consideration before moving on. Every so often, a child might inquire with a patient parental figure.

"Who's that, mama?" they would ask, curiously.

"That's Dora, the Djinn of Fortune," the mother would say. "She brings good luck to the people of Vacuo. People say that she gave the gift of good fortune to the Huntsmen of Remnant, allowing them to finally defeat the creatures of Grimm. Legend has it that she watches over Vacuo to this day."

"Wow!" the children would always say.

Then they too would invariably wander past, leaving Emerald to her thoughts as she continued to observe the statue of Dora's likeness.

She wrinkled her nose, drawing back her upper lip in a derisive sneer.

"Cheh," she snorted, shaking her head. "She was _so_ much more than that…"

It was difficult for Emerald not to feel disdain for the people around her. All around the kingdom, the citizens of Vacuo were just blithely living out their lives, completely ignorant of the true sacrifice Dora had made for them. The official story released by the kingdom simply stated that the Huntsmen of Vale, Mistral, Atlas and Vacuo, as well as the White Fang, had all finally vanquished the Grimm. Absolutely _no one_ knew the details about Dora's death; all they knew is that she had blessed them from on high or something equally pernicious like that.

The explanation given to her was that the Maidens had been unknown to the general public for so long that their mention would simply complicate the story and sow confusion. Same with mention of Cinder and the Witch. Emerald understood the reasoning and had agreed to hold her tongue. However, when she looked around her, all she saw were sheep.

Were _these_ the people that Dora had given her life to save?

Emerald sensed someone else standing behind her, someone with a great deal more poise and grace than any of the usual passerby's. She turned and faced the woman as she approached, placing a hand on her hip and adjusting her stance to a more casual air.

"Hey Prof," she said in a dismissive tone. "What's up?"

Professor Jasmine stopped in front of Emerald, twin scimitars still slung across the back of her blue silk brocade dress, crossing her arms disapprovingly at the girl.

"You switched off your scroll," she said by way of introduction in her usual accented voice.

Emerald rolled her eyes, unable to entirely prevent the look of guilt from washing over her face.

"Oh, right…" she breathed indignantly. "That."

Jasmine let out a huff of annoyance, putting her hands on her hips as she fixed the young woman with an accusatory stare.

"I depend on your intel to keep me appraised of what goes on in the lower reaches of this city," she lectured. "Not to mention your crucial role in organizing the Lost Children of Vacuo. When you suddenly fall out of radio contact-"

Emerald turned around in a huff, glaring up at the statue.

"I _know_ all that!" she scoffed in annoyance, her shoulders stiffening in agitation. "How could I forget? The little shits never get off my case about it!"

Then she hung her head.

"It's just that…" she muttered grumpily. "Well…today is…"

Jasmine's expression softened as she looked up at the statue of Dora.

"Oh…" she said, nodding in understanding. "I see. The anniversary…"

Emerald said nothing as Professor Jasmine joined her, clasping her hands behind her back as the two of them looked up at the statue of the Summer Maiden. They both remained together in silence and solidarity as they gazed up at the monument erected to Vacuo's most rebellious daughter. As they stood, the crowds moved by, heedless of their presence.

The two of them were among the only people for a hundred leagues who knew the truth. It was a difficult burden to bear, hiding such a secret from the world. And what made it all the more difficult was knowing just how much Dora had given to them all, both in life and in death.

Jasmine brought her fingers to her lips, as she offered her prayers to the monument to Dora's sacrifice.

" _Sal'am-ashai, alttifl min dora_ ," she said in ancient Vacuan.

Emerald blinked her eyes at the professor, giving her a curious look.

"Child of gold?" she asked. "Is that what her name means?"

Jasmine nodded, still looking up at Dora's likeness.

"It is a common name in Vacuo," she explained. "Parents are supposed to see their children as gifts. Greater than any gold."

Emerald wrinkled her nose at that.

"I wouldn't know," she grumbled.

Jasmine turned her eyes to the green haired girl.

"Family is more than our parentage, Miss Sustrai," she said gently. "Our family is where we feel most at home, and who we feel at home with."

Emerald shook her head glumly.

"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, Prof," she said dismissively, crossing her arms behind her head. "But I haven't got anyone like that either."

The headmistress of Shade Academy gave the girl a sidelong glance.

"Oh," she observed. "Well then, I suppose you're not interested in the invitation you received from Team CFVY to join them for the commemoration address at Beacon Academy?"

Emerald lowered her arms, blinking in surprise.

"Invitation?" she demanded, anxiously. "What invitation?"

Jasmine had a smug smile on her face.

"You'd have known about this if your scroll were turned on," she explained. "When they couldn't reach you, they got in touch with my office, and asked if I knew where you were."

Emerald's eyes widened.

"They…they actually want me to come along?" she asked, a hint of remorse in her voice.

The professor smiled.

"I believe Miss Adel's exact words were 'Our team just hasn't been complete without her snide attitude and sarcastic commentary,'" she said.

Emerald opened her mouth, but the words just wouldn't come to her. Even after everything she had done, Team CFVY still wanted her around?

She realized that her jaw was hanging open and she shook her head in embarrassment.

"Well…it's just too bad I missed out then," she said, trying to pass off her shame for ire. "They're probably long gone by now. No sense sticking around for a no-show like me."

Jasmine's smile only grew.

"You misunderstand, Miss Sustrai," she said, a hint mischievousness in her voice. "When they asked me if I knew where you were, I offered to assist them in ascertaining your location."

Emerald's eyes widened again.

"So wait…" she said, looking around. "If you're here…then where…?"

FWOOM!

That's when the sound of booming engines flooded the sky as the _oddest_ -looking airship Emerald had ever seen began to descend towards the plaza. It had a long, thin white fuselage, with a set of six black wings stemming from the same point on the top. All in all, it looked like a giant bug. As the ship drew closer to the market square, the updraft began to kick up sand, sending pedestrians ducking for cover. Emerald and Jasmine had to shield their eyes as the ship lowered towards them.

"What the heck is an airship that big doing landing so close to town!?" Emerald shouted in alarm, holding her hair in place. "Aren't there regulations or something? What kind of _idiot_ is even _flying_ that thing!?"

When the ship finally reached ground level, Emerald received her answer. The main hatch flew open, and Coco Adel swung her head out to wave at her, a cocky grin on her face.

"Hey there, Sour Apple!" she called out enthusiastically. "You're a hard woman to track down!"

Emerald's eyes remained wide as saucers before her brow tightened into a furious glare.

"Coco!" she shouted in indignation. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

Coco smirked, adjusting her hat so that it wouldn't blow off in the wind.

"Picking up our fifth wheel, that's what!" she grinned. "Now come on! We're going to be late!"

When Coco offered her hand down to pull her up onto the airship, Emerald hesitated. After everything she had done in the past, all the mistakes she had made, and all the pain she had caused, how was it possible that Coco and her team would even give her the time of day? They weren't in a state of crisis anymore, her skills as a fighter were no longer in demand. It's not like they needed her to fight. So why were they holding out for her?

"You came all this way?" she asked, shaking her head. "Just to get _me?_ "

Coco lowered her shades to give the girl an odd stare.

"You're on my team, Spinach Puff," Coco explained patiently. "And this team sticks together. That's just how it works."

Emerald furrowed her brow without reaching up.

"Yeah, but…" she muttered, looking away. "I just thought that was a temporary arrangement. You guys work just fine on your own. Team CFVY doesn't need a street rat like me hanging around."

Coco didn't avert her eyes as the airship she was in continued to hover a few feet off the ground.

"A temporary arrangement," she chewed on the words dubiously. "Is that what you wanted this to be?"

Emerald blinked in surprise as she stared down at the wind-tussled ground. Despite the gigantic airship hovering before her, and the dirt and dust it was kicking up, Emerald suddenly couldn't hear anything at all.

What was it that she wanted anyway?

"I…" Emerald glanced back up at the Huntress as she stood in the open hatch of the airship. "I just didn't think…I mean…why would any of you even _want_ … _?_ "

Coco just smiled as she extended her hand once again.

"I said you're on my team," she said stubbornly. "Why are we still talking about this?"

Emerald's eyes widened, before she had to immediately close them again from all the rushing wind and sand around her face. Could it really be that simple? Could people seriously choose to stick together over such a flimsy pretext? It just didn't make any sense!

She dabbed at her eyes, trying to cleanse them of sand, before looking back up at Coco in disbelief.

"Aww…" Coco smirked. "Are you crying?"

Emerald's cheeks reddened as she looked away.

"Shut up!" she growled. "I just got sand in my eyes, that's all!"

Coco snickered in response.

"Oh, that is just too cute," she said in a knowing tone, fully aware of just how aggravating she was being.

Emerald gritted her teeth as she reached her hand up to clasp it around Coco's, who obligingly hoisted her up through the hatch. As she blinked her eyes clear, adjusting to the dim lighting inside, she glanced behind her at the lone figure standing on the sandy street behind her, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Hey," Emerald called out to Professor Jasmine. "What about you, Prof? You coming too?"

Jasmine waved her off.

"You go on ahead," she assured her. "I'll be departing with the Vacuan envoy soon enough. See you at Beacon."

Emerald just nodded, before the hatch slid closed. It was dark inside the cabin, and she turned to see Coco stepping towards the front of the ship, where a familiar team of Huntsmen were all seated at the helm. For its size, there wasn't a lot of room to move, and Emerald had to squeeze through what felt like a rather narrow passage to reach the cockpit. There were five seats in the narrow fuselage – one pilot's seat in the front, and two sets of two behind it. The windshield before them presented a fabulous view of the market place fountain and the kingdom of Vacuo behind it.

"Emerald!" Velvet cried in elation as she slowly rose from her seat. "It's so good to see you!"

Emerald blinked in surprise as the Huntress approached her and threw her arms around her. It had been almost a year since she'd last seen her, and the dim cabin lightning may have been playing tricks with her eyes, but she didn't quite remember the Faunus girl being quite so _rotund_ before.

As the two of them parted, Emerald's eyes suddenly widened as the truth dawned on her.

"Velvet?" Emerald blinked her eyes in surprise as she pointed down at the noticeable baby bump in her belly. "When did _that_ happen?"

Velvet blushed slightly as she took a step back, standing next to Yatsuhashi and draping her arm across his shoulder.

"Oh!" she perked. "You hadn't heard? Yatsu and I got _married!_ We're expecting some time in the next four months or so!"

Emerald's eyes widened in shock.

"You…you _what?_ " she gaped in astonishment. "Seriously?"

Velvet smiled shyly.

"Well, yeah," she said shyly. "We both just sort of decided to stop wasting time and be up front about how we felt. Nothing like surviving a war to make you reevaluate your priorities and the like."

As she beamed, Yatsuhashi held up a raised hand in greeting.

"Hello," he said with a smile.

"We sent you an invitation," Velvet elaborated. "But we never heard back from you."

Emerald was still blinking in surprise, swallowing back a sudden pang of guilt at missing such an important event.

"I…I didn't think I ever even _got_ mail…" she admitted.

Coco seated herself in the pilot's chair, relieving Fox from the helm.

"We figured you might have needed some space for a little while," she explained as she begun flipping switches and buttons. "But after going a full year without contact, we figured we ought to at least check in on you."

As Fox sat himself behind Coco, he left the seat beside him empty for Emerald to sit.

"By that, she means that she wouldn't stop fretting about you for days on end," he elaborated, tossing his chin up in greeting. "Also, hey."

Coco snorted derisively as she began to pull back on the throttle, sending the airship upwards, the fountain and the rustic buildings disappearing from the viewport.

"Don't go blowing things out of proportion, Red Tail," Coco said snobbishly.

Emerald rocked on her feet, grabbing the empty seat for support before slowly lowering herself into it.

"I never knew…" she said, feeling somewhat light-headed. "I never knew… _any_ of this…"

Yatsuhashi raised a hand, waving away her concerns.

"Think nothing of it," he assured her.

Emerald drew in her breath as the ship rocked around her, and she cast her eyes up to the cabin around her.

"What…what kind of ship is this anyway?" she asked as they pulled up into the air. "I've never seen an airship like this before."

Coco grinned proudly as she kept her hands on the wheel.

"Say hello to the _Macchiato_ ," she explained. "Velvet's own design. This here is a working prototype of Vale's first dust-free airship. It's powered by a combination of solar air-foil wings and hydrogen ballasts for added buoyancy."

Emerald blinked in surprise at the Faunus girl. "You designed this ship?"

Velvet blushed, shaking her head.

"Really, Coco did all of the work," she said. "I just provided some of the rough sketches for the blueprints. It wouldn't have been possible without Coco's expertise. Not to mention her family's money."

Fox snorted in amusement.

"Let's not forget the _huge_ subsidies that were put into place by the kingdom for all dust-free technologies," he added.

Velvet nodded timidly.

"That too," she acknowledged.

Coco began flipping a few switches on the control panel

"That said," Coco continued, pulling up the holographic screen, "Weiss was able to help me negotiate a pretty sweet deal with Atlas for some advanced tech. Even threw in a prototype of their long-range radio device. So far it's only good for binary text and image based transmissions, but it still beats the heck out of the CCTS."

To illustrate her point, Coco called up what appeared to be a holographic email inbox.

"Speaking of which," she said, scrolling through messages, "It looks like a priority message just arrived from Jaune. And he marked it 'urgent.'"

The rest of Team CVFY peered in closer as she poured through the contents.

"What's it say?" Velvet asked curiously. "Is someone hurt?"

"Have the Grimm returned?" Fox asked, fearing the worst.

"Is the world about to end?" Yatsuhashi suggested, jumping straight to the worst possible conclusion.

Coco pursed her lips as she poured over Jaune's message.

" _Dear Coco_ …" she trailed off. " _I hope everything's well_ , blah-blah-blah… _team's all good_ … _hope to see you all at the commemoration_ …what's this? Jaune wants to make a birthday present for Ruby, and he needs to use my workshop to make a rush order?"

Fox rolled his eyes. " _That's_ his emergency?"

Yatsuhashi leaned back in his chair. "Trust Jaune to blow something like that completely out of proportion."

Coco pursed her lips as she looked over what Jaune had sent.

"I'll have you all know that rush jobs are no joke," she said, holding up a finger. "It's important to treat situations like this with the gravity it deserves. I for one take great pride in my work, and when a valued client wants something delivered on time, they come to _me_ because they know I'll deliver. Now excuse me while I settle this matter."

Coco began typing her reply.

" _Dear Jaune_ …" she said to herself as she typed.

Velvet let out a helpless sigh as she threw a glance back at Emerald.

"Coco will tell you that adding a long-range communication's array to her ship has made her more efficient," she said as Coco continued to narrate her message out loud as she typed. "Personally, I think it's only made life more strenuous for all of us."

Fox crossed his arms behind his head. "Amen to that."

Emerald was still looking around the interior of the ship, still somewhat dazed. She had not been expecting her erstwhile teammates to come swooping into the middle of town to collect her for an impromptu vacation, least of all that they do it in an airship that rivaled the _Aeneid_ in its technological prowess.

Then her eyes widened when something clicked in her head, and she threw a glance back at Fox.

"Hey, wait a minute," she said, suspiciously. "Weren't _you_ at the helm just a moment ago when Coco opened the hatch?"

Fox blinked in confusion as he and his team shared a glance.

"Yeah?" he answered.

Emerald looked back at Coco in confusion.

"But…I thought he was…" she stammered, before looking back at Fox. "Aren't you…?"

Fox sighed and raised a hand, indicating his open palm.

"Haptic feedback in the flight controls," he explained, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "Really innovative new system that interfaces through skin contact. It basically lets me fly by sense of touch."

Emerald's expression fell as a look of incredulity covered her face.

"That sounds dangerous as hell!" she exclaimed, looking back and forth between the team. "You realize you have a pregnant woman on board, don't you? Why is this team always so _needlessly_ reckless?"

Velvet just sighed in resignation.

"We've learned to just roll with it," she admitted.

Yatsuhashi nodded in agreement. "Not much of an adventure, otherwise."

Fox smiled. "That's what it means to be a part of this team."

Emerald sat back in her chair, massaging her forehead.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she asked helplessly.

Coco smiled as she sent off her email to Jaune then and pulled back on the throttle.

"Too late to back out now, sweetie," she said with a laugh. "Beacon Academy, here we come!"

* * *

Part 3

* * *

The Schnee Dust Company headquarters was once again in the public spotlight. After having begun their fiscal year having reappointed their CEO, the freshly minted president had taken the company in a startling new direction: dust-free technologies. It was a shocking development that had run counter to any predictive models or recommended best practices, and it had turned a large number heads in the field. What had widened even more eyes was that this shift had taken place immediately after the Kingdom of Atlas had begun providing subsidies on dust-free technology.

While it was hardly unheard of for large corporations in Atlas to take a cue from their government's fiscal policies, it was an unspoken rule that these companies band together to try to resist such drastic changes that would negatively impact their revenue. While no one company had a monopoly on any one enterprise, the moguls of each company had a collective understanding that they would look out for each other's best interests. That Weiss Schnee, new blood by any standing, would break away from this tradition did not make for a positive impression amongst her peers, which was made even worse due to the fact that the Schnee Dust Company was one of the central pillars of this union. For her company to bow to General Ironwood's imposition without offering so much as a counterpoint threw up a lot of red flags, as it would weaken their collective foundation to the point where the rest of Atlas' industrialists would have no choice to but acquiesce in kind, costing them all millions in the interim, and all for a venture that seemed little more than a passing fad.

It put Weiss into a position that one Grimhilde Narcissa could not help but capitalize on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, these numbers speak for themselves," the former noblewoman said haughtily.

Weiss was standing before the long boardroom table, wearing a prim white collared jacket over her dress, with all of the top brass of the Schnee Dust Company seated along the pristine white table. Behind Weiss was a tall window, the curtains halfway drawn, allowing a long, narrow beam of sunlight to fall along the center the room, illuminating the President while leaving the rest of the board members in shadow. Across the adjacent wall, tables and charts displayed declining returns, projection mapping, and comparative analyses of their and their competitors' numbers throughout the fiscal year, none of which painted a rosy picture of their future prospects.

By all accounts, the Schnee Dust Company was in dire straits. Still, for all that, Weiss did not appear concerned.

"Dust-free technology is a _foolhardy_ endeavor!" Grimhilde proclaimed, slamming her hand upon the table. "We are passing up opportunities that our competitors are _more_ than happy to take from us! Our portfolios are slipping even _faster_ than they were under William Schnee! Clearly, allowing Weiss to assume her father's the position at the head of the Schnee Dust Company was a _grave_ mistake that will cost us all _dearly_ if we allow this to continue!"

Weiss' face remained neutral throughout the accusations, whilst Grimhilde's was becoming more and more impassioned. The rest of the men and women on the board were glancing back and forth between the two women, as if uncertain whether which of the two would blink first.

"Lady Narcissa," Weiss finally spoke up, turning her head to look at each of the people at the table. "My fellow board members, I understand your concerns. At a glance, it may seem as though we are abandoning our roots and passing up on opportunities for growth. But I would ask that we widen our focus and look at the big picture. Dust-free technologies are the way of the future."

Grimhilde's face curved into a wicked sneer.

"The way of the future?" she demanded angrily. "President Schnee, in case you have forgotten, this is a _dust_ company! We make _dust!_ You are attempting to dismantle our single defining commodity!"

Weiss' eyes narrowed as she leaned into the table, fixing Grimhilde with a firm stare.

"Dust-free technology is happening whether we like it or not," she said in a stone cold voice. "It's being whispered into the ears of _all_ our world leaders, and it's only going to become more in-demand as time passes."

Weiss tapped her scroll on the table, and the charts on the wall began to grow smaller as their projected timelines increased tenfold.

"You think it's going to stop with government subsidies?" Weiss said, gesturing as the projected mapping of their competitors began to decline. "How will our dust manufacturing hold up when the kingdom of Atlas starts imposing more and more stringent taxes on _every_ stage of dust manufacturing? Or tariffs on the dust trade between other kingdoms? Or when the kingdoms begin putting sanctions on any kingdom that still relies on the dust trade? When that happens, all those investments into the dust industry that our competitors are making right now will only drag them down."

The faces of all the board members began to grow pale as they watched their projected incomes decline into the red zone along with every other dust manufacturer in the kingdom. Even Lady Narcissa seemed unnerved by Weiss' words.

"You…you can't know that will happen!" Grimhilde protested. "You're talking about projections that could take _decades_ to come to fruition!"

The corner of Weiss' mouth curved into a smile.

"Are you so sure?" she asked coyly. "In case _you've_ forgotten, Lady Narcissa, I am _also_ a Huntress, and happen to have the ear of the most powerful man in the kingdom because of it. When I tell you that the dust industry will soon become an untenable trade, you can bet your bottom dollar that any of our competitors who still peddle in dust will be declaring bankruptcy within the next decade or so. And us with them, if we do not act now."

Grimhilde could only scowl at that. Around her, the board members all continued to share glances of concern, many of them sweating profusely at the President's foreboding words.

Weiss held her hands up in a reassuring gesture.

"Ladies and gentleman of the board," she said calmly in a much more endearing tone. "These are simply the facts, and we are proceeding along the best course of action in order to contend with them. This is a period of transition for us, and all transitions take time. I am not proposing that we abandon _all_ our investments in the dust industry just yet. Just that we prepare ourselves to do so when the time is appropriate. In the meantime, let us not make any _new_ investments into the dust industry, and instead direct our future investments towards something we can safely rely upon."

Weiss stood up straight and turned towards the window and threw the curtains wide open, allowing the rest of the room to be bathed in light.

"This isn't about what our stocks look like _this_ year or even _ten_ years from now," Weiss proclaimed, gazing out the window at the technological marvel of a city around them. "I want this company to become what it was always meant to be – the number one supplier of energy and industry for _all_ of Atlas! Lady Narcissa is correct – this will be an investment that will take _decades_ to bear fruit…"

Weiss then turned to cast her gaze upon each of her board members, placing a hand over her heart as each of their eyes remained fixed on her.

"But isn't _that_ the point?" she demanded stoutheartedly, casting her arm back towards the window. "Isn't that why we do what we do? We're investing in the future! With a company as large as ours, we are among the few in this world who truly _can!_ What we do here today will affect the entire world of Remnant! Will we be remembered as the greedy corporation who refused to allow the world around them to progress by clinging to the past?"

Weiss planted her hands on the table before her board members, fixing them each with a hard stare.

"I want the Schnee Dust Company to become something that the kingdom of Atlas and the world of Remnant can be proud of," she declared. "What about the rest of you?"

One by one, the board members began nodding in agreement, holding their hands up as a host of "ayes" filled the room. Grimhilde did not even look at the other board members as she watched the entire room turn away from her yet again. She simply sat where she was seated, a look of disgust on her face as Weiss wrapped up the formalities and called the meeting to a close.

As the board members began to rise from their seats, Weiss caught Grimhilde's eye.

"Lady Narcissa," Weiss called out to her as the noble woman stood to leave. "A moment?"

Grimhilde did not hide the disdain from her eyes as she threw President Schnee a withering look as the rest of the board members filed out of the room.

"Madam President," she said, indignantly as she rose, arms crossed as the last board member vacated the premises. "I assume this is the part where you gloat over another victory?"

Weiss let out a sigh as she approached the older woman.

"This isn't a competition, Lady Narcissa, no matter how much you keep trying to turn it into one," she said earnestly. "What I'm doing here will benefit every one of us in the long run, including yourself. I wish you could see that."

Grimhilde crossed her arms, staring down her nose at the young woman.

"Your vision of the future for this company has nothing to do with me," she said flatly. "I am a relic of the past. You've made that abundantly clear to every last member of this board."

Weiss shook her head sadly.

"No you're not," she said sincerely. "This isn't Mantle. Your identity doesn't have to be married to what you do. People can change. This company can change. We all can change, if it means moving forward."

Grimhilde wrinkled her nose as she lowered her eyes.

"You're quite the idealist, Madam President," she said in a dark tone. "But the future you're describing is one that I will never know."

Weiss' eye narrowed.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Grimhilde's mouth curved into a sneer.

"I'm saying that I won't be _alive_ long enough to witness this perfect future of yours," she glowered, looking away, her face tight with bitterness and shame. "Cancer is rather merciless like that."

Weiss' jaw dropped at the revelation. Having looked into Lady Narcissa's affairs upon succeeding her father, she had known that the noblewoman had been visiting Ivory Medical Center on a regular basis, and rumors had persisted in due course. However, she had not been aware of the severity of her condition.

All at once, her heart went out to her.

"Lady Narcissa…" Weiss said weakly, shaking her head.

The noble woman scowled back at Weiss.

"I am not interested in your _sympathy_ or your _pity_ , Madam President," she growled ignobly. "I simply want you to understand the _full_ consequences of your actions. I want you to have the _decency_ to look me in the eye when you tell me that everything I've worked for all my life has all been for naught."

Weiss watched helplessly as Lady Narcissa turned her back.

"Now then, if there is nothing else…?" she said coldly.

Weiss clenched her jaw.

No. She couldn't let this end like this.

"Lady Narcissa…" she said quietly, her voice low and even. "You have children, do you not?"

Grimhilde did not turn.

"I would kindly thank you _not_ to bring my children into this conversation, Madam President," she said pointedly.

Weiss did not relent as she withdrew her scroll.

"If I'm not mistaken," she said, reading a profile from her scroll, "Your daughter Rosa recently graduated from Rangelight Academy, majoring in public business. And your son Grun is getting married soon, isn't he? It was announced in the paper last week. This is all a matter of public record."

Grimhilde turned to face the Schnee Dust Company president, towering over her with open malice in her eyes.

"So you've done your research," she sneered. "What's your point?"

Weiss held her arms wide as she smiled up at the woman before her.

"My point is, the future of this company is for _their_ benefit as much as yours!" Weiss implored. "Even _if_ your time is limited, isn't _their_ future worth investing in?"

Grimhilde's face twisted into a scowl.

"Don't you _dare_ try to use my children as ammunition!" she spat angrily. "The future that _I_ had planned for them was _worlds_ apart from yours! They would have had _every_ opportunity available to them had _I_ been made the head of this company!"

Weiss clenched her hands into fists at her sides.

"Would you forget about your stupid ambitions for _two seconds_ and _listen to me!?_ " she demanded. "You can _still_ do right by them!"

Grimhilde drew back her lip as she sneered back at Weiss.

"How!?" she demanded. "Were I sitting in your position, I could have given them _everything_ they ever wanted! I could have provided for them like their _father_ was never able! I could have left them the _world_ on a silver platter! And now?"

The noblewoman seemed to deflate as the energy left her body.

"Now, all they have left is a dying old hag for a mother…" she rasped, her breathing coming out harsh gasps.

Weiss drew in her breath as she saw just how much Lady Narcissa's body was being taxed, and she felt a swell of pity for the woman. She knew, however, that her pride would never abide such emotion, and she stifled it.

Instead, she offered her hand.

"Grimhilde?" she said gently. "My father once told me that a society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."

Lady Narcissa stared at the proffered hand like it was an insect.

"Is that supposed to make everything better?" she asked. "Pretty words do not change facts."

Weiss shook her head.

"They _are_ facts, Grimhilde," she said bluntly. "It doesn't _matter_ that you're not running this company, what matters is that the one running it is doing everything she can to ensure the future of the company, and of Remnant. And that _includes_ you and your children."

Lady Narcissa crossed her arms indignantly.

"Don't do me any favors," she scoffed. "I'm not in the habit of accepting charity."

Weiss let out a sigh as she lowered her hand, her patience wearing thin.

"I intend to do this with or without your help, Grimhilde," she said simply. "But without will be more difficult. And the more you hound me, the less effective I'll be. The end result will be a future that the two of us make together. Whatever we make of it."

Lady Narcissa fixed the Schnee Dust Company President with a suspicious look as she continued.

"You have _so much_ experience in this field, and you have _so much_ more to offer this company," Weiss said, putting her cards on the table. "I could really use your help, Grimhilde."

The noblewoman still did not look convinced by Weiss' words, but her hard edge was gone. She lifted her gaze to stare at the young Schnee, unable to discern what she was looking at anymore. She had initially pegged Weiss as another self-important highbrow like her father, tinged by the naïve idealism of youth. While the idealism was certainly there, however, it appeared as though Weiss could not simply be steamrolled like her father. What was also unlike her father, it seemed, was that she was capable of reaching across the aisle.

"You've given me much to think about, Madam President," she said, turning away. "Is there anything else?"

Weiss lowered her eyes, acquiescing.

"No," she said. "Thank you for your time, Lady Narcissa."

Weiss closed her eyes as Grimhilde left the board room, wondering if the two of them would ever see eye to eye on anything. She felt like she had been given a brief glimpse into the woman's mind, and had seen just how vastly different it was from her own. Weiss knew she would probably never find an ally in Lady Narcissa. But she thought that maybe, just maybe, she had made her into less of an enemy.

The president of the Schnee Dust Company began walking back to her office, keeping her posture tall and poised despite the dull ache in her forehead. It had been a long day, and dealing with Grimhilde had not made it easier. And as with everything else in life, it would never do to let on that such troubles were actually having an effect on her. But once she got to her office, Weiss was looking forward to sinking into her chair and closing her eyes for about ten or twenty minutes, with a nice hot cup of tea waiting for her when she arose.

When she reached her door, however, she found that such a fate was simply not in the cards.

Not that she was complaining.

"Neptune!" she gasped, her eyes widening.

The young blue-haired man was leaning against her desk inside the wide, spacious office where she and her father had dueled once upon a time. As she entered the room, he looked up from his scroll to smile at her, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Madam President," he said with a smirk.

Weiss hurried over to him, shaking her head in elation.

"Oh, don't you start that too!" she said, before turning to call back out the door. "Lily, hold my calls!"

The secretary outside the door nodded and the door slid shut. Opal had since resigned her position at the Schnee Dust Company, opting to stay on William Schnee's payroll as a live-in personal assistant. Weiss' father had lost the use of his leg after the attack on his home during the battle of Atlas. While he could get around decently well on his new prosthetic leg, Opal had insisted on remaining by his side as he adjusted to the change.

Weiss did not wholly approve of the amount of time her father was spending with Opal – she was half his age after all, and the commitment with which she adhered to the elder Schnee was downright scandalous. With Weiss as the owner of the company, it wasn't even as though Opal stood to inherit much by marrying into the family. Something else was fueling the young woman's devotion, and for the life of her, Weiss could not determine what it was. Still, her father seemed content with his retirement in spite of the physical mishaps, so Weiss wasn't in a position to complain.

Dispensing such thoughts from her mind for the moment, Weiss slid into Neptune's arms, planting her lips onto his as he enveloped her.

"So…" she intoned softly as she collapsed into his embrace, her tired body nestling against him like tissue paper. "Did Winter finally give you some time off?"

Neptune glanced down at the Atlesian security officer's uniform he was in, plain gray accented by blue stripes, his weapon resting on the floor at his side. Like all Huntsmen schools, without any Grimm to fight, Atlas Academy had turned its focus towards peacekeeping. For many of its graduates, this meant enlisting with private security forces. Or, in Neptune's case, with the kingdom itself.

"She and the general should already be at Beacon for the commemoration, actually," Neptune said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm shipping out later myself. I'm technically still on the clock, but I thought I'd play hooky for today and come and see you."

Weiss smiled invitingly as she coiled her arm around his neck.

"Well, you're certainly a welcome sight," she sighed wistfully, touching her forehead to his. "I don't get to see you much these days."

Neptune felt her mold against him as he held her in his arms. When she had stepped into her office moments ago, she had been a poised and professional adult living in an adult's world. But the moment those doors had closed, she was a little girl again, and she was holding onto him like he was the most important thing in the world.

It had been a tumultuous year for the both of them. Weiss had moved back to Atlas to step into her father's shoes, leaving her partner behind. Ruby had not wanted her to go, but Weiss had a duty to fulfill. And while Weiss had entertained fantasies of asking Ruby to leave Vale behind and join her in Atlas, she knew that her kingdom would never be home to Ruby. Besides, they both knew that there was someone else in Vale who needed Ruby even more than she did.

Weiss had not expected the loneliness to feel so familiar, and for a while, she had simply buried herself in her work. There was an almost literal mountain of material for her to cover in order to assume her role as the Schnee Dust Company president. While she had always envisioned herself filling this role, she had not imagined it happening quite so early in life. But Weiss was nothing not tenacious.

She was surprised, however, to discover that Neptune had not gone back to help Scarlet and Sage rebuild Mistral. She would have thought that the two of them would only manage to stay in touch by letter or scroll, but to her delight, Neptune had moved to Atlas to start a new beginning for himself. While he wasn't keen on returning to military life, he had managed to find a place for himself serving in the Atlesian security division. And like Weiss, he too found himself without a partner.

"So when are you heading to Vale?" Neptune asked as he prepared a cup of tea over by the fancy steel carafe in the corner of the office. "The commemoration's at the end of the week."

Weiss looked up as she gratefully accepted the steaming ceramic cup as he brought it to her.

"I don't know," she admitted, leaning into her high backed leather chair and taking a small sip. "I've got so much work to do here in Atlas, I was thinking about skipping it altogether."

Neptune looked troubled as he leaned on the desk next to her chair.

"Really?" he asked, concern in his voice. "But all our friends are going to be there. Your team, my team, everyone from Team RSJC."

Weiss frowned, hoping the cup of tea would hide the pout in her lips.

"I know," she sighed, swirling the tea around in her cup. "It's just been so long since I've seen any of them."

Neptune raised an eyebrow, hoisting himself up to sit on the desk in front of her.

"Isn't that all the more reason to go then?" he asked.

Weiss gave him a pointed look for sitting on her desk in such a manner, but thought better of it and decided to prop her legs up as well, crossing her ankles over his lap and reclining her chair.

"I just don't know what I'd say to everyone…" she said anxiously.

Neptune smiled as he slowly unlaced her shoes,

"Don't be silly, Weiss," he said as he tugged her shoes off so that he could gently massage the soles of her feet. "You butt heads with big shot executives all day long. Don't tell me you're afraid to talk to people that actually _care_ about you."

Weiss threw the young man another dirty look, before her eyes closed involuntarily.

"Don't be cheeky, you little…" she said, trailing off as she let out a groan of pleasure as his hands went to work, releasing weeks of pent up stress. "Nnnng…ohhh, don't think you can shut me up that easily, mister…"

Neptune smirked as he worked the muscles and tendons around between his fingers.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Madam President," he grinned.

Weiss wanted to chastise the young man further, but at the moment, his hands were working such wonders that she honestly could not come up with a decent barb to lob his way.

"Ooooh…if you keep that up, I might just hire you on as my personal masseuse," she cautioned.

Neptune smiled back at her as he continued onto the other foot before working way up her calves.

"Sure, as long as I get overtime," he winked.

"Deal," Weiss sighed, leaning back in her chair.

Neptune's expression mellowed as he continued caressing her.

"I was…kind of hoping you'd come with me to Vale, actually," he said, somberly. "As part of the security staff, I kind of _have_ to be there. But it'd be _so much_ nicer if you were there with me."

Weiss turned her head, glancing out the window, a faraway look on her face as she considered his proposal. She wasn't sure why she was so reluctant to go. Maybe she was worried that after spending so much time calling the shots at her family's company that the rest of her friends had similarly moved on with their lives, and they wouldn't have anything to talk about. If this were just another fancy company shindig, she could have easily put on a professional smile and acted the part. But these were her friends, her teammates, people that she had fought and bled beside. She didn't want to have to do that with them. And the thought that it might even be a possibility frightened her more than she wanted to admit.

Neptune peered at her from atop her desk, an inviting look on his face.

"There's supposed to be services for the next few days after the commemoration," he continued. "Just think about it – we could have a whole weekend all to ourselves."

Weiss bit her lip at the thought. She had to admit, the idea did sound appealing. She deserved a break after all the work she'd been doing after all. But still, there was that nagging voice in the back of her head, telling her to think twice about it.

Neptune had picked up his entire life and moved it to Atlas just to be near her. He would often claim that it was for other reasons too, that he needed time away from his team and reminders of what he'd lost, but they both knew he was here for Weiss' sake. Nobody else had made such a gesture for her before. Ruby and the rest of Team JNPR were still in Vale, Yang had gone with Blake to Menagerie, the rest of Team SSSN was helping to rebuild Mistral, and Team CFVY seemed to pop up all over the map these days. Weiss just felt so far removed from everyone she had known, and while the CCTS had been restored, she had just been so busy with her work that there was just no time to stay in touch with everyone that she had known. It had been so long since she'd spoken to anybody, that retaining that silence was starting to sound easier than having to face them a make excuses for why she'd taken so long.

Weiss was about to respond to Neptune's proposition, when a familiar song chimed on her scroll. As Weiss sat back up, putting her legs back down on the floor and began to fumble for her scroll, Neptune smirked as the song played.

"Still one of your greatest hits," he said with a wink.

Weiss smiled back at him before opening her scroll.

"It's…a message from Jaune," Weiss said aloud, eyes wide with surprise.

Neptune blinked curiously as Weiss stared at her phone as if it were some kind of dead animal.

"Well?" he asked inquisitively. "Are you going to play it or what?"

Weiss fumbled again, nearly dropping her scroll before she finally snapped to attention.

"Oh!" she muttered, tapping the play button. "Right…"

Jaune's face appeared on the screen, looking embarrassed. While the CCTS had been restored, it was still impossible for direct scroll-to-scroll communication to take place across continents. However, it was possible to send pre-recorded video messages and have them be delivered via couriers (and now through the CCTS itself) where they could then be streamed through scroll towers. It was the next best thing to actual long range scroll calls, and even then, they were rarely used. For Jaune to have reached out to her like this, it must have been urgent.

"Hey Weiss," Jaune said, waving sheepishly. "I _really_ hope this reaches you in time."

Weiss blinked as she stared at the young man. He had grown up somewhat in the past year, and he had even upgraded his armor from the looks of things. He actually looked quite handsome now, though he still retained that childish air about him.

"How's it going, first of all?" Jaune said, stumbling over his words. "I know it's been…like…months since we last saw each other and everything. I hope everything's going alright with you. Things are okay for us here in Vale. Glynda's been working us to the bone with this new peacekeeping initiative, but at least it's better than fighting Grimm."

Weiss and Neptune exchanged a glance. They had heard that Beacon had added a peacekeeping force, but they hadn't heard that Glynda Goodwitch had been placed in charge of it.

"The team's doing well," Jaune continued. "Nora's still as energetic as ever, and Ren's been taking culinary classes on the side. Might even become a chef when he retires. And as for Ruby…well, I don't think she's _ever_ going to retire from this job. She loves it too much. It doesn't matter that we're putting away criminals instead of fighting Grimm, she was _born_ for this life. I don't think she's ever more alive than when she's fighting to keep people safe."

Weiss' expression softened at Jaune's words, her lips curving into a sentimental smile as she listened.

"I can tell that she misses you, Weiss," Jaune continued, clearly getting carried away on his tangent. "She talks about you all the time, but she knows how busy you are with your work and she doesn't want to bother you. It's really nice, having Ruby for a partner and all. But if I'm being honest, I know you'll always be first in her heart."

Weiss' lower lip began to quiver as pressure began to build up in her chest. If Jaune kept talking about Ruby like this, she wasn't sure if she could stop herself from crying. Mercifully, Jaune seemed to realize at that point that he was rambling, and held up his hands.

"Anyway," he said, clearing his throat. "The reason I'm calling is…well, I'm sure you know Ruby's birthday is in a few weeks, and I was thinking about getting her something special. And since everyone's going to be in town for the commemoration address, I figured we could all get together for an impromptu birthday celebration."

Neptune winked at Weiss. "You hear that? Now you _have_ to come."

Weiss held her finger up to her lips. "Shhh!"

Jaune still had a sheepish expression on his face as he spoke through the scroll.

"So yeah," he said finally. "I know I'm a bit late in getting my act together, but Headmaster Qrow gave me these schematics, and Coco already said that she'd help me with the fabrication. But I need the right building materials, and I don't want to just stop into any old hardware store. I know your company manufactures a whole lot of stuff, so I was wondering…hoping…that maybe you could help me out with the raw materials? I know it's a rush job, and I'll pay you for the resources of course…but if you could help me out, I'd really appreciate it. I've included the schematics and the materials needed for the design in this email. It's for Ruby's present, so I'd really appreciate your help, Weiss."

Weiss crossed her arms, a proud smile on her face.

"As if there were any chance I'd say no," she said to herself, despite the fact that Jaune couldn't hear her. "And there's no _way_ I'd accept payment for something like this."

Jaune was scratching the back of his head as the video bar at the bottom of the screen neared the end.

"Well, I better cut this short before this video becomes too expensive to send," he said shyly. "Let me know if you can help me out with Ruby's present. And either way, I'll look forward to seeing you at the commemoration. We all will. So…see you there, Weiss. Hope you have a safe trip."

The camera suddenly veered off of Jaune as his scroll tumbled over, pointing at the ceiling at an odd angle.

"Aww, crap," Jaune's voice could be heard distantly, as an oversized hand covered the screen. "Now I gotta shoot that all over-"

The video ended on a still of his open palm, and Neptune let out a chuckle.

"He must have fat-fingered the send button," he said with a snort.

Weiss was silent as she stared at the screen. She was still absorbing everything she'd heard. Mostly the part about how much Ruby had missed her. Had Jaune been serious when he'd said that Weiss would always be first in Ruby's heart? She couldn't pretend that there wasn't just a teeny bit of resentment for Jaune stealing her partner away from her. And it seemed that even he could tell how much Ruby mattered to her.

Still, Weiss thought as her eyes finally fell on Neptune, she had ended up with a pretty decent partner of her own in her stead. Without Sun, Neptune was all alone. He needed somebody to take care of him. And Weiss was only too happy to oblige. In a way, it ended up working out well for everyone.

"So," Neptune said with a smile. "Does that mean you're coming?"

Weiss didn't answer. Instead, she thumbed a switch on the white translucent desk in front of her, lighting up a communication terminal with a profile image of her secretary hovering over a holographic screen.

"Lily?" she said, placing her scroll on the table, allowing it to interface. "Standby to receive a custom order for a priority client. I'm sending you the details now."

The secretary's voice sounded over the holographic still image of her face.

"Standing by," the voice said.

Weiss tapped and dragged the file attachments from Jaune's video message onto her desk, and a progress bar quickly filled as the files were transferred to the Schnee Dust Company's main server.

"Data received," Lily confirmed.

Weiss nodded curtly. "Good. Make sure it gets delivered ASAP. Our contact at _Adel & Formaggio_ should be in touch with any details."

"Right away, ma'am," the secretary said.

Neptune watched as Weiss worked, progressing smoothly through the process of project management like it was already second nature to her. She truly had become a force to be reckoned with at this company, and it was only her first year.

"Well?" he urged.

Weiss closed the hologram on her desk, pocketed her scroll, and then threw him a smile that just about melted his heart.

"Pack your bags, Neptune," she said. "We're going to Vale."

* * *

Part 4

* * *

A fiery blast of pure energy lanced out across the ocean. The cool blue waves split apart, much of the water evaporating from the heat, as the white hot beam of light extended out across the endless sea before disappearing over the horizon. Beneath the beam, the relatively shallow coastal ocean floor became briefly visible, exposing coral reefs and ocean kelp to the air, before the twin waves of water came rushing back in from either side, crashing together as the fiery blast overhead finally began to dissipate, leaving behind a line of frothy sea foam. In the distance, the clouds began to part as the energy breached the atmosphere, shooting off into the sky.

Yang Xiao-Long stood on the shoreline, her right arm ablaze in fire as she held her closed fist extended out towards the ocean. The portion of sand directly before her had turned into molten glass under the intense heat, and the salty sea spray splashed at her feet as the water came cascading back in to fill the void she had carved into the Menagerian coastal shores. As the energy blast subsided, so too did the glowing vibrant glow that ran up her arm, her skin once again returning to a normal pink tone, the fiery pattern lingering up her arm like a birthmark, her skin forever marked as being touched by fire.

Yang stared out at the waters, still somewhat put off by the sheer destructive capacity at her fingertips. It had taken her months to regain even this much control over her new powers. While there was little need to be holding herself back in a fight against Grimm, now that the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Remnant were tasked with keeping the peace amongst fellow humans and Faunus, such firepower was overkill. It was useful in a life or death scenario, but for the day to day task of keeping criminals off the street, it was like trying to swat flies with a grenade. Her abilities were just too powerful. She would be useless as a Huntress were she to simply incinerate anyone she hunted down without taking them in to receive a proper trial. And it didn't help that extensive use of such raw power drained her aura faster than she had ever imagined.

So she had honed her newfound abilities, teaching herself to regulate her output, so that only a fraction of her power could be leveraged if that was all that was needed. It took months of practice, and a lot of encouragement from her father, from Blake and from her teammates when she had occasion to speak to them. But eventually, she had learned the self-control needed not to simply unleash all of her power at once.

Part of her training regimen that helped, she found, was to periodically travel to isolated areas such as this and let it all out in a such a way that caused minimal harm. While the discipline needed to regulate her power was valuable, it was nice to be able to cut loose like this every once in a while. And that outlet allowed her all the greater resolve to hold herself back when it mattered most.

She retracted her fist, staring at the mark on her arm. By now, she was used to the flame-like pattern that ran across her skin like a long, intricate tattoo, weaving patterns back and forth from the palm of her hand to just past her elbow. Beyond the marking, her arm was as good as new. It had taken no time at all to exercise the atrophied muscles and get it back into fighting shape. She had also adopted a new outfit in order to better accommodate her fiery new semblance. Having burned through more than enough shirt sleeves to know better by now, her right arm was now completely bare up to the shoulder, the right arm of her jacket hanging loosely at her side. It was a style that vaguely resembled that of her longtime rival, Arlsan Altan, who had pointed out as much to her when they had last met, before Yang had promptly smoked her at their long overdue arm wrestling rematch.

The only thing that adored her right arm was her Ember Celica. She now once again had a matching set of gauntlets on each arm, and she was not keen on upgrading them anytime soon. She had gone through enough upgrades when she had born Atlesian prosthetics, and now, her semblance was one that outclassed anything that could be fabricated through technology. She had needed to coat her gauntlets with a healthy amount of fire-resistant paint, as well as extra insulation to ensure the live rounds did not go off whenever her semblance did, but it had been worth the hassle. Her semblance wasn't necessary for every situation, and besides, she liked the familiar weight of her bangles on both wrists, and they were a welcome reminder of where she had come from, and what she had gained along the way.

"Yang!" a tiny voice called out from behind her.

The blonde haired woman turned around, holding her hair back to keep it from being tossed by the sea breeze, and saw a familiar young girl in a flowery blue dress bounding down the sand towards her.

"Hey there, Gem," she said with a smile.

The seven year old girl ran up to Yang as she reached out towards her. Yang caught the child as she flung herself towards her, scooping her up into her arms and carrying her at her side.

"Oof!" Yang said, straining under the weight. "You're getting too big for me to be carrying you around anymore."

Gem shook her head, her auburn curls swaying back and forth as she grinned.

"Nuh-uh!" she countered, puffing out her cheeks. "You're super strong, Yang! You could pick me up even if I grow up to be as tall as _you_ are!"

Yang poked one of her cheeks, causing her to deflate in a fit of laughter.

"Fair point," Yang ceded. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

Gem looked bored.

"Blake was looking for you," she said, sounding somewhat peeved at being sent on such an errand. "She told me to go find you."

Yang shrugged, glancing up to where she had parked her bike past the cement breaker walls that kept the tides from washing away the vegetation.

"Well, you found me," Yang said casually. "Want me to give you a ride back? It's a short trip, but…"

Yang didn't even finish before Gem threw her arms up into the air.

"Yeah!" she declared excitedly.

Yang smiled and carried Gem back up to her bike, passing by palm trees and other plant life as she traipsed farther inland, before depositing the girl on her bike.

"Okay," she said, sliding onto Bumblebee's seat cushion behind the young girl, keeping her safely tucked between her arms and legs. "Hold on!"

Gem giggled in excitement as Yang revved the engine before taking off down the sandy road back in the direction of town.

As they rode off, wind whipping at their hair, Yang was struck by just how much had transpired in just a short year. When the war with the Grimm had ended, she and Blake had followed up on their promise to look into Gem and her family back in Atlas, and had found her in a government care facility, awaiting adoption into the kingdom's foster care program along with numerous other orphaned children. Her parents, along with those of many other children in the kingdom, had not survived the battle of Atlas, and in the wake of such destruction, the kingdom was struggling to find homes for the children who were left behind in its wake.

As the new leader of the White Fang, Blake was needed in Menagerie, and Yang had every intention of joining her. As overwhelming as the prospect was of leading an entire civilian militia on her own, Blake was not terribly keen on adding to her list of responsibilities. After much prodding from Yang, however, she had relented, and together they opened up a foster care home of their own, where Gem and many other children displaced by the war with the Grimm from all across Remnant, could find shelter. Blake's family, as it turned out, was more than happy to help with the project, and had a large enough house to accommodate the lot of them. Yang also seemed to have a way with children that came from years of taking care of her little sister. She would teach them all how to protect themselves by instructing them in art of self-defense during the day, and Blake would teach them all how to keep the world from getting them down by reading them stories every night before going to bed.

As daunting an endeavor as all this was, it had opened up a great many doors for them too. Their foster care center was home to human and Faunus alike, and accepted children from Atlas, Vale, Mistral, Vacuo and Menagerie. It had slowly become a symbol of unity for the people of Remnant, and it allowed Blake and Yang to springboard into their next great endeavor - founding Menagerie's first ever Huntsman Academy.

The academy came into view just along the edge of town. As Yang's bike slid to a halt before the slew of half-finished buildings on the edge of town, she spotted Blake standing in the middle of the courtyard between them all, a white hard-hat on her head and a clipboard in hand as she surveyed the construction. Each day, the skeletal structures began to look more and more like a proper buildings, and Blake and Yang found that their knowledge from Beacon didn't even come close to covering everything there was to know about establishing a school. Their connection with the other Huntsmen Academies had been instrumental, and it brought in a sizable endowment from Qrow, Ironwood and Jasmine as their sister Academies, as well as recommendations for plans, designs and experts. It was thanks to their generosity that this project was even possible.

Blake was standing next to a statue at the center of the courtyard, and at Yang and Gem's approach, she turned and fixed them with fond if exasperated look.

"And where have _you_ two been all day?" she asked, shaking her head, a dismissive smile on her face.

"Training," Yang answered.

"I brought her back, just like you told me, Blake," Gem said, slowly walking up to her and reaching up to grab the hem of her White Fang jacket.

Blake knelt down next to the girl, lifting the rim of her hard hat so she could look the girl in the eye.

"Yes you did," she allowed, a hint of rebuke in her voice. "Though I believe I sent you off on that particular job two hours ago. I can't believe you spent _all_ that time looking for Yang. Would you care to explain yourself, young lady?"

Gem looked thoughtful as she poked her chin, sticking out her tongue in concentration.

"Ummm…" she muttered in recollection. "There was a kitty cat on the way and I played with him for a bit. But then he ran away, so I followed him until he ran up a tree. He got stuck and couldn't get down, so I tried to climb the tree, but then _I_ got stuck and couldn't get down! But then Aunt Kali came with a ladder and carried us both back down, so I got to play with him again."

Yang raised her eyebrows, nodding in exaggerated fascination.

"Wow," she smiled. "Sounds you've had a busy day, kid."

Blake did not seem quite so amused, and reached down to ruffle the girl's hair.

"You know better than to make trouble for your aunt Kali like that," she chastised gently, though there was no ferocity in her voice.

Gem pouted in annoyance. "I didn't! I was going get the kitty down all by myself!"

Blake stood up again, patting the girl on the head.

"I'll bet you were," she said in a resigned tone. "I'll tell you what - why don't you run home and go see if Aunt Kali needs any help in the kitchen? That'll make up for it, I think."

Gem looked suspicious of this suggestion, having evidently been shanghaied into kitchen-related chores in the past.

"Do I have to?" she whined.

Yang knelt down beside her, giving her a surreptitious wink.

"I _might_ have heard mention that Aunt Kali was making her famous steamed pork buns for dinner tonight," she said with a conspiratorial nudge with her elbow. "If you help her out, she just might let you try one early as a reward."

That seemed to sway the girl's opinion and her eyes lit up in excitement.

"Alright!" Gem squealed with glee as she bolted off in the direction of Blake's family home.

Yang sighed and stood back up as she watched the girl go, inevitably diverging off course to play with some of the other foster kids she encountered kicking a ball around the dirt road. Some of them had animal ears, others had tails, and some, like Gem, had no Faunus traits at all. It didn't matter. The Grimm did not draw distinctions between human and Faunus. The terror inflicted on them by the war had been universal, and as they healed, they had become a family in and of themselves.

And to family, it did not matter if you were human or Faunus.

"That girl certainly has a mind of her own," Yang commented proudly as she watched the kids disappear down the road.

Blake sighed and stood back up, stretching her back tiredly.

"I just hope she doesn't bite off more than she can chew one of these days," she said.

Yang smirked as she bumped her hip against Blake.

"Figuratively or literally?" she asked. "That kid's got one hell of an appetite. I swear, I've seen her put away half a ham in one sitting!"

Blake let out a gentle laugh as she turned her eyes back towards the construction. The future campus of the Huntsmen Academy was well underway, as all around them, construction crews meandered back and forth. Each building was surrounded by wooden scaffolding as workers climbed up and down the platforms, hoisting beams, brick and mortar up to lay across the walls of future lecture halls and dorm rooms. They were laying the foundation for the future of Menagerie, and the excitement in the air could be felt across the town.

But it was not the buildings that Blake was focusing on, but rather the statue at the courtyard's center.

Yang put her hands on her hips as she gazed up at the marble depiction of the simian Faunus, bo-staff held out before him in a pose of defiance and fortitude.

"Sunstone Academy," she commented, nodding proudly at their newly founded school. "The first Huntsmen academy in Menagerie. Still hard to believe it's actually happening. All this planning we've done, all the support we got from my uncle and the other headmasters…"

Blake said nothing as she continued to stare up at the hard marble that made up the likeness of Sun Wukong, the namesake of the academy and the hero in whom it was founded. At his feet was a plaque, briefly describing his history, his feats, how he stood on the front lines of Vacuo, Vale, Mistral, _and_ Atlas, and how he sacrificed himself defending his team from the Grimm. Like all statues, it made him feel larger than life, even though the two Huntresses had always known him to be so down-to-earth. It did not ultimately matter, they knew. So long as his name continued to inspire those Faunus that came after him.

There had been some objections when Blake had initially put his name forward. Even amongst his peers in Vacuo, Sun had been known as a reprobate, a simple common man who would never amount to anything in life. The White Fang had urged her to choose a nobler figure from their history, one they deemed more deserving of the title, who would better represent Menagerie on the world stage amongst the four kingdoms. But Blake had known better than that. She had known that beneath his cavalier exterior had dwelled a kind and generous heart, one that reached out to the most downtrodden amongst them.

In a way, Sun represented all of them here in Menagerie – someone who was forced to scrape by one whatever he could scrounge for himself, and still managing to give of himself so freely to that same uncaring world that had brought him so low in the first place. His sacrifice mirrored the sacrifice that all of Menagerie had been asked to make, time and time again. To Blake, there had been no more obvious choice for whom to dedicate her academy.

Yang crossed her arms as Blake continued to consider the statue standing over them.

"You think he'd like it?" she asked.

Blake let out a sigh, shaking her head.

"The statue?" she asked dryly, giving her partner a baffled look. "No way. He would have found it completely tacky. Sun always hated stuff like this."

Yang snorted, shaking her head.

"Not the statue," she corrected, waving her arm out across what they had built together. "I meant _this!_ A Huntsman Academy, here in Menagerie! A chance for the Faunus to truly stand as equals alongside the kingdoms of the Remnant! This is everything you two have been fighting for, isn't it?"

Blake looked around. Construction was progressing at a startling rate. Faunus laborers were diligent and steadfast in their work, and the first buildings would very likely be completed before the year was out. Already she was receiving inquiries from prospective students, eager to join her school to learn how to become the Huntsmen and Huntresses of the future. But before that, she needed to assign faculty and staff, many of whom were coming from within the ranks of the White Fang itself, their members eager to put their many varied skill sets towards a positive goal. And of course, none of this would have been possible without the full support of Blake's father, who also happened to be the village chieftain. The whole of Menagerie was coming together to make this school a possibility, and Blake couldn't have been more proud.

"It's definitely a step in the right direction," Blake smiled as she took off her hard hat and wiped the sweat from her brow, her ears flicking in the fresh air. "And it's one that I never thought I would ever see happen."

Yang smiled, standing next to her partner with her hands on her hips, before blinking as if in recollection.

"Oh yeah," she said, breaking the moment as she pulled away. "Gem said you needed me for something?"

Blake sighed as she withdrew her scroll, her clipboard and hard hat under her arm.

"Just wanted to make sure you hadn't forgotten to pack," she said, double checking the flight confirmation on her scroll. "Our airship tickets to Vale are for tomorrow at six."

Yang held her hand up dismissively.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten," she said sheepishly.

Blake raised her eyebrow as the two of them began walking in the direction of Yang's motorcycle.

"Apparently Jaune's trying to get everyone together to celebrate Ruby's birthday that night, since everyone's going to be gathered for the commemoration," she said.

Yang nodded. "It's a good idea. Just means I'm going to have to pack Ruby's present too."

Blake glanced over at her. "What'd you get her?"

Yang grinned. "I figure she's old enough to drive, so she ought to have something stylish to ride."

Blake's eyes widened, an impressed expression on her face.

"Wow, you're really making me look bad," she sighed helplessly. "All I got her was a book."

Yang smirked. "It's fine. I'm her big sister. I'm _supposed_ to spoil her."

As they approached Bumblebee, Blake's expression soured.

"So wait, what about _your_ bike?" she inquired. "We've already made the arrangements to take it with us on our trip, but if you need to check in Ruby's present as well, isn't that going to be expensive?"

Yang smiled, waving her off.

"Relax, will you?" she said in a withered voice. "I've got it taken care of. Gosh, who needs a mom around with _you_ always fussing over me?"

Blake pouted, laying her ears back flat.

" _Someone_ around here has to keep you in line," she said pointedly.

Yang draped her arm around the girl, smiling fondly at her.

"Aww, so you _do_ love me after all," she said coyly.

Blake's face reddened slightly as her brow furrowed.

"You already know I do…" she said in a low voice.

Yang's smile only widened, knowing full well how shy Blake was about public displays of affection.

"Come on," she prodded, tickling her under the chin. "I want to hear you say it."

Blake's face got even redder.

"Y…You fiend…" she wrinkled her nose, eyes disappearing behind her hair.

Yang's mirth was palpable as she embraced her partner tightly.

"Blaaaaake…" she said, prodding her for a proper response.

Blake's eyes flitted this way and that, darting around for a sign that anyone might be watching them, but the only people she could see were workers focused on the construction around them. She wanted to put her hard hat back on and just disappear underneath it, but of course, Yang would never let her do that.

"I…" Blake whispered, smiling nervously back up at Yang. "I love you, alright Yang?"

Yang's whole face was beaming.

"Good," she said, leaning in to give her partner a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you too, Blake."

Blake nodded, still too embarrassed to say anything more. As Yang climbed on top of her motorcycle, she gave a two fingered salute as she donned her helmet.

"See you tonight, honey," she said with a sly wink. "Don't work too late. Remember, we've got an airship to catch in the morning."

Blake swallowed and nodded, waving as Yang fired up her engine.

"Yeah…" she breathed, watching her go.

As Yang's bike took off over the hill, leaving a cloud of dust behind her, Blake let out a sigh as she sped away. Taking a breath, rubbing her cheeks to get the circulation in her skin moving again, before returning to the construction zone, hard hat once again on her head.

Living with Yang had been interesting ever since they had moved to Menagerie. Her parents had taken to Yang rather well, considering she wasn't the strapping young Faunus lad they had always envisioned she'd bring home with her. By their second day in town, Yang had proven herself in single combat with Blake's father, showing that she was more than capable of looking after his daughter. And as far as Blake's mother was concerned, bringing over a dozen foster kids into their household was a pretty close second to having grand kids (though she had insisted on being called "Aunt Kali," as her mother claimed that she wasn't old enough to be a grandmother just yet).

It wasn't too weird sharing a room with Yang – they had done so for over a year back at Beacon, even if Ruby and Weiss had also been a part of that. Still, things were just a bit awkward between them now, though that was probably because they were living in her parents' house. As spacious as it was, there was no such thing as privacy around Faunus ears. So she and Yang had thrown themselves into their work, taking care of the children, making plans for Sunstone Academy, and building their lives together. There was no shortage of work to occupy their time. And once construction was completed, the two of them would probably be moving onto campus grounds, and maybe then, things would start to feel more natural between them.

Until then, Blake had her anxieties. And as she was slowly learning, she likely always would. Growing up, things had always been so black and white, but as she'd gotten older, the various shades of gray had introduced so much vagueness into the picture that Blake often didn't know what to do. This was probably why she was so strongly drawn to Yang. Insecurity was something that Blake was _always_ going to feel, she realized. And to be around someone as confident and carefree as her partner…

Before she knew it, Blake found herself back at the statue of Sun Wukong, staring up at him as though looking for answers. She wondered, idly, if Sun would approve of the choices she'd made. She didn't know if she would have chosen to be with him had he still been around. She wasn't sure what she had felt for him, and she had been denied the time she had needed to find that out for sure. She had already come to terms with this fact, and had arrived at the conclusion that the least she could do was honor his name by having him stand vigil over what their efforts had led to.

Still, her heart would always linger on the what-ifs, and questions of what he would think of how she had ended her journey.

And whom she had ended it with.

"I did alright…" she said silently, looking up at Sun's marble face. "Didn't I?"

But of course, the statue had no answer.

* * *

Part 5

* * *

Huntsmen Memorial Park was a beautiful if somber place at the center of Vale. Lines of stone marked with the names of those innocents from the kingdom who had lost their lives during the war, and the Huntsmen who had made the ultimate sacrifice featured prominently at the heart of the lush green acre, running in a wide circular path around a white stone rotunda at its center, surrounded by Ionic columns. Plaques and engravings marked the names and faces of the proud sons and daughters of the Huntsmen academies stretching across the world of Remnant, each of their symbols and schools displayed next to a list of their accomplishments and what family they had left behind.

Each plaque faced inwards around the pathway, as if casting their gaze towards the small stone structure at its heart. And at the center of the circle of Huntsmen and Huntresses, within a monastic stone rotunda lined with columns, stood a pale marble statue of a lone Huntress, spear and shield held firmly in hand, standing guard as she cast her gaze out across the kingdom and all the other kingdoms across the world that she had saved.

It was a quiet and peaceful place, beautifully kept and ideally situated. A small pond lay still off to one side, where a flock of swans made their home during the summer. Pyrrha might have liked it here, Jaune thought as he stood within the white stone gazebo, smiling up at the memorial.

Cemented on the face of the rock upon which she stood was a plaque of cast bronze, engraved with words of commemoration.

 _Dedicated to the memory of Pyrrha Nikos, Huntress of Mistral and Vale. Alumna of Sanctum and Beacon Academy. Beloved member of Team JNPR and RSJC. Like many Huntsmen and Huntresses before her, Pyrrha fought to keep the world of Remnant safe from the creatures of Grimm. Demonstrating singular bravery, Pyrrha and her team reclaimed the kingdom of Vale from the forces of the Grimm, giving her life in the process. Her sacrifice marked an end to a war that has gone on since time immemorial. The kingdom of Vale and the world of Remnant stand forever in her debt._

Jaune read the words, as he had a thousand times before, and cast his eyes once again at the statue. The white stone figure was tall and fearsome, though somehow still less so than Pyrrha had been in life. Still, even with his busy job as a Huntsman peacekeeper, Jaune had come to visit on every day he had off duty. Every other week or so, he brought new flowers with him to replenish those left behind from the weeks before, and even those were dwarfed by what had been left by other visitors, grateful to Pyrrha for her sacrifice and wishing to offer their thanks.

While the floral arrangements usually dominated the enclosure, especially on today of all days, it was the little gifts that always caught Jaune's eye. Photographs left by friends from treasured memories, or from strangers left to show what hope had been salvaged through the Huntress' efforts; small hand-written letters, often accompanied by drawings scribbled by children's hands, thanking the Huntress personally for giving them all a future to hope for; little wooden charms carved with prayers and surrounded by incense sticks and candles. Every being of every kingdom and every culture and every age had reason to be grateful for Pyrrha's sacrifice, and those well wishes were all gathered in this this tiny little enclave, blending together into a single unified voice of gratitude. Those were the messages that Jaune kept close at heart, and lifted his spirits when he came here with tears in his eyes.

The days and weeks after the war ended had been a bitter pill for Jaune to swallow. In the wake of such a loss, it had been difficult to see just what future would be worth living without the woman that he loved by his side. It was a victory for the Huntsmen, but the cost of that victory had stripped it of any joy. And as word had spread across Remnant of that victory, the people began to flood back into the kingdom, eager to meet the team of Huntsmen who had saved them all from certain doom.

Getting to play hero in front of so many people had always been Jaune's dream, yet even then, he had felt like a pretender. It wasn't that he felt undeserving – he and his team had fought so hard, and he had no illusions about the efforts they had made. It wasn't even that he had been forbidden from revealing the real truth about Pyrrha's death, as they had all been sworn to secrecy as to the true nature of their victory. It was having to smile at so many strangers and tell them all that the days ahead would be bright and full of hope when he himself couldn't even bring himself to believe it.

His friends had been there to ease the burden. His team had been there. Ruby had been there too. But it wasn't until he met face to face with Pyrrha's mother and father again after the uproarious victory celebration had blown over that he could ever really forgive himself. It had been a tearful meeting, full of apologies and shared regrets. These were people who, by every measure, had even more cause to mourn than he did. And being able to speak with them, openly and honestly, about what their daughter had gone through and what she had sacrificed, and above all, _why_ …

It had been a crucial step in the healing process, hearing their forgiveness. Knowing that their little girl had truly died a hero, and had done so willingly, knowing her sacrifice would save the entire planet had given them the closure that they had needed. And that, in turn, had given Jaune just the push he'd needed. It hadn't made anything alright. It hadn't made anything better. But it made the little victories mean something again. It reminded him that, even while everything ultimately came to an end, there would always be something more beyond it.

And that would be enough.

"Hey Pyrrha…" Jaune said, smiling up at the bold alabaster face.

The grace and poise of Pyrrha's figure had been captured to a tee by the white stone statue, though the determination on her face belied the troubles that often lingered upon her worried brow that only those closest to her had ever been privy to. Better that the world see her as the unflinching bastion of fortitude that she outwardly projected, Jaune thought. Remnant had its hero, and the tender feelings of doubt and uncertainty just beneath the surface were his alone to treasure.

"Hard to believe it's been a whole year, huh?" he asked out loud.

Pyrrha's statue remained as still as always. Jaune never seemed to mind the stillness. He would sometimes spend entire days here, whiling away the afternoon, just being by her side. On occasion, he'd bring her favorite comic book, leaving it when he was finished reading for whoever else came along. It felt nice to be close to her again, even if only in spirit.

"Headmaster Qrow's giving a commemoration address later," Jaune detailed. "Everyone from the team is supposed to be there. Professor Goodwitch even gave us the day off."

His armor had been upgraded over the previous year, including pieces that more fully enveloping his body. He still kept the same hoodie underneath, but his shield had been upgraded as well, adorned by a fine piece of bronze recovered from Pyrrha's lost circlet, the decorative curves ornamenting its base.

"I've been working on this little project for Ruby's birthday," Jaune admitted sheepishly, as though the statue would critique him for his indiscretion. "Weiss and Coco are helping me out, so it's a team effort. I hope she likes it."

Jaune bit his lip as he gazed up at the rigid white face, almost ethereal in its beauty. This monument would endure the test of time in a way that no one else on their team could.

"We've…been getting a lot closer lately," he said shyly, clasping his hands before him. "Me and Ruby, I mean…"

He took a deep breath, a sad, apologetic look on his face as he looked up at the statue of the girl he had loved once upon a time.

"I know it's only been a year," Jaune fidgeted nervously, cheeks getting redder, as though the woman he knew were standing right in front of him. "But...I know, you'd probably tell me to stop moping around, get my act together, and start getting on with my life already. So…that's what I'm trying to do."

Jaune reached out and placed a hand on the stone upon which the tall white statue stood, smiling fondly up at her.

"I just…" he inhaled, fighting back tears. "I just want you to know…that I'll never forget about you, or what we had together. I know that you're still with us, in your own way. Your aura's all around us, in every bit of life this world has to offer. You gave everything you had to protect us. And I know that…I know that this time, you're not coming back…"

The tears won the battle, and soon Jaune was wiping his eyes, his whole body shaking. He had hoped that he had moved beyond such frailty, but even now, after an entire year, the pain still felt so fresh.

He leaned forward, his forehead resting against the statue's leg plate, tears trickling down his cheek.

"You told me…" he whispered forlornly. "You told me to keep believing in myself…"

He sniffed back his tears, turning his head up to stare up at the valiant figure above him.

"And I'm trying, Pyrrha," he breathed. "I'm trying really, really hard to do that…"

Biting his lip, Jaune pleaded with the ghost of his former partner, seeking answers that he knew would never come.

"But I…" he stammered, looking away in shame. "I'm just not sure if I can do it on my own…"

He finally stood back up, wiping the tears from his eyes as he smiled gratefully at Pyrrha's likeness.

"It's like you always said - everyone needs help from time to time," he sighed wistfully. "And Ruby…well, having Ruby around…it…it really helps. I don't feel quite so alone when I'm with her…"

He placed a hand over his aching heart, looking back at the statue, pleading for forgiveness.

"I hope you can understand," he sniffed, swallowing back more tears. "Just…just know that no matter _what_ happens, I…I could _never_ forget you, Pyrrha. And that…and that you'll _always_ be in my heart."

The watchful guardian remained silent and stoic as ever, gazing out upon her kingdom and its people, neither approving nor disapproving.

Jaune said nothing for a while longer, content to simply stand there, as if waiting for a sign. Whatever form he thought that sign might take, he was ultimately interrupted by Ren and Nora as they slowly approached the stairs leading up to the rotunda from behind where he stood.

"Hey Jaune," Nora said gently as the two of them entered the stone gazebo.

"We thought we might find you here," Ren added, nodding politely.

Jaune's smile took some effort, but he managed.

"Hey guys," he said.

The two remaining members of Team JNPR had similarly updated their attire over the previous year, their outfits more elongated to encompass their slightly larger builds. As the two of them joined Jaune by Pyrrha's memorial, Ren got to work lighting sticks of incenses as Nora knelt down in front of the statue.

She turned her gaze up towards the memorial, her normal euphoric energy completely muted as she remained in quiet contemplation. Ren and Jaune both joined her as they clasped their hands together in a silent prayer. The three of them remained unspeaking for a moment as they knelt side by side, casting their thoughts back to their memories of their fallen friend.

"It never gets any easier, does it?" Nora asked out loud, breaking the silence.

Ren and Jaune slowly shook their heads.

"It still hurts…" she muttered, swallowing hard. "Even after all this time…"

Ren drew in a breath and Jaune swallowed, trying not to let the tears spring anew. It was Nora's reservoir that broke first, and she found herself leaning into Ren's shoulder as she wept.

"Nora…" he whispered sympathetically.

Nora buried her face into Ren's long green coat, her whole body quaking as she cried.

"It's okay, Nora," he assured her. "You've remained strong this whole time, just like she asked. But just for today, at least, I think it should be okay to cry."

Nora quivered at his words as she wept.

"I just…" she whimpered, grasping onto her partner's sleeve. "I just wish she could _see_ everything that's happened since then! All the good that we've done…all the progress we've made…it's all thanks to _her!_ "

Ren gently stroked the girl's shoulder as Jaune nodded sympathetically.

"I think…I think she'd be proud," he said in agreement.

Nora lifted her head and began to slowly wipe her eyes.

"Yeah…" she muttered tearfully. "I think she would…"

The last remnants of Team JNPR continued to sit in silent contemplation for a while longer. Remembering Pyrrha brought so many joyful memories, which made it all the more painful to contemplate moving ahead without her. It had been a full year already, and still the reality felt no less unpalatable. Losing someone that they had each treasured so deeply, not once but twice, had given the three of them a keen perspective on just how precious those around them truly were.

Even in death, Pyrrha was continuing to inspire them all to become greater than themselves. Jaune, Nora and Ren would never forget their fallen comrade, nor would they ever take one another for granted. Knowing how easily each of their lives could be snatched away lent the three of them an appreciation for one another that surpassed mere friendship. They cherished one another, supported one another, and more importantly, they kept each other in check. They had each become the other's rock, their conscience, their balancing force. And together, they made each other stronger.

And of course, there was one more member of the team that they would never be able to let go of.

"Hey guys…" Ruby Rose said, stepping up into the rotunda.

Like her teammates, she wore an updated outfit more suited to her growing figure, as well as guilty expression on her face, looking as though she were intruding. She normally never shied away from visiting Pyrrha's memorial, but on today, the anniversary of her death, she felt it was more fitting that Team JNPR be given their chance to mourn in peace.

Ren and Jaune slowly rose to their feet to greet their team leader. Nora remained on her knees however, giving the statue another forlorn glance.

"We miss you, Pyrrha…" she whispered breathlessly. "We miss you so much…"

Ruby waited until Nora finally composed herself and rose to her feet as well, before wrapping her in a tight embrace. Nora's body stiffened as Ruby held her, and although Nora's grip was fearsome, Ruby endured, closing her eyes as the two girls shared in their grief.

As the two girls held one another, Ren placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder, smiling fondly.

"Every time I come here to leave fresh flowers, I always find that new ones have already been left," he observed, looking around at the treasure trove of floral arrangements and tithings left in remembrance. "Pyrrha's legacy has touched so many lives, Jaune. It's all we can do to live up to her memory."

"Yeah…" Jaune nodded. "We will. Together."

Ren smiled, determination renewed. "Together."

Ruby and Nora broke off their embrace, they too looking stronger for having shared in it.

"Feeling any better?" Ruby asked sweetly, holding Nora's shoulders.

Nora nodded feebly.

"I think so…" she muttered. "I guess…"

Ruby smiled. "Good…"

She then turned her attention to Pyrrha's statue, inclining her head in respect.

"Pyrrha…" she breathed in recollection, her eyes closed. "I hope you know what an _amazing_ team you have. It's been my honor to fight besides each of them…and it'll be my honor to keep doing so for as long as we have battles left to fight."

She turned her head back to look at her team, a fond smile on their face. At her gaze, each of them raised their heads a little bit higher.

"The honor's been ours, Ruby," Ren said in affirmation.

Nora nodded. "Yeah…"

"Pyrrha would be proud of you too," Jaune smiled down at her.

Ruby blushed and looked away, tucking her hair behind her ear under the praise, glancing out at the horizon.

"Well…it's getting late in the day," Ruby noted, a reserved tone in her voice. "My uncle's expecting us all at the commemoration address. They can't start without us – we're the guests of honor, after all."

Nora nodded, her smile returning once again.

"All our friends are coming too," she said, drying her tears. "We should be there to give them a nice warm welcome."

Jaune nodded, placing both hands Ren and Nora's shoulders, drawing the three of them together.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting," he smiled somberly.

Arm in arm, Team RNJR turned away from the memorial of their long lost friend, leaving her to stand vigil over the kingdom she had saved evermore. They would never forget her sacrifice. They would never give in to their grief. And standing tall on the winding trail that they had all blazed together, they would continue to keep moving forward.

* * *

Part 6

* * *

It was a day of reunions and celebration, and a day of reflections and remorse.

After the war had ended, Team RWBY had all gone their separate ways. Weiss had returned to Atlas to run her family's company, and Blake had returned to Menagerie to continue leading the White Fang. Yang had gone along with Blake, leaving Ruby alone in Vale with the rest of Team RNJR. Neptune had followed Weiss back to Atlas, Scarlet and Sage had returned to Mistral, and once Coco and her team had built their own airship, Team CFVY never stayed in the same place for more than a few weeks at a time. They had all gotten together during Velvet and Yatsuhashi's wedding ceremony, but beyond that, a few letters and an occasional video call once the CCTS had been restored, Ruby had not seen her former teammates in months.

Having them all together again was like a dream come true.

"Yaaaaang!" Ruby exclaimed, tackling her big sister with the ferocity of a rabid wolf.

Yang caught the younger girl in her arms, sweeping her up into a fierce bear hug, before releasing her giggling little sister.

"Hey squirt!" Yang grinned widely. "You look great! And look how much you've grown in just a year! I bet _all_ the boys have started eyeing you up, huh?"

"Oh, shut up!" Ruby stuck her tongue out, punching her sister's shoulder. "You don't I don't care about any of that! It's just so good to see you though! Both of you!"

Blake's eyes widened as Ruby enveloped her in an embrace that was mercifully gentler than the one given to her partner. She endured the affection with a smile, however, patting her former leader on the back as she did.

"It's good to see you too, Ruby," she said fondly.

Ruby clenched her hands excitedly as she grinned at her old teammates.

"So how's the new school coming along?" Ruby asked emphatically. "I heard it's going to be as big as Beacon!"

Yang smirked, giving a thumbs-up gesture.

"Bigger," she said proudly. "A _lot_ of Faunus are interested in becoming Huntsmen and Huntresses, but don't have the means of affording a school like Beacon. It was Blake's idea to make enrollment free for first year applicants."

Blake blushed slightly, looking away shyly.

"That's only because of my father's support," she said quickly. "He's been pushing the council to build a Huntsman Academy for years, so now that we're actually building one, he's putting his full weight behind it."

Ruby nodded in interest, watching the two girls talk.

"So what's going to happen to the White Fang once classes start?" she asked curiously.

Yang's grin only grew.

"That's the beauty of it," she said. "Most of the White Fang are already on staff! They're a civilian militia after all, and have lots of combat experience from the war. Those that didn't want to go back to their civilians lives get to act as peacekeepers for Menagerie, while getting the opportunity to pass on what they know and ensure future generations don't suffer the same tragedies."

Ruby pursed her lips.

"So does that mean the White Fang and your academy are basically the same thing now?" she asked.

Blake nodded.

"The White Fang will continue to operate within the fold of Sunstone Academy," she said. "And as such, it's finally operating above board again. We've become what we always should have been in the first place – an organization that can stand as equals with the rest of the kingdoms on the world stage."

Yang gently elbowed Blake in the side.

"With our very own Blake Belladonna acting as headmistress," she added.

Blake cleared her throat.

"Only until a suitable replacement can be nominated," she assured. "Someone needs to keep the White Fang's covert operations running smoothly throughout the transition. Besides, I'd be terrible in a public office like that."

"Oh, don't be so modest," she smirked, throwing her arm around Blake's shoulder. "You'll make a great headmistress!"

Blake blushed, cracking a half smile as she prodded Yang's rib cage in an effort to halt her advance.

"Don't forget," she said in a sly tone. "You're my assistant for as long as I hold the position. You sure you're up for it?"

Yang wormed away from Blake's reach, giggling playfully.

"I haven't forgotten, dear," she grinned. "Don't worry. "

Ruby clenched her fists excitedly and threw her arms around the other two girls in elation.

"Ohhh, I'm just so _proud_ of you two!" she cried, smiling widely.

Yang and Blake gratefully returned Ruby's embrace, far too charmed by her childish joy to resist her affections.

The three of them had gathered outside of the newly rebuilt Beacon Academy, each wearing their school uniforms as was every other Huntsman from Beacon as a show of solidarity, the courtyard already filling with Huntsmen from all across Remnant. Much of Beacon had changed since the attack, and many buildings were still under construction. However, the main complex had been restored, and the statue of the first Huntsmen still presided at the center of the courtyard.

Little by little, Huntsmen began to arrive from each of the four kingdoms. The white uniforms of Atlas began to intersperse with the red uniforms of Vale, as well as the eclectic wardrobe of the students of Shade. Even a few black Mistral Academy uniforms could be seen, despite the academy itself falling by the wayside. And as more and more airships flooded into Vale, with news cameras recording the events for those who couldn't attend, Beacon had soon become more populous than it had been during the Vytal festival.

"Weisssss!" Ruby practically squealed as she threw herself into the girl's arms.

Weiss' eyes widened momentarily before the crimson projectile that was Ruby Rose slammed into her, knocking her to the ground.

"Ack!" Weiss flailed helplessly as she fell over, with Ruby landing haphazardly in her lap. "Ruby!"

Ruby ignored her veiled protests as she embraced her friend, hugging her possessively, and making it impossible for Weiss to stand.

"Ohhh, it's so good to see you, Weiss!" Ruby cried. "I missed you so much!"

Weiss looked completely taken aback, her prim and proper white dress splaying out across the asphalt as Ruby held her planted to the ground. Standing beside them, Neptune Vasilias was crossing his arms as he smiled down at the small pile of girls, trying his hardest not to laugh.

"Are you alright, Weiss?" he asked, smugly.

Weiss looked down at Ruby Rose, who had her in a crushing embrace and was squeezing her so hard, she was finding it difficult to breathe. But in spite of all of this, Weiss was happy to see her longtime partner.

"Hey, it's okay, Ruby," Weiss assured gently, resting her hands on her shoulders. "I missed you too."

Ruby giggled childishly as she finally released her hold, allowing the Schnee Dust Company president to her feet.

"I'm so glad you two made it!" Ruby bubbled in excitement. "It's been so long since I've heard from you, I was worried that you might be too busy."

Weiss climbed to her feet, throwing a knowing glance at Neptune.

"Oh, I'm never too busy for _you_ , Ruby," she assured her pointedly. "Isn't that right, Neptune?"

The young Huntsman just laughed.

"Uh…what she said," he said, waving sheepishly. "Me, I'm just glad to see we didn't miss the ceremony entirely."

Weiss threw him a peevish scowl.

"We weren't _that_ late to the airway station," she accused, snobbishly.

"Weiss," Neptune said gently. "We missed the first _two_ flights we were scheduled for."

"Only because our luggage porter wasn't able to keep up with us," Weiss shrugged dismissively.

"In his defense," Neptune held up a finger. "You had seventeen suitcases."

"Eighteen," Weiss corrected. "And your point being? I packed fairly light, all things considered. I _still_ have a company to run while I'm out lollygagging here in Vale."

Ruby let out a helpless yet gleeful grin. Weiss was still the same classy girl who had been her partner all those years ago. Needless to say, she was overjoyed to see her old teammates again. Working alongside Team RNJR was fun and rewarding, but she would never forget her first team. And as more and more Huntsmen arrived at Beacon Academy, the line between RWBY, JNPR and RNJR began to blur, and soon, Team RSJC was back together once again.

All around, Huntsmen and Huntresses were shaking hands and sharing embraces as longtime friends reacquainted after nearly a year of rebuilding. Teams BRNZ, NDGO, FNKI, ABRN and more could seen mingling in the crowd of Huntsmen. As more and more came together to recollect all that they had been through together, the crowd began to grow more and more uproarious as happy visitors and familiar faces all clamored together to reunite with one another and share what stories had transpired in their wake.

"Ruby!" came a shout, and for once, Ruby was the one tackled to the ground by a force she could scarcely contend with.

Ruby, who'd just been in the process of relating to her erstwhile compatriots how she and Team RNJR had been tracking down leads to a recent crime spree across the kingdom, suddenly found herself lying flat on her back, staring up at a smiling, freckled face.

The rest of Team RWBY watched in wide eyed bemusement as their leader was taken down in one fell swoop. Ruby herself simply blinked once at her attacker, before beaming like the sun.

"Penny!" she exclaimed delightedly. "You made it!"

The artificial girl was grinning widely, her oddly mature looking face scrunched into an expression of pure childish joy, nearly crushing Ruby to death with her embrace.

"Magnanimous!" Penny bubbled, face filled with joy. "Stupendous! Glorious! There are not enough words to express how glad I am to see you, Ruby!"

Standing over the two was an impatient looking Ciel Soleil, staring down at the two girls with her arms crossed.

"Penny, we talked about this," she said stubbornly. "You can't just go throwing yourself at people. Your body mass is likely to kill someone if you are not careful."

A familiar robotic voice sounded from somewhere inside of Penny's throat.

 **"** **Not to worry, Ciel,"** Persephone said. **"The latest patch to my inertial dampeners will ensure that no harm comes to Miss Rose."**

Ruby's eyes lit up as she heard the voice of Penny's sister, staring up at her perpetually smiling face.

"Persephone?" she asked curiously, still pinned to the ground beneath her weight. "Are you still in there? I would have thought that Atlas would have built _one_ of you a new body by now."

Penny finally released the girl, climbing to her feet.

 **"** **Atlas yet lacks the technology to fully recreate a body of this caliber,"** Persephone explained simply. **"We have shared much of our father's work, but we were quite careful not to divulge** ** _too_** **much to the kingdom. Besides which…I quite enjoy sharing this body with my sister."**

Penny nodded her head as she offered a hand to Ruby.

"As do I!" she concurred.

Ruby shrugged helplessly as she reached up to accept Penny's hand.

"Well, I guess there's nothing more to it, then," she said, once again smiling widely. "Boy have we got some catching up to do…"

As Ruby and Penny continued to talk, more members of Team RSJC began to approach the restored Beacon Academy, as a host of airships hovering in the skies overhead taxied impatiently for places to set down. After Ruby veered off, Neptune's eyes widened in delight when he saw the rest of his former team walking up through the courtyard, side by side. With a jaunty wave, he rushed to meet them with Weiss trailing politely behind.

"Hey you guys!" he called out, smiling brightly. "So glad you both made it!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Neptune," Scarlet nodded, clasping his teammate's hand in his, before pulling him into a brotherly embrace.

"Not a chance," Sage added, clasping his arm around Neptune's shoulder when the red haired boy finally released him.

Neptune laughed with delight as Weiss smiled and nodded in a dignified manner.

"Gentlemen," she said, curtsying. "A pleasure as always. I've heard tell that you both are planning on teaching at Haven Academy once its reopens."

"You've heard correctly, Madam President," Scarlet nodded, smiling back like they were each exchanging an inside joke. "Our aspirations are not nearly as lofty as yours are, I'm sure, but we're doing alright for ourselves."

"Yes, well, teaching is valuable work," Weiss said modestly. "Especially in this day and age. I really admire what you're doing."

Scarlet smiled. "I suppose we're all moving up in the world, it seems."

Sage ruffled Neptune's blue mop of hair.

"Even _this_ one's gone and gotten himself a respectable job as a security agent," the big man said with a playful smirk.

Neptune laughed and shoved his teammate back.

"Oh, knock it," he snorted. "I just figured the writing was on the wall. Besides, the job's got its share of benefits."

"Yeah," Sage gave him a knowing smile. "Like getting to stay in Atlas with your girlfriend."

Weiss gave her partner a raised eyebrow while Neptune's cheeks colored.

"Okay, okay," he admitted sheepishly. "I suppose that was part of it, at least…"

Scarlet crossed his arms, looking out at the crowd of Huntsmen gathered for the commemoration.

"It seems we've all come a long way since the end of the war," he observed.

Sage lowered his eyes.

"Not all of us…"

Scarlet and Neptune slowly hung their heads. They were all thinking the same thing, though none had wanted to bring it up. None of them could ever forget their fallen leader, or how dearly they wished that he could be here to witness what his team had made of themselves. It was moments like these, when they each realized how far they had come, when it felt like the cost had been far too great to get there.

It was Weiss who thought to speak up next.

"Hey, now…" she said nervously. "Have you all heard that there's going to be a new Huntsmen Academy in Menagerie?"

Sage and Scarlet lifted their heads, while Neptune began smiling, seeing what Weiss was getting at.

"Yes?" the redhead said curiously.

"It's been all over the news lately," Sage added.

"Yes," Weiss allowed, nodding sagely. "But do either of you know what it's going to be called?"

The two boys exchanged glances before shrugging their shoulders. Neptune, unable to hold it in any longer, draped his arms around both his friends, smiling back and forth at the two of them.

"Sunstone Academy," he said with a hopeful smile.

Scarlet and Sage stared at each other in wide-eyed wonder.

"Sunstone Academy?" they both asked in unison.

"Indeed," Weiss nodded. "It was Blake's idea. She and Yang are going to be running it."

The two Huntsmen's heads lowered once again. Sage crossed his arms, and Scarlet dabbed at his eyes.

"Well…" the redhead said, fighting to keep the tears at bay. "What do you know?"

While the remaining members of Team SSSN commiserated with Weiss, Team CFVY's airship finally negotiated the airways and set down not far off of campus. As the team of Huntsmen and Huntresses made their way towards Beacon, they were greeted by Yang and Blake, who welcomed them all with smiling faces.

"Hellooooo!" Yang called out in a sing-song voice. "'Bout time you slowpokes got here! The show's about to start!"

Coco, Fox, Velvet, Yatsuhashi and Emerald made their way through the procession, before stopping to greet the two Huntresses.

"Sorry about the wait," Coco said dismissively. "The air traffic controller was a total jerk."

"Our airship doesn't fit into any regulation size," Fox elaborated helpfully. "It's too large to qualify as a shuttle craft, but too small to meet the hull capacity of a frigate."

"In the end, I ended up having to bribe the guy just to secure a spot anywhere near Beacon," Coco finished with an annoyed huff.

"I'm sure he was just having a bad day," Velvet offered. "So many airships have come in today, he's probably been directing traffic all day long."

Coco rolled her eyes. "Trust you to try to see the good in everyone, Honey Bunny."

Velvet just smiled, resting her arms across her rounding belly.

Blake gave a polite nod to the green haired girl, who had remained silent through the exchange.

"Hey there, Emerald," she said quietly. "I heard you're working for Professor Jasmine these days."

Emerald just crossed her arms.

"Yeah, yeah, don't make a big deal about it," she said with a grunt. "I just give her intel and do the odd errand every now and then, and she sets me up with enough to keep floating."

She gave Blake a knowing smile.

"Nothing as major as jump-starting your own freaking _academy_ from the ground up," she said with a laugh.

Blake lowered her eyes shyly.

"Yeah, well…Yang's been helping out a lot too," she said.

Velvet clasped her hands together, smiling brightly.

"Oh, we've heard all about that, Blake!" she beamed. "We're all so proud of you!"

"Indeed," Yatsuhashi added sagely. "A Huntsman Academy in Menagerie would be an unprecedented boon to the region. It's no small undertaking, and we're all quite excited to see it develop."

Blake hid her eyes behind her hair, before Yang came to her rescue.

"Sure, it's big job," she said with a grin. "But it's not nearly as impressive as _revolutionizing_ the airship industry! I mean, a functioning dust-free prototype in less than a year? _That's_ something worth writing home about!"

Coco shrugged casually. "The _Aeneid_ was the real prototype. All the design schematics came from Winter's ship. Velvet and I just made some adjustments. All the technology we need already exists - we just need to put it together the right way."

"And it's hardly a production model," Velvet added modestly. "For all its size, most of it is taken up by the battery, which only lasts about twelve hours before it needs a full day to recharge. And its speed tops out at about sixty knots. The _Aeneid_ outclasses the _Macchiato_ in almost every way."

Emerald rolled her eyes.

"Because of _course_ she named it the _Macchiato_ ," she sighed helplessly.

Yang put her hands on her hips.

"I kind of like it," she smiled. "It's got character."

Coco grinned almost maniacally.

"And when the _Frappuccino_ comes into production…" she said with a smirk. "Well, all I can say is, prepare to be wowed."

Velvet smiled nervously, embarrassed at her teammate's choice of nomenclature. Yang and Blake were politely trying to laugh. Emerald just hung her head.

" _Frappuccino?_ " she demanded in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Hey!" Coco snorted defensively. " _You_ find a way to squeeze a four-hundred milliwatt-hour lithium-ion battery into a space the size of backpack, _and_ find room for a full crew of six, and then _you_ can decide on the name!"

Emerald gritted her teeth, looking like she was ready to tear into Coco, before Velvet waved her off.

"Now, now," she said sweetly. "Let's all try to stay civil."

Coco and Emerald continued to give each other dirty looks, before a loud, squealing voice broke the tension.

" _Velvet!_ " Ruby cried, interrupting the staring contest.

Velvet's eyes widened as Ruby came leaping towards her, before Yang caught her sister out of the air mid-pounce.

"Careful there, Ruby," Yang chastised, holding her like a puppy by the scruff of her neck. "She's got a bun in the oven, remember?"

Ruby pouted, giving her sister an indignant look as the older girl held her in the air by her hood, Penny and Ciel approaching quietly from behind.

"I _know!_ " Ruby said impatiently. "I'm super excited about it! Also, hi everyone!"

Velvet waved at Ruby sweetly as she hung suspended in the air in her sister's grip.

"Good to see you as well," she said.

"Salutations!" Penny chimed in.

Emerald fixed Blake with a dry look.

"Did your partner really just make a pun about rabbits?" she asked.

Blake just let out a sigh.

"I don't think she even knows when she's doing it anymore…" she said.

As everyone continued exchanging hellos, Velvet gestured to Yang.

"It's alright Yang," she consoled. "You can come and see for yourself, Ruby."

Ruby's eyes lit up as Yang dropped her to the ground, where she landed on her rump, before hopping back up, dusting herself off, and rushing over to Velvet to wrap her arms around her friend.

"Oh, Velvet!" she cried in a saccharine tone. "This is so exciting! We were all so thrilled when we got the news! How far along are you?"

Velvet blushed as Yatsuhashi put his arm around her shoulder.

"About five months now," she said sweetly. "We're thinking Mochi if it's a boy, and Wasabi if it's a girl."

Yang put her hands on her hips as Ruby got on her knees to place her ear against Velvet's stomach.

"Ruby," she shook her head. "I doubt you're going to feel the baby kick after only five months."

Ruby brought her finger to her lips.

"Nuh-uh!" she declared. "I can totally hear it moving!"

Yang sighed and shook her head.

"That's my sister for you," she said with a laugh. "Always ready for the impossible."

Velvet and Yatsuhashi smiled back and forth between one another, before Velvet's eyes suddenly widened.

"Velvet?" Yatsu's expression darkened. "What's wrong?"

Velvet shuddered as she placed a hand on her belly.

"I…I think I just felt a _kick_ …" she breathed in disbelief.

The surrounding Huntsmen each drew in their breath at the news.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Yatsuhashi said, kneeling down to put his ear upon his wife's belly. "I think I can hear it too!"

The entire team began crowding around Velvet, letting out excited exclamations of amazement.

"Wow, you can really feel it…" Coco observed, placing her hand along her teammate's stomach.

"It's a sign of good health," Fox chimed in.

"Oh, the promise of new life!" Penny exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "How exciting!"

As more and more of the team fawned over the expectant mother, Yang put her hands on her hips.

"Well…how about that?" she observed, glancing at her sister. "You hit the nail on the head, Ruby."

Ruby clasped her hands together as she grinned back at her smiling sister.

"That baby's going to be a _really_ powerful Huntsman or Huntress someday!" she exclaimed. "I just know it!"

Yang nodded fondly, before turning her eyes towards her partner, who was still talking to Emerald.

"It looks like your team might be getting a new member soon," Blake observed idly as everyone flocked around Velvet to offer congratulations. "Hope you're ready to play nanny."

Emerald just made a disgusted face.

"Ick," she wrinkled her nose. "I don't think I could _ever_ put my body through that kind of horror show, let alone put up with the little monster afterward. I don't know how you _do it_ , fuzz-butt. How do you put with _that_ many kids every day?"

"You're one to talk, looking after all those orphans in Vacuo," she said with a sly smirk.

Emerald's face colored.

"Th-That's different!" she cried. "They're all basically grown up already!"

"Well, so are the kids I look after," Blake smiled wistfully, glancing over at Yang. "So you should already know that it's not that hard if they're important enough to you…"

Yang caught her smile, and blushed at the look she was giving her. The thought of officially adopting Gem had come up more than once between them. It would be difficult, with the White Fang, the foster home and now the new school to worry about. But the possibility was in the air. And being around an expectant Velvet like this was making that possibility seem more and more feasible.

Emerald just crossed her arms.

"It's not like I'm planning on being their caretaker forever," she said with a huff. "Just until the Prof finds someone else who can. Until then, I'm just doing it for Dora's sake."

Blake nodded somberly. She knew that the last Summer Maiden was a sensitive topic for Emerald, so they hadn't spoken much on the subject. Still, Blake knew of at least one other to whom Dora had been as important.

"You should talk to Ruby," Blake suggested.

"About?" Emerald asked.

"About Dora," Blake said. "You know she was there at the end."

Emerald shook her head.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," she said, face tightening with frustration. "I'll just end up yelling at her, and she doesn't deserve that much grief."

Blake blinked, honestly surprised.

"Why?" she asked.

Emerald let out an exasperated sigh.

"It's hard to explain," she said. "Like, I know in my head that it's _not_ Ruby's fault that Dora didn't make it, but…somehow, I know that's how it's going to feel when I talk to her."

Blake looked concerned for her friend and reached out to touch her shoulder.

"All the more reason you should talk to her then," Blake said sympathetically. "Trust me when I say that it's best to air those sorts of feelings out. I tried keeping them bottled up myself, and…well, let's just say it didn't go well."

Emerald pursed her lips, giving Blake an unsure look. She glanced back over at Ruby, who was still gushing over Velvet and her future baby.

Blake gave her a gentle nudge.

"Go on," she urged her. "You may not get the chance to talk to her for a while after this."

Emerald drew in a breath, giving Blake one last hopeless look, realizing that she wasn't going to let her out of this, before she finally released her breath and marched on over to the younger girl as she conversed with Velvet.

"Hey, Ruby," Emerald called out to her, catching the girl's attention. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Ruby blinked, glancing over at the green haired girl, a look of uncertainty on her face. She couldn't recall sharing more than a few sentences with the Emerald since she'd joined their team.

"Oh, um…sure," Ruby said, glancing at the rest of Team CFVY. "I guess…"

Emerald led the leader of Team RWBY a ways away from the others, before turning to face her.

"So…I'm just going to come out and say it," Emerald said abruptly. "You were with Dora when she died, right?"

Ruby stiffened, taking a steadying breath before nodding.

"I…I was…" she said, nodding slowly. "I forgot…you two were close, weren't you?"

Emerald sighed. A year ago, she might have bristled at such an implication, but she knew there was no denying the truth.

"Yeah," she admitted. "I was. And now that I've had a bit more time to process it, I just got to ask…how did it happen? I want you to tell me exactly how she died. Don't…don't spare me any details. I want to know everything."

Ruby swallowed. Emerald knew that this must have been a difficult subject for her too. But she had a right to know, damn it.

Though to her credit, Ruby kept her cool. Emerald had half expected Ruby to break into tears as soon as she'd brought up the former Summer Maiden. But Ruby kept her voice sober and even as she relayed what had happened that fateful day. The more Emerald heard, the less angry she became. She had expected to feel a great swelling of rage in her heart, knowing just what Cinder had done to her friend. But with Cinder gone from this world, all that was left when Ruby finished her story was a feeling of utter defeat.

"I…" she shook her head, wondering what was supposed to happen next. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling right now…"

Ruby drew in a breath, trembling slightly, and Emerald could see that she was holding back tears. She could tell that retelling the experience had been painful for Ruby to do, and she felt a deep swelling of guilt for making her relive those memories. But she was also grateful as well.

"I don't think anyone can tell you how you're supposed to feel," Ruby offered, taking a cleansing breath. "And I…well, it's been a while since I've been to Vacuo, but I heard they put up a memorial for Dora somewhere in town."

Emerald wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Yeah," she said. "It's a great big ugly statue in the middle of the market district."

Ruby nodded, a smile slowly forming on her lips.

"Alright," she said slowly. "Well, maybe later this year, I'll come to Vacuo, and we can go visit Dora's memorial together."

Emerald's eyes widened at the thought. She had only ever paid her respects to Dora on her own. Sometimes, Professor Jasmine joined in, but it had never been something she'd intentionally done with anyone else. Grieving was something she had _always_ done on her own. She was not in the habit of letting her guard down in front of others, and the prospect of allowing people near her as she mourned seemed alien to her.

But Ruby's proposition had stirred something in her. She didn't know what it was that she was feeling, but it felt strangely like relief.

Ruby's smile widened, as if sensing Emerald's reaction.

"I'll see if Blake can come too," she added. "We'll make a trip out of it. Dora was our friend, and we all miss her too. And it's always nice to have a shoulder to lean on when thinking about lost friends."

Emerald swallowed, realizing with a twinge of horror that she was on the verge of tears herself. She jerked away from Ruby, turning around to hide her face as she forced them back down.

"Yeah…" she grunted uneasily, shocked at her own reaction. "Yeah, sure. That…that sounds…"

She finally turned around, her expression once again under her control.

"That sounds good, Ruby," she admitted, fixing the girl with the first earnest smile she had ever seen.

Ruby smiled back at her, nodding in approval. It seemed that Emerald was finally opening up to them, slowly but surely.

The two of them returned to their crowd of friends, most of them still fussing over Velvet. By that point, Weiss and Team SSSN had caught up to join in on the fawning, as had Nora and Ren, drawn to the throng of familiar faces. Old teammates reacquainted, as Huntsmen and Huntresses reconnected with one another. As more and more hugs and smiles were exchanged, Ruby noticed the crowds starting to file in the direction of the school.

"Hey," she called out to the others. "I think the commemoration's about to begin. We should find my uncle before the ceremony starts."

Yang nodded in approval.

"Sure," she said, looking around at the gathered team. "Looks like the gang's all here, except…"

Ruby furrowed her brow.

"Where's Jaune?" she asked, turning to the rest of Team RNJR.

Ren shrugged as Nora looked this way and that, using her hand as a sun visor.

"We got separated earlier," he reported. "We figured he was with the rest of you."

Ruby nodded, going right into leader mode.

"I'll go find him," she said. "You guys head inside, I'll meet you there."

Ruby began pushing her way through the crowds, the eclectic assortment of black, white, red and technicolor uniforms making it difficult to distinguish one Huntsman from the other. They had all began to blend together into a single unified whole, and while it was a heart-warming sentiment, at the moment it was not making it any easier for Ruby to locate her lost teammate.

"Excuse me…" Ruby muttered blithely as she weaved her way through passerbies. "Excuse me…excuse me…"

She let out a groan as somebody bumped into her, knocking her off balance, and she staggered.

"Rrrgh…" Ruby grumbled impatiently. "Where _are_ you, Jaune? I swear, if you're stuck in a tree again…"

Her eyes lit up, however, when she finally saw her partner standing amidst the fleeting crowd.

"Oh, _there_ you are!" she called out, running towards him. "Jaune! It's time to…"

She trailed off when she saw who he was talking to. A tall woman with fading red hair and a dress skirt, and an older gentleman with a mustache wearing a suit and tie. They were both dressed to professionally impeccable perfection, offsetting their apparent age. It took Ruby a moment to realize who she was looking at. But when she saw their faces, Ruby's heart leaped into her throat.

"We can't thank you enough, Jaune," Athena Nikos said. "For everything you did for our little girl."

"Truly," Perseus nodded. "Thank you, young man."

Jaune had a troubled look on his face, and seemed unable to meet their gaze as he shook his head.

"What are you two talking about?" he asked incredulously, hanging his head. "I…I couldn't do _anything_ for her. She was more of a hero than I could _ever_ be. And in the end, I…I couldn't even _save_ her…"

Ruby watched hesitantly as the lady doctor reached out to place a gentle touch on his arm.

"But you were _there_ for her, Jaune," she said emphatically. "You were there for her in a way that her father and I could _never_ be."

"Yes indeed," the gentleman said. "You didn't _have_ keep searching for her. Nobody made you do it. By all accounts, you had every reason to think her lost, and every opportunity to give up on her. But you didn't."

"And you stayed right there with her," Athena finished with a sad smile. "The two of you fought your way through hell and back. And you stayed with her all the way until the end. We…"

Pyrrha's mother sniffed back tears as her husband took her hand in his to comfort her.

"We…" Athena sighed tremulously "We couldn't ask anything more from you."

Perseus began trembling as he himself seemed to struggle to reel in his emotions.

"Our daughter…died a hero," he said in a slow, measured tone. "Thanks in no small part to you, son. So thank you."

Ruby knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help but be transfixed by the conversation. She was so captivated that she barely reacted when Athena Nikos caught her gaze and cleared her throat.

"Anyway…" she said, turning to her husband. "We had best be heading in now. We're expected at the commemoration address, after all."

Ruby stiffened as the two of them began to move as Perseus took the woman beside him by the arm.

"You more than me, I should say," he said, a hint of pride in his voice. "Haven Academy couldn't ask for a finer headmistress."

"Don't be ridiculous," Athena said, meticulously checking her hair and makeup in a hand mirror as the two of them began to walk, leaving Jaune alone. "There are _plenty_ more qualified Huntsmen and Huntresses than me which I could name, but _someone_ had to step up to the chopping block. Although I do wish I had been given more time to make myself more presentable for this speech."

"Nonsense," Perseus chided roguishly, though the façade was clearly designed to mask his grief. "You'll be the belle of the ball."

"Now, now," the lady smiled, putting up a façade of her own. "We both know that's patently untrue…"

Jaune watched them go, still looking somewhat forlorn as they disappeared into the crowd, before he suddenly saw Ruby as she stepped up to him.

"Hey Jaune…" she muttered shyly. "Those were…Pyrrha's mom and dad, weren't they?"

Jaune swallowed, before nodding slowly.

"Yeah…" he said, unease in his voice. "I…I never know what to say around them. It's like…they should be _furious_ with me. But they're not."

Ruby nodded, fidgeting nervously, as though Jaune's anxiety were somehow contagious.

"They're moving on with their lives," she said remorsefully. "That's what this whole event is all about. Everybody's trying to build something out what's been left behind."

She gestured to the campus around then, the spectacular monoliths looming overhead as the sun hung in the late afternoon sky, casting its light through the towering spires.

"Rebuilding Beacon Academy…" Ruby said. "Yang and Blake starting a new academy of their own in Menagerie…Weiss and Coco developing dust-free technology…we're all making something out of the world we've been left with. That's the price of survival, Jaune. We can either let our grief drag us down…or we try to make the best of things."

She fixed her partner with a sentimental look.

"Either way…" she said sadly.

Jaune nodded slowly, sensing her line of thought.

"Either way…the only solution is to keep moving forward," he finished.

Ruby drew in her breath, clasping her hands nervously before her, not knowing what to say to lift the air of gloom that had descended over the two of them. It seemed that nothing she could say could lift the boy's spirits, but that made her want to try all the more.

Then, as the crowds began to thin around them, Ruby suddenly remembered why she had been looking for him.

"Hey, we should get inside ourselves," she said hurriedly, gesturing towards the center of campus. "We don't want to be late to our own party."

Jaune sighed wistfully as she followed him towards the main hall of Beacon Academy, just as they'd done on the first day they'd met.

"Again," he added with a gentle laugh.

* * *

Part 7

* * *

As Qrow Branwen stepped out onto the platform before the crowd gathered within the main hall of Beacon Academy, the hall steadily grew into a roar of applause. While this hall had at one time been filled with the bustle of newly enrolled student Huntsmen, now it was host to long-time veterans sitting in fold-out chairs, as people from all across Remnant lined the seats. The main hall was nearly filled to bursting, with eager crowds standing at the doors, and camera crews stationed in key positions to broadcast the event out across Vale, and by extension, the rest of Remnant.

Qrow took his position at the podium, waving and smiling at the applause, and he saw dozens of familiar faces out in the crowd. Friends and family members all gathered to pay their respects, as well as world leaders and dignitaries, including council members from each of the four kingdoms. Even the chieftain of Menagerie, while not in attendance, had sent representatives to attend on his behalf. Qrow would have to remember to thank Blake for being so persuasive with her old man.

But for all the faces that he saw smiling up at him, it was the faces missing in the crowd, those smiles he would never see again, that struck him the most on this day.

"Thank you," he said, raising his hands to quiet the thunder. "Thank you. Thank you all for coming."

The crowd quieted as the attendees each took their seats. In the front row, Team RSJC filled the bulk of the chairs, alongside General Ironwood, Winter Schnee, Glynda Goodwitch, and Professor Jasmine, as well as the two Doctors Nikos. In the row behind them were Bartholomew Oobleck and Peter Port, as well as Taiyang Xiao-Long. Qrow's old teammate was holding a surprisingly well-behaved corgi in his lap, as Penny Polendina sat next to him, petting the dog with a look of pure adoration on her face, as Ciel Soleil watched her warily from the seat next to her.

Qrow cleared his throat as he looked out across the crowd. The faces before him were filled with hope and admiration, but also with a solemn melancholy. They knew, just as he did, what brought them here this day.

"I've never been fond of speeches," Qrow began. "But if you'll permit me, I'll be taking a page out of Professor Ozpin's playbook, and try to keep it brief."

He threw a wink at Ruby, who suppressed a smile at the familiar line.

"As all of you know," Qrow said with a nod, "Today marks the one year anniversary of the end of the war with the Grimm. That makes this a time for celebration, but also a time for us to look back and see how far we've come since the war."

He gestured outwards with his arms, indicating the many, many visitors in attendance.

"You all come from every corner of the globe," he said. "And you all bring a different story to the table. But a year ago, you all _proved_ that we could be united in a common goal. And in the days since, I believe that we've continued doing just that."

He nodded towards Ironwood, Winter, Glynda and Jasmine, before meeting eyes with his old teammate, Tai.

"This war has taken things from us," Qrow said, heaviness in his voice. "Our homes…our families…our friends…and even when the war ended, even when we came out victorious, that still doesn't replace the things we've lost."

He glanced at Ruby, who was putting a comforting hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"…The _people_ we've lost," he added.

Qrow took a breath. He felt the familiar fidgetiness in his fingertips and longed to reach into his back pocket for a flask that was no longer there. His father's memento had remained empty in his desk drawer since the end of the war.

"In circumstances like this," Qrow shook his head, "Nobody could have faulted any of you for calling it quits after that. With the war won and the battles over, how could the world of Remnant ask any more of us?"

A smile slowly rose to Qrow's face.

"But that's not what any of you did," he said, pride slowly coming into his voice. "You picked up the pieces left over from the war, and you kept on fighting. In the days since the war, I've seen the people of Remnant come together in ways I wouldn't have believed possible before. Together, we reclaimed our lost homes. Together we rebuilt our kingdoms. Together, we restored the Huntsman Academies. And together, we redefined what it means to be Huntsmen in this world."

Qrow gestured to the front row of seats in front of him.

"I know I said I'd keep this brief," he said. "So with that in mind, I'd like to invite Professor Jasmine to come up and say a few words."

The crowd broke for applause as the headmistress of Shade Academy rose from her seat to stride up to the podium.

"Thank you, Qrow," Jasmine said as she waved to the Huntsmen and delegates gathered before him as they applauded. "Thank you all."

At her beckoning, the crowds once again were silent.

"Today, we remember the fallen," she said in a solemn voice. "As my contemporary from Beacon so aptly put it, this war has taken much from us all. And although today is a day for celebration, we must never forget the brave men and woman, Huntsmen, soldier and citizen alike, whose sacrifice ignoble us all."

She nodded to Qrow, who was now seated in the front row, who nodded in return.

"We are all standing here today by the grace of those who gave up the opportunity to do so," Jasmine said, speaking with slow and deliberate effort, her head held high "It is in their memory now that I would ask for us all to take a moment of silence."

As she closed her eyes, many faces in crowd lowered their own. Yang gave Blake's hand a firm squeeze. Weiss put a comforting hand on Neptune's shoulder. Coco and Velvet both looked at Emerald, who sat with her arms crossed, her brow furrowed in introspection. And as Jaune clenched his eyes shut, forcing back bitter tears of grief, his teammates each clasped their hands within his, holding each other closely.

Jasmine drew in her breath as the silence came to a close, her eyes reopening.

"In Vacuo, we have a saying," she said slowly as the crowd once again focused their attention on her. " _Alshajarat al'uwlaa hi albudhur_ – 'A tree begins with a seed.' And it is our fallen comrades who have planted the seeds for our future."

The headmistress of Shade spread her arms wide as she gestured to the crowds before her.

"In our hands lies the first fruits of their toil," she declared. "Already, we live in a changed world, with new challenges facing us all. We have seen but a taste of what this new world has in store for us. It has been a challenging road to make it even this far, and it will only be more challenging as the years pass. The opportunity, the privilege, the responsibility of the future…it all rests in _our_ hands!"

She clenched her fists as she spoke.

"It falls to _all_ of us," she said, looking out at the people before her, "Each and every person listening to me now, to _honor_ that sacrifice. It falls to _all_ of us to ensure that the future that was paid for with the blood and tears of our beloved is one that they might each smile upon."

She placed a hand over her heart.

"Our task now is to make them proud," she said somberly. "And to that end, I would like to invite my good friend, General James Ironwood, to speak with you now."

Applause broke out as Jasmine waiting for the general to ascend to the podium, embracing him gently, before returning to her seat, leaving Ironwood standing on the stage, facing the crowd. The mechanized components in his body had long since been restored and upgraded since the battle of Vale, but his new prosthetics now came with a dead-man switch that never left his side.

"Thank you, Professor," the general called out as he waved, standing up straight and tall. "All of you, thank you."

He cleared his throat as the applause died down.

"I look out at all the people in this crowd, and I see hope," James said, in full orator mode. "I see promise and potential. I see the future. And I couldn't be more proud of what I see."

The crowd broke into applause once again, and the general waited for it to quiet.

"When the Grimm first struck within these walls nearly two years ago, I was truly afraid," Ironwood said, raising his arms to indicate the great hall around them. "I feared for the safety of my own kingdom, and for that of my sister kingdoms. I saw what a threat the Grimm had become, saw how many lives they had consumed, and I feared for the entire world of Remnant."

He gestured towards the crowd, giving Jasmine a knowing smile.

"But I had faith," he proclaimed. "In _all_ of you. I knew that the Huntsmen and Huntresses of this world would _never_ go down without a fight. And by god, you didn't let me down!"

The applause broke out again at his words, and the Huntsmen each felt a wave of pride beginning to swell inside of them.

"Each of you took a stand!" Ironwood cried out, clenching his fist. "Each of you held firm! And after a long and perilous war with an enemy that we have faced for thousands of years, we finally emerged victorious!"

The applause rose to a thunderous roar as Huntsmen began rising to their feet.

"Today, we look to the future!" he shouted. "Here on this ground, where once this very academy lay in ruins, we see it now restored to its former glory!"

The Huntsmen of Vale responded with a cheer.

"Today, Atlas, Shade, and Beacon Academy reaffirm their commitment to safeguarding the citizens of the world," the general announced. "Though the Grimm have been driven from our world, there is much work left to be done. We must safeguard our kingdoms for any threat that might arise. Those who would prey upon us in this delicate time must be brought to justice. Which is why the Huntsman Academies have now turned their efforts towards the goal of defending the people of Remnant as a global peacekeeping force, in an allied effort to maintain stability and order as we rebuild."

Ironwood waved towards the front row of seats before him.

"In keeping with this gesture, I would like to introduce the two newest members of this alliance," he said. "As the kingdom of Mistral recovers from the war, it is essential that their Huntsmen and Huntresses be a part of this effort. To that end, Doctor Athena Nikos has elected to take up the mantle of headmistress of Haven Academy."

The Huntsmen of Mistral erupted into applause as Dr. Nikos rose from her seat, waving politely at the cheering crowds as she approached the podium to stand next to the general.

"And perhaps what is even more momentous an occasion," the general continued after the applause grew silent. "The first ever Huntsmen Academy within the borders of Menagerie."

The crowd went silent as the general spoke, everyone waiting with bated breath to see how the general of the Atlesian army would address the Faunus of Remnant after everything they'd been through.

Ironwood placed his hand over his heart.

"It was thanks to the invaluable contribution of the Faunus and the White Fang that the kingdoms of Remnant were able to secure our victory during our final battle against the Grimm," he said soberly, speaking slowly and carefully. "We owe the citizens of Menagerie a debt of gratitude, one that we will not soon be able to pay back."

James swept his hands towards the front row of seats where Team RSJC all sat.

"In recognition of the crucial role that our Faunus brothers played in the war, let me be the first to extend a welcoming hand to headmistress Blake Belladonna as we all commemorate the foundation of Sunstone Academy!"

Blake rose shyly to a roaring sea of cheers, as every Faunus in the room stood up their feet, letting out triumphant cries of approval, waving their arms and pumping their fists in the air. Blake could hardly hear anything over the din as she steeled herself, slowly walking up to the stage to stand next to Ironwood and Dr. Nikos, her Faunus ears proudly on display for all to see.

As Ironwood withdrew from the stage, Blake was left alone up there with the future headmistress of Haven as she walked towards the podium, waving at the cheering crowds.

"Thank you everyone," Athena called out first as the crowds slowly but eventually simmered to a muffled silence. "I'd like to start by thanking Professor Qrow, Professor Jasmine and General Ironwood for their contributions in helping us restore Haven Academy, and for this opportunity to help rebuild my kingdom's finest institution. I believe I speak on behalf of the entire kingdom of Mistral when I say that we are truly grateful for this chance to make a contribution to the peacekeeping efforts of Huntsmen and Huntresses across Remnant."

Athena smiled as she gestured towards the other headmasters sitting in the front row, who nodded back at her. She cast a quick glance at Blake, who swallowed and stepped forward to join the doctor. She didn't know the woman very well, but as a fellow headmaster of a Huntsman academy, it was likely that they would be working together from now on as well.

"And…I would like to thank you all as well," Blake said, projecting her voice. "The Faunus have much to offer to the world of Remnant at large. The foundation of Sunstone Academy represents a huge step forward for our people, and on behalf of Menagerie, I would like to make a solemn promise that we will not let you down."

Blake's words were once again met with applause, and it took all of her effort not to shy away from the thunderous boom.

Athena leaned in towards the podium once more.

"Haven Academy stands ready to fight alongside the other Huntsmen Academies, as it always should have done," she said after the applause died down again. "The previous administration had good intentions in putting the needs of Mistral ahead of the needs of Remnant at large. But that is not an error we can afford to make again. We are strongest when all of us are united. And Haven Academy shall take its rightful place on the world stage, side by side with the other Huntsman Academies, so that we may stand as one against any threat we might face."

Dr. Nikos placed a hand over her heart, lowering her eyes.

"I lost a daughter to this war," she said softly. "She was a fierce and vibrant young Huntress, who gave her life bravely and nobly, knowing that we would soldier on without her."

A murmur of remorse resonated through the crowd at her words, and the Huntsmen of Haven hung their heads in solidarity.

"I intend to live up to her example," Athena said slowly. "I intend to rebuild Haven Academy even greater than it was before! It will take time, but with your help, I know it can be done! This I promise you!"

Applause broke out once again as the students of Haven Academy rose from their seats. Then as the room quieted, Athen gestured to Blake, who took her cue to speak up.

"I too have a promise to make," she said. "For truly solidarity, we must _all_ be united. And for too long, Menagerie has stood apart from the four kingdoms. The Faunus know firsthand the devastating effects of discrimination and segregation. Many of us have been victims of these atrocious practices for all our lives. But in order to bring change into the world, we must fully embrace that change within our own borders. To that end, I intend to make Sunstone Academy open to _any_ and _all_ prospective Huntsmen and Huntresses, regardless of their heritage. We will be welcoming human and Faunus students alike. And all prospective Huntsmen, regardless of their race, shall we treated equally and fairly within the walls of our school!"

Another round of applause broke out, and Blake took a moment to catch her breath, before steeling herself for what she had to say next.

"I too lost someone to this war," she said quietly. "This new Huntsman Academy bears his name. He, like so many of us, came from humble beginnings, and yet he died a greater hero than most of us could ever hope to be."

Blake choked back the lump that was forming in her throat.

"In recognition of his bravery and good will," she called out, battling the lump that was forming in her throat, "First year applicants to Sunstone Academy will receive a full scholarship from the state of Menagerie. Now is a time to be _opening_ our doors, not _closing_ them! We will take it upon ourselves to embody what it means to truly stand as one! So we will be accepting _any_ prospective students, no matter what race you come from, nor your financial means! If you have the desire to fight for the future of this world, then Sunstone Academy welcomes you!"

The entire room erupted into triumphant cheers of joy, as everyone in attendance rose from their seats, clapping their hands with pride and joy. Blake looked all around her, seeing smiling faces as they clapped their hands. Even Dr. Nikos standing beside her was applauding her, and Blake had to stop tears from welling up in her eyes.

"Thank you both," came a voice.

Blake flinched; she hadn't even noticed Professor Qrow return to the stage, even her keen Faunus ears unable to pick up his footsteps within the din. He was quite imposing with his pale skin and silver hair, and Blake hurriedly followed Athena Nikos back to their seats.

Qrow waited for the applause to abate before clearing his throat.

"I'd like to close out this commemoration address by offering one final commendation," he said, a hint of pride in his voice. "We're gathered here today to thank _all_ of our Huntsmen and Huntresses for their enormous contribution to protecting the world of Remnant. But there is one Huntsmen team in particular that deserves our recognition today."

All the Huntsmen gathered in the front row began exchanging excited glances with one another, although several among them looked rather nervous with the line of thought being addressed.

"By now, you all know their story," Qrow said with a smile. "Their formation was unconventional, and they often found themselves divided, both by ideals and by geography. And they have both gained and lost members throughout the course of their journey across Remnant. But somehow, they always found a way to come together when it mattered most. Their unity lent them a singular strength, one that was crucial to winning this war. Without their efforts, we can be certain that _none_ of us would be standing here right now."

Qrow gestured to the young men and women in the front row.

"I'm of course referring to Team RSJC," he said, giving the team a knowing smile. "A Huntsmen team consisting of four separate teams – RWBY, SSSN, JNPR and CFVY. So now, I would like to invite Ruby Rose, the leader of Team RSJC, to step forward please."

Ruby paled at his words, and as the applause rose all around her, her teammates excitedly urged her forward.

"Alright, Ruby!" Jaune called out in elation.

"Go for it!" Yang said, giving her an encouraging push.

Ruby slowly walked up to the stage, feeling thousands of eyes on her, praying not to stumble as she approached the podium, with Qrow Branwen standing there, waiting for her. As she turned and peered out across the crowds, she felt her mouth go dry. Just about every Huntsman or Huntress she had ever met was in that room with her. Her friends, her family, and her entire team lined the front row of seats. Scattered throughout the crowds, she could even see the Huntsman and Huntresses that she had met from the Vytal festival. And they were all staring up at her, along with every headmaster of every Huntsman academy in the world.

Ruby tried not to faint as she stopped behind the podium.

"Ruby," Qrow said, fondness and admiration in his voice. "Your team has demonstrated singular bravery in defeating the Grimm. The world of Remnant owes each of you a debt of gratitude, and on behalf of Beacon, Shade, Haven, Atlas, and now Sunstone Academy, I would like to present each of you with a small token of our appreciation."

Qrow withdrew a thin blue felt-covered box, opening the hinged lid, and presenting the open box towards her. Ruby accepted the box, peering inside to find sixteen silver medals, each inscribed with the name of one of her teammates, including Emerald Sustrai, as well as two medals embellished with purple silk in their ribbons in commemoration of Sun Wukong and Pyrrha Nikos.

Ruby looked up in time to see the silver haired headmaster of Beacon Academy affixing a seventeenth medal to the lapel of her jacket, her own name engraved into it.

"You did good, kid," Qrow said in a voice that only she could hear over the din of cheers. "I'm real proud of you."

Ruby smiled shyly, clutching the box tightly in her hands as Qrow clasped his hands around both her shoulders, giving her a loving squeeze before releasing her.

"Every Huntsmen in Remnant is watching," Qrow said in a lowered voice, gesturing out to the crowds. "Is there anything you'd like to share with them?"

Ruby swallowed hard as she thought about what he was asking her. She and her friends had been sworn to secrecy when they had learned the terrible truth about the world. How humanity had descended from a marauding space-faring people, and how the Grimm had arisen not as some terror to stifle all life in this world, but merely the planet's form of self-defense against a race of beings whose use of dust was stifling the natural balance of the world. The world of Remnant still didn't know the truth about the Maidens, the Wizard, the Witch, or the real reason for Pyrrha's sacrifice. All they knew was that the Huntsmen had defeated the Grimm so that they could all live in peace.

Qrow was giving her a choice. He was giving her a platform to address everyone in Remnant who was capable of making a difference in the world. If she told them all the truth about how the use of dust was starving the planet and would bring the Grimm back to their world within the century, then it was entirely possible that the people of Remnant would be that much more willing to abandon the dust trade altogether, without any need for subterfuge. Alternatively, it would spark a world-wide panic, causing everyone to scramble to get their hands on as much dust as they could, counting down the days until the Grimm's inevitable return in a state of terror.

And of course, they might not believe her at all. She was just one Huntress, after all. What did her word matter? It had been a year already, and people had already accepted that the war had been won. It would be far easier to think that she had gone insane than to accept that their hard won peace was all a lie.

Either way, the choice remained with her. All she had to do was speak the words, and all would be revealed.

She drew in her breath as she turned to face the crowds.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you all! I truly couldn't ask for a better team of Huntsmen and Huntresses. They're the reason I'm here today."

She focused her eyes on her teammates, who were giving her smiles and gestures of encouragement as she spoke.

"All I did was point them in the right direction," Ruby continued. "Each and every Huntsman in this room could have done as much as I did. But when I needed them most, my team was there for me. When I charged headlong into battle, my team was right there beside me. They looked after each other just as much as they looked after me. They've come through for me so many times that I've lost count, and I would trust each of them with my life."

She closed the lid on the felt box in her arms, clutching it to her chest as she looked out at her team.

"This is _their_ victory, not mine," she said soberly, making eye contact with each and every Huntsman in the front row. "So this thanks goes out to my team. And to the rest of the Huntsmen in this room, on behalf of Team RSJC, I'd just like to say…"

She glanced up around the hall at the thousands of faces locked upon hers, and Ruby felt a wave of vertigo hit her at the enormity of it all. She threw a glance back at Qrow, as he smiled warmly at her. He would stand with her, no matter what decision she made.

She turned back to face the crowd.

"I'd just like to say…" she said finally "…that it's been a _distinct_ honor to fight alongside the rest of you as well. So thank you. All of you."

Her voice petered out, and the crowd continued to stare at her nervous face as she blinked, standing still as a board. Then one member of the audience began clapping. And then another. And another. And soon, the entire room was standing before her, applauding her as they cheered her name.

Ruby smiled, swallowing hard at the thunderous applause. Her team was smiling back up at her, honor and pride all over their faces. And as she glanced back at Qrow, he nodded at her in return.

Sometimes, the truth just wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Even if Ruby had revealed that truth here today, it would eventually be forgotten once more, vanishing inevitably into myth. Given enough time, even _her_ saga would fade into legend, the tales of her team's heroism disappearing into stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that they were remnants, byproducts of a forgotten past.

And nothing Ruby did here would ever change that.

"Nice job, kiddo," Qrow said quietly, standing next to her as the two of them smiled and waved at the crowds of cheering Huntsmen. "You made the right call."

Ruby didn't meet his gaze. She didn't say another word. All she could do was stare out at the endless throng of people, each of them convinced that they had already been saved, and hope to god that Qrow was right.

* * *

Part 8

* * *

After the commemoration address had been broadcast across Remnant using the restored Cross Continental Transmit System, the attendees were invited to a reception dinner later that evening. The sober gathering that afternoon had been a procession of formality, with each Huntsman in attendance bearing the stripes of his or her school. The dinner party afterwards, however, was a black tie affair, which meant that it was time for the team to trade in their Huntsmen uniforms for suits and gowns.

Ruby cringed, still feeling incredibly awkward in heels once again. It was not the same red dress she had worn to the Beacon school dance two years prior, which no longer fit around her chest area, but it might as well have been the same for how ridiculous it looked on her. Yang had insisted she wear something other than her normal Huntress uniform, but without the comfortable weight of Grímnir at her side, she still felt naked as she wobbled towards the main dining hall of Beacon Academy.

Of course, the only thing worse than feeling like a clown in front of so many strangers was feeling like one in front of her friends. Especially given how impeccably well-dressed certain _other_ members of her team were that night.

"Hey Ruby!" Nora waved, the other two boys on their team in tow as they waited for Ruby outside the dining hall.

Ruby approached the dining hall, various other Huntsmen slowly wandering past as she stopped to greet the rest of Team RNJR. Nora's pink dress was even frillier than the one she wore the last time she had been at such a party. The two Huntsmen next to her were both wearing new suits, having both grown significantly taller since their last party. Ruby's gaze kept flitting back over to Jaune, despite the fact that she had seen him dress up before. Something about how well he wore his suit just seemed to catch her eye, and she couldn't figure out why she just couldn't keep her eyes off him. Maybe it was because he'd matured somewhat since the last time he wore a suit like this. Or perhaps, it was because _she_ had done some growing up herself.

Ren nodded politely in greeting, his arm linked with Nora's. Jaune appeared distracted by something, however, and didn't seem to notice Ruby's approach.

"Good evening," Ren said.

Nora gently elbow Jaune before he glanced up at Ruby, his eyes widening at her red dress.

"Oh, umm…" he muttered shyly, sounding like he'd been caught completely off guard. "H-Hi…Ruby…"

Ruby suddenly felt quite foolish as his eyes fell upon her, and she looked away, anxiously straightening her dress even though she'd checked herself in the mirror a thousand times beforehand. She wasn't sure why she felt so shy around him all of the sudden, but the more she felt Jaune's eyes lingering on her, the more she felt like running back to her room.

"So…shall we go inside?" Ren offered, sensing the growing tension between them. "Dinner should be ready soon. Nora's even promised not to start any food fights this time."

"For a while, at least," Nora amended.

Jaune and Ruby both nodded, unable to make eye contact as the team filed into the dining hall, which had been partially converted into a ballroom as it had the night of the dance in their last year as students at Beacon. The budget for this gathering was significantly higher than the previous occasion, however. Floral arrangements dotted the walls, and a live band on one end of the hall, led by Flynt Coal on his trumpet with two other Huntsmen playing the keyboard and the electric guitar, presumably the other two members of Team FNKI. Most of the crowd was gathered around the open bar on the other end of the hall, and Ruby's friends and family as well as the other Huntsmen in attendance were seated at the formally furnished tables lining the edges of the room, where Team RNJR found the rest of Team RSJC sitting at one of the long tables.

Yang and her father waved them down, as Ruby and her team were ushered into their seats. Yang had on a long yellow dress, contrasting with Blake's black and Weiss' blue. Ruby smiled and exchanged hugs with each of them, complimenting everyone she met over how well put together they looked. The whirlwind of pleasantries was rather disorienting, and soon, Ruby felt overwhelmed by the chaotic exchanging of words and niceties. By the time Qrow and Taiyang were raising their glasses to make a toast, Ruby was already feeling dizzy.

"Watching you two grow up has been the greatest privilege of my life," Taiyang said, looking back and forth between his two daughters. "As I look out at this team, and as I think about all that you two have accomplished in just a few short years, I am absolutely blown away."

"You all had to go through hell and back to get here," Qrow nodded, tipping his glass. "Each and every one you sitting at this table are already greater Huntsmen than Tai or I could ever hope to be."

"Well, maybe _you_ at least," Tai said under his breath.

Qrow threw his former teammate a dirty look, but otherwise ignored him.

"This night is for you all," Qrow finished, lifting his glass.

Taiyang tipped his glass as well.

"To Team RSJC!" he called out.

The rest of the table raised their glasses as well, and soon after that, dinner was served. Tray after tray of hot meats and steamed vegetables, grilled fish and white rice, all of it drizzled with a variety sweet and tangy sauces and spices, and all of it elegantly arranged on the table before them. A selection of spirits and fizzy drinks were made available to the Huntsmen young and old. And all of it carried out by a smartly-dressed wait staff. Ruby was used to living on trail rations for the majority of her career as a Huntress, so she was absolutely entranced by all the wonderful array of selections to choose from, and the service that came with it.

The conversation lit up around her as she began to eat. All at once, fellow team members began regaling each other on the details of what had transpired since they'd last seen each other. Others began launching into tales of their adventures during the war, with Qrow and Taiyang quickly getting into a competition to see whose story was the most outlandish as they began to embellish more and more of their exploits. Nora seemed intent on playing with her food in spite of Ren's protests. Yang was devouring everything in sight, while Blake seemed perfectly content with a plate full of grilled fish. Weiss was straightening Neptune's tie, and Scarlet and Sage seemed engaged in an eating contest, and Emerald seemed more and more disinterested with increasingly fancy varieties of food, despite Coco's frequent attempts to get her to try something new.

So much was happening around the table that Ruby was having trouble keeping track of it all. Though she had to admit, it was adorable seeing Yatsuhashi fawn over his wife over the course of dinner. He practically refused to let her rise from her chair to retrieve anything, and when she did, he was always by her side. This effort was compounded as Velvet insisted on photographing everything in sight, from the guests to the flower arrangements to the banners to the couples that had already begun dancing on the floor. And all throughout the meal, Ruby couldn't help but notice Jaune looking more and more anxious as the evening went on. She wanted to ask him about it, but somehow kept getting side tracked by one of Yang's tangents or her father's boisterous claims.

After dinner, the Huntsmen and Huntresses dispersed to mingle with the rest of the crowd, giving Ruby a chance to catch her breath. While many of her friends were on the dance floor, she still didn't consider herself a fancy-pantsy-dancey sort of girl, and found the rest of Team RNJR hanging out by the punch bowl, watching the rest of the party guests dancing across the floor. Although Ren and Nora seemed perfectly content with their fruit punch, Jaune was pacing the floor in agitation.

"Would you calm down, Jaune?" Nora intoned in an annoyed voice. "You're making me nervous."

Jaune looked like he should have been lecturing at the front of a classroom in his tailored suit, and was tugging at his bow-tie, sweating profusely.

"He's late," Jaune said anxiously, stepping back and forth across the floor of the ballroom. "He was supposed to be here hours ago! And he came so highly recommended too! He would have called ahead if he was delayed, wouldn't he?"

Elsewhere, Yang and Blake were arm in arm waltzing across the floor, their yellow and black dresses whirling elegantly, while Weiss was regaling Neptune and the rest of Team SSSN with stories from her job. Penny Polendina was engaged in conversation with Professor Port and Professor Oobleck, the two instructors seeming quite fascinated by whatever pontifications Penny and Persephone were expounding upon while Ciel Soleil listened silently, sipping from a cup of tea. In another corner of the room, Glynda Goodwitch and James Ironwood were chatting discretely, not letting on a hint of anything going on between them. In another corner, Winter Schnee was hassling Qrow Branwen over some minor grievance, both seemingly trying to keep up with appearances in public. A few members of Team ABRN, NDGO and BRNZ could be seen scattered throughout the crowds as well.

"Who are you talking about, Jaune?" Ruby asked curiously as she joined her teammates.

Jaune began to look even more fretful at her approach, shaking his head and holding his hands up.

"Oh, uhhh…nothing!" he protested. "No one! I'm not talking about anyone, Ruby!"

Ren and Nora were both standing next to him, unconvinced looks on both of their faces. Ruby just shrugged.

"Well, whatever," she shook her head. "Have any of you seen my dad around here?"

Lie Ren pointed towards the other side of the room.

"You mean…him?" he asked in a deadpan voice.

Ruby turned to look where he was pointing, and her jaw dropped in horror. There was Taiyang Xiao-Long, seated on the other side of the ballroom, surrounded by not one, not two, but _three_ Huntresses, each of them fawning over the adorable corgi in his arms, who was yapping in appreciation of the attention he was getting whilst Taiyang seemed to be in the midst of recounting tales of his former adventures.

Ruby hung her head in despair.

"Well…at least he seems to be having fun…" she said, grateful that the women he was chatting up appeared to at least be close to his age.

It had taken some time for Ruby to work up the courage to ask her father about the truth behind her parentage. Tears were shed and apologies had been given, and in the end, nothing had really changed. She still thought of him as her dad, and Qrow as her uncle, and all three of them seemed to agree that this was for the best. For so much of her childhood, it had been this way, and now that she and her sister had grown up, none of them thought that it made any sense to mix things up. Which suited Ruby just fine.

Losing Raven again, however, even though she hadn't really died, had been hard on her father, she knew. For a while, he hadn't really been the same. But every time she and Yang came home for a visit, he seemed to be in high spirits. Yang would come telling stories about life in Menagerie, and she and Blake even brought Gem over one time, and Tai briefly got to play the cool grandad. And the more Ruby told him about what her team had accomplished, both since they'd been gone, and now that they were a peacekeeping force for Vale, the more it seemed to revitalize her father's disposition.

As happy as she was for him though, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about him dating again. And if his current ovations were any indication, she'd be dealing with the prospect sooner than she cared for.

"Did Yang spike the punch again this time?" Ruby asked, walking over to the cherry red bowl. "I think I just found a compelling reason not to remember this party."

Lie Ren gave her a peculiar look.

"You aren't old enough to drink yet, are you?" he asked skeptically.

Ruby put a finger to her lips.

"Not yet," she said, glancing at her scroll. "But in another…twenty six days, I'll be four years away from being old enough."

"Oh," Ren nodded, feigning ignorance. "That's right, it's your birthday soon, isn't it?"

Nora's eyes lit up as a wide grin spread across her face.

"Hey, that's right," she said emphatically, throwing a leery eye at their fretful counterpart. "Didn't you have some kind of _plan_ for tonight, Jaune?"

The blond haired Huntsman, who was still pacing the floor frenetically, suddenly paled at the question.

"Uhh….what?" he asked, dumbfounded.

Yang and Blake wandered by, seemingly drawn by the conversation and a need for fruit punch.

"Yeah," Yang added, giving him a sly wink. "Something about an early birthday party?"

Ruby was blinking curiously, giving Jaune a peculiar look.

"Hmm?" she mused.

Jaune was looking more and more alarmed as he glanced back and forth between his teammates.

"Uhh…" he stammered, swallowing hard. "N-Now?"

Weiss and Neptune seemed to have also taken an interest in Jaune's plight as more and more of their teammates gathered around.

"Well?" Weiss asked pointedly. "How about it? The night isn't getting any younger."

Jaune looked around nervously as everyone was giving him expectant looks.

"Jaune?" Ruby asked, looking concerned. "What's going on? What's everyone talking about?"

Jaune seemed to be weighing his options, clearly waiting for right moment that was never going to arrive, before deflating in a breath of defeat.

"Awww, man…" he groaned forlornly. "I had this whole thing planned out and everything…"

The Huntsman turned to Ruby, an apology on his lips, when a voice sounded from across the room.

"Special delivery!" came a familiar voice.

All eyes turned to see an elderly gentleman standing by the door, a messenger bag slung over his shoulder, a bicycle parked visibly outside the open door of the ballroom.

"Oh, thank god!" Jaune exclaimed in relief, rushing over to him.

The rest of Team RSJC exchanged perplexed glances with one another as they slowly began to follow him over to the old man by the door.

"Old man shopkeep?" Ruby asked as they approached the gentleman.

"What's he doing here?" Weiss asked, befuddled.

"Delivering a package, it would seem," Blake observed.

The old man retrieved a parcel from his messenger bag, offering it to Jaune, who accepted it gratefully.

"Oh, thank you!" he exclaimed in relief, pulling out his wallet to offer him a tip. "You're a life saver!"

The shopkeep accepted the money with a gracious smile.

"Thanks very much, young man," he said with a tip of his hat. "Sorry for the delay. You kids have fun now."

Before anyone could ask anything else, the old man turned around, went back through to door to retrieve his bike before disappearing into the night.

"Just how many jobs does that guy have, anyway?" Yang asked, scratching her head.

Ruby was looking at Jaune curiously as she clutched the cardboard box tightly in his hand, before he turned excitedly to look at his team.

"Ren, tell me you brought it!" he said hurriedly.

Ren nodded, gesturing towards the other end of the room.

"It's in the kitchen," he said, turning on his heels. "I'll be right back."

Ruby watched confused as Lie Ren made a beeline for the back room where the wait staff were moving in and out from as Jaune marched back towards the dinner table.

"Jaune," Ruby asked insistently. "What is going on?"

Jaune shook his head, too excited to talk to her.

"Just…just sit down," he said, his voice giddy as he turned the box over in his hands. "Trust me, you're going to _love_ this!"

Ruby watched as the rest of the team slowly took their seats, each one watching Jaune suspiciously as he stood next her. Ruby's mind began to race, as she tried to imagine just what he had in store. She had excruciating memories of the last time Jaune had tried to surprise someone, memories in particular of an off-key guitar solo. She hoped very much that he wasn't about to embarrass her with another such display in front of the whole team.

To her relief, however, there was not a guitar in sight.

"Okay," Jaune said, gesturing to everyone. "So I asked around, and given everyone's busy schedule, we figured out that really, this is the only time _all_ of us are going to be in the same room together all year."

Ruby glanced around the table, as each of her teammates was giving her a knowing smile, and it began to dawn on her just how many of her teammates were in on whatever was going on. Even Penny and Ciel had begun to hover over the table, as had Qrow and her father.

"Jaune…?" she asked cautiously.

Then, Lie Ren came back from the kitchen, carrying a covered tray like one of the wait staff, before placing the tray on the table in front of her.

"Now, I know your birthday isn't for another few weeks," Jaune said, as Ren slowly lifted the lid off the tray to reveal what was on the platter inside. "But I figured…what better time than now for us all to celebrate together?"

Ruby's eyes widened as she they fell upon the flat baked confection before her. As soon as he'd said 'birthday,' her mind had immediately gone to the idea of cake. But this…was something else.

"Whaaa…!?" she gasped out loud.

Jaune scratched his head, nervously.

"Okay, so I know it's not a cake," he admitted. "But I knew that you really liked chocolate chip cookies, so I thought…why not make you a cookie cake instead?"

Ruby's mouth began to water at the enormous chocolate chip cookie cake before her. It was at least two feet wide, nearly an inch thick, and laced with red frosting that spelled the words 'Happy Birthday Ruby.'

"I hope it turned out alright," Ren said anxiously. "Jaune didn't really give me adequate time to prepare."

"I'll say," Weiss and Coco both said in unison.

" _Shush!_ " Jaune hissed at them. "I haven't gotten to that part yet! Nora, did you bring the candles?"

The Huntress saluted, withdrawing an armful of tiny birthday candles.

"Got 'em right here, sir!" she said emphatically as she began hurriedly placing them all over the top of the cake.

"You're trusting _Nora_ with the candles?" Blake asked sardonically.

"We all remember what happened _last_ time Nora handled flammable materials, right?" Yang added.

"Come on," Nora stuck her tongue out as she gingerly arranged the candles around the cake. "That was _one_ time."

"It'll be fine!" Jaune assured them all. "Trust me."

"I suppose Neptune's on fire extinguisher duty again," Weiss crossed her arms.

Ruby was still staring awestruck as her birthday cake was arranged before her.

"You guys…" she gasped.

"Surely Ruby's not _that_ old," Ren observed skeptically as the number of candles on the cake began to exceed two dozen.

"How old are you again, Ruby?" Yang asked teasingly. "Twelve?"

Ruby blushed as she shoved her sister rudely by the shoulder.

"Knock it off!" she yelped. "I'm turning seventeen! Three more weeks, and I'll _officially_ be old enough to enroll at Beacon!"

That got a laugh out of everyone as Nora adjusted the number of candles, and managed to light them all without incident.

"Happy birthday, Ruby," Jaune said, smiling.

"Happy birthday!" everyone else around the table chanted.

Ruby continued to state at the cookie cake laid out before her, the candles flickering intently.

"Jaune…" she breathed in disbelief as her eyes flickered back and forth between everyone at the table. "Everyone…you guys arranged _all_ this? For me?"

Yang ruffled her sister's hair.

"Of course we did, dummy," she snickered. "Now hurry up and blow out those candles already so we can dig into your cookie cake!"

Ruby smirked back at Yang.

"What?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "You mean this _isn't_ all for me?"

"Well, you _could_ keep it all to yourself," Yatsuhashi observed. "But I can think of _one_ person at this table who'd be really disappointed if you did."

Sitting next to him, Velvet was giving Ruby the most adorable puppy dog face she had ever seen. Apparently her maternal cravings were in full swing.

Ruby burst out laughing.

"Oh, relax!" she sighed, before taking a breath and blowing out her candles. "There, see?"

The team let out a cheer as the candles went out, and Ren and Yang got to work cutting the giant cookie up and distributing them across various plates surreptitiously left by the wait staff.

"So what'd you wish for, Ruby?" Taiyang asked teasingly.

"Nah-ah!" Ruby chided him, like they were sharing an inside joke. "You're not supposed to tell!"

As Ruby took her first bite, forking an oversized chocolate chip into her mouth, she practically melted beneath its heavenly taste.

"Mmmhh!" she cried out with tears in her eyes. "It's so good!"

Lie Ren politely inclined his head.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it, Ruby," he said.

Yang grinned across the table at Jaune, chocolate already smudging her nose.

"Wasn't there something _else_ you wanted to do, Jaune?" she asked with a sly wink.

"I'm getting to that!" Jaune said with a blush. "Hold your horses!"

Ruby blinked up from her plate, a mouthful of cookie filling her cheeks.

"There's more?" she asked through her mouthful of food.

Jaune nodded shyly, before withdrawing the parcel he had received from old man shopkeep.

"Yeah…" he said, offering the brown paper package to Ruby. "Here."

Ruby blinked, intrigued as she put down her plate and accepted the small parcel. It was about the size and shape of a large hardcover book, but significantly heavier, bound together with heavy packaging staples. Judging by the number of stamps lining the outside, it looked like it had been shipped across three continents.

"Everyone kind of pitched in to put this together," Jaune said. "The design came from your uncle. Coco managed the building process. The materials came from Weiss. And I reached out to old man shopkeep for the finishing touches."

Ruby was still staring at the brown paper covering the parcel, trying to determine its contents before actually opening it.

"Well?" Weiss asked impatiently. "Aren't you going to open it?"

Ruby blushed shyly, giving Jaune a curious glance.

"May I?" she asked.

Jaune's smile was heartwarming as he nodded.

"Go ahead," he said.

Ruby needed no further coaxing as she tore into the brown paper, ripping the packaging to shreds, before finding a leather-bound carrying case inside bound with a silver latch adorned with her own rose sigil. After opening the latch, she flipped the lid open.

And then she nearly dropped the box.

"It's…" she gasped, eyes wide.

Inside the black felt lining the inside of the case, an intricate pattern of blacks and reds curved together into the fearsome blade of a dagger, its mechanical hilt clearly designed to transform, the barrel of a tiny firearm visible just beneath the guard. It was crafted of fine steel, interlocking layers of black, red and silver making up both the edge and back of the blade, with twelve tiny red dust rounds laid out at the bottom of the box. But what caught Ruby's eyes was striking resemblance the details of the tiny weapon bore to another weapon that she had carried since before she had even come to Beacon.

The dagger had been directly inspired by Crescent Rose.

"Oooh…" Nora gaped in awe.

"Wow!" Yang nodded in approval. "That turned out really nice, Jaune."

"That looks awesome, Ruby," Neptune said, giving the Huntress a thumbs-up.

"Hmmm…" Qrow said, scratching his scruffy beard. "Made some improvements on the design, I see."

Velvet's camera went off with an audible _ch-ch-click._

"Jaune…" Ruby whispered, her voice cracking she gazed back at him in sheer disbelief.

Jaune held up his hands, modestly.

"Oh, no, not just me," he protested. "Like I said, it was a group effort. But I figured you could use a smaller weapon when we're out on patrol, especially if we're in a confined space somewhere in the city."

Ruby reached into the box and withdrew the red and black dagger, turning it over in her hands, admiring the weapon so lovingly, it was like she was caressing it with her eyes. Her thumb found a switch along its handle, and the blade swung backwards, before sliding forward. The muzzle of a small firearm extended from the base of the blade, and within moments, the dagger had morphed into a red and black handgun, her rose emblem engraved along the handle. The transformation was quick and fluid, eliciting an audible gasp from Ruby's lips as the weapon morphed in her hands.

"Of course," Yang said with a grin. "It's also a gun."

"Better use those dust rounds sparingly," Weiss chided. "They're not going to be around for much longer if we do our jobs right."

Ruby was still staring wide eyed at the weapon in her hands as she toggled it back to its dagger form, turning the weapon over in her hands, a spellbound look in her eyes.

"So…" Jaune asked nervously. "Do you like it?"

Ruby looked back up at Jaune, her eyes wide with absolute joy.

"I _love_ it…" she whispered.

Her voice broke into a throaty laugh as she threw arms around him, just barely avoiding nicking his ear with the dagger in her hand.

"I LOVE IT!" she shouted in elation. "I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT!"

Jaune recoiled as she leaped into his arms, causing him to teeter precarious as he wobbled on his feet, twirling her around to keep from falling.

"Whoa!" he gaped, half choking and half laughing as she just about squeezed the life out of him. "Gah! Hahaha! Oof! Well…I'm glad you like it Ruby!"

Ruby released him and clutched her dagger lovingly in her hands.

"This is _so_ amazing, Jaune!" she exclaimed. "It's a like having a little piece of Crescent Rose with me again!"

Ruby then ran around to the rest of her teammates to show off her new blade, starting with Weiss and Coco to offer them her thanks for their contribution, before finally running over to show her dad.

"Now you be careful with that, Ruby," Taiyang said out of habit, despite knowing the fact that his daughter had tangled with some of the worst monstrosities on the planet before.

"I will," Ruby said, her eyes still locked on her new weapon.

"Another satisfied customer," Coco smiled, adjusting her glasses.

"That was really nice of you, Jaune," Blake smiled.

Jaune scratched his head sheepishly.

"Not bad," Yang nodded absently, disguising the envy in her voice. "But she's going to _flip_ when she sees what _I_ got her."

Ruby was like a kid with a new toy as she swung around her dagger, practicing her knife play. For a moment, she forgot all about how uneasy she felt in her frilly red dress, before one of her heels skidded precariously, and a wild swing nearly took Qrow's head off before he caught her by the wrist.

"Whoa, easy there, Tiger," he laughed playfully, slowly releasing her arm as she caught her balance. "I take it you like of my design?"

Ruby smiled up at him, admiring her new dagger with a fiendish glint in her eye.

"It's perfect!" she said elatedly. "It's small and light weight, just what I need for my job in the peace keepers!"

Qrow nodded.

"That's kind of what I was hoping for," he agreed. "So what are you gonna call it?"

The rest of Team RSJC was still watching Ruby as she admired her gift. She held her new weapon before her, smiling back at Qrow with a knowing smile on her face.

"It really is like tiny shard broke off of Crescent Rose and became a weapon all its own," she said. "So…how does Rose Thorn sound?

The rest of the team nodded in approval as Qrow smiled back at her. The name and symbol of the rose had been passed down from her mother and into the first weapon she ever bore. It was only fitting that such symbol should christen her blade anew.

"That sounds good to me, Ruby," he said.

* * *

Part 9

* * *

The party continued on well into the night, and despite her numerous protestations, Yang had finally decided to drag Ruby out onto the dance floor.

"Yang!" Ruby growled in contempt. "Stop it! I mean it!"

Yang looked completely undeterred as she yanked on the younger girl's wrist, Ruby's heels doing little to halt her slow and steady movement out onto the floor.

"Dang it, Ruby!" Yang hollered good naturedly. "This is _your_ party after all! Now get on over to that dance floor and go have a good time already!"

"I _was_ having a good time!" Ruby complained as she was forced forward. "By the punch bowl! With the rest of my cookie cake!"

"You don't need _that_ much sugar," Yang shot back, giving her one last shove. "Now get out there and dance already!"

Ruby nearly toppled forward as she stumbled over her heels on the hardwood floor, catching sight of the rest of her teammates already on the dance floor.

Jaune, Nora and Ren were in the midst of some kind of synchronized dance together – according to Nora, they had been practicing on a dance machine at the video arcade in their off hours. They seemed to be having a dance off against Neptune, Scarlet and Sage, as the two groups danced across from one another, each trio going back and forth with a series of choreographed dance moves. Yatsuhashi was leading Coco by the arm as she continued snapping photographs, and Coco and he partner were engaged in a dance that could only be described as "foxy" in her little black dress. Elsewhere, Penny was trying to rope Ciel into doing some odd rendition of the Robot, and Neon Katt was lighting up the room as she skated across dance floor. And to top it all off, her father seemed to have had one too many drinks, and was attempting to break-dance.

As Ruby attempted to get a feel for the rhythm of the dancing, she felt herself becoming overwhelmed once again by all the activity in the crowd, and ended up bumping headlong into Jaune as he was finishing the last beat in Team JNPR's set. She toppled over on her heels, and Jaune moved to catch her as she fell, just barely managing to scoop her into his arms before she hit the floor.

"Whoa there!" he called out in alarm. "Are you alright?"

Ruby let out a brief yelp of fright as she stared up at him, confused at how she had gotten there.

"Oh!" she yelped bashfully. "Umm…hi…"

The way Jaune and the rest of his team were arranged, the move had ended up looking more choreographed than it had been, and the sound of cheering bystanders caught their ears.

"Nice move, Jaune," Neptune called out to him with a wink. "Real smooth!"

Scarlet and Sage gave the other team a polite bow, ceding the contest. Jaune blinked in surprise, before looking back down at Ruby, and suddenly found himself blushing too.

"Gah!" he stammered, pulling her back up to her feet.

He released his grip before pulling away, leaving Ruby wobbling unsteadily on her heels.

"I-I'm sorry," Jaune muttered shyly. "I didn't mean…"

Ruby found her balance and kept looking at her treacherous feet, swallowing hard.

"I-It's fine, Jaune…" she gulped nervously. "I'm just…kind of a klutz in these things…"

Before Jaune could respond, Ruby suddenly pitched forward again when Yang bumped her hip squarely into Ruby's backside, causing her once again to fall right back into Jaune's arms.

"Whoa!" he blurted as he caught her.

Ruby grimaced as she reoriented herself, cheeks reddening at her constant prat-falling.

"What the…?" she blurted, before turning back at glare at her sister. "Yang!"

Yang was giving her an impatient look, tapping her foot with her arms crossed about her chest.

"Would you just _dance_ with the guy already?" she demanded.

As if on cue, the music began to slow down, the lights dimming to a lower, more intimate tone. As Ruby and Jaune looked around nervously at all their teammates partnering up around them, their cheeks began to color as they both realize what was happening.

"Oh…" Jaune blinked in surprise.

"Oh my gosh…" Ruby covered her face with her hands.

Jaune swallowed hard, glancing down at Ruby, a litany of conflicting emotions spelled out all over his face. Ruby could barely talk, she was so embarrassed. She wasn't sure why exactly all of her friends were so determined that the two of them 'hook up' or whatever, but she knew that Jaune must have been just as uncomfortable with this as she was, and she wished that he would just _say_ something to break the tension.

Finally, he shrugged his shoulders, a helpless expression on his face.

"Well, um…Ruby…?" he asked cautiously. "Do you…do want to…?"

Ruby paled. That wasn't what he was supposed to say! He was supposed to let her down gently, so the two of them could go back to being awkward on their own! The two had exchanged spurious glances and brushed hands on occasion, but apart from that, neither had openly acknowledged that there might have been something more there, and Ruby had been perfectly content to let things remain that way!

The Huntress looked away, wishing she were anywhere but where she was.

"I-It's alright, Jaune!" she blurted uncomfortably, clenching her hands together in front of her. "It's alright…if…if you don't want to, we…we don't have to…"

Jaune blinked several times in succession as he stared back at the girl, dumbstruck, before glancing around for help from his fellow teammates. Most of the team was either dancing or watching the dancing. Blake and Yang were arm in arm, Velvet and Yatsuhashi were slowly moving back and forth, and Weiss and Neptune were matching each other step for step (although he hadn't noticed the suspicious glance that Weiss had cast at Flynt Coal and his band at the earlier change in music).

When his eyes fell on Ren and Nora, who were watching him intently as they danced, they both gave him an encouraging look.

"Go on," Nora whispered insistently.

Jaune swallowed again, turning back to look at Ruby.

"I…" he muttered awkwardly. "I mean…I…I think I…kinda _do_ though…"

Ruby's blush only intensified when she raised her gaze to look back at him.

"Wh-What?" she stammered in disbelief. "Y-You do?"

Jaune took a deep breath, straightening his back before slowly extending his hand.

"Well, yeah…why not?" he asked, glancing back at her shyly. "So, um…m-may I have this dance?"

Ruby felt her heart skip a beat at his words. Jaune was standing before her, offering her his hand, dressed so impeccably that he might as well have stepped out of a dream. In that moment, he was everything she could have ever wanted – cute, thoughtful, courteous, kind, and clearly an incredible dancer to boot. Hell, mere moments ago, he had just _literally_ swept her off her feet! And having spent the last few years fighting at his side, Ruby knew better just how physically capable he was. How had he made the transformation from 'lovable idiot stuck in a tree' into such a charming gentleman in such a short amount of time? And why oh why did he have to choose _now_ to do it?

Her hands came to her lips as she felt the sob quavering from her lips.

It was too much. It was all just too much. The party. The crowd. The gift. The cake. The familiar faces, the expectations, and most of all, the total and utter _shame_ of it all! What did she think she was doing? This wasn't _her!_ This would never be _her!_ And on _today_ of all days, the anniversary of Pyrrha's death, what _right_ did she have to think that she could just _step in_ and…?

Ruby was running before she knew it, disappearing in a shower of rose petals as she made a mad dash for the stairs.

"Wha-?" she heard Jaune's voice behind her. "Ruby!?"

Her heart was pounding as she bolted, breaking out into a sweat as she bounded up the stairs to the second floor, darting ahead with her semblance in a disjointed series of starts and stops, unable to muster the concentration to make it in a single fluid motion. She didn't turn to see if Jaune or anyone else was following her or not. She wasn't sure which possibility frightened her more. She just couldn't _bear_ the thought of what might happen if she allowed…whatever was happening down there to continue. The thought of how _unfair_ it would be to Pyrrha's memory…the realization of how much she _wished_ for it anyway…the uncertainty of never knowing whether she would _ever_ really be good enough…

Ruby was utterly terrified as she tumbled out onto the ballroom balcony, gasping for breath, tears welling up in her eyes as she staggered over to the railing, leaning against it for support. She was trembling, a cold sweat on her skin as she felt her head swimming. A wave of vertigo hit her from the sudden exertion, and she shook her head, trying desperately to will away the tears.

Why was she still such a god damn child?

"Ruby!" a faint voice called out for her from behind as Jaune finally made it to the door.

Ruby flinched as she heard the sound of his footsteps behind her and did not turn to meet his gaze, desperately trying to summon the courage to turn and face him.

"I…I'm sorry, Jaune…" she stammered, fumbling with a reason to explain her behavior. "I just…needed some air…"

Ruby clenched her jaw. It was a pitiful excuse, and she knew there was no way Jaune would buy it from her even as she said it.

"Ruby, I…" he muttered as he approached her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, okay? I know you don't like to dance. I was just…caught up in the moment, I guess."

Ruby shook her head, despairing at what a gentleman he was being about all this.

"Jaune, I…" she whispered. "It's not the dancing…it's…it's _everything_ …"

Jaune shook his head in confusion as he approached her, but Ruby refused to meet his gaze.

"Ruby, I…" he stammered. "I don't understand. What's-?"

"You can stop, Jaune," Ruby said, interrupting as she turned towards him. "It's…it's alright, okay? You don't…you don't have to _pretend_ anymore…"

Jaune blinked in confusion, shaking his head as Ruby stared back at him, a look of relentless unforgiving in her eyes. Though what he could not decipher was whether she was trying to forgive him…or herself.

"Pretend…?" he asked, utterly lost.

Ruby seemed to crumble under his gaze as her eyes were forced once again on the floor. The tears had returned.

"You don't…" she said in a shuddering voice. "You don't have to pretend that you _like_ me, alright?"

Jaune's eyes widened in shock.

"Ruby…" he shook his head in disbelief. "What…?"

Ruby sniffed back a sob as she lifted her head, a smile on her face as the tears fell from her eyes like drops of rain.

"Tonight's been… _amazing_ …" she said, quivering as the words spilled out of her. "The party…the cake…your present…it's _all_ just be so wonderful! No one's _ever_ done anything like this for me before…"

Her voice began to crack as her façade of a smile began to crumble.

"But I know…" she whimpered. "I _know_ that…the most I'll _ever_ be…is a replacement for Pyrrha…"

Jaune's eyes narrowed as he shook with incredulity.

"Ruby…" he breathed.

The Huntress sniffed back another wave of tears.

"So…" she continued, clasping her hands together. "So you don't have to pretend, okay? You don't have to be so thoughtful and sweet and kind all the time. We can just…"

Jaune finally interrupted her, taking her by the shoulders, halting her tirade with his piercing gaze.

"Stop," he shook his head. "Just…stop, Ruby. Please. Don't say things like that."

She kept staring back at him, completely transfixed by those beautiful blue eyes.

"I…I…" she whimpered.

Jaune squeezed her shoulders, shaking his head dismissively.

"Listen to what you're saying, Ruby," he insisted soberly. "Don't be ridiculous. No one could _ever_ replace Pyrrha."

Ruby felt her world crumbling at his words, the harsh truth hitting her like a ton of bricks. Of course, she should have already known this. Jaune and Pyrrha were practically made for one another. Their love had broken the bonds of time and space itself. How foolish had Ruby been to think that she could ever even stand a chance against something like that? How presumptuous of her that she could ever even compare.

As Ruby felt her skin grow cold, she was surprised when Jaune's hand came to her cheek.

"But Ruby…" he continued, bringing her gaze back up to his. "No one could ever replace _you_ either."

Time stopped. Ruby felt her heart racing. Had she just heard him correctly?

"W-Wha…?" she blurted, her lips trembling.

Jaune was smiling at her, his other hand rising to the opposite cheek so he could hold her face in his hands.

"Pyrrha will _always_ have a place in my heart," he said in a steady, reassuring voice. "And I don't think anything's ever going to change that."

He drew closer to her, and Ruby felt smaller and smaller in his presence.

"But you?" he said. "You're my _partner_ , Ruby. And I'll _always_ care about you. And _nothing's_ ever going to change that either."

Ruby hiccuped as she stared up at him, wanting so desperately to believe him. But the shadows of doubt in her mind still lingered. Pyrrha had been such a strong, vibrant woman, and the connection she had shared with Jaune had just been so powerful. He had held out for her even unto her very death. How was Ruby ever supposed to compete with that?

"You don't believe me," Jaune shook his head, seemingly sensing the conflict within her. "Here, then I'll prove it to you. Link auras with me."

Ruby blinked, somewhat taken aback by his proposition. It had been _months_ since she had ever tried aura linking with anyone. They'd had to use it a few times out in the field, but never anything substantial. There had just been no need for such a powerful technique in their current line of work.

"Wh-what?" she asked, stiffening slightly.

Jaune's smile was more endearing than it had any right to be.

"Our auras are a manifestation of our souls, right?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders, sounding like he was grasping at straws. "If we link auras, then maybe you'll…look, just humor me, okay?"

Ruby bit her lip, not even sure if she could even manage an aura link in her current state of mind. She had a feeling she knew what Jaune was getting at, and part of her was nervous to peel back the layers and see just where his true feelings might lie. But the bandage was already half off, she reasoned. She might as well get the rest of it over with as quickly and as painlessly as possible. At least then there would be no doubts, she decided as she finally acquiesced, reaching inside and stretching out with her aura.

It took her a moment, being somewhat out or practice. But once she felt the familiar brush of Jaune's shimmering golden aura, the two of them conjoined as one. All at once, Ruby felt herself bathed in a warm comforting glow unlike anything she had felt before. Jaune's aura felt familiar, but rough and frayed, its edges jagged and torn. The pain of Pyrrha's death had rocked him to his very core. But there was a depth to it that Ruby had never felt before. A beating heart, a yearning soul, a simple selfless desire, not unlike her own.

They were the same, Ruby finally realized. Beneath it all, Ruby and Jaune were the same. Simple, honest souls, both of them reluctant leaders, and both more determined than anything to protect the people they loved. When pushed, their untapped potential was nearly boundless. And their desire to seek out those in need was matched only by the fear of failure that weighed more heavily than anything in their lives. And both of them knew, beyond a doubt, that without their team, without their friends, without their partners…they were nothing.

Jaune's love for Pyrrha was plain as day. She had been his partner, and that was a bond that could never be taken away, not even in death. But the strength that went into that bond still came from the strength of his bond to others as well. Jaune drew strength from the people around him, just as Ruby did. And no source of strength for Jaune was any stronger than Ruby's was now. It was a strength that he utterly depended on in the wake of Pyrrha's death. Without Ruby's support, Jaune would have been broken. And through that support, the bond between them had grown ever stronger.

It was a bond of trust, friendship, faith and love. Like Pyrrha, Ruby was the one to whom Jaune turned when the need was greatest. Like Pyrrha, Ruby was more than just a friend to him. Like Pyrrha, Ruby was more than a mere companion. Like Pyrrha, the love that Jaune felt for her was more than simple kinship.

They were partners.

Partners.

Just as Yang was to Blake. Just as Weiss was to Neptune. Just as Ren was to Nora. It was a bond that transcended anything two people could ever have together. It was a trust that could never be broken. It was a friendship that would never come to an end. It was a faith born and bred of the blood spilled on innumerable battlefields together. It was a love that surpassed any physical intimacy that two beings could ever share.

"J-Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed, shuddering from the intensity of the experience.

She was gasping for breath as she dropped the link, holding onto his shoulders to steady herself. She wasn't even sure what she was feeling anymore. Her head felt like it was floating in the clouds. Now she really _did_ need the fresh night air to help gather her thoughts.

Jaune held her steadily, before he reached up to touch her hair, stroking the back of her head as he peered at her with earnest adoration.

"I…I don't _want_ you to replace Pyrrha," Jaune said slowly. "I don't need you to fill some role or be something that you're not. I just…I just want you to be _happy_ , Ruby."

As he ran his hands through her hair, Ruby felt her heart fluttering at his touch.

"Whatever form that takes," he added.

Ruby's heart was in her throat. His face was so close to hers that she could almost taste him.

"But…" she sputtered, still overcome by the rush of sensation she had felt. "But…"

Jaune let out forlorn sigh, looking at her with a hopeless longing in his eyes.

"Pyrrha wouldn't want either of us holding back on her account," he said. "She gave her life so that we could live ours. And I…I _can't_ keep acting like there's nothing between us, Ruby."

Ruby's hands rose to her lips to cover her gasp for breath. This time, the tears that fell down her cheeks were tears of joy.

"Jaune…" she gasped.

"So…" Jaune's hands settled on her shoulders as he smiled sheepishly at her, as if only just realizing how much he was pontificating. "So if this…is something you want…"

He slid his hands down her arms to clasp around both of her own.

"Then I'm willing to take a leap of faith," he said simply, smiling at her.

Ruby still didn't dare believe what she was hearing. Jaune and Pyrrha had been so happy together, and it had broken her heart to consider that what she herself truly desired could have ever come between that happiness.

But now Pyrrha was gone. It had been a year since her death, and Ruby and her friends still had their whole lives left to live. It was one thing to honor the memory of their fallen comrade, but they couldn't remain chaste for the rest of their lives because of it. As powerful as she knew Pyrrha's love had been for Jaune, she could not bring herself to believe that the Huntress would ever wish for her partner to mourn her in a way that barred him from ever finding love again.

The only question that remained then lay upon Jaune, and whether he was prepared to move on after losing someone he loved.

And as his lips brushed gently against Ruby's own, sending her heart aflutter, she began to suspect that she had her answer.

"J-Jaune…" she whispered, unsure whether or not she was dreaming.

The way he held her in his arms was something that she had only ever imagined, and the way his lips felt against her own was something that she had secretly spent hours trying not to picture as she drifted off to sleep on cold nights. The closer they had worked together over the years, the more he had become a part of her life, and the less she ever wanted to let him go. But she would never in a million years have imagined this dream becoming true.

"I…" she muttered, completely at a loss for words. "I can't believe this is happening…"

Jaune blushed nervously.

"Is…that a good thing?" he asked.

Ruby smiled tremulously.

"I think so…." she muttered anxiously. "But I just…I can't stop thinking about all the little reasons why you _shouldn't_ be interested in someone like me…"

Jaune gave her a dismissive smirk.

"Oh really?" he asked. "Name one reason."

Ruby fidgeted anxiously, unable to think straight while still in his arms.

"Well…uh…" she chewed on her lip, her words spilling out somewhat incoherently. "Apparently I'm…part-wolf or something…"

Jaune smiled. Ruby had already told him of her Faunus heritage, despite her lack of any visible traits, and how it was linked to her silver eyes. It had come as a surprise to many of them, though Ruby had always had a rather puppy-like quality to her, Jaune thought.

"Well, it turns out _I_ come from the bastard offspring of Valean royalty," Jaune shrugged. "So it's not like I've got room to point fingers at anyone's lineage."

That got a laugh out of Ruby. After the full manifestation of his semblance came out during the war, Jaune had asked Weiss to do a much more thorough investigation into his family history, and had indeed found traces linking the Arc family back to King Uruk, the last king of Vale who had ended the Great War. The royal family had long since relinquished any claim over Vale, and so no one in his family stood to inherit much from the title. Still, it was an interesting factoid that made for an amusing anecdote at parties.

"You're selling yourself short, Ruby," Jaune assured her, cupping her cheek in his hand. "I've _always_ admired who you were. Your courage, your strength, your determination…you've been an inspiration to me since the day I met you."

Ruby blushed and turned her eyes away.

"Jaune…" she muttered.

Jaune shook his head.

"You carried me through some of the greatest hardships I've ever had to endure…" he said, a twinge of regret in his voice. "And you did the same for almost everyone on our team. You've never given up on me, you've stuck your neck out for me more times than I can count, and you believed in me even when I was ready to give up on myself. How could I _not_ be at least a _little_ fond of you after all that?"

Ruby was blushing madly now, unable to meet his gaze under the tirade of compliments, and his refusal to release his hold on her made it all the worse.

"Oh my gosh, Jaune!" she squirmed in his embrace, giggling like a school girl. "Cut it out!"

Jaune flinched and swallowed nervously.

"Sorry…" he muttered. "I'm…not very good at talking to girls, am I?"

The smile that Ruby gave him after that was practically wolfish.

"I think…you're doing just fine…" she whispered.

And then she kissed him back.

"Mister Arc?" came a voice from somewhere behind them. "Miss Rose?"

The Huntsman and Huntress stiffened at the intrusion. Their faces were beet red as the two of them abruptly parted. As Ruby turned away to hide her face, Jaune turned to face whoever it was who had barged in on them.

To his surprise, he saw Glynda Goodwitch stepping out onto the balcony.

"Professor," Jaune said with a sigh of resignation to the Special Operations Director of the Huntsman peacekeeping force. "You have…absolutely _abysmal_ timing."

Glynda seemed completely uninterested in anything that the two Huntsmen were preoccupied with, and was holding up her scroll, a look of urgency on her face.

"There's been an emergency call," she said simply, no nonsense in her voice. "We need you both in the field, ASAP."

Jaune and Ruby both blinked, completely taken out of the moment by the sudden request.

"Now?" Jaune blurted.

"Seriously?" Ruby asked, not even trying to mask the irritation in her voice after the emotional evening she'd been through. "I thought we had the night off."

In spite of their insubordinate tone, Glynda actually smiled.

"Trust me," she said, flipping her scroll around so that they could both see the face on the surface. "You two _want_ to take this case."

Ruby and Jaune both leaned in to peer at Glynda's scroll, before both of their eyes widened in utter disbelief.

"Oh, you've got to be _kidding_ me!" Ruby exclaimed.

* * *

Part 10

* * *

There was an art form to pulling off the perfect heist. The amount of time and effort that went into the planning and preparation, the level of research involved with investigating the target, the number of backup plans for if and when things inevitably fell through; all of it took such painstaking measures that it almost boggled the mind. Any sane person would look at such a labor-intensive practice as an inefficient use of time. After all the work that went into a given caper, why wouldn't one invest their time into honest work? It was less risky, and was almost certainly less time consuming.

But the payoff of making off with millions of lien worth of goods and leaving their previous owner completely unawares could be found almost nowhere else. The thrill of the chase, the possibility of a big score, and the chance to stick it to all the rich snobs who flaunted their ill-gotten gains…

It made it all worth it in the end.

"Roman Torchwick!"

As the light suddenly came on, the thief set down the crate he was carrying, taking one last drag on his cigar. He had very much liked this hideout, he lamented, turning to face the intruder. It was a shame that it seemed it would have to be scraped now.

"Oh, hey Red!" Roman said with a jaunty twirl of his cane. "Long time no see!"

The hideout was nothing special, an abandoned hotel on the edge of town that still had yet to be reclaimed or torn down by the kingdom of Atlas. But it had been a _nice_ hotel in its time, and many of its amenities had served him well throughout its usage. In the months following the end of the war, the kingdom had simply lacked the level of infrastructure needed to effectively root out criminals of his caliber, which left the kingdom of Vale ripe for the picking. And thanks to the subsidies on dust-free technology and a little insider info telling him that there would soon be a heavy tax increase on dust, the price of dust was skyrocketing and it would soon become one of the hottest black market commodities in the world.

Roman had been on a real streak this past month too. The city police were still too undermanned to effectively hunt him down, and the Huntsman Academy's new peacekeeping force had more important things to worry about. It had been a tumultuous time, with armed gangs rising up left and right through the kingdom as people slowly made their way back into the city after the war had ended, and Roman had managed to slip by under the radar.

But now it seemed as though his luck had finally run out. Standing in the doorway of what had once been a conference room on the first floor of the hotel that served as one of his storage lockers for smuggled goods, was a familiar Huntsman and Huntress pair. Though he couldn't quite place the Huntsman in the duo, he could say with certainty that he knew the Huntress quite well.

Ruby Rose had a red handgun leveled at him, with a long silver sword slung to her back as Jaune Arc stood next to her, his hand resting on the hilt of his own sword. Both were clad once again in their Huntsmen uniforms. The boy looked impatient and unamused with the situation, but the look on Ruby's face appeared almost comical.

"Seriously," were the first words out of her mouth, shaking her head in incredulity. "How did you survive? I saw you get eaten alive! Where have you _been_ all these years?"

Roman spread his arms wide, his cane dangling from one hand, his cigar in the other, and his bowler hat resting atop his head, still wearing his pristine white coat.

"You can't keep a good dog down, Red," he chided patronizingly. "Though I can't say it was exactly _pleasant_ , carving my way out of a Grimm's stomach, but like I told you before, I _am_ a survivor. Though all that business with Cinder and the White Fang? That was just getting to be _way_ too much more than I'd bargained for. And you don't get to where I am in this business without learning how to _lay low_ \- at least until the coast is clear."

Ruby was still shaking her head, seemingly unable to believe that after everything they'd been through and all the people she'd lost that Roman Torchwick, of all people, was still somehow living and breathing. How he had managed to stay hidden throughout the entirety of the war was a mystery she doubted she would ever solve. But now it seemed he had finally come out of hiding, which made him into _her_ problem once again.

"Well, you haven't been laying low enough, Torchwick," she said, training her gun on him. "You're wanted for no less than fifteen counts of armed robbery and aggravated assault in the last six months alone. We're taking you in."

Both Huntsmen tensed, as though preparing to spring into action should the thief prove hostile. But to their surprise, Roman's hands went straight into the air.

"You caught me," he said with smug tone. "I surrender."

Ruby and Jaune both squinted at that.

"What?" the Huntsman asked. "Just like that?"

Roman laid his cane gently on the floor and took a step back, keeping his hands behind his head.

"Who's your friend, Red?" he snickered. "He seems kind of new at this."

Jaune fixed the man with a dirty look.

"I'll ask the questions," Ruby snapped, keeping her gun trained on him. "What's your game, Torchwick?"

Roman shook his head.

"No games, Red," he said with a laugh. "I simply know when I'm beat."

Jaune and Ruby both exchanged a glance.

"Are you serious?" Jaune asked.

Torchwick sighed impatiently.

"Ruby Rose, the world famous Huntress, whose team defeated the Grimm and saved all of Remnant?" he asked with an incredulous roll of his eyes. "I saw the vids - you took down a god damned _dragon_ for crying out loud! Do you honestly think I'm stupid enough to try going toe to toe with _you,_ knowing just what you're capable of? Come on, Red, give me _some_ credit here!"

Ruby stared at the man, utterly baffled. She still kept her weapon on him, clearly mistrusting his intentions, suddenly glad for her newer, smaller weapon in such a confined space. It was always nerve-racking, trying to negotiate with an enemy. In many ways, it had been easier fighting the Grimm. The Grimm were just savage animals that would simply attack without mercy. People, on the other hand, could be much more conniving and manipulative.

And to compound the issue when it came to dealing with people, there was the law to consider. Human criminals could not simply be cut down without mercy. They had to be taken to trial. There were exceptional cases, where a Huntsman or Huntress' life was at risk. But when a criminal dropped their weapon and said that they surrendered, protocol was pretty clear what actions were to be taken next.

But Ruby knew this particular criminal well enough to know that he had something up his sleeve. She just couldn't figure out what it was.

"Call it in, Jaune," Ruby finally said to her partner. "I'll keep an eye on him."

Jaune nodded, stepping out of the room and withdrawing his scroll to make a call, while Ruby kept Roman squarely in her sights.

"On the ground," she commanded, keeping her distance. "And no funny business."

Roman sighed and got down onto his knees. Luckily for him, the floor was relatively clean, with wall to wall carpeting lining the corporate hotel conference room.

"Now seriously, Red," Roman said with a sardonic smile. "When have _I_ ever been known for funny business?"

Ruby finally relaxed her weapon as she kept her eyes locked onto him.

"Just stay where you are," she sighed, shaking her head impatiently. "You're interrupting a _very_ important evening for me, and I'm _really_ not in the mood for your games tonight."

Roman sighed wistfully, an insincere smirk on his face.

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry to hear that," he said, before sighing wistfully as if waxing nostalgic. "But haven't we played _so_ many fun little games, you and I? Remember that time we trashed a highway overpass? Or that time we crashed a train together? Oh, how about that time we stuck it to the entire Atlesian fleet? Didn't we have some _fun_ together, Red?"

Ruby scoffed, wondering what was taking Jaune so long.

"You should have stayed dead, Torchwick," she said, wrinkling her nose. "Seriously, why'd you come back to Vale? Just to rob more dust shops? You were off the grid. You could have started over, made a new life for yourself. Instead, here you are again, taking advantage of a city full of people who've already been through enough as it is. This kingdom is doing _everything_ it can to recover from the war, and all you're doing is making it harder on everyone trying to make ends meet."

Roman let out a sigh, shrugging his shoulders.

"This is what I am, kiddo," he said in a resigned tone of a voice. "I'm a thief. It's what I do. A tiger can't change its stripes."

Ruby shook her head in despair.

"I don't believe that," she said. "I've seen people change before, Torchwick. People who were so far off the deep end that it looked for sure like there was no turning back. You could be more than this if you put your mind to it. I think there's more to you than just a petty criminal."

Roman narrowed his eyes.

"Petty?" he scoffed, gesturing to the boxes of stolen dust throughout the room. "Do you even _see_ all this merchandise? With the way dust prices have been going up in this economy, I could live like a _king_ for what I'd get selling all this!"

Ruby shook her head again, silently despairing at yet another drawback of having to reduce their world's reliance on dust. Torchwick was not be the first dust smuggler they had to contend with, nor did she suspect would he be the last.

"The only life waiting for you at the end of this is inside a prison cell," she assured him.

Roman exhaled in indignation.

"Ooh, harsh!" he laughed. "You really don't pull punches anymore, do you Red?"

Ruby thought for a moment, reflecting on just how much she had changed over the years. What this war had done to her. Who she used to be when it had all started. She had been such a naïve little child who liked weapons and storybook heroes at the beginning of it all. How much she had grown in just a few short years. Had she really become so bitter? Was that what growing up was all about?

"No," she muttered. "I guess I don't."

She fixed the thief with a hard stare.

"Come to think of it," she mentioned, "You were there at the beginning of all this, weren't you? In a way, _you_ were the reason I got wrapped up into this whole mess in the first place."

Roman blinked, somewhat taken aback.

"Huh?" he intoned.

Ruby let out a disbelieving sigh, a faraway look in her eyes.

"If you hadn't been robbing that dust store that night, I would have never been scouted for Beacon Academy," she said with a self-deprecating laugh. "I would have never met my team. I wouldn't have become a Huntress - at least, not in time for the war. And I would have never been given the chance to make as big of a difference in the world as I did."

Roman blinked, not expecting any sort of praise from the girl.

"O…kay…?" he said in confusion.

Ruby smirked at him, letting out a breath.

"If you think about it, I guess I really should be grateful to you, Torchwick," she admitted.

Roman grinned, cocking his head to the side

"Grateful enough to let me go?" he asked curiously.

Ruby made a face at him.

"Not a chance in the world," she said.

Roman shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh well," he said. "Can't blame a guy for asking."

The sound of voices could be heard through the doorway leading out into the lobby, and Ruby recognized Jaune's voice. When her partner finally returned, he was followed by two familiar police officers, each carrying a flashlight and a sidearm, and were still wearing their shades despite being indoors at night.

"He's in here, officers," Ruby called out to them, still refusing to take her eyes off of Torchwick.

Jaune waited by the door as the two VPD officers swaggered their way into the conference room, hands on their hips.

"Well, well, well…" the bearded one said, looking down at the red-haired man in the bowler hat. "Looky what we have here. Roman Torchwick, back from the dead."

The other officer looked around the room at all the crates full of dust.

"And man, he has been _busy_ ," he said, chewing on a toothpick. "I'd say we got enough evidence here to lock you up for good this time, Roman!"

Torchwick simply rolled his eyes as the two officers fitted him with a pair of handcuffs.

"Great," he sighed in agitation. "It had to be _you_ two."

"No back-talk!" one of the officers said, yanking him to his feet. "Now start walking."

The other officer reached down to grab Torchwick's cane with a gloved hand, and followed his partner out. As the two officers escorted Roman out the door, Ruby and Jaune followed closely behind.

"Keep an eye on him," Ruby cautioned, keeping her weapon drawn at her side. "He's up to something, I know it."

"Yeah," Jaune added. "He turned himself in _way_ too easily."

"Eh," the bearded cop shrugged. "He probably just heard _we_ were coming along and chickened out."

"Oh no," Roman chimed in, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "A pair of dumb cops. Whatever will I do?"

"Keep quiet," the cop responded with a shove. "You have the right to remain silent. Exercise it."

Ruby and Jaune exchanged a glance. The situation was making them more and more nervous, but neither one of them could figure out what Roman's next move would be. The two of them were watching him like a hawk as the police officers escorted their prisoner into the lobby, which was boarded up all along the front. When they reached the doors outside, the flashing lights of two police cars lit up the abandoned stone buildings around them with blues and reds as the officers hauled Torchwick towards one of the vehicles. A third police officer was waiting in the driver's seat of one of the vehicles.

"My own chauffeur?" Torchwick jibed, waving to the female officer in the car. "And a cute one besides!"

The woman patently ignored him as the other two officers shoved him roughly into the back seat of the squad car. It was only when Jaune and Ruby heard the door latch firmly in place that they both released a collective sigh of relief.

"Well," the bearded cop said, brushing his hands off. "That explains this string of dust shop break-ins we've had across the kingdom."

"Still," his partner said, hands on his hips and he approached the two Huntsmen. "Who would have thought Roman Torchwick would come back to Vale? You two sure did a hell of a job tracking him here."

Jaune and Ruby glanced back and forth between each other, shaking their heads in concern.

"I'm just wondering why he gave up so quickly," Jaune said. "It's almost like he _wanted_ to get caught."

"I wouldn't let him out of your sight," Ruby said cautiously. "He's got something up his sleeve. I can just tell."

The officers shared a dubious glance before they both shrugged.

"Well, he's the courts' problem now," the bearded one said. "Between this and everything he did before the war, they'll put him in the slammer for life."

"Yeah," the other cop agreed. "He's been on our most wanted list for years. Him and that partner of his."

Ruby and Jaune paled.

"Wait…what partner?" Ruby asked.

The two police men looked at the two Huntsmen, seemingly incredulous at their ignorance.

"Roman and his partner were infamous back in the day," the bearded cop said. "Nothing was safe when the two of them rolled through town. We could never even touch them when they were at their peak."

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

"Who was his partner?" he demanded.

The bearded cop shrugged.

"We never could find much on his partner," he said. "All we know is she's some broad who goes by the name Neopolitan."

Ruby and Jaune shared a nervous glance, both of them putting the pieces together. As Huntsmen peace keepers, they were not above the law. When Huntsmen found a suspect, standard procedure was to contact the proper authorities so that they could bring them into police custody. Torchwick was too smart not to know all that. Which meant that from the moment Ruby and Jaune had found him, Torchwick would have been able to predict everything that happened from that point forward. That didn't make him terribly dangerous on his own. But if he had someone working on the outside…

Suddenly, Ruby and Jaune both knew _exactly_ what was going to happen next as they turned their eyes to the cop car Torchwick had been placed in. Their eyes fell on the female police officer sitting in the driver's seat, her black hair tied up in a tight bun, her eyes hidden behind the brim of her cap. They hadn't recognized her face, but now that they were looking at her, she did seem oddly short for someone in law enforcement.

Panic gripped them both as the engine of the squad car abruptly whirred to life.

"Stop that car!" Ruby shouted in alarm.

It was too late. The driver of the car smiled as she shifted the vehicle into gear. Its tires screeched as the she slammed her foot on the accelerator, and within seconds, the cruiser took off down the road, its red and blue lights flickering brightly in the night sky.

"What the-!?" both police officers shouted, drawing their guns to take aim. "Hey!"

Jaune and Ruby didn't even have the wherewithal to draw their weapons, they were so dumbfounded. They could only watch in stupefied disbelief as Roman Torchwick stuck his head out the window of the back seat, waving his cane around in his hands, it seemingly having come back into his possession.

"Hahaha!" he crowed in triumph. "So long, suckers!"

The female officer in the front seat was grinning wickedly as she drove the car off into the night, a familiar technicolor glint in her eye as she tossed off her police hat, letting her hair tumble down as it slowly shifted back into pink and brown.

As the two police officers scrambled to get mobilized, Ruby and Jaune were standing in stunned silence, flabbergasted at just how easily Torchwick had played them.

"How did we just fall for that?" Jaune asked in befuddlement.

Ruby had no answer as they stood in silent humiliation, watching as the remaining police car took off to begin pursuit, weaving through the various ramshackle buildings around them as they followed Roman's stolen vehicle as he sped off towards the city. Jaune expected Ruby to leap into action to chase after their suspect, but she made no move to follow after him.

Moments later, he saw why, as the rumble of another engine caught the Huntsmen's attention, and they both turned to see a familiar yellow motorcycle slow to a halt beside them, with Yang and Blake astride the vehicle, clad in black and yellow leathers.

"Hey," Yang called out to the other two Huntsmen, lifting the visor of her upgraded helmet. "Was that Torchwick just now?"

Ruby let out a sigh.

"Yep," she said in a resigned tone. "And Neo's with him too."

Yang's mouth curved into a smile.

"Aww, sweet!" she exclaimed. "I've been _itching_ for a rematch with her. Tag out?"

Ruby shrugged her shoulders.

"They're all yours," she said.

Yang revved her engine as she swiveled her bike around in the direction of the fleeing car.

"Don't wait up, you guys," Blake called out through her visor.

With a puff of smoke and screeching tires, Bumblebee took off like a rocket, barreling down the street after their quarry.

Ruby and Jaune were left alone on the street as they watched them all go. Jaune glanced warily at Ruby, ready to follow her lead and curious about her inaction. He had been working with Ruby for years now, and usually she was quite persistent when she had a target in her sights. It was rather odd for her to be so reticent, especially when dealing with someone as irksome as Torchwick.

"We're not… _really_ letting Blake and Yang take over our case," Jaune insisted, giving Ruby a worried look. "Are we?"

Ruby remained silent for a moment, a look of doubt on her face. The cleverness and ingenuity of mankind is what allowed them all as a species to prosper, but in times like this, it was blindingly obvious just how much it allowed people like Torchwick to take advantage of their fellow man. Even amidst the war with the Grimm, people had always fought amongst themselves, whether it was bandits and raiders or extremist groups. Humanity may have been battling the Grimm for thousands of years, but even after that enemy had been ultimately defeated, it seemed that the people of Remnant would never know peace. Without a greater enemy to fight outside itself, how easily human beings devolved into attacking each other in lieu of any external threat. Even the Huntsmam academies, once their kind's only defense against the creatures of Grimm, had so easily been converted into a force for dealing with _human_ threats.

It seemed, at the end of the day, mankind would always be its own worst enemy.

"Ruby?" Jaune asked.

The Huntress reached up to smack her cheeks with both hands. For all that was still wrong with the world, Ruby knew that she had to have faith that things would be alright. They had made it this far by trusting in each other, and she knew that the way forward could be blazed in a similar fashion. As long as enough people continued to try to make the world a better place, it didn't matter how many Roman Torchwicks there were in the world. People like Torchwick had given up on the world being any better than it was, and only took their own needs into consideration. But so long as those who believed that the world was worth saving were willing to work harder than those who had given up on it, Ruby knew that they would all be alright.

When a smile rose across Ruby's face, Jaune knew that she was back.

"Not a chance," she said in a determined voice, withdrawing her scroll.

After inputting a key command, the distant sound of a rocket propelled locker could be heard in the distance, before it arrived on the scene. The metal rocket soared through the air as it descended towards them before embedding itself into the asphalt with a deafening _boom!_

Jaune winced from the impact, glancing curiously at the locker Ruby had summoned. It was larger than the standard weapons locker they were used to using at Beacon. And when the flat mechanical door in front swung itself open, Jaune's face paled in concern.

"Umm…Ruby?" he asked in trepidation. "What is _that?_ "

Ruby's grin was palpable.

"My birthday gift from Yang," she said with a smirk.

Jaune swallowed, still staring at the contents of the locker in disbelief.

"Huh…" he breathed, helplessly. "So Yang wasn't kidding after all…"

A whir of gears and motors hummed to life, and moments later, a supped-up hot red moped with the horsepower of a vehicle twice its size went zipping down the road with Ruby at the wheel, and Jaune clinging precariously behind her.

"YAHHHHH!" Jaune hollered in alarm, clinging to Ruby's waist for dear life.

The moped took off like a rocket, leaving a trail of dust behind it, with Ruby at the wheel, a cherry red helmet on her head, a pair of goggles over her eyes, and a massive grin on her face. Jaune's arms were still wrapped around her as he tried desperately to remain secure on the back of the tiny, overpowered machine as it sped down the road.

"Ruby!" he shouted, teeth clenched in terror. "Have you even _driven_ this thing before!?"

"Nope!" Ruby hollered back, before banking left onto the interstate to follow the flashing lights.

Jaune seized up at the sudden movement, clutching her all the more tightly, nearly emptying his stomach onto the city streets.

"You're going to get us killed!" he cried in a panic as Ruby began to duck and weave through the traffic.

"Aww, come on, Jaune!" Ruby crowed in elation. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Back there!" he howled. "Along with my dinner!"

Ruby snorted in laughter as she sped onward, catching sight of Yang and Blake on their yellow motorcycle, along with a good deal of flashing lights. It seemed even more police cruisers had joined the chase, but at the head of the procession, Torchwick was leaning out the car window, taking aim with his cane-gun.

"Hang on!" Ruby cautioned as she began to swerve.

BOOM! BOOM!

Roman let out a hail of gunfire, striking the first pursuing vehicle in a blast of red light, causing it to careen into the second, before they both exploded in a shower of fire. As the police cars exploded and flew through the air, Ruby's tiny red moped nimbly maneuvered through the flaming obstacles as they tumbled overhead, leaving so much fiery wreckage in their wake.

"Whoaaahhh!" Jaune shouted in protest as the moped continued to weave through the cars. "Rubyyyyyy!"

Ahead of them, Yang gunned her engine, taking Bumblebee into a wheelie in order to ascend one of the overturned cars ahead of them like a stunt ramp, sending her bike into the air. As they soared overhead, Blake tossed a handful of smoke bombs ahead of Torchwick's vehicle, engulfing the car in a cloud of black smog.

FOOOOOM!

Neo swerved the stolen squad car to avoid the smoke cloud, followed closely by the two smaller vehicles behind them. Far ahead, she could see a police blockade already set up to block their path. Gritting her teeth, she elbowed Torchwick, gesturing with her chin at the obstacle in their path.

"Someone's always trying to crash our party," Roman muttered grumpily, leaning out the window to aim his cane-gun.

BOOM!

With a blast of fire, the stone guardrail along the edge of the highway exploded in a hail of rubble, leaving a gap just wide enough for the police cruiser to fit through. With a swerve and a roar of its engine, the stolen squad car flew off the side of the interstate, before careening through the air to land on an intersecting highway running beneath them, scraping against the asphalt in a shower of sparks as they landed hard before tearing off down the road once more.

Moments later, Yang's motorcycle and Ruby's moped flew off the edge after them as Torchwick and Neo barreled down the highway, running every other car off the road.

Jaune had just about passed out from the jump. Ruby was merely gritting her teeth.

"Darn it," Ruby growled heatedly. "Someone's going to get hurt at this rate."

Just then, she heard a familiar voice over her helmet's headset.

"You guys look like you could use some backup!" a familiar voice called out.

"Weiss!?" Ruby hollered in excitement.

Ruby glanced up to see a searchlight illuminate the road ahead of them as a bullhead flew by overhead, with Neptune and the rest of Team SSSN hanging out the open side hatch.

Ahead of them, the police cruiser continued to speed forward as Roman leaned out the side of the vehicle, pointing his cane-gun up at the airship, letting loose a few rounds. Weiss had to serve and bank her aircraft to keep from taking a direct hit, but soon enough had gained enough ground for the three Huntsmen in the back of her airship to let loose a hail of weapon fire.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

An explosion of fire engulfed Torchwick's stolen vehicle, and for a moment, it almost looked like it had been destroyed. But soon enough, the cruiser emerged from the smoke, looking battered and dented, but with a thin white parasol protruding from the sunroof, having somehow shielded the car from any major damage.

"Seriously?" Ruby gaped as she sidled her moped alongside Yang's bike.

"What's that damn umbrella _made_ of?" Yang demanded, glancing over at Ruby.

Another voice came over the radio.

"Where'd you learn to aim, boys?" the familiar voice said.

Yang, Blake, Ruby and Jaune were still in hot pursuit as the police car barreled down the highway, with Weiss and Team SSSN providing air support. But emerging from the darkness came a larger, more imposing airship as it slowly descended onto the highway ahead of them all, blocking Torchwick's route.

"What?" Weiss hollered in disbelief. "Coco, is that you?"

The police cruiser slammed on its brakes as the _Macchiato_ landed roughly on the interstate, kicking up a cloud of dust, its six wings extending out in all directions, its bug-like frame blocking the car's path. As it did, a Huntress clad in bright pink sprung from the side hatch of the airship, leaping towards the fleeing vehicle, bring a tremendous hammer down upon the car's engine block.

"HIIIIIYAAAAA!" Nora cried in elation.

CRASH!

The sudden impact cause the car to cave in on itself, sending its two passengers careening headlong through the windshield, as Torchwick and Neo went flying through the air. The two of them flailed their arms haphazardly before skidding across the asphalt, tumbling over each other and finally landing in an awkward heap in the middle of the road, the two of them looking utterly stunned from the impact.

As they slowly regained their senses, the two of them saw Team CFVY emerging from the airship, as the rest of Team SSSN leaped down from the bullhead onto the highway. As Ruby and Yang parked their bikes, the two girls and their passengers marched towards the site of the crash. Weiss set the bullhead down and exited the airship, Ren and Nora rejoined their former team leader, and soon, Teams JNPR and RWBY were also standing over Torchwick and his partner, looking down at them both with weapons at the ready.

Roman gritted his teeth, staring back up at them all defiantly.

"Come on, Red!" he growled indignantly. "Don't you think all this is just a bit _overkill!?_ "

Ruby didn't answer, though Yang crossed her arms with a smirk.

"Wait for it…" she said.

A moment later, a robotic voice sounded over Ruby's scroll.

" **Ruby,"** Persephone's voice sounded. **"Penny and I have a lock on your signal. The Titan is go for deployment on your mark."**

Torchwick suddenly paled and Neo's eyes went ghost white at the mention of Atlas' most devastating super-weapon.

Yang grinned.

" _Now_ it's overkill," she laughed.

Roman and Neo shared a glance. It _must_ have been a bluff, they thought. But after everything they'd seen Ruby and her team pull off, neither of them were prepared to find out. Gritting their teeth in agitation, the two of them slowly raised their hands up in the air.

"That won't be necessary, Persephone," Ruby said into her scroll, smiling down at the two crooks at her feet. "We have the situation under control."

 **"Understood, Ruby,"** the voice replied.

Roman looked like he had broken out into a cold sweat, still sitting awkwardly on his backside as he and Neo stared up at the Huntsmen standing over them. More police cruisers began to arrive on the scene as bullheads began to fill the air. More and more spotlights shone down upon the scene of the crash as the Huntsmen and Huntresses stood over their quarry.

They made for quite an imposing display. Ruby held her pistol at the ready and a giant sword strapped to her back, with Jaune's hand on the hilt of his own sword. Blake's twin swords were both drawn, and a flame-like markings on Yang's arm were starting to glow in an eerily familiar manner. Weiss' rapier was held firmly in her grip, while Neptune's gun rested easily in his. Ren stood at the ready, bladed pistols in hand, and Nora's was slung lazily over her shoulder. The rest of the Huntsmen all had their weapons drawn as well - Scarlet, Sage, Coco, Yatsuhashi, Fox…

Even a certain green haired girl.

" _Et tu_ , Emerald?" Torchwick grumbled, scowling up at her.

Emerald was smirking as she crossed her arms, twin gun-sickles in hand.

"My side's the one that's winning, jerk-face," she said with a laugh.

Torchwick bristled at her words, glaring back at Ruby.

"First you run me out of a perfectly good hideout, and then you poach one of my best henchmen on top of it?" he demanded. "Dick move, Red."

Ruby looked completely unamused.

"Can it, Torchwick," she barked. "You've been enough trouble for one night. Now we're taking you two in, one way or another."

Torchwick let out an exasperated groan, throwing his partner an impatient look.

"Neo," he growled. "Any day now!"

The pink-haired girl just shrugged. As she did, Yang's eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh, no you don't!" she hollered, leaping forward, both gauntlets at the ready.

KRSSSSHHHH!

The crystalline replicas of Neo and Torchwick shattered under the might of Yang's fists, and the rest of Team RSJC recoiled with a start as the two criminals who had been sitting at their feet moments ago vanished within the blink of an eye.

"What!?" Jaune gaped in astonishment.

"An illusion!" Weiss shouted.

"Damn it!" Yang sneered, kicking the asphalt. "Not again! I'm getting real _sick_ of this chick always pulling a fast one on me!"

Ruby let out a defeated sigh as she looked up at the all the bullheads hovering in the air overhead. There at least a dozen of them now, and any one of them could have been Roman's escape vehicle. The full range and capabilities of Neo's illusion semblance weren't known. For all she knew, they were outside of the city limits already.

She turned and looked back at the damage left in Torchwick's wake. At least a mile of highway was torn up and covered in rubble, and wrecked vehicles lined the interstate as far as the eye could see, many of them on fire. Already, emergency vehicles were en route to tend to the injured. There were looking at a couple thousand lien in damage at the least, and Ruby could only hope that no one was seriously hurt. And for all that, they didn't have _anything_ show for it.

Roman Torchwick was still at large. And it seemed that he too had a partner he could rely on.

They would have some explaining to do once they got back to Beacon.

"I'll get some of my people out here to try to case the place," Weiss said. "Something will come up."

"We know he's after dust shops," Ren suggested. "Nora and I can scout around some of the local stores for clues."

"I'll try to scare up some leads on the dust black market," Blake added.

"And I'll see if we can't enlist the help of some of my buddies in the security force," Neptune said.

"Well, the _Macchiato's_ in need of more flight data," Coco shrugged. "Might as well patrol the city airspace and keep an eye open."

"And I can photograph any evidence we find for forensics," Velvet called out, gingerly stepping out of the airship.

"As long as you make sure to avoid any actual combat," Yatsuhashi cautioned.

"I suppose I must," Velvet sighed in resignation.

"And for what it's worth, I've got a few underworld contacts that owe me a favor or two," Emerald said, crossing her arms. "You know…in case you want me to contribute or something."

"Do you require our assistance after all, Ruby?" Penny's voice chimed in over Ruby's scroll. "The Titan has first strike capability, and Persephone and I are eager to lend our aid."

Ruby hurried grabbed her scroll.

"No, no!" she assured the robotic duo on the other line. "Thank you both, but…the Titan's not really well suited for this kind of work."

"Understood," Penny voice replied, sounding disappointed.

Ruby sighed, feeling torn up for constantly turning down Penny's offer. Then she thought back to the time Penny had identified Blake as a Faunus before any of them had, and a thought came to her.

"Hey Penny," she said. "You're pretty good at facial recognition, aren't you?"

There was a pause on the other line.

"Indubitably so," Penny agreed, after consideration.

Ruby smiled.

"I think I just thought of a way you could help!" she said excitedly.

After explaining her plan to Penny, Ruby hung up the call, and placed a comforting hand on Yang's shoulder.

"Everyone's doing everything they can," she said, a compassionate smile on her face. "We'll get them next time, Yang,"

Yang slammed her fist into the palm of her hand, grinning as she looked around at the rest of the team.

"Damn right, we will!" she said.

Ruby felt her smile return as she glanced around at her friends. It may not have been a successful mission, but Teams CFVY, SSSN, JNPR and RWBY were all gathered and working together once again. Whether they were taking criminals off the street or tangling with horrendous monstrosities bent on ending life on Remnant, Ruby could not think of a more capable team of Huntsmen in all of Remnant. Though they had lost allies, they had also gained new ones, and each bond that had been forged between them represented a lifetime of struggles to have been conquered in the line of duty.

As the police slowly arrived to take control of the situation, Ruby glanced up at the shattered moon as it rose up into the night sky. She wondered, not for the first time, how long they could all keep up the charade. All these petty squabbles were mere ripples in the pond compared to the ocean of cause and effect that she knew to have shaped the world they lived in. They were remnants of a forgotten past, and they too would one day be forgotten, not matter how great their accomplishments. In the end, it was impossible to know if anything they did would ever make a difference in the end.

"Sure been one hell of a night, huh?" she heard Jaune say.

Ruby's eyes refocused and saw Jaune approaching her, slipping his hand into hers and giving her a comforting smile.

"It sure has," she agreed, giving him a fond smile in return. "And from the looks of things, we've still got a lot more work to do."

"No kidding…" he admitted, looking around at the mess they were in.

The police were taking statements, many of them seemingly enraged that one of their vehicles had been smashed with a giant hammer. From the looks of things, Nora wasn't taking too kindly to their accusations, and Ren was doing everything he could to keep from lashing out at them. It was late and night, and they were all tired, and everyone's nerves were shot. The prospect of hunting down leads on Torchwick didn't sound very appealing at all right that moment.

Jaune scratched his head, a hopeful look on his face.

"Any chance we could just put all this off until morning?" he asked gingerly.

Ruby drew in a deep, cleansing breath. She didn't know what the future held for them. But she wasn't one to give up easily. The future was theirs to shape as much as anybody's. They were all in this together. Together, they had done the impossible. Together, they had turned back entire armies, toppled titanic beasts, and stopped world-ending calamities, all without compromising who they were. Together, they had accomplished all of this, not merely for the sake of Remnant but for each other. Together, there wasn't a challenge in the world that they could not overcome.

All they had to do was keep moving forward.

"Nope!" Ruby said sweetly.

* * *

The End


	152. Afterword

Afterword

* * *

Well friends, this has certainly been a journey.

I knew that this fic would be long, but I had no idea it would become _this_ long. Six hundred and sixty-eight thousand words over the course of four hundred and sixty one days, which averages out to about fifteen hundred words a day (though the time it took to write the epilogue brought my average down from about sixteen hundred words a day). For context, that's about thirteen thousand words longer than entry number twenty on Wikipedia's list of longest novels, _Les Misérables_ , which clocks in at about six hundred and fifty-five thousand words. This fic has been both a challenge and a labor of love. I had the idea for the basic premise floating around in my head ever since we learned about the Maidens and Pyrrha's involvement with them. I had an image in my head of Pyrrha leaving the main cast to go on some secret mission as the new Fall Maiden that she was convinced that she had to accomplish on her own, and our heroes leaving Beacon to go and find her. Then when she died in the series, I realized I could still write a variant of this idea, only instead of Jaune and his friends searching for a reclusive and enigmatic Pyrrha, they'd be searching for a reclusive and enigmatic Pyrrha...who had somehow come back from the dead. Either way, I knew I had to start writing _something_ , or I would go insane.

I published chapter one the day after I finished season three of RWBY, and basically have not stopped writing since. There was a time I would put out two or even three chapters a week, though that eventually slowed to maybe once a week as time passed. In the beginning, I tried to keep chapters around two thousand words apiece, and it was easier to keep producing them in such numbers, but over time, the chapters began growing in size until I could have probably justified publishing some of them as their own standalone fics. Ultimately, I was shooting for about eight thousand words a week, but there were obviously many times where that number slipped.

That said, I fully recognize that this fic is not without its flaws. I spent very little time revising each chapter, giving each one a quick read-through before publishing, instead focusing on proceeding to the next chapter as quickly possible. I would occasionally revise and republish chapters if I found anything I needed to change later, or if one of my readers pointed out a glaring error in reviews, but largely, the focus was on rapid and continuous publication. I initially wanted to get this done before season 4 began, and then when that milestone passed me by, I hoped to finish before season 4 ended. Obviously I failed on both those counts, but overall, I'm satisfied with what this fic became.

I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could stick to a rigorous schedule, but mostly, I just needed to write more. For four hundred and sixty one days, not a day went by that I did not think about this fic. I would frequently stay up late to finish chapters and plan future story arcs on the bus and in the shower and as I nodded off to sleep. I was so excited to get to the next big moment in this fic that often I would begin writing the next chapter within seconds of publishing the last. I define creativity as more than just a love for a particular craft. What I feel isn't the longing to create for the sake of creating. For me, the result is what counts. When I feel creative, what I feel is that there is something _lacking_ in the world. I get this image in my head of something very specific that absolutely _needs_ to exist. And it doesn't exist yet. So I need to create it. And my love for a particular story or setting or cast of characters will set the bar for how rigorously I attack this process.

Which should provide some idea of just how hard Pyrrha's death hit me.

"Everything was gone," the opening line in chapter one, was a direct reflection of my emotional state after it happened. To this day, I still can't bring myself to sit through the season three finale again in its entirety. Writing this fic was a means of coping with Pyrrha's death, which like many other writers, resulted in bringing her back to life for the duration. It was just such a gut punch to see her killed off like that. So believe me when I say how difficult a decision it was to ultimately kill off her character at the end of my fic as well. This fic represented an escapist fantasy to me and many fellow fans who were so impacted by her death in the actual series. After such a long fic, I can certainly understand people's confusion and displeasure with the decision to kill her off anyway. So I wanted to take this opportunity to explain my decision.

As much as I adore the Arkos ship, the long and the short of it is that this fic was _never_ specifically meant to be a romance. It was never meant specifically to be a comedy or an action/adventure or even just a generic fan spinoff. From its onset, this fic's genres were _always_ intended to be and always _have_ been "Angst/Hurt/Comfort." And while this would include elements of romance, comedy and action sprinkled around where appropriate, focusing on the characters and their emotional toil was _always_ going to feature prominently at the forefront of this fic. Almost every narrative decision that was made, for good or ill, was delivered with the intention of stirring as much turmoil as possible amongst the story's cast. And getting to explore all of the characters and the unique emotional burdens they might carry as a result of this turmoil was a chance for me to grapple with my _own_ unresolved issues over Pyrrha's death. This may be an rather selfish reason to keep a single fic going for so long, but as I'm sure many of you are aware, one of the main purposes of fic writing is to achieve some kind of catharsis.

I knew as soon as we learned her name in season one that Pyrrha would not be getting through the series unscathed. For all that, I wasn't anticipating just how early nor how severely her character arc would come to an end. I'm also pretty sure that Rooster Teeth will likely not be bringing her character back at any point, so like it or not, this would be it for her character. I often write fan fiction as a means of coping with unsavory character deaths or otherwise unsatisfactory conclusions to character arcs. You need only a brief perusal of my fic library to see just how poorly I've coped with the way Evangelion ended or how Cortana's character was handled towards the end of the Halo franchise. Knowing this about myself, I didn't want this fic to become just _another_ escapist fantasy. No matter what I write, it wouldn't change the fact that Pyrrha wouldn't be coming back in the series, so when the fic ultimately came to an end, I had to consider just where it would leave me when it did. The RWBY series would continue onward, regardless of what I did. So I had a choice to make about what my emotional state would be after this fic was concluded. Would I continue to be in denial after it was done, or would I be able to accept things as they were and move on?

And so I decided that this fic would be my farewell letter to Pyrrha. I had to accept that, ultimately, she was always supposed to die. It was right there in her name. That was her purpose in the RWBY universe. I could either reject this outright, and live forever in the world that I had written for myself, or I could use this fic as a means of coming to terms with that death. This didn't mean, however, that I had to accept her death at face value. Pyrrha may have been fated to die. But that didn't mean that she didn't deserve a better death.

Those of you who have seen Red vs Blue, another Rooster Teeth series, may be familiar with a line from that show that describes Pyrrha's sacrifice rather aptly:

" _There's so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day. And because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith. Ain't that a bitch?"_

This is the part that I chose to focus on with Pyrrha. Hers was a character that was so full of promise, despite the grim destiny that awaited her. In spite of the intentions of Rooster Teeth, Miles, Kerry, and even Monty himself, I _firmly_ believed that Pyrrha deserved a better death than the one she had been given. So I pushed back against the inevitable. I dragged it out for as long as I could. My rendition of Pyrrha refused to accept her fate. She toiled. And toiled. And toiled some more. She shouldered burdens that would have broken a normal person. She endured hardships and suffered inhumane punishment, and when the time came, she ultimately rescued herself, breaking out of her enemy's grasp and limping home to the people she cared for. She got the chance to fight on, lending her allies the power they needed to defeat their enemy. She got the chance to reconnect with her friends, consummate her relationship with Jaune, and so many more things she had been denied in life, having come all the way back from the brink and knowing just how precious it all was because of it. But most importantly, she got the chance to be the hero. She got the chance to give her life, knowing that sacrifice would truly save the world. Her death got to mean something more than just a cold splash to the faces of our heroes to awaken them to the harsh reality of the world beyond.

 _This_ was the death that Pyrrha deserved. This was the RWBY that _could_ have been, had she still be a part of it. And I wrote down these six hundred and sixty-eight thousand words because she deserved it.

So, after everything was said and done, this fic ultimately became a Jaune x Ruby fic, which may seem like a cop out. Well, a while ago, I read a comic series (that will remain nameless for the sake of preventing any possible spoilers) in which the main character spends the majority of the series trying to track down a loved one from whom they were separated at the beginning of the story. On the way, however, they are helped by another character with whom they slowly learn to trust and grow a connection with. And by the end, when the main character finds and reconnects with their loved one (in every sense of the word), it becomes clear that the circumstances have changed, and they go back to find the character they've grown attached to over the course of the series, realizing that they had slowly been falling in love with them from the beginning. It was a moment that caught me completely of guard when I read it because it wasn't obvious that it was happening on the surface, but at the same time, it was one that made perfect sense given what the series had been doing up until that point. It would have made no sense for the main character to end up with the one they had been searching for all that time, because that's not the relationship that had been developing over the course of the story.

It was looking back on this comic that made me realize something important about the relationship between Jaune and Pyrrha in my fic. Love isn't some nebulous goal that you spend your life searching for, seeing only brief glimpses until you ultimately find it. Love is building something together with someone special in your life, who is always there for you through all of life's struggles. In the series, Jaune and Pyrrha are almost always together, but in this fic, they spend the majority of the fic apart from one another. They may have been been in love. They may have meant the world to each other. They may have been made for one another. But in terms of time spent together in this fic, fighting side by side and supporting one another, there's another character that Jaune spends _a great deal_ more time with.

And that's Ruby.

As much as Jaune _talks_ about Pyrrha in this fic, as much as he _thinks_ about Pyrrha in this fic, and as much as his actions are _motivated_ by Pyrrha in this fic, it's _Ruby_ who is the one constantly giving him support. It's _Ruby_ that Jaune is always working through his problems with. And it's Ruby that he slowly develops a trusting partnership with. No matter how strong Jaune and Pyrrha's connection, as far as this fic goes, Jaune and Ruby was the relationship that was largely being developed over the course of those six hundred and sixty-eight thousand words. I know that this may have disappointed quite a few readers. I know I lost some readers when this ultimately played out. But I try my hardest to foreshadow any major decisions I make, and the hints of Jaune and Ruby's budding relationship were dropped all the way at the very start of this fic. And no matter what people say, it's a relationship that makes the most sense, both in this fic and in the original series as well.

Jaune was Ruby's first friend in the series. She may have had a familial attachment to Yang, but she had only _just_ met Weiss and Blake in episode two, and they both wanted nothing to do with her in the beginning. But Jaune was the first character who ever reached out to her. Ruby had to fight and claw her way into her friendship with her other two teammates, but Jaune has _always_ been there for her. And it's not long afterward that we see that she is there for him when he is forced to confront his own inadequacies as a leader. And lastly and probably most importantly, Jaune is there for Ruby even when her entire team has been scattered to the four winds in season four. Given all this and the direction the series is going, I would not be surprised if Jaune and Ruby become a canon pairing later on in the series. Of course, Rooster Teeth could decide to throw us for a loop anyway just for the sake of being contrary. And of course, as her voice actress aptly put it, at the point where she is in the current series, Ruby is simply not interested in getting into a relationship. Which is why, in the fic, Ruby and Jaune didn't start to truly explore anything that might exist between them until well after the adventure was over and they had both aged a bit more. After all, these characters are still very much children, and have a lot of learning left to do, both about themselves and about the world.

The rest of the relationships more or less wrote themselves. Ren and Nora were an obvious pair, as were Weiss and Neptune. Velvet and Yatsuhashi struck me as a cute couple as well, and given that they're both at least a year older than our main cast, it makes sense for them to be ready for the next step of their life by the time the fic was done. Don't ask me what's going on between Fox and Coco though. I don't think those two will ever figure things out. And of course, Qrow and Winter and James and Glynda were equally fun to write in their own ways.

The only other contentious pairing was probably Yang and Blake, and this was mostly because of how that impacted Sun Wukong. I debated with myself over and over how to handle this particular love triangle, whether to have Sun and Blake end up together, or to have Sun bow out so that Blake and Yang could be together. Neither option seemed quite right to me. Both options ended with somebody being left behind. But what ultimately motivated the decision to kill off Sun's character had nothing to do with pairing Blake with Yang. It was about pushing Blake past the breaking point and causing her to go after Adam with a ferocity that we've never seen from her before, and ultimately, hopefully, to make her to grow as a character.

Sun will always be a side character to me. He exists as a foil for Blake to grow and develop, though his importance may grow given how things are proceeding in season four. But for the sake of this fic, I needed something to push Blake over the edge. She'd already seen Yang injured - once in the series, and once again over the course of the fic. It seemed silly for the impetus to Blake's growth to be Yang getting hurt once again, and having _Yang_ be the one killed off would have impacted Ruby, her team and her family more than it would have impacted Blake, to say nothing of Yang's role in the rest of the story.

But Sun was the perfect sacrificial pawn. Not only was his death something that could push Blake past the breaking point, but it would impact Neptune as well, and force him to lean on Weiss for support. In order for Blake to mature in a way that felt satisfying, I needed her to strike out on her own with no fear in her heart. She has never before faced Adam on her own before and won. Every victory she's had over Adam in this fic, she's always had help. Despite the fic's overall message of the many being more powerful than the individual, in this particular instance, I needed Blake to finally face off against her arch rival, with no hesitation, and emerge victorious - and to do so on her own. And losing Sun was the catalyst that allowed her to do this.

I realized that this would disappoint some of my readers, and I'm sorry that this is the decision I came to. I don't dislike Sun Wukong as a character, and I'd be happy if Blake ends up together with him _or_ Yang in the series. But for the purposes of this fic, he served a greater role as a sacrifice. I only hope that Blake's attempts to honor his name in the epilogue managed to soften the blow somewhat.

Another contentious issue was Qrow being Ruby's father, and that was also a decision that I went back and forth on. It all started when I launched into the series of flashbacks to Qrow's past as a student at Beacon. At the time, I wasn't sure where I was doing with that arc, I just thought that his character deserved more exploration, and it felt like an appropriate time to shift gears in the fic. I liked the idea of him getting a crush on Summer, however, and I thought it would keep things interesting if I teased the possibility of a relationship between them, particularly knowing how things turn out in the present. So, ultimately, I got into it without knowing how it was going to end, which is always a gamble when writing.

By the time I started writing that part, several of my friends had planted the idea of him being Ruby's father in my head by pointing out how similar Qrow and Ruby are. I had already decided on making Summer a Faunus, thus completing Ruby's Little Red Riding Hood/Big Bad Wolf motif, and also having silver eyed warriors be the product of a human/Faunus hybrid play off of silver bullets being anathema to werewolves. My initial plan was for several of the characters to begin to suspect that Qrow might secretly be Ruby's father, only for the final flashback to reveal that, while he did harbor feelings for Summer, he never actually consummated that love with her, revealing that everyone's suspicions were all for naught. The progeny of Summer and Taiyang would still produce the human/Faunus hybrid that I needed for the silver eyed warrior bloodline theory to hold true. And there are a few lines that I left scattered throughout the fic that suggested this plan. There are a few points where Qrow refers to Ruby as Taiyang's daughter, even in his own head, and I think at some point Raven suggests that she left Taiyang so that Summer could bear him a child, who would just so happen to be born a silver eyed warrior.

This plan ultimately felt like too much of a stretch, and I never had the right chance to draw out the other characters' suspicions of Ruby's parentage, so the plan fell through. I had already been building up to this big reveal with Raven's pool, however, so either way, I would just be throwing in another twist for the sake of a twist in a series of chapters already laden with big reveals. It was poorly handled, and may be one of my biggest regrets about this fic, and one of the only major plot points I might change if I ever go back for a major re-edit.

The completionist in me also kept looking for a way to squeeze in a guy-on-guy pairing somewhere to balance out the girl-on-girl romance between Yang and Blake - perhaps between Scarlet and Sage. But in the end, I decided against it, as it felt like pandering. Their two characters had not really been explored enough in this fic, and I didn't want to assign them with such an arbitrary label just to tick something off a checklist. That too would have felt like a cop out, not to mention the fact that, as one reviewer pointed out, most of the main cast was in some sort of relationship by the end, which just isn't very realistic either.

I ended up taking this fic in a much more sci-fi direction than I expected, given just how fantasy-oriented everything is in the series. Every mystical happenstance has some sort of explanation, albeit far-fetched. In the end, however, my priority was giving these characters a bit more depth by using them to explore real world issues. RWBY as a series does a fantastic job at exploring racism and other social issues, but I wanted to take it a step further. I wanted to explore poverty and classism with Weiss and her dealings with her father's company and the White Fang. I wanted to explore mental health issues with Blake's social anxiety and Neptune's PTSD. I wanted to explore issues of abusive relationships with Cinder and her interactions with Pyrrha, Salem and her henchmen, as well as with Emerald and her interactions with Cinder and Mercury. I wanted to explore issues with international conflict and how they can affect people, such as Dora and the Lost Children of Vacuo. I wanted to explore issues with homosexuality with Blake's conflict over how she felt about Yang. I wanted to explore biracial issues with Summer and Ruby's mixed heritage. I wanted to explore family issues by having Ruby and Yang confront the possibility of an even more broken household. I wanted to explore environmental issues with dust being analogous to this world's fossil fuels, and the negative impact its continued use could have on the environment. And I wanted to explore the implications of one's own ancestry owing its success to the brutal employment of manifest destiny by introducing the idea that humanity in the world of RWBY came from a race of interplanetary conquerors. I won't make the claim that my treatment of any of these issues were particularly subtle, well handled, well thought-out, or even that they successfully drove a particular point home, but I maintain that they were worthwhile endeavors all the same.

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not extend my gratitude towards you, my readers. Your constant reading and reviewing kept me going, even as I began to lose steam. At the time of writing this, this is the 11th most reviewed RWBY fic on this entire site. That's not _my_ accomplishment, that's _yours_. In particular, I would like to thank Runty Grunty for the idea of the hot spring episode, as well as the name for Team RSJC (I honestly hadn't even thought of that until they mentioned it). I would also like to thank Patleon909 for their helpful feedback and constant, unsolicited error checking. You have a future in editing, my friend. Thank you both!

Special thanks also go to the following readers for their thoughtful and prolific reviews, in no particular order: Draconic, dracohalo117, Drake187, Spartan Ninja, Kyrogue23, RelentlessCrusader, silverhawk88, Kingdom Rider92, Cipher96, UGX7, Ace of Spies, Legolas Dragon Ranger, Smithrooks, Evilkitten3, dawnslight33, legendofzeldafan100, Qrow's Talon, Ballsdeep69 (classy SAO Abridged reference there), mediocrity4, Crescent Sunrise, FourNails1341, Unstoppable Cyborg, pedrocamora102, TidePoolDevil, knight7572, The Knight Hunter, KnightSpark, MEleeSmasher, MetaCrisisDR, soldier01073, lightningstrxu, WyattMoore, JimBob86, The Antisocial Bookworm, Materia-Blade, dragoon109, XxadvengerxX25, WatcherCCG, Mgsfan94, Fireballin117, Zone-Meister, Cyrocene, XxBrownEyedGrlxX, NightLocker, sorarocks531, WizTheWhiteWolf, Kung-fu Blaziken, stephenadezio, DigitalSoul247, goddy80119, AXL999, Matt1016, allie300093, TheDemonicSaint, SparktheDog, RetardPen, Pandolfi15, LittleAqua, Emperor of Time, Solvdrage, The Night Hunter, Writen, Darth Artemis, xXLeviathan01Xx, ksagan, Megaguy444, AG1193, anand891996, Silver Wolf 211, Harbinger the Reaper, TheShadeOps, Lavits Dragoon, Infinite Paper, Studio Gible, Dark rayquaza x, SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta, InvincibleDonut, and many, many others.

If I missed anyone or mispelled any names, I deeply apologize, but as far as I know, this site does not offer statistics tracking for reviews, so I had to compound all these names by hand, not to mention all the anonymous reviews. Just know that none of your reviews have gone unnoticed, and have done much to keep me motivated. Thank you all so very much! You've been an enormous source of encouragement for the past year and a half, and I couldn't have finished this fic without your kind words.

Also, an extra special shout out to everyone who put in the time and effort to create a TVTropes page of this fic. I am utterly blown away when people take the time to compile pages like these, not just for their favorite show or movie, but for a fan work in its own right. And the fact that this has been done for not one but _two_ of my fics is utterly humbling. A special thank you to darkdill, Aurora313, Arctimon, Transparent Existence, N8han11, HK87, peripheraldevotee, stewbacca94, Nintendoman01, crackersthesparrow, Blastgamer, jormis29, hubakon1368, AJSthe2nd, LadWatcher and DinoCam1795 for your work in maintaining this page. None of you had to put so much energy into keeping this page so thoroughly and consistently up to date, and it really means a lot to me that you all took the time to do so. Thank you all!

So what's next for me? Well, after a decently sized break, I might take the time to review and revise this fic a little bit more. Maybe straighten out a few inconsistencies, make sure everything's spelled, punctuated and capitalized correctly. For the longest time, I was spelling Myrtenaster as "Myrtlenaster." That one's on me. I might also add some details that weren't known until season four, such as the names for continents Sanus, Solitas and Anima (in lieu of this, I was referring to them as "The Atlesian continent," etc, which may have become a little confusing). I won't be adding any of the new characters from season four, like Whitley, Klein, Salem's minions or Oscar, just because there's no room for them in this story (though I was able to make some allusions to Ghira and Kali). Oh, and I was also planning on writing a lemon side story for Jaune and Pyrrha, going into their fun-filled night at the hot spring in a bit more detail. Look for that on my DeviantArt page in the next few months or so. Just do a Google search for "Kraven Ergeist Deviantart" and you should find it. As for other fan fiction? Well, I got into Overwatch shortly after I started writing this fic, and that's a fandom ripe for the picking. Might do another series of drabbles for that setting in the next year or so, similar to my FFVII and Bleach fics. Will I ever write anything as long as this fic? Doubtful, but anything's possible. This fic was an obsession, so really, it'll depend on how hard my next obsession hits me. And of course, there's always season five to consider.

Lastly, some footnotes. Inspiration for this fic came from a variety of sources, many of which some of you have already guessed. First, the inspirations that were flat out stolen from other fans: the idea for Persephone and the Titan came from an unrelated piece of fanart from the amazingly talented dishwasher1910 titled "RWBY-Future: Penny - Model 4.1 Persephone." As mentioned above, the acronym for Team RSJC as well as the hot spring episode came from Runty Grunty, one of my readers. The idea for Ren's semblance of Nightshade came from a number of different fan theories found while trolling Reddit. Also, while not so much "stolen" as "imagined in parallel," the design for Grimm Pyrrha was beautifully realized by Paperbark Scrolls in another unrelated piece of fanart bearing the subtext "Tell me, do you regret? That you failed her?" Even the title of "Resurgence" isn't original amongst RWBY fanworks, as a separate and unrelated fan comic by Atrox used the title before this fic ever did. This site doesn't let me link to these works directly, but hopefully the author names and titles will be enough to help readers locate the original works through Google. Of course, the idea of bringing back Pyrrha as some kind of Grimm hybrid at all was stolen from many a fan theory, as was reviving Penny, and having Qrow be Ruby's father. None of these were original ideas, and I take no credit for them. Aura linking, which played a heavy role in the fic, was also just the generic "by your powers combined" trope given form, specifically inspired by Soul Synchronization from the Soul Eater manga. Also, Yang getting a robot arm was such an obvious plot development, it even happened in the show, so I take no credit for that idea either. I _will_ take credit, however, for calling out the headmaster of Haven Academy being named Lionheart. A lot of fans were predicting a Cowardly Lion motif, but I was rather pleased to find that I _nailed_ his name.

The scene where Weiss gets dolled up and strolls through the Vacuan slums as bait for robbers is a reference to a similar scene in a web comic called "Darken" by Kate Ashwin. In addition to their rough and tumble attitude described in the wiki, I also envisioned Vacuo being much more spiritual than the majority of Remnant to contrast with Atlas' vast industrial prowess. This is also why the Lost Children of Vacuo (a vague reference to the Lost Boys from Peter Pan) made their home in a giant banyan tree. The Ancient Vacuan language borrows a lot from Arabic, of which I know absolutely nothing and relied entirely on Google translate. Dora was also a product of this Arabian Nights theme, a sort of mish-mash of roguish and impish traits from the likes of Aladdin, Shantae and Kaolla Su. Project GEMINI was a play on the motif of twins (Penny and Persephone) as well as the Disney character Jiminy Cricket, who was Pinocchio's conscience. The Pool of Life was inspired, ironically, by the Pool of Knowledge from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. The Witch and the Wizard were intended to be representative of Mother Earth and Father Time. A few Red vs Blue references even made it into the fic, including Jaune borrowing Tucker's line about using his sword. Ren's line at to Pyrrha at the end about hating goodbyes is also a reference to Church's line at the end of the Freelancer arc. And the car chase scene at the end of the epilogue was also meant to be an homage to the highway chase scene during the Freelancer arc, right down to Ruby summoning a two-wheeled vehicle from an airdrop mirroring Tex. As many of you noticed, the scene where Cinder starts falling into madness before her reflection in the mirror was inspired by a similar scene with Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Pyrrha of course quote's Cortana's famous "Don't make a girl a promise" line from Halo. And Ruby's final fight with Salem and the ensuing speech she delivers was heavily inspired by Gurren Lagann.

The Shadowglass was an allusion to the Magic Mirror from Snow White, while the hand-sized Shadowglasses were a reference to the mirror from Beauty and the Beast. The idea of Qrow taking over the mantle of the Wizard from Ozpin comes from the Wizard of Oz, when the Scarecrow becomes the new ruler of Emerald City after Professor Marvel returns to Kansas. I regret not being able to predict the Oriental theme for Mistral that the show was clearly going for (that's another thing I might try to add if I ever do a major revision). Not to be outdone though, I envisioned Vacuo reflecting a Levantine "Arabian Nights" archetype, complete with Professor Jasmine being, of course, a reference to Princess Jasmine (though her specific character traits were drawn more from Pharah and Symmetra from Overwatch). We'll have to see if Vacuo in the series embraces this archetype as well. Also, as much as I like Klein in season four, I still stand behind my decision to give Winter a robot butler named Prometheus, who is of course named for the Greek god of forethought.

Not sure where the idea for Pyrrha's great red nevermore came from, but it just seemed fitting for her to have a flying mount to make her seem like even more of a harbinger of death. Also, as many of you have noted, the green mutated Grimm were a nod to the enemies you fight in the Grimm Eclipse video game. In addition to that, I invented a few new Grimm for this fic as well, including plague bearers, the rats that Weiss' uses in a lab setting to experiment with Ruby's semblance; widowmakers, the giant spider that attacks Glynda's team in her flashback and makes a return during the final push towards Beacon; and of course the gargoyles, which I thought were an adequately fearsome permutation of human beings, suited to being decent end-game monsters. Was planning on introducing a swarm of giant Grimm bats during the battle of Atlas, but couldn't think of a meaningful way to work them into the battle.

Each of the Maiden's names was meant to draw inspiration from their season, as coined by Amber. Dora's name was a reference to the color gold, while Vera was a reference to greenery and Crystal a reference to ice. Crystal's character was of course inspired by Nora Fries, with Weiss' father freezing her in stasis until her disease could be cured. The "Eisenhardt" in William Eisenhardt Schnee translates to "Iron Heart" in German. And Lady Grimhilde Narcissa is named after the evil queen from Snow White, hence her connection to Weiss. Jaune's sisters - Maia, Electra, Taygete, Alcyone, Celaeno, Sterope and Merope - were named after the Pleiades, the seven sisters of Greek mythology. Maia's husband Dias and Pyrrha's parents, Athena and Perseus, are also named after figures from Greek mythology. The names of Jaune's forebears - Jonas, Gaius, Julius and Jacques - are a culmination of fan theories as to what his ancestor's name could be, including Gaius Julius Caesar, the real-life owner of Crocea Mors. His even more distant ancestor, King Uruk, is a reference to the ancient Sumerian kingdom said to be ruled by the legendary King Gilgamesh. And his most distant ancestor of all, Erst Jaeger, is of course German for "First Hunter," and a nod to Eren Jaeger from Attack on Titan. And of course Neptune's family, Poseidon and Triton, as well as their company, Ionian Heavy Industries, are all allusions to Greek water gods.

Silver-Eyed Warriors get a number of names in this fic. While "Argentine Warrior" and "Gintama" are Latin and Japanese derivations of the word silver, I ultimately went with "Grimmslayer" to indicate how naturally suited they were to fighting Grimm, and just because I thought it sounded cooler. If I ever had to change the name of the fic to anything other than Resurgence, I'd also probably go with "Grimmslayer." Raven's moniker of Krymsen is based on another character I created, and named after the color of blood. The Gargoyle that acts as Raven's assistant in the epilogue is named Pericles, after the ancient Greek statesman. Glynda's sister Addaperle is a reference to the Broadway musical "The Wiz," wherein Addaperle is the Good Witch of the North, with Glinda as the Good Witch of the South. The Battle of Gillikin, which Glynda references in code to Ironwood, is named after the northern country of the land of Oz. Cinder's many monikers - Asha when she infiltrates Havensfall, Ella when she was still a Huntress, and the name of her forebear, Asha'Ella, which simply combines the two names - are all allusions to the character's original inspiration of Cinderella. Ash and cinder go hand in hand, and both were originally named Ella at birth. Mercury's moniker of "Gray" should be self explanatory, and Neo's moniker of "Poly" is a reference to her poly-chromatic eyes. Other color names are scattered throughout the story, with varying degrees of importance - William Schnee's secretary is named Opal, Weiss' secretary is named Lily, the team's Vacuan guide is named Clay, the girl Cinder kills in front of Glynda is named River Sail, and the few named members of the Lost Children of Vacuo are Lime, Coral, Sandy, Chip, Tan, Olive, Scotch, Cherry and Brass.

Because the Maidens' powers were so unclearly defined in the show, I had to do some guesswork as to which Maiden could do what (unless it turns out that they all share the same general pool of powers). I decided that the Fall Maiden's powers were all different types of storms. From there, I made the Spring Maiden all about controlling plant life, the Summer Maiden all about the desert, and the Winter Maiden all about the arctic. Not very original, but it's the best I could come up with having so little to reference in the show. The manner in which the Maidens commune with Pyrrha in chapter forty-two was inspired by the Vortigaunts from Half Life 2. I also expanded a bit on Faunus abilities as well. Blake and Sun both enter what I called "starvation mode," which is a real world phenomenon that occurs in wild cats, allowing them to make use of minimal resources. I also give both Blake and Adam a kind of "berserker rage," which allows Faunus to enter a savage state of mind in a desperate situation when their aura is in the red zone and their bodies are pushed to the limit. I wanted to spend more time fleshing out the Faunus and their abilities in this fic, but since they really weren't the focus, I didn't have a lot of chances to do so.

Jaune's semblance seemed fitting for his character, and could explain the one instance of it coming out in his season one encounter with Cardin. Neptune's power was both fitting and plot-relevant, given his namesake and fear of water in the show. Yatsuhashi's semblance is a power I liked from Mutants and Masterminds, which seemed to line up with the few abilities we've seen from him. Scarlet's semblance is as close to flight as I could get without giving him actual flight, since he's supposed to be referencing Peter Pan, and I couldn't have him _actually_ fly for plot reasons. I was considering giving Fox some kind of empathic ability to maybe help with Emerald, but didn't really have a good opportunity to do so, so that ended up being dropped. And I know Velvet's semblance _technically_ only covers the ability to mimic other people's techniques and not the weapons themselves, but I fudged it a little so that I could give Weiss' giant white knight the ability to use other weapons as well when Velvet was aura linked. I thought Cardin's semblance seemed fitting for his character and weapon. And most everyone else's semblances were left more or less ambiguous, particularly Taiyang, who thus far I think is the only bare-handed fighter we've seen in the series.

The name for Qrow's sword, _Grímnir_ , comes from one of Odin's names in the old Norse poem "Grímnismál." Qrow and Raven's parents, Hugin and Munin, were the two ravens that accompany Odin, on which Qrow and Raven are likely based. The name for Raven's sword, Midnight Dreary, of course comes from Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Raven." For Blake's weapons, Cassius and Jin, were named after the two characters from "Dust: An Elysian Tail," which is said to have been the real-life inspiration for "The Man With Two Souls" in the series. The weapons themselves were actually inspired by the red character in dillongoo's "Project MONTY" video on Youtube (look it up if you have time, it's pretty cool, if kinda short). Any similarity to the 3D maneuver gear from Attack on Titan is coincidental. Inspirations for Yang's built-in weapons range from Barret Wallace's gun arm to Edward Elric's automail, and eventually Big O's megadeus arms when she attaches the proton cannon. William Schnee's sword was loosely based on Soul Calibur, with a bit of Cloud Strife's Ultima Weapon thrown in. And it only just occurred to me that I never gave William's sword a name. Oh well, let's just call it Snowpiercer for now. The Maidens mostly wielded staves, with the exception of Summer Rose, who never truly embraced her Maiden heritage and bore a dagger-sword-lance, which is a weapon I designed for a separate work called "Absolution," which you can find on my DeviantArt page. Coco's nanomachine turrets came from an effort to figure out what could possibly be considered an _upgrade_ from a minigun, giving up on the idea, and finally going for something that felt equal parts classy, chique and technologically superior to any other handheld weapon in the fic. I also apparently failed to give either of Coco's golden guns a name either. Sheesh, getting sloppy. Oh well, Cream and Sugar it is. Lastly, Ruby's dagger in the epilogue was meant to be an ode to Crescent Rose as well as the name Rose Thorn being an homage to her mother. But really, it was the only gift I could think of having any meaning for Ruby, given how much she adores weapons. Also cookies.

Winter's ship, the _Aeneid,_ is based on the Latin epic poem by Virgil and appears in another RWBY fic of mine. Ironwood's flagship _Ptolemaios_ was inspired by the ship from Gundam 00 named for the Greek philosopher. Other ships include the Vacuan hydrogen vessels, such as Jasmine's _Zephyr_ , which were based on WWII-era German Zeppelin bombers. Of course, Coco's airships, the _Macchiato_ and _Frappuccino_ , are named after some of her favorite drinks. Some new Atlesian mechs that I've added to the fic include the Titan, aptly named for the gods from Greek mythology and inspired in equal parts by Evangelion and the giant Omnic from Torbjorn's comic in Overwatch. There is also Ironwood's custom mech, the Juggernaut, in reference to the Hindu temple cars of Jagannath. And the starship _Elysium_ is a reference to the Elysian Fields in Greek mythology. Ruby's red moped was inspired by a piece of fanart by Shinonome. Also, Coco has a car called the Espresso Machine because of course she does. And Yang's bike, Bumblebee, received a slew of weapon upgrades because why would it not?

Musical inspiration for Yang's berserker mode at the end of the Vacuo arc came from Rammstein's "Feuer Frei." Inspiration for Weiss summoning the giant white knight to battle the dragon during the battle of Atlas came from Two Steps From Hell's "Freefall." Inspiration for Blake sacking the White Fortress and dueling with Adam came from the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance soundtrack, "A Stranger I Remain." Team RWBY airdropping on Vale, summoning the white dragon, Jaune's duel with Pyrrha, Ruby entering the netherworld and her final battle with Summer Rose were all inspired by Nightwish' "Ghost Love Score." Jaune unleashing the Grand Arc and finally coming to Ruby's aid as she links with her entire party and unleashes her full Grimmslayer powers upon Salem were inspired by My Chemical Romance's "Welcome to the Black Parade," which also inspired the original idea for this fic. Pyrrha's farewell to her friends in the final chapter was inspired by "Tsubasa wo Kudasai" from the Evangelion 2.0 soundtrack. And the car chase during the epilogue was inspired by Mark Holman's "Nothing Can Stop Me Now."

The two cops at the end of the epilogue were meant to be the same two cops from episode fifteen, who were themselves a reference to another Rooster Teeth work. I also borrowed a few lines from the original series as needed. Cinder's villainous monologue to the resistance in Vale refers to them as "weapons pointed at the enemy so someone else can claim their victory," which is a direct line from the season 2 opening theme song. At the end, after Pyrrha's ultimate sacrifice, Raven even quotes the title of theme: "Now it's time to say goodbye." In the epilogue, when Ruby is tempted to reveal the truth to the Huntsmen, she makes a point about legends being "stories scattered through time," and how "mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that they were remnants, byproducts of a forgotten past," which is a repetition of Salem's intro line from the very first episode.

Finally, as many of you no doubt have noticed, Monty Oum's mantra of "Keep Moving Forward" comes up repeatedly throughout this fic. Almost every major character utters it at least once, and it functions as a source of motivation for each of them in their own way. It's a line that has motivated me throughout the creation of this fic, and it is in his memory that I leave you now. Thank you, Monty, for taking us all on such a wonderful journey. This may be the longest story I'll ever write, and it is just a drop in the bucket compared to the enormous amount of written works on this site that are dedicated to your legacy. May you continue to inspire us all for years to come. Your work will never be forgotten.

Keep moving forward, everyone.


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